Fearful Funeral Failure

 fbb Confesses All

Axe Valley Mini Travel (that hasn't run a minibus for many. many years!) service 885 from Seaton to Axminster station was the first leg of the fbb's foray to the funeral. The 1020 from Seaton allows plenty of time to connect at Axminster with the 1005 train to Exeter.

But fbb was forgetting the floods.

These happen quite regularly at the blue X.

The effect on the 885 is that it cannot serve Whitford (BLUE). It gets as far as Colyton, (RED) then it does a U-turn round a little estate ...

... where the residents really do not like nasty buses. But they don't mind cars which are much more polluting than a modern bus!

So it is back to Colyford and then non stop to Musbury (GREEN) ...

... where the route regains its normality for the short run into Axminster. Because the diversion is faster (but longer) than the normal route we will not be late in Axminster.

Thankfully.

Out six coach class 158 wil speed us to Exeter St Davids,

The on screen information is much improved

From Exeter, the fbbs were booked on the 1227 to Birmingham with seat reservations. After a previous difficult journey, fbb checked what was going on at Exeter. The internet was confusing.

The 1127 had been cancelled which might make the fbb's train over full and unpleasant with the distinct possibility of pinch-ups because to sets of people may have reserved the same seats.

Not nice.

And the 1127 was also running about 30 minutes late.

Confused.com!

The fbbs had a cunning plan. They would look carefully through the windows of the 1127 (at 1155) and see what's what.

In fact the late 1127 was almost empty. So the fbbs took the earlier train. But what about conflicting reservations? No problem, there weren't any reservations; the system had been switched off.

But there were plenty of seats anyway.

Arrival at New Street is on platform 9A ...

The excellent news is that the next train they needed, to Sutton Coldfield, leaves from just across the platform, i.e.b8A.

And so to Sutton Coldfield.

Out of the station ...

... down the road ...

... and turn left and walk to the old Police Station stop.

To catch their Arriva service 110 ...

... for a short toddle along its lengthy route to Tamworth. It would drop the fbbs off outside the hotel at Whitehouse Common.

Only the 110 does not stop at the Old police Station. 

fbb had misread the map, a mega scheduling boob.

Rather the walking all the way back to the busy town centre bus stops at Sutton C - they booked a taxi! fbb hangs his head in th shame of incompetence. Maybe he is just getting old.

Today the fbbs are involved in John's funeral at 12 noon at St James Church Mere Green.

 Next non funerial blog : Thursday 20th Jan