North East thread 7: the bus chat continues...

[Someaddedsugar]

Just setting this up so it's here

I think the bus station scaffolding is here to stay 😂.
They are updating Stanley bus station too.
I am looking forward to the reforming Pilates classes (might try one day)
But I love a float in a flotation tank and a infra red sauna!

Would really love to see a skate park somewhere, Gateshead has lost their skate park.
Never been to Bishop, was going to go to Food Festival but just forgot to go!

According to pokemon go, there is a skate park next to the Abbey leisure centre and one at Riverside park in CLS. Amazingly, I haven't sampled either 😂😂

Stanley bus station was chaos when I was there with DS2, the other week. Still, it will magically keep the scum away when it's finished.

One in Coxhoe with good reviews.

We have seen the one at Abbey sports centre, it’s not big really.
Chester park really needs two skate parks because the big kids( teenagers) don’t really like the smaller ones using.
I keep forgetting about Chester one! My DD’s liked the monkey bars and the obstacle course bit.
But too much drinking going on. On an evening for my liking.
I couldn’t believe Stanley bus station was even more bloody freezing than normal. I was really confused, god only knows why as there was only about 4 bits open . 😂

They need to play classical music maybe! They keep having disposal orders, bloody disgraceful behaviour.

The information boards don't work, though! Everyone is climbing over each other to find their stand.

Mind, the tracking for the buses in Durham has completely fallen apart, this week, with the various accidents. Two mornings in a row of it comes when it comes if it hasn't given up and isn't coming anyway.

Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink.

Most of the northern half Co Durham, it seems.

If you want to track a service you are waiting for, try bustimes.org

Apologies if I have mentioned this before.

It's a permanently open tab for at least half our bus obsessed household 😊 The apps access the same open bus data but their data filtering often leaves something to be desired.

At Stanley the go northeast app tells to to check the boards in the station as half is boarded up. As they are upgrading.
The apps are great but not when you are watching on app the bus you want. Which you have been waiting 15 minutes for is cancelled just when it’s due!
And you watch it come in bus station and just leave
I wish the actual boards were live buses not just the timetable!

I slept through the no water this morning. But apparently our never went off was just very very slow.

DH and DS2 got their breakfasts but it went off just before mine. DS2 was in quite a tizz when I showed him why he couldn't have a bath. At least we've used up our slightly out of date emergency stash of water. Sainsburys only had overpriced smart water.

We've not had a power cut in the 8 years we've lived in this house but this is the 3rd time we've lost water.

The pipe work is really struggling with the amount of new houses in the last twenty odd years.
I know they are building a new water pipeline whatever it’s called near Pity me.
There is a road near us that every time they fix one part. The next part bursts. Over the last 10 years they have put new pipe work over about a quarter of a mile stretch.
I wish they would just replace the whole stretch so I don’t have to put up with burst pipe then the 3 weeks of traffic lights after the fix! Until they bother to remove!

The bus station at Durham they are finally fixing!
And your favourite shop @PickAChew is going to be, well planning is in for the Moon shop to be an Irish pub called ‘The Rattlin Bog’ what an awful name.
The weather is due to be nice for the weekend! Have a great bank holiday everyone!

Yep. The bus station is set to be finished 3 years after it was supposedly finished long after it was supposed to be finished. What a shit show!

I noticed furniture in the building in limbo where the old passport office was. Maybe something is happening there, at least as far as the apartments are concerned? I doubt that brewdog will be moving in now, though. Won't be sad about that.

I'll miss the wankery of the Moon shop.

Three years are they rebuilding the bloody thing!
I saw the MP talk about the new owners of Milburngate/brewdog site. Hopefully something is happening!
No idea what is happening with The Stack!
The arcade(shop in Riverwalk) is under offer.
Did go to the wanky new coffee shop filto for an iced coffee in the posh glass cans.
I have so much coffee shop choice. Lol

It eventually opened in Jan 24 and it's going to take 7 months to replace all the cladding, so it'll be done Jan 27. That's the 3 years!

Ah I see, I thought 3 more years! I look forward to no scaffolding.
I do like the new improved bus shelters opposite Riverwalk, I need to get out more and get a life. Nice bit of NE Major money.
Your DS who likes the bus are you going to try the new Northstar bus services for the summer. The routes look great 🚎

The ones to Beamish, Shildon, etc? They're too infrequent to be any use with DS2 (can only do outings with him that last as long as my bladder) but I expect DS1 will try one at some point.

The guy who owns Northstar is keen on growing the business with routes like this, on top of the bread and butter daily contract work. Such a contrast to the shower of shit who were running the Sunderland connect services until recently. It's not their owner's only appearance in the news.
Drivers left in limbo without jobs and pay as contract dispute erupts between bus companies share.google/LjQo5ZVg5Fms22OBl

Have just seen that Eldon Square bus station is closing for 3 weeks, starting June 10th. I shall avoid Newcastle then because I don't fancy huddling on Newgate Street for bus that doesn't turn up.

Is Newgate Street where Wilko was? If yes, I say to my DD’s it always looks the place to be mugged. Can we wait along from Eldon square opposite the church?
Might get the metro to Gateshead on my day ticket and get bus from there?
Northstar seems like a good company, we have Weardale travel as well and that’s an excellent service.
I will definitely go to high force and I quite fancy Raby castle and Ushaw college. I will ask my DF he loves a bus ride. Lol
I would have loved the routes when my children were small, as even though I drive. I hate driving.

My DM wouldn’t go on the bus that far either as she like to know where the nearest toilet is! As well.
She knows where all the toilets are in the town, I was seriously impressed.

Yep. They're going to renumber the existing stops 1-5 so it'll be like Durham North Road was.

DS1 got propositioned by a prostitute down there when he was about 14. She got the sharp end of my tongue!

Even if there are toilets, I can't use them while looking after a young male adult who can't be left alone. He also won't eat, out and about so a typical outing on the bus is leave ASAP after 9:30 (twirly, otherwise) and get back by 1. We've stopped going to The Galleries together because the combination of buses he likes to take don't work well together any more and the tracking on the 50 seldom works properly.