ViewFromTheTopDeck

NEW ARTICLE "Sunday Travels in the Lake District" Sunday. The day of rest after a hard week's bus riding! So a bit of meandering around the Lake District is exactly what's needed. Just stick to the plan... busestopdeck.co.uk/263.html

@Jamiec1233 Small world - same here!

Today I'll be in Norwich.

NEW ARTICLE: On "This Day" Last Year Good Friday 2025, and I'm on a trip through South East London and North Kent, via an old chalk pit that now attracts 28 million visitors every year... busestopdeck.co.uk/262.html

NEW ARTICLE: "Quarter One Snippets" Stories, pictures and opinions from the last three months that don't merit a full article of their own... Including an incredibly uncomfortable bus, some curious AI maps and an error message that makes no sense. busestopdeck.co.uk/261.html

NEW ARTICLE: "A Ride on the M40 - and Other Stories" Bus wars have broken out in Bucks and Berks. Join me as I try a new route that First has launched - with impossible timings quoted in its press release and Cornish-liveried buses on the road! busestopdeck.co.uk/260.html

NEW ARTICLE: "100 British Bus Routes - Route 78" A short but delightful ride into the Borrowdale Valley in Cumbria, for the country and lakeside views on route 78 from Keswick to Seatoller, where the views definitely do the talking! busestopdeck.co.uk/259.html

Sough is of course Slough! Or maybe not, as I often let out a sigh when arriving there!

If you're wondering where First Bus has redeployed its 'Kernow' buses after withdrawing from Cornwall, some of them are working the redefined X74 (Uxbridge-Sough-Wycombe) and the new Express M40 (Uxbridge-Wycombe via M40) routes - still in the colours they wore in Cornwall!

NEW ARTICLE: "Finding the 1... in NE Hampshire & Surrey" My quest to find "the 1" continues with a visit to Aldershot, for route 1 to Camberley. Through a Military Town and past a famous airport, this is a busy route in an affluent part of the country... busestopdeck.co.uk/258.html

NEW ARTICLE: "Rural Bus Rides: Galashiels to Carlisle" A bus ride through the Scottish Borders. Join me on the "Bike Friendly" X95 as I discover "common riding", an indie rock band, the famous Clan Armstrong and a very broad tapestry of Scottish History... busestopdeck.co.uk/257.html

NEW ARTICLE: "Reimagining London's Bus Network": London's bus network is declining, neglected and has lost its customer focus. Now Transport for London is about to "reimagine" it. What should it be considering in doing this? Here are my thoughts... busestopdeck.co.uk/256.html

@PhilTonks2 You had a better view than I achieved last month on the Oxford to Didcot bus!

We NEED upper deck wipers! I'm sure the Germans do it! substack.com/profile/221828…

NEW ARTICLE: "Devon Be Praised" A late afternoon / early evening trip through some previously-undiscovered areas of East Devon. Join me as I ride the 373 from Cullompton to Tiverton, with beautiful countryside, narrow streets and a trio of double-runs! busestopdeck.co.uk/255.html

NEW ARTICLE: Tentative Steps into '26 My first ride of 2026 starts without a plan, but leads into the third-largest National Landscape in the country as I discover two new routes, the "heart of the Valley of the Racehorse" - and Virgin Radio Legends... busestopdeck.co.uk/254.html

The GWR battery train has entered service for the first time today (Sat). Here it is at Greenford, preparing for the 0900 service to West Ealing.

NEW ARTICLE: 100 British Bus Routes - Route 37 A busy urban bus route in NE England. Via a huge retail park and into a housing estate where every road name begins with R... Come for an electric ride on route 37 from Middlesbrough to North Tees Hospital! busestopdeck.co.uk/253.html

I'm reimagining TfL's bus network to one where: 1. Buses aren't all rammed full due to frequency cuts; 2. Those without tickets are challenged; 3. Bus stops have accurate timetables; and 4. The destination on the bus when you board doesn't get changed during the journey.

Latest Superloop route has started today, in South East London. Not quite what I expected, though... Only a tiny number of branded New Routemasters out. The majority were old diesels - not what was planned, I suspect!

NEW ARTICLE: "A Less Brief Encounter than Planned" It was meant to be a quick bus ride from Lancaster to Carnforth and back. I did find the famous platform used in the film "Brief Encounter", but it took longer to get back to Lancaster than expected... busestopdeck.co.uk/252.html

NEW ARTICLE: "Finding the 1... London" Not just one route 1 but the first of a series! A railway turntable that became a concert venue, plus the first site in Britain to be damaged by the Blitz. Both, and more, to be found on London route 1... busestopdeck.co.uk/251.html