Happy Report!
fbb was able, using his consummate technological skills (a k a good guesswork!) to resolve most of his computational grief as encountered for yesterday's blog. He will explain all when he has worked out hat he did!
Back to today's better effort. (Hopefully?)
Not Just That Spire!
The spire of St Mary's Church has been a landmark for almost ever. There are as many theories as to the reasons for its shape as there have been years of its twist!
The most fanciful is that it was caused when the Devil sat on the church, twisting his tail round the construction.
In fact the spire is twisted like a screw thread but also bent at the top like it has been, well, bent at the top.
It is very likely that the screw shape was intentional ...
Whatever, the spire is the oft used "logo" of the town, notably as the privatised Chesterfield Corporation Transport livery identifier.
The stylised spire actually lacks the iconic screw thread!
Be that as it may, fbb escorted his wife of 51 years by Stagecoach X17 bus from Sheffield to Chesterfield.
Although the "Gold" brand has been oddly abandoned in favour of Motorway Maintenance yellow ...
... no such awfulness was in evidence last Tuesday.
The route uses the Drofield by-pass and is the successor to various similar services. The first was a Sheffield Transport route 200 which continued south to Clay Cross. With Stagecoach dominant, a group of routes numbered in the 700 series appeared ...
... linked with services via Mansfield to Nottingham.
The current X17 runs all the way from Barnsley via Sheffield, Chesterfield and Marlock to Wirksworth. Nobody seems able to present the passenger with a full timeable but here is Travel South Yorkshire in two bits!
fbb has not attempted to join them together!
The fbbs only travelled a modest 46 minutes to arrive at "Beckingham Way Coach Station" which isn't a coach station and isn't on Beckingham Way.
Its road entrance is, indeed, on Beckingham Way but ask anyone local and they will tell you to go to New Beetwell Street a road which is, de facto, Chesterfield's bus station.
There are just four stands at the Bus/Coach station ...
... and loadsa stands on New Beetwell Street as we shall see tomorrow. Nearest the vehicle exit we have Pronto (to Nottingham) ...
... and to its right the departure stand for National Express. Naturally this draws us into the terminal building which is small but beautifully formed. Here fbb was in for a shock - THREE shocks in fact.
Can that really be an enquiry counter? And can that be a Stagecoach person actually answering enquiries?
And opposote the enquiry office, can that really be a rack of timetable leaflets?
And next to the timetables was a door ...
... and was it unlocked? And through that inviting door, were there really toilets?
The answer was YES, a resounding YES to them all. Indeed both fbb and Mrs fbb availed themselves of said facilities.
Were fbb able, he would deliver a whole sack of chocolate peanuts to Stagecoach Chesterfield for doing a "proper job".
fbb almost forgot. Exit from the back door of the building and there you will find the stands for both directions of the X17.
There is no caff at the bus/coach station (there never was even before its rebuild) but there are plenteous facilities nearby, one such being VERY nearby in a rather weird furniture shop ...
... to which the fbbs tottered for coffee and a cream scone.
It would be misleading to say the caff was popular.
The fbbs were one of two tables occupied ...
... and the advertised toasties were "off" (the menu, not odoriferous!) due to "staff shortages".
Thus refreshed, it was time for Mrs fbb to leave her dutiful hubby and continue south to Swanwick on TrentBarton's "Comet",
The New Beetwell Street stand was very adjacent (as they say) being the first such encountered at the bus/coach station exit. The Comet had a healthy load ...
... although how many would travel all the way to Derby for the shopping ...
... the Cosmos-politan shopping ....jpg)
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... (GROAN) is unclear.
The Comet used to be part of the Red Arrow ...
... linked with the frequent Derby to Nottingham fast coach service. Back then it still left from the same Chesterfield stand as today, right next to the coach station.
Even further back it was route 44 ...
... jointly operated by Trent, Midland General and East Midland.
The good news is that Mrs fbb made it to Swanwick (just off the map below, tagged CMT) ...
... clutching her Travel Pak provided by her chubby hunny, which guided her from the alighting stop at Swanwick Church ...
... an allocation ignored by Trent's map ...
... but included in Trent's timetable.
fbb grump No 547 - maps and point times should always match!!
Mrs fbb arrived safely at the Hayes conference centre ...
... and fbb, following the trend of the Magi in Matthew's Gospel, returned by another route ...
... and met the First Bus 120k again.
Next "K" suffix blog : Friday 28th June
Swanwick is clearly shown on the trentbarton map - between Alfreton and Ripley. Specsavers anyone? ;)
ReplyDeleteStagecoach's own X17 leaflet (available at Chesterfield Coach Station, normally) includes the whole Barnsley-Wirksworth servcie in ne table. SYPTE's virtual leaflet, ridiculously, reflects the division of the service into two registrations (the 65 from Sheffield to Buxton similarly disappears at Tideswell as far as the PTE are concerned.)
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