I have been meaning to make use of the Moorsbus network for a couple of years now, and finally this year I have. The service was to have run Sundays and Bank Holidays from May to September and, additionally, Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school summer holidays, but this year extra funding was forthcoming, so it ran daily for most of the summer holidays, and was extended to all Sundays in October too. So, I took a day out on September 2^nd.

The day dawned foggy and quite chilly, and as I walked to the Swan Hotel to catch the bus, I wondered it I had chosen the wrong day. The bus came, it was bus D, Go Wear Buses Leyland National 4717 (TJR717Y), coach seated and wearing Go Xpress fleetnames. On to the new super-duper three lane A19, and guess what….. yes! three lanes of near-static traffic - what an improvement??! Never mind, bus A was waiting for my bus at Middlesbrough Bus station.

Bus A was Go Northern DAF coach 5134 (E906MDC) still in full OK livery, complete with very friendly driver. This bus took me into Guisborough, where more passengers boarded, then on to Great Ayton and Stokesley. By now the fog was very thick, and I was beginning to doubt John Kettley’s statement on the weather that all fog would be gone by 10.30am. On towards Helmsley, and just as we entered Chop Gate, bright sunshine! I took off my coat, feeling much more cheery. Five minutes later, as the bus neared Bilsdale, thick fog again - coat out of bag and back on again!

From Helmsley I decided to make a short return trip to Sutton Bank Moors Centre. I took bus B to the Moors Centre, which was an East Yorkshire Optare Prisma (Mercedes chassis) no. 285 (P285WAT). This was built to a slightly higher specification than those Tees operate, with semi-coach seats and the turbo version of the 12 litre engine fitted to Prismas. The return journey was on bus M, Perrys K21VRY, a Toyota Coaster with Caetano Optimo II bodwork. This was a very luxurious little coach.

Back at Helmsley I took the opportunity to sample a pie from the bakery next to the Co-op (just seeing the confections in the window is enough to you drool!). I then took another ride on Bus A to Pickering, passing through Kirkbymoorside. I the followed it to Thornton-le-dale on Bus C. This was another EYMS Prisma, this time no. 286 (P286WAT).

After wandering around a while (and visiting a shop where the shop keeper seemed to make the 19p and 20p of what I was buying add up to 40p!) I returned to the Moors Centre car park to pick up my next coach. This was bus P a Mercedes 811D (N941EWG) of Perrys. This proved a comfortable conveyance back into Pickering. I then took a wander over to the NYMR station to pick up some leaflets.

I then caught bus C again, this time to Danby. This involved travelling through Hutton-le-Hole, a picturesque village where a group of artists had gathered to paint some pictures of the scenery. The bus then took me over the moors to Danby along a road where sheep are free to roam. This meant careful driving on the part of the driver, and despite some tight moments the bus arrived at Danby with out any injury to the sheep population of North Yorkshire.

I then made the very tight connection on to bus H. This was Scarborough & District Optare Excel 253 (R253PRH). It proved to be a very smooth riding bus, and the low floor (giving wheelchair access) didn’t cause any clearance problems. This bus took me through Guisbrough and Stokesley, back to Helmsley. The fog had now cleared, and a commanding view of the scenery en route was possible.

I then took a rather well loaded bus B to Pickering. This contrasted with my other ride on bus B where there had only been three passengers on board. Time for tea! Unfortunately the chip shop we once visited in L544 was closed, so I had to do some frantic dashing around Pickering to find another. Luckily, I did, and gobbled them up with indecent haste, in order not to miss my bus!

I now had to catch the bus home. Pickering to Billingham via Hutton-le-Hole, Danby and Guisbrough, or, in other words, two long hours stuck on a Leyland National! I really don’t think I want to hear another Volvo engine ever again, such was the monotony of the engine note on this bus. Still, I had chance to reflect on what an interesting and different day out I had had for my £4 ( the fare is £2 if you board at Guisborough or later). I look forward to next year, and advise anyone to try it - just for a change.

Place Codes:

BA = Bishop Auckland NA = Newton Aycliffe DN = Darlington SN = Stockton

MH = Middlesbrough GH = Guisborough PE = Peterlee HL = Hartlepool

BM = Billingham HU = Hull BY = Beverley MA = Malton

YK = York SH = Scarborough TLD = Thornton-le-dale PG = Pickering

HLH = Hutton-le-Hole KM = Kirkbymoorside CA = Castleton DY = Danby

HY = Helmsley SB = Sutton Bank SL = Staindale Lake RA = Rosedale Abbey

CX = Coxwold KN = Kilburn RX = Rievaulx abbey SY = Stokesley

CG = Chop Gate LS = Lord Stones OS = Osmotherley SQ = Square Corner