The Return to Cardiff (03/09/23)

The summer holidays is usually the time of year where the weather is at it's peak. Last year (2023), May and June felt like this. That is until July came. The weather since July had felt pretty much like Autumn, with there being a mix of showers and heavy rain, with occasional sunny spells. After the trip I undertook in August 2022 to Edinburgh in Scotland, it seemed like this summer I would not go anywhere else at all. Along came September and the weather started to improve, so on Sunday the 3rd of September 2023, I did a day trip returning to the city of Cardiff in Wales.

The journey began at 5:50am, the roads feeling deserted as I walked to the station. At Goodmayes station I boarded an Elizabeth Line service - this was the second train of the day (arriving at 6:15am, the first train was at 6:00am) heading to London Liverpool Street. I had to change at Stratford as the Elizabeth Line service terminated on the upper National Rail platforms at Liverpool Street. On weekends, the Elizabeth Line services towards Paddington start a bit later than on weekdays - after around 7:30am, on weekdays it's from 5am onwards. The Central Line train approached the platform on a service towards West Ruislip, this journey was pretty much standing into Central London. I am certainly glad there's another quicker way to get there now that's for sure...  I alighted at Oxford Circus to change for a Victoria Line and alighted at Victoria, this journey had less passengers onboard though, it was only two stops. Finally, I walked from Victoria (exiting the station) to Victoria Coach Station, this being a 5 minute walk. 

It was around 7:10am when I made it to the Coach station, in total 22 coach bays are situated here, although the seating areas inside were not really enough considering the usage. Typically, the coach I was supposed to get was in a bay further down, so I made my way there. I booked my trip with National Express, a large coach operator that operates a range of long-distance services to other cities and towns in the UK. My coach to Cardiff was supposed to leave at 7:30am, however there was no sign of the coach at all. On the screen as the time came nearer it showed the service as "delayed". This didn't seem promising, as later one of the staff members came to us and said that the coach to Cardiff was cancelled. As a result, we were told to join another National Express service going towards Swansea - at 8:30am. The reason for this was due to the 10K run that happened to be taking place in Cardiff, I couldn't help but feel like I wasted time on getting up early, the main concern however being whether this service will go ahead as well or suffer the same fate. At long last, the coach finally showed up after waiting for almost an hour. 

 

Was informed by staff to move to Gate 6 and board another coach service, heading to Swansea but stopping at Cardiff.

While the coach was being prepared for service, passengers commented on how the communication in regards to the service being cancelled was communicated really late, which I certainly agreed on as I bet none of us, expected to be joining another National Express service but here we are! Felt glad to be sitting on a coach, rather than in the departure boards waiting area that's for sure. At 8:30am we departed the coach station, the driver onboard announcing that there will be one additional stop to be made on route (this stop being Newport), due to the cancellation of the Cardiff service. 

About to hop on the coach numbered route 507, onboard the 08:30 service that was heading to Swansea.

The coach we would be riding on is a 22 plate Caetano Levante 3, an upgraded version to the original Levante model. These coaches seem to be a recent purchase by National Express to replace their older buses. They come equipped with USB ports to charge your device, given the distance we covered it certainly is useful. After leaving London, we were on the M4 and honestly the motorway is as straight as an arrow. 4 hours of open fields and a view of the countryside, it felt picturesque at times I guess, the best bit of the trip being on the Prince of Wales Bridge. Passing underneath is the River Severn and honestly it's quite a view. The swans managed to enjoy themselves in the water, though I couldn't really say the same for myself, having been sat in the same position for a long period of time. The legroom felt tight and didn't really have much room to stretch out, the seats almost made me want to sleep - they are comfortable but after a while it does get to you!

View of the River Severn from the Prince of Wales Bridge.

Not long afterwards we entered the city of Newport, our first stop in Wales and on our journey. The station from this stop is a bit of walk, so good luck if you are trying to navigate with luggage. I could recognise the shopping centre and the bus station from my last trip, as we made a loop around the city centre. There seemed to be electric buses present in the bus station, but not much else otherwise. 

Newport Bus Station, looks a bit different in terms of buses compared to when I last took the photo in 2018.

Leaving Newport behind, we were on the last stretch to Cardiff still a couple of miles away - but not hundreds, thankfully. I was taking in the views on the approach, needless to say there was traffic upon arrival. Finally after 3 hours of travelling we arrived at 11:46am, on approach to midday. 

Alighting our coach at Cardiff, Sophia Gardens. This coach continued onwards to Swansea - a couple more hours away.

I felt relieved that I could finally stretch my legs after enduring a long ride, so I made my way to the city centre. I sat down on a bench enjoying the meal deal lunch that was purchased the day before, making the most of the hot weather. After some time, I wandered off to the museum since I didn't visit it on my prior visits and yeah - I mean it wasn't that bad of a visit but, I am not that person who would stay for hours exploring every single floor. If you are around the area and you want to visit then it's called National Museum Cardiff. 

The heat got even more worse during the day, so I was around the city centre capturing some of the bus services that operate around Cardiff. 

Cardiff Bus 412 (CE71 YDH) on route 44 towards the City Centre.
Bus model seen in this photo: Yutong E12 (Electric bus)

Cardiff Bus 116 (CE63 NYO) on route 27 towards Thornhill via Birchgrove.
Bus model seen in this photo: Mercedes Benz Citaro (Diesel bus)

Cardiff Bus 114 (CE63 NYM) on route 21 towards Pantwmawr via Birchgrove and back to the City Centre.
Bus model seen in this photo: Mercedes Benz Citaro (Diesel bus)

Cardiff Bus 412, (CE71 YDH) seen a bit further up on stand awaiting departure on route 44 towards St Mellons.
Bus model seen in this photo: Yutong E12 (Electric bus)

Cardiff Bus 111 (CE63 NZS) seen in Cardiff City Centre.
Bus model seen in this photo: Mercedes Benz Citaro (Diesel bus)

Cardiff Bus 742 (CN59 CKX) on route 28 towards the City Centre.
Bus model seen in this photo: Scania Omnicity (Diesel bus)

Cardiff Bus 428 (CE71 YXN) on route 49 towards Lianrumney.
Bus model seen in this photo: Yutong E12 (Electric bus)

Cardiff Bus 137 (CN17 FZY) on route 58 towards the City Centre.
Bus model seen in this photo: Mercedes Benz Citaro (Diesel bus)

It seems that Cardiff Bus has decided to take on some electric buses and replace their older fleet, since my last visit. After that, I took a visit inside their shopping centres to see what was on offer and to kill some time too. I ended up getting up a meal deal at Tesco Extra for the journey ahead. 

Around Cardiff Library, in Cardiff City Centre.

Near Sophia Gardens Coach Station in Cardiff, about to board the coach back towards London.

The time has now come to an end, which I was sort of grateful for as the heatwave was getting to me.  When I arrived at the coach station there were three coaches, now this felt confusing as one of them would be ours heading back to London, although it wasn't shown. As it turned out, I would be getting the coach on the far right despite the one left saying London, anyways I can't complain really at least the delay was not an issue. 

The coach departed Cardiff on time at 5:00pm, as the long journey back to London began. While we were on the motorway cruising along nicely, the driver suddenly did an emergency stop. The driver pulled over to the side of the motorway and came to the back of the bus, it felt like someone was smoking or vaping, I couldn't really tell but the smell was not pleasant to say the least. There were three people and none of them told the driver, that said they did cause quite a racket onboard the journey. Apart from that the rest of the journey was nothing too concerning to worry about.

The sunset at around 7:36pm along the M4 motorway.

As it got darker, we entered London Victoria at 8:40pm, a journey taking almost 4 hours since we departed Cardiff at 5:00pm. 

Arriving at London Victoria after the long 4 hour journey from Cardiff.

It seemed to be a mixed bag for National Express on this day, with the marathon affecting majority of the coach services in the morning, although it didn't seem to be as bad coming back. Thankfully the weather was good during this time and felt great to visit Cardiff again after a while. Bit of a late summer's break day out I suppose.

Thanks for reading and happy riding!

If you are interested, I did a blog on my previous visits to Cardiff in 2016 and 2018 - both are combined together. The link is below:

https://transportunited.blogspot.com/2019/12/wales-2016-and-2018.html

London Bus Route 24 - the full journey

It's been quite a while since I have done a full journey. Part of me always wondered where Pimlico actually was, so on Sunday 1st of October 2023, I decided to take a full journey on the London Bus Route 24. 

The route runs from Hampstead Heath to Pimlico via Camden Town, Mornington Crescent, Warren Street, Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Westminster, St James Park and Victoria. As far as records can trace, since 1934 the route has pretty much stayed the same with no adjustments or changes being made. It is the oldest unchanged route in London. The frequency is every 10 minutes, increasing to 12 minutes during the evening. Additionally, it runs 24 hours a day.

In terms of operator history it's been back and forth. Since introduction it was operated by Arriva London, transferring to Metroline in 2002, then to Go Ahead London in 2007, returning to Metroline again in 2012 before going to Abellio London in 2019. Upon it's return to Metroline in 2012, it was allocated New Routemasters (the irony is that they are not even that new anymore) being the first London bus route (of many) to convert. The route operates at Battersea (QB) garage so I imagine it isn't too far to get to Pimlico. 

Two New Routemasters stand at the Hampstead Heath terminus in South End Green awaiting their journeys on route 24 towards Pimlico.
Photo taken by Maggie Jones
Photo taken during: April 2016.

The route begins at South End Green in Hampstead Heath, close to the Royal Free Hospital. Hampstead is not the largest of areas but does have housing which is quite expensive. There are 6 bus routes in the Hampstead area, one being a night bus and 4 running during the day (apart from route 24 of course as that runs day and night). Hampstead Heath also is close by and if you have time and want to wander around, then it's definitely worth exploring - it's a large park and contains a number of ponds. I haven't been inside it myself but I saw alot of people walking towards there. Certainly a peaceful area for sure, alongside the cafes, restaurants and off licence stores nearby.  

I arrived at the bus stop at around 3:00pm in the afternoon, with the bus coming around from the stand (which was a tight turn) to let us onboard. I took my seat upstairs and we were on the move. Departing away, we took a left hand turn onto the one way Agincourt Road, leading us to the outskirts of Gospel Oak. On the right hand side a school and a church made an appearance as we twisted left and right before it became straight again. So far, the route had felt residential aside from the occasional off licence stores appearing now and then, although there was an interesting mix of buildings. The 46 bus route has followed us since we began at Hampstead Heath, after the stop Prince of Wales Road at the junction it heads it's own way while we remain on Ferdinand Street. The housing section was over (for now at least) turning left at the junction onto Chalk Farm Road. 

The next area of interest is Camden Town, Camden Market made an appearance on the right while the day to day shops is on the left, notably this area can get particularly busy on weekends (due to Camden Market) around this area and it certainly was the case when I travelled today being Sunday. Taking a left hand turn, avoiding the main touristy bit onto another one way road. I would say this bit is the more quieter end of Camden Town, mainly being housing and a couple of railway bridges. After the Camden Gardens bus stop, the road turns into four lanes and we take the furthest one towards the right. Now on Camden Road, a Sainsburys store made an appearance while stopping at Camden Town station, served by London Underground Northern Line. The station gets really busy and this is where the bus started, to fill up a bit with tourists and local passengers. We twisted left heading towards Mornington Crescent, along with more housing looking largely identical to each other. At the end of this road, we went right with the sign ahead directing us towards Central London and Euston. The left hand turn followed at the second junction heading away from Camden. Mornington Crescent seemed bit more quieter than the bustling Camden though it still contained a decent amount of shops and restaurants. We navigated through Harrington Square Gardens (essentially a one way road) which was in the middle, the next bit containing many buildings and construction work for HS2 (High Speed 2 - a railway project). 

Onboard route 24, on approach to Tottenham Court Road.

Entering into Central London, Warren Street station (served by the Northern and Victoria lines) appears after crossing the busy Euston Road junction, this is where it starts to get touristy. Now we are on Tottenham Court Road (the name of the road not the area yet), and pretty much a mixture of shops, restaurants and eateries. Further down is Goodge Street station (served by the Northern Line) passing through an array of traffic lights that so close to each other. Approaching another station, Tottenham Court Road (served by Central, Northern and Elizabeth lines). Since the Elizabeth Line now passes through here it has become a very busy station, right on the heart of Oxford Street. Venturing south on Charing Cross Road, Leicester Square is our next point of interest the bus I was riding still full with passengers. The station is served by the Piccadilly line. You will get the usual horde of tourists between here and Westminster, notably demonstrations take place. Trafalgar Square is a very famous tourist area that people love to visit and there seemed to be an event going on with food stalls and music to entertain the crowd. You can also alight here for Charing Cross station (Bakerloo and Northern Lines), and for Southeastern services at London Charing Cross heading towards Kent. Continuing onwards to Whitehall for Horse Guards Parade, before reaching Westminster and Parliament Square not long after. Navigating through Parliament Square, the bus decided to go past Westminster Abbey and St James Park, the office buildings and shops making an appearance. 

Victoria. One of the last busy areas we pass through in Central London. Passing Westminster Cathedral, the bus stop for Victoria station (Circle, District and Victoria Lines), is immediately twisting left, opposite the Apollo Theatre. Heading to the main London Victoria station, served by Southern and Southeastern, you can get train services towards South London, or even further towards Kent and Sussex. The bus emptied out here which was a relief, as I pretty much had to endure a packed bus since Camden Town! A few twists and turns led us to Wilton Road, essentially a backstreet section of Victoria. A Sainsburys shop had appeared to the right of me, one those shops that I pretty much went to a few times in the past. The scenery began to change again with an eventual left turn, passing through more housing, it felt quite posh though this time. Pimlico. Passed through St George's Square, where you can alight for Pimlico station (served by Victoria line). Getting close now but at the next set of traffic lights we turned right, this road featuring  a mixture of housing, a few shops and parked cars on both sides of the road. This route seems to like twisting and turning, as a left hander followed at the next traffic lights, though I could see the railway bridge and Battersea Power Station across the River Thames. The lights went green, we made the final left hand turn onto Grosvenor Road, the terminus of the route arriving at 4:15pm. 

Battersea Power Station seen across the River Thames.

Was quite the journey to make but happy to have done the route, I would say it's perfect if you like touristy routes, as this route covers the main ones. It took me around 75 minutes to do end to end, so not too bad considering the length is 7 miles in total. This route was actually proposed in recent times to be withdrawn by Transport For London (TFL) as part of their consultations they do. It managed to avoid being axed so it survives... for now.

Battersea Power Station seen in the distance.

Grosvenor Road, at the first bus stop for route 24 heading towards Hampstead Heath.

If you want to kill time, then yes I recommend the route - preferably during the quieter times of day such as early morning.

Thanks for reading and happy riding!