North Wales Tour Report – 16 October 2021

by Paul Clayton

Stage 1. Chester to Rhyl in SNG 588

Welcome to this second Club trip for 2021. We start the tour in a nearly fully loaded SNG588 with Andy Hamer driving us and with our guide Tony Moyes. In the absence of the Secretary, Editor and Treasurer, Tony Beasley ably ensures that all members that had booked are on board and that we leave our departure points promptly. He also gives us an initial briefing of the day’s activities.

Ahead of us, a number of former Crosville routes are to be revisited using two excellent former Crosville vehicles. Our first ride is on the last surviving Crosville B type Leyland National SNG588 which was new as SNL588 with a Leyland engine. The conversion to a Gardner engine had occurred in April 1986 and today it provides a lively performance on the outward journey on the A55 through pleasant farming country. Andy drives with tremendous patience and skill especially down the notorious Rhuallt Hill. The former hill with run off points had been bypassed since the dual carriageway opened. We leave the A55 at the Bodelwyddan turn near the Marble Church and pass the site of the former Wayside Cafe that had been a refreshment stop for many express services.

We then join the old M51 route (now 51) from Ruthin and Denbigh to Rhyl. I fondly remember the one-time ERG1O6 (AFM 106G), the now preserved CRG106, was based at Denbigh in green and white at a later stage in its life. As we bypass Rhuddlan, Tony points out to us what is left of the old railway line that ran through from Ruthin, Denbigh and St Asaph. Sadly, very little of it remains today. Indeed, recent OS maps give no clue of this line's existence, with all remains lost to nature.

We head past Rhuddlan Castle, then on entering Rhyl, after the entrance to the Sainsbury's supermarket, the former Weaverton Country Club is pointed out which is now the Derwen Deg public house. Tony indicates that the Country Club at Weaverton had been shown in Express timetables as a staging point with times of arrival and departure shown. It is later ascertained that in the early 1950s this had actually been a refreshment stop on the Liverpool to Llandudno route before this service was routed through Towyn following the arrival of the caravan sites.

On entering Rhyl, we are given information sheets with various details of items of interest on the tour and Tony points out that in early days Crosville played only a limited role in the Rhyl area. However, during the period of 1930 to 1931, under the ownership of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), a number of key local operators were taken over in a nine-month spending spree. Before that the only service Crosville had in the area was Llanrwst – Abergele – Rhyl which was established in 1921. The networks taken over did overlap somewhat but operators had evolved some connecting services along with through ticketing arrangements across company boundaries. Details of the operators taken over include: -

Brookes Bros (White Rose) of Rhyl was taken over 1 May 1930 with a fleet of 89 vehicles. Included was the Albion Works of Brookes Bros which is still used by Arriva Cymru but which has been drastically modernised since CMS/CWL days. On the seafront, there can be found the White Rose Centre which maintains the name of this former bus company. The relevant services to our day’s tour of the area are the Rhyl to Abergele group, which includes the route variant we are about to take via Borth Cross Roads. In the 1947 CMS scheme, it became the 425 later M47.

Edward Bros of Denbigh was taken over by Crosville on 31 July 1930, with a fleet of twelve vehicles and bringing to Crosville the Abergele – St. Asaph - Denbigh service, which later became service 455. The M51 service mentioned earlier ran from Rhyl to Corwen originally.

North Wales Silver of Llandudno, registered in 1914, was taken over by Crosville on 1 August 1930, bringing with it 27 vehicles and contributing to what became services 406 Llandudno-Conwy, 408 Llandudno - Colwyn Bay - Abergele, 411 Colwyn Bay - Llysfaen and 414 0ld Colwyn – Mochdre -Conwy.

Llandudno Coaching Co Ltd: a very long-established business (1897!) in which Lancashire United Transport had an interest from 1922. It had taken over Bangor Blue, which was registered in 1921, in 1928. Services at the takeover included the following: 406 Llandudno - Caernarfon (later M5), 407 Llandudno - Eglwysbach, 408 Llandudno -Penmaenhead (later M12 and P12) and 12 Llandudno - Rhyl under Arriva Cymru, 411 Colwyn Bay -Llysfaen, 416 Colwyn Bay - Eglwysbach.

As we arrive at an almost deserted Rhyl bus station, we are met by member Peter Daniels who kindly facilitated permission from Denbighshire County Council to allow us to use the Bus Station for both vehicles.

At Rhyl, the following buses are observed:

P & O Lloyd of Bagillt YJ60 KBV Optare Solo on the 18 Flint to Rhyl via Penyffordd and Talacre.

Arriva Buses Wales 2496 on 35 Rhyl circular service via Prestatyn, Solo 672 on 83 Town Service, 4483 on 11M Rhyl - Holywell, carrying forward to Chester as an 11, 2502 on 51 Rhyl - Denbigh.

I then take a brief stroll into the town, only to see SC12 arrive a little earlier than planned, with owner Clive Myers aboard and Nigel Massey at the wheel.

M &H of Trefnant produce a new 71-plate Optare Solo SR YJ71 GTU which waits a short time while working the service 45 Rhyl - Glan Clwyd Hospital via Bodelwyddan. The vehicle was evidently only a few days old.

Another operator connected with Rhyl at one time was Voel of Dyserth and in the past it operated the Rhyl - Presthaven Sands service. It used an ex-Northampton Bristol VR/Alexander and much later Olympian and Metrobus dds. This was a post-deregulation service and not part of CMS's history in this area.

Apart from the above the Bus Station is nearly deserted. Such has been the effect of Covid 19 and not to forget the reduction in frequencies on most routes, not just in North Wales. I hope things will be better next year. The weather is set to be fair throughout the rest of the day.

Stage 2. Rhyl to Llandudno via Rhyd-y-Foel, Llysfaen, Colwyn Bay, Fforddlas Bridge, Conwy Morfa using SC 12.

Once we all get on board, we then leave the town of Rhyl behind us. Your writer sits at the rear of this classic ECW bodied vehicle, the rear window is quite distinctive. We depart passing the much modernised, and long familiar Rhyl depot. This part of the trip proves highly enjoyable. We pass the currently shut Rhyl Miniature Railway and across the Foryd Bridge which is a well-known location from the 'Holiday on The Buses' film and I remember the late Mike Cozens pointing this out when the Club had a tour while the film was being made.

We followed the M47 Rhyl - Abergele route via Borth Cross Roads. At Kinmel Bay we turned down St Asaph Avenue past a small location named Fachell to a roundabout which was at one time known as Borth Cross Roads and some of the M47 services turned around at this point. Here we turn right onto the A547, a road my family used to take when on trips to Llandudno from Buckley, all those years ago. We then cross what was a former railway line that served the former Kinmel Park camp and St George's Quarry. Whilst pointing this out, Clive Myers indicates that very little trace of this line now remains.

After travelling under the A55 we pass Clive's old grammar school in Abergele which he is proud to point out. We continue, passing Gwrych Castle, where a well-known television show was to be filmed, but less of that. Before arriving at the village of Llanddulas we take a left turn and climb up a steep lane passing the hamlet of Terfyn on the right. We are on what was the M97 Denbigh - St Asaph – Abergele - Rhyd-y-Foel - Llandudno. We climb up a narrow but very pleasant green valley with rocky cliffs either side and some expensive houses with steep access drives. At the village of Rhyd-y-Foel we turn at the community centre where we have a photo-stop.

With the weather producing sunny skies some spectacular photos will be the end result for the party and the Review. I wonder what the locals think of it all? Some villagers do visit our bus. Having turned around we are soon returning on the lane back down the valley but at Terfyn we take a side road and continue down a narrow road to the A547 in the village of Llanddulas. We pass the derelict site of what was ‘Bob The Garage’ a former bus and coach operator until a few years back.

Once through Llanddulas we turn left up the hill passing the Raynes Quarry. Clive points out to us the one remaining operational jetty used to convey stones from the quarry which are loaded onto coastal freighters which then take it to other parts of the British Isles. Clive also says that the bridge on which we passed has a weight limit. We do not use Clobryn Road that was part of the original route due to it having an excessively steep gradient especially the second stretch. Instead, we pass Clive's former house at Penmaen Rhos. We turn onto Highlands Road resulting in the noise from SC12 becoming excessive at the front but not so much at the rear. We run along the route of the M17/18 to Llysfaen Old Terminus where we have another photo-stop. At this location we are joined for a short time by Solo 697 (CX09 BHA) which gives an excellent photo opportunity for a number of members.

 We then retrace our steps via Tan-y-Graig Road, and then the Peulwys Estate leading us down through Tan-y-Lan and Old Colwyn to head for our Iunch break in Colwyn Bay.

Clive mentions that not one of Colwyn Bay Borough Council buses has been preserved which is a shame. Colwyn Bay also claimed fame as being one end of the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Electric Railway. It had opened back in 1907 running electric trams between West Shore, Llandudno and Old Colwyn. By 1930 it was cut back to Colwyn Bay and by some 200 yards at the West Shore end. Trams continued running until 1956 and then the company used its own buses to operate the route until 27 May 1961. The timings had been uneasily co-ordinated with those of Crosville and were thereafter coupled with the former 411 Colwyn Bay - Llysfaen.

Entering Colwyn. Bay, at Coed Pella Road, we pass the point where the late Mike Cozens took an excellent shot of a former UCOC Bristol LH6L, with flat-fronted ECW body, of which there were thirteen examples. SLL 995 (XBD 408J) is seen on an M21; this photo is in CROSVILLE IN COLOUR on page 65. We arrive for lunch at a lay-by a short distance from Colwyn Bay station. A local market is being held here, something I was unaware of having not set foot in the town since 1998. Memories of Crosville buses here are gladly shared. The Expressway and its related noise seem to have spoiled things a little here.

When we resume after out short break the blinds on SC 12 are then set to M24 Colwyn Bay-Eglwysbach although my Ian Allan Crosville ABC fleet book also lists an M24 from Colwyn Bay - Llanrwst via Eglwysbach and Tal-y-Cafn. The same Ian Allan fleet book for December 1965 also lists M9 Colwyn Bay - Betws-yn-Rhos, M21 Colwyn Bay - Llanrwst via Bryn-y-Maen, and M21 Colwyn Bay - Seafield Road local service. If we remember, we covered part of M21 on the Petryal routes tour in 2018, as far as the Holland Arms, a real spectacular climb. Anyway, back to the tour, we are also covering the M22 Old Colwyn – Conwy (Conway in earlier times of course). This is almost the climax of the day for many.

At one time, the North Wales coast line had four tracks through the long gone Mochdre & Pabo station (now under the Expressway) The line will shortly see new trains class 805 five-car bi-mode units which will replace the class 221 Voyager units.

Conwy forms the base for ‘The Cambrian Way’ walk, a long-distance walking path to the city of Cardiff, something like 274 miles for the fit and energetic. The weather can be quite varying at its extremities.

To reach Glan Conwy is a fairly straightforward run and we enjoy the sun beating down on us. At this location we are at the point where service M11 Llandudno - Eglwysbach and, the current 25 share common ground. We then travel onward to Fforddlas Bridge, which is a triangular turning point in pleasant surroundings just one and a half miles south of Glan Conwy. Here we turn round for the final stage of our trip in SC 12 today.

On our return from Fforddlas Bridge, heading north, the view out over the river is simply breathtaking. We then pass-through Conwy with its walls and arches. We are following service P2 Llandudno - Conwy Morfa, which is a local housing estate just outside the town and has not been served by bus for some years now. The estate lies beneath the main railway line to Holyhead. We have a brief photo-stop here before returning via Conwy to Llandudno following the route of the former P2 service.

We go through Llanrhos passing the cemetery, up to the junction with the A470 at Wormhout Way, which is of course the main North Wales - South Wales link road which is vastly improved these days. Once we are through Craig-y-Don, Bill Barlow expresses our grateful thanks to Clive, Nigel and Tony Moyes for a very enjoyable afternoon. He also makes mention of the sad news of the very recent death of George Butler.

We then go via the West Shore terminus and into Llandudno where our tour ends at a most pleasant location on Gloddaeth Avenue. We take a break here with some of us obtaining refreshments. Interestingly Page 56 of 'BUSES' for October features Llandudno and there is a photo of Crosville DLG949 (285HFM) approaching the roundabout at Gloddaeth Street in the centre of town on service M12 to Craig-y-Don. It is passing Marie et Cie, a former retailer of ladies and children's fashion wear, which is now a branch of M & Co. Also in the view is the Clarence Hotel, which is now a Travelodge: something I only became aware of when reading this issue of 'BUSES'.

Time was soon up, and we board SNG 588, from outside the Travelodge. Our trip home to Chester takes just over an hour and a half. The roadworks in Chester would appear to be easing slightly but traffic is still one way in parts.

Our grateful thanks to Andy Hamer for providing and driving SNG 588, Clive Myers for providing SC 12 and his interesting comments, to Nigel Massey for driving SC 12 so brilliantly, to Tony Moyes for the informative itinerary, to Tony Beasley for ensuring all went smoothly and, of course, not forgetting all those who came along and made it a very enjoyable day.