Not Rushing to Flushing [2]

Comprehensive or Comprehensible - Which?

It is an understandable disease of the bus operator; a desire to show everything possible in a bus timetable. In the case of the convoluted 69 (click thereupon for a readable size) ...

...there are the additional pressures of space in the timetable book and an over-riding desire to serve the customer. In this case, the customer is primarily Cornwall Council which covers a great hunk of the costs via the tendering system. So much so that, in the usual First timetables section of the web site, the joint operator is shown as being the Council!

When we were "inventing" the Great Britain Bus Timetable, we needed some principles; a set of "rules" which would allow compilers to condense that national bus services into a manageable size. We would search for the "essence" of the service, i.e. the main reasons for the operation of the route. We would then try to include these key features in thr summary timetables to b published.

So what essences flavour the 69 and 69A?

Over time, the creators of the route have cleverly devised a way of serving several declining markets using the core principle of "one bus in steam".

 Market 1 : Old Hill 

Historically, the road into Falmouth ran from Penryn Harbour (top left) along the edge of the water. Then, post World War I, development began on what is shown above as the "Golf Course". A new road, now the main approach to town and docks was built, partially by-passing the old hill which dominated the north of the ton centre. This road was first the B3290 ...

... then became the A39 and was eventually the main bus route to and from the north. In 1973, the Old Hill area ...

... mainly council housing, was served by a link with the aforementioned main road.

A half hourly frequency was operated as route 567, continuing cross town to Gyllingvase Beach and the "Old Station". The railway line had been cut back to Falmouth Town (The Dell) and was subsequently re-opened to the old terminus, now renamed Falmouth Docks.

The Four Winds pub still stands on on Dracaena Avenue (A39) ...

... serendipitously serving an excellent Sunday nosh to fbb and family on their February half-term sojourn at Mylor Bridge.

Thus the 69 and 69A jointly provide the modern equivalent of a service to Old Hill.

It maybe that the desire to show this hourly combined frequency has contributed to the muddle that are the current 69/69A pages.

And next to Penryn. Both routes serve the historic High Street are of the town, calling at the Seven Stars outward ...

... and Costcutter on the return.

 Market 2 : St Gluvias 

St Gluvias?

St Gluvias is a civil parish and settlement in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is now a suburb on the northern edge of Penryn which is situated two miles northwest of Falmouth. The historic parish church of St Gluvias, dedicated to Gluvias of Cornwall (or Gluviacus) serves the Church of England parish of St Gluvias with Penryn, Cornwall. Gluvias of Cornwall was the son of Gwynllyw the warrior, King of Gwentlog, and a nephew of St Petroc. The church was founded in the 6th century and the parish was in the Middle Ages sometimes called Behethlan or Bohelland. The present church is a Victorian construction by J. P. St Aubyn in 1883, though the tower is medieval.

The 69 serves Bohelland Rise (in the timetable) ...

... and Round Ring (on the Cornwall County map) before passing close to the eponymous church. For reasons which are mysterious and unexplained, First Bus never acknowledges the existence of the former community of St Gluvias despite the name's appearance on all maps.

Nevertheless, calling it Penryn (which may be its correct postal address and database location) is unnecessarily confusing. St Gluvias Bohelland Rise, please!

Certainly, this is not particularly good "bus territory" and a journey every two hours is possibly over-generous.

Two more "essences" to look at tomorrow.

 Next 69 bus blog : Thursday 28th May