WARWICKSHIRE AND WORCESTERSHIRE
Malcolm Keeley takes to the stage (carriage) in Stratford and Broadway
On 7th September we ran, for the third time, a tour to Broadway. Any fears that we had exhausted this particular destination were disproved when all the forward facing seats on the D9 sold out and enquiries continued to the extent that it was worthwhile running a second vehicle in the form of the S15. This gave plenty of room to spread out although the appeal of the D9 was such that it remained well laden all day!
Whilst the final destination may have been the same, the route there on each occasion has been very different. This time we headed to the outskirts of Coventry and followed Midland Red double-deck routes south through Stratford and Evesham to the classic Cotswolds town, offering splendid views of Warwickshire villages and the Vale of Evesham. Weather predictions a couple of days before the trip were dreadful but, in fact, it was sunshine all day, even if a bit thin at times.
I discovered with delight a few days before the trip that a major vintage car rally was trekking through Warwickshire at the same time. We encountered many of the cars passing in the opposite direction through Warwick where, on the main street, the Mayor and outriders stood on a plinth acknowledging all. Despite apparently travelling in the wrong direction, we were graced with a regal wave too. South of Warwick is a huge island over the M40 where the traffic lights required us to give way to a succulent South Notts-liveried Bedford OB which screamed away in classic OB fashion as passengers exchanged enthusiastic waving.
We have looked forward to the day when a duplicate would be required but it brought some problems. A sheepdog would have been useful to get the amount of people back on board after each photo stop! Available space in bus lay-bys or other parked vehicles meant the S15 often had to park quite close behind the D9. You could photograph the S15 separately but, when you tried to include both, the conductor’s fine work in setting the S15 blinds was often not visible. However, a final photo session in Willersey, one of England’s best-kept secrets, was glorious with the two buses well spaced. Kodak and Fuji again had bumper days; the official photo stops were Meriden (159/548), Kenilworth Castle (590/167), Warwick (518), Bidford-on-Avon (148/X91), Salford Priors (538/539), Willersey (524/389).
It had taken five hours to travel a roundabout route to Broadway but the return journey took only an hour. A wonderful day out with particular thanks to Phil Ireland, Barry Ware and Eric Pounder who assisted me as crews.
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