THE M & D AND EAST KENT BUS CLUB

The Forester - 21st August 2004

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Tour report by David Burrin. (first published in Invicta November '04)

Following a week of unseasonally wet and windy weather, we relied on David Cobb to organise a sunny day for our third trip of the year, and had a pleasant trip along the South Coast .  Leaving on time from the Medway Towns, we made our way to Guildford for a comfort stop in the grounds of Guildford Cathedral before heading cross-country towards Southampton .  FirstBus livery is now almost complete here, and with the operations of Solent Blueline and the relatively new Minerva Accord services, as well as a football shuttle, the variety was quite good.  However, a surprise was the appearance of one of the few remaining Atlanteans.

Leaving my wife to shop in the city centre, we then did battle with the New Forest traffic and headed across to Poole , being given freedom to roam the bus garage, and explore the nearby bus station.  Evidence of recent Go Ahead activity here was restricted to two London Central driver training Olympians.  Some VRs are still in regular service here, one of the few places where they can still be seen.

From Poole we found the new site of the Bournemouth Heritage Collection on the outskirts of the town. This is an interesting collection, and although under cover, it was not that easy to photograph.  Some vehicles are indeed in need of “heavy restoration”, to be polite.

We then moved to Bournemouth town centre, where the bus only road gave good opportunities to view the developing fleet, with some recently delivered vehicles in service.  For those who fancied a break, the band was playing in the Chine.

From Bournemouth we returned to Southampton to collect my wife, and her shopping!  We then found the Solent Blueline depot at Eastleigh , and more notably a collection of preserved vehicles in their nearby compound, before heading across to Bishops Waltham for our final visit – at the now resited depot of Brijan Coaches, where the owners, who are themselves enthusiasts, gave us a warm welcome.  The variety was enhanced by the Stagecoach outstation, which shares the same yard, and two Dennis Javelin coaches from a Welsh operator, which were present en route to Macedonia for refurbishment, and some preserved vehicles.

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