After Silwood Park, the White Bus route 01 does a little wiggle via Cheapside, along Cheapside Road and Watersplash Lane.
Was there once a ford across the half hidden brook near Dorian Lane, seen here looking back towards Cheapside?
No idea! But we join the B383 briefly until we come to this gate, Ascot Gate to be precise, i.e. that gate you would use if your were going to Ascot.
Some buses continue on the main road via "Woodside" ...
... a splendid crimped sausage-about, and on via the A332 to Windsor. It is a picturesque ride of afforestation and open country but nowhere near as interesting as the route through the white gates.
Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of 5,000 acres), including a deer park, situated to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century. The only royal park not managed by The Royal Parks, it is managed and funded by the Crown Estate. Most parts of the park are open to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk, although there is a charge to enter Savill Garden.
There is a button to press to gain admittance and, as we discovered in a previous blog, White Bus is the only bus operator allowed within the park itself.
The provisional fbb map explains roughly what happens.
Buses stop adjacent to Cumberland Lodge, now in the hands of a Charitable Trust ...
... and continue in an extra loop for pre-booked or on-board passengers only. Royal Lodge is/was the home of Prince Andrew and family and the 01 has a stop nearby.
fbb is fairly sure that this bit of the Royal Family is not a regular user of the 01, neither, he suspects, could you tap on the door and ask for an autograph!!!
Next stop on the request diversion is the Copper Horse; named, oddly, after a horse made of copper.
Atop the tarnished steed is King George III dressed as a Roman Emperor - as you do! But the greater significance of the cupro-nag is that from its elevated position you can gaze the length of the Long Walk all the way to Her Maj's out-of-town pad.
Our regal 01 then wiggles via a little village, called, with historic imagination beyond compare, "The Village" where cricket is played on the village green and the Post Office and Stores sell Walls ice cream.
One does enjoy a Viennetta after one's pie chips and gravy!
The bus leaves the Park diversion at the Rangers Gate ...
... and joins the direct route for the trundle into Windsor.
White Bus publishes fare tables from which we glean the useful financial fact that the fare is £4.50 all the way from Ascot to Windsor ...
... or a bargain £6 return. Connections can be made at Windsor, Ascot and Sunningdale stations. fbb recommends Windsor where you have a choice of two stations, both reasonably close to the bus stops.
And On A Similar Theme
Buses Magazine for May has published a picture of two OAPs setting off early in the rain to get to Lidl's in time for the Old Crocks Early Opening. But., in the case of these two, please note that ...
... Metroline has sent round a bus specially so that social distancing can be preserved; whilst Transport for London has brought along a portable bus stop pole and flag to install outside Clarence Hice. One is going by omnibus, Cedilla, how quaint!
Actually the PR stunt was to celebrate 20 years of Transport for London.
White Bus is running a Saturday service on Monday to Friday and Saturday at the moment.
And Again, Whoops!
The improvements at Church Square Petervillle continue apace, but a snag has arisen. Due to a minor mensuration miscalculation, the residents of the end property have noted a problem if they need to exit their scullery door to get to the outside privvy.
They will plunge to their inevitable death at the foot of the quarry face!
Hurriedly an extra bit of retaining wall is being up-fettled to resolve the problem. Who says you don't need all that accurate planning and setting out stuff to build a model railway?
Until it is finished, MIND THE GAP.
Next weekend variety blog : Saturday 18th April
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Short Thought
There is a verse in the Bible which says,
The message about the cross doesn't make any sense ...
!!!!!!!**
And therein lies a problem. We might be able to accept that a goodly chunk of the badness in the world is caused by humanity's failings. We might even be able to accept that God does not want it to be that way.
But the idea that the Covenant (with New Testament embellishment) can be sorted out by the death of an innocent man on a cross 2000 years ago (approx) is really tough to understand. The verse does go on ...
... to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work.
We could re-interpret the verse as "You gotta suck it and see!"
But if we do "suck it and see" Jesus can turn our lives ...
... upside down.
** Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 1 Verse 18
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