Trentham NWR spent a day on the buses, exploring life as viewed from the top deck. Member, Sarah Akhtar, tells us about their adventure…
We left Trentham on the number 14, five of us, showing our bus passes we joined a group of passengers where those who had paid were in the minority.
We journeyed past Stoke City stadium, now renamed after its sponsor Bet365. We passed through shopping areas, over the dual carriageway, past the station and up to our new city bus station, all silver and shining in the autumn sun.
Refreshed by a coffee, we looked for the number 25, a double decker, that would carry us past parks where we looked down on grass and feeding ducks, up the hill and into the hospital complex, a mixture of old and brand new, such a different perspective from the top of a bus.
Leaving the town behind we climbed Keele Bank up to the university campus, our destination. Disembarking, we were surrounded by autumn colours, Keele has an arboretum, we stretched our legs and admired the foliage around the lakes.
We enjoyed our lunch in the splendid Keele Hall, a Victorian building, once the residence of the Sneyd family, a university for over sixty years but the architecture can still give pleasure.
After a walk through the campus, feeling distinctly older than those around us, we made our way back to the bus stop and the number 25 took us back down the hill.
At Newcastle bus station, we caught a connecting number 22 just in time and this carried us back to Trentham.
Four different buses, a walk, lots of conversation (mostly nostalgic) and a delicious lunch. At the city bus station we noticed how many destinations there were available. Next time we plan to go in another direction, this could become a regular daytime outing for us.