Friday 23 May 2008

Teignmouth

Tuesday I ran around as a 12A/12C all day and made the trip up to Teignmouth (Pronounced Tinmouth) once. It is a fairly narrow, bendy, tree lined country lane, the road between Teignmouth and Torquay which most drivers treat with some respect. Some Boy, and Girl Racers, however do tend to think because it is tree lined, it is an off road section of the RAC UK Rally and consider it an insult to their manhood/womanhood if the 6 miles takes more than 6 minutes. It can be a bit hairy on some of the bends, which being tree lined and therefore difficult to see round are best taken at about 10 mph in a 34 foot long bus.



Wednesday was all 12s. Down to Brixham back to Newton, down to Brixham, back to Newton etc,etc boring really after Teignmouth but I like boring, it's good for me.

Then today, Thursday, (pay day) an other trip up to Teignmouth. The motorists on that road must love us. On the way back from Teignmouth I had to wait time for two minutes at Sheldon Bridge. Due off at 18:45. As the clock ticked over to 45 I looked in the mirror, several cars coming so I waited until the road over the bridge was clear of any traffic before pulling out. It is a long slog uphill out of Sheldon followed by narrow, tree lined bendy bits. It takes 8 minutes to get to Maidencombe and when I looked in the mirror there was a seriously large number of cars behind me. Maybe the drivers didn't know the way to Torquay and were just following me.

OK, so the picture is of Teignmouth pier and nothing to do with narrow, tree lined, bendy country lanes but I was too busy holding onto the big round thing to take any photos of the road. One day I will take ride up to Teignmouth and get some from the front seat upstairs.

5 comments:

HKguy said...

The last time I remember doing this route was on an 85 (or was it 85a) from Torquay to Exeter on one of our old (Ex Hong Kong) aircon single deck Darts. The aircon was working well but the bus did rather struggle somewhat. A double decker is a must do, even if only to Teignmouth.
Derek

Anonymous said...

With the motley collection of buses that seem to operate on these new routes it's a marvel you had a 34footer.
Yesterday there was an old front engine job with two high steps, there was a newer saloon which had flat floor entrance, still some of the OLD deckers (like K reg) and I did see ONE new type Decker
When I asked the driver what he'd done to deserve the old front engine job he said it was because they are short of buses.

David said...

I've been up there twice, once with a trident and once which a 32 branded low floor single decker but as you say there are all sorts doing the route. The single decker was easier than the double decker as the top deck cut of the light on the nearside making the image in the nearside mirrow, the important one, very dim.

David said...

hkdriver, 85 from Torquay 85A from Newton. The first time,10 years ago, I did an 85 I pointed out to control I had only route learned from Newton to Exeter not from Torquay. They said 'just go up Babbacombe Rd and keep going.' All the way up I half expected a passenger to come up to me and say," Where are you going driver? You missed the turn of for the main road half a mile back." But they didn't of course.
Good luck with the blogging. Don't upset your boss.

Anonymous said...

The ex-HK Darts to apparently have a lot of the engine power used by the air-con, probably why it struggled so much!

There is some near where I live - the air con is permamtly switched off!!