The inevitable statistics……
Bus Pass Trip number 11 encompassed 6 days through 5 Counties, namely Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Altogether I travelled on 18 buses, one tram and one train, made necessary when I missed the last bus from Doncaster to Retford, due to a late connection from Sheffield. The short train journey, of about 15 minutes, cost £7.85 and that included a 30% Senior Railcard reduction so it’s not surprising that train travel isn’t popular. As ever, travelling by bus cost me nothing! Hanover Housing Association guest rooms, two in Bradford and one in Barnsley, cost me the grand total of £27.50. Thank you, Hanover!
My adventure was, once again, based around visiting several Local Studies Libraries to continue my genealogy research. These included Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford, Barnsley, Gainsborough and Sheffield and although the results of my searches weren’t exceptionally fruitful they were nonetheless interesting and aided, in the main, by some very helpful and knowledgeable local librarians.
The most glorious of weather made my trip through our beautiful countryside all the more enjoyable, but it’s thirsty work jumping on and off buses so I’m afraid I had to frequent a total of 12 Wetherspoons establishments for refreshments. Any excuse!
And finally, as the main focus of my travels is to promote the #1PieceOfRubbish campaign, I tried to encourage my fellow travellers, drinkers, diners, pedestrians, librarians, Hanover residents and a few England football supporters to do their bit! How successful I’ve been is impossible to assess but I’ve had another exciting adventure, visited many new places and met some amazing people. Kathleen, on a bus from Barnsley to Doncaster, was delighted that I’d provided her with a topic for her talk to the ladies group at her local church; Paul Redfern, an actor from Retford, posted a very supportive comment and my Social Media details on Facebook; Halifax Visitor Centre promoted the campaign on their website and Louise from Halifax ran across the road to take a photo of my backpack sign, gave me a huge hug and vowed to spread the campaign on her Instagram page.
Thank you to all my fellow litter pickers and supporters for your posts, tweets, retweets and messages of encouragement. I’ve loved every minute of my journey and I love you all for ‘following’ me. Bus Pass Trip 12 is already in the planning stage. I can’t wait!!!