A Fantastic Non-First First with Fudge [1]

From No 1 son's twit page; dateline Monday 2nd May

 0750 Seaton to Lyme Regis 

The trip turned out to be far more splendid than fbb could ever have imagined. Firstly, No 1 son and No 2 grandson elected to join the old man - voluntarily and under no pressure.

Then as the bus pulled round the corner from Harbour Road in to Marine Place, its driver gave a cheery wave and tooted his horn. This was going to be a good trip!

There were already three passengers about plus the ebullient driver, Dylan, who stars in a Sidmouth rock band. The passengers were Eve, Helen and a gent whose name fbb forgot to take so overcome was he with excitement. Dylan had found some balloons (printed with "First Birthday", so not entirely accurate) and Helen had brought string, so the vehicle was appropriated decked out on the lower deck.

(Eve, with camera, at the foot of the stairs.)

What excited Driver Dylan beyond measure was that No 1 son (£4.90 return) and No 2 grandson (£1 return)  paid fares - with real money. 

This was deemed "a very fair fare" by son and heir.

All other passengers were "seniors" and all were taking the return trip to Sidmouth. For the record, no other person boarded throughout the round trip and back to Seaton.

Helen is a bit of a bus travel enthusiast; in memory of her late husband who drove 9s from Exeter to Sidmouth in Devon General days. More intriguingly, Eve (with camera) is a "community photographer" for the local rag, The Sidmouth Herald. She took several hundred pictures and details of who fbb was and why he, and part family, were riding to Lyme Regis and back.

Without stops, the outward journey was uneventful with views of the glorious Devon (and a bit of Dorset) countryside impeded by think sea mist.

So fbb herewith adds a piccy of a typical approach to Lyme from Streetview (over enlarged).

Turning a bus round in Lyme is tricky in the extreme, so the 9A nips into a block of housing just of the Charmouth Road.

Despite the efforts of Traveline, the bus runs in a one-way loop via Anning Road and Queens Walk to a its terminus, returning via Kings Way (two words). Here Driver Dylan photographed the happy inauguration ...

... and did Eve and fbb.

The shelter was not installed for the 9A, but for the near incomprehensible Sidmouth local service 71 (operated by Damory, a GoAhead company) ...

... whose timetable was there for all to misunderstand.

The PDF is easier to read than the one in the frame but note that Kingsway (sic!) appears three times.

There was a real party atmosphere on board the 9A, sadly lacking the champagne and nibbles, but with much merry banter and jollity. It was soon time to set off back towards Seaton, Sidmouth and Exeter.

What thrills would entertain your chubby blogger on the return run?

For such delights our readers must wait until the morrow.

 Next 9A blog : Wednesday 4th May