Wednesday 31 May 2023

Beyond The Head

The Route 12 Terminus ...

... was always at the Hiker Cafe at the end of Broadway.
Looks like a good place for a lunch!
Yimmy, yummy!

Here the buses (now MoreBus 70 and 80 amongst others) stop short of an earthwork called the "Double Dykes"
But there is much more beyond, notably the lumpy bit, actually known as Warren Hill ...
... and, after a sharp left hand turn you are on Mudeford Spit.
Here is a drone-type view showing Warren Hill and the Spit ...
... and a view back in the opposite direction from Spit to Warren Hill.
Since April 1968 there has been a wheeled link between the bus terminus and the Spit. The link is provided by what has generally been known locally at the "Noddy Train".
The original was somewhat basic but a delight all the same.
At its peak, the service had THREE "locos".
Over the years the rolling stock has been "interesting". 
The enclosed two wheel carriages look dark and uninviting, but fascinating none the less.
With the retirement of the owning family, the service was taken over by the local Council, a process which included the "retirement" of the traditional stock and replacement by a commercially available Land Train.
Perhaps sadly, the "train" only offer two stops; at the Hiker Cafe for interchange with the buses ...
... and then well  past Warren Hill, the other terminus is a short way along the Spit.
Another option is to come by boat from Mudeford.
The 1C bus stops on the YELLOW road ...
... from where there is a tidy stroll through a massive car park ...
... to Mudeford Quay.
Here there is a ferry (every 15 mins in Summer months) across to a pier on the Spit, not too fat from the Land Train terminus.
The ferry is a very professional jobbie as illustrated by their promotional video.
So there is your round trip. By 1C ,,,
... ferry, land train and 70/80.  Of course, nearly forgot, the open topper 80 also serves Mudeford, so you could be open top all the way round.

Sadly, your MoreBus day rover ticket does NOT include ferry and land train. But you can't have everything - although all-inclusive tickets SHOULD be available!

Tomorrow we go inland to Bedfordshire with a serious lack of tourism apart from a narrow gauge railway.

 Next Arriva blog : Thursday 1st June 

6 comments:

  1. The two-wheeled, single axle carriages, in close coupled formation, must surely be unique.

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  2. Andrew Kleissner31 May 2023 at 08:48

    Actually not - that's how the widely-used Spanish TALGO trains work, also the short-lived Roadrailer wagons.

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  3. Or indeed the rear portion of most articulated buses. And some low floor trams.

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  4. Other bus operators, mostly those with timetables published directly from registration details, should take note of how the 1b and 1c timetable handles the loop nature of their outer termini.

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    Replies
    1. However, the 1c has upset many Mudeford bus users with alternating buses going in opposite directions.

      Delete
  5. The Talgo concept is explained here:-
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talgo
    It's not quite the same as the "Noddy train", but similar - and the artic buses are similar to the "Noddy train".
    RC169

    ReplyDelete