Day 44 Hull to Scarborough

3rd April 2017

Today's journey was notable for all six buses being run by the same operator - and a new operator for this trip. East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) is one of only two former subsidiaries of the National Bus Company that is still owned by the people who bought it on privatisation thirty years ago and the only one that still trades under its original identity.  In fact in many ways in East Yorkshire its almost as if the years of state ownership never happened and things are back how they were before the 1970s, give or take a change of livery or two.

There was a further bonus that all six buses were double-deckers - the first day that that has happened -  and to cap it all the 4,000th kilometre of the trip was reached just before the splendidly-named village of Thorngumbald, between Hull and Withernsea.

Entrance to the former pier at Withernsea.

The first change of bus was at Withernsea, a small seaside resort notable for the unfortunate history of its pier. Opened in 1877, it suffered a series of collisions with coastal freighters between 1880 and 1893 that reduced its length to just 15 metres and that last remaining section was removed in 1903 with just the entrance towers remaining.

Withernsea was also where I encountered the first example of the desperately poor roadside information provided in this part of the world (another throwback to 1970) where none of the three bus stands at the Withernsea terminus gave any indication of which buses stopped there.

I'd left Hull before the 0930 "watershed" for bus pass use and had had to pay no less than £4.90 to get to Withernsea in time to be sure of catching my next bus on the Hornsea. The following bus was due to arrive there only two minutes before the Hornsea bus left, but in practice it arrived with a good five minutes to spare.  The route to Hornsea definitely followed "the edge" with many coastal views and the first of many diversions to serve a caravan park right by the water's edge.

Hornsea's pier had an even more unfortunate history.  Completed in May 1880 it was unable to open

Bargain Buckets at Hornsea

immediately because of a dispute with the designer, who had not been paid, and without any income the Pier Company soon went into receivership. In October it suffered a collision with a ship that badly damaged it and following which it opened only intermittently, being closed and demolished in 1897.

The bus I arrived on was due to terminate at "Hornsea, depot", which I'd assumed was in the town centre. But we ran through the town, which is a little way inland, and down to the promenade. Then, with still no sight of the "depot" the bus turned inland again and headed off into a residential area. Not being that bothered about seeing the depot I got off at the last stop on the seafront, where I had time for a coffee on the prom before my next bus on to Bridlington via many more caravan parks.

North Landing, near Flamborough Head

Flamborough is an "out and back" from Bridlington, so I didn't have to do it - but as the bus goes all the way to the "edge" at North Landing I thought I'd give it a try.  I had an hour there before the next bus back and went off for a cliff-top walk being surprised by the many bouquets of memorial flowers left lying around all over the place - presumably left over from Mothers Day.(Just who do people think will tidy them up afterwards?)

Back in Brid I had the option of 20 or 50 minutes before my last bus of the day to Scarborough.  After a quick look around I'd decided that twenty was plenty, but then found I'd just missed the earlier bus anyway and it was eventually the 16.40 service 120 that took me there, via Filey and yet more, even bigger, caravan parks!