Mid-point between vibrant Brighton and down-at-heel Hastings, Eastbourne still maintains a genteel air of grandeur associated with British seaside towns of old. For the bus traveller it is an ideal location for exploration of East Sussex and southern parts of Kent, although operator variety is sadly lacking. The area is dominated by two of the UKs largest groups, Go Ahead and Stagecoach.
The first of two sunny October days starts with a gentle stroll along the prom to Cornfield Road, now the main bus terminus in the town centre since semi-pedestrianisation of Terminus Road, the main shopping throughfare. The first bus of the day should be the 10am Brighton & Hove service 12A to Brighton: the reality however, despite B&H’s reputation for quality service, is a line of three vehicles all awaiting departure, two displaying route 12A and one 12X which is the slightly faster route as it sticks closer to the coast road. First to pull up to the stop at 9.58am is YX24 PPK an Alexander Dennis E40D MMC, on the 12X which I assume was the late running 9.47am departure. Whilst waiting to board, the driver of the scheduled 10am departure of the 12A decides to by-pass the stop ignoring any waiting passengers and continues ahead of the loading 12X. As our final destination is Brighton this fiasco mattered little to us and we settle into our top-deck front seats for the 1hr 20min journey. The route departs Eastbourne through the old town leading to a long, very steep climb up East Dean Road onto the downs which shows the limitations of the low powered modern double-decker bus and the inability of automatic gearboxes to predict the terrain. The magnificent views continue as the bus crosses the estuary at Seven Sisters before reaching Seaford and a short layover in the town centre. A short lapse in the scenery, as the route continues west into Newhaven where a driver changeover takes place. The climb out of Newhaven brings the route back onto the coast, the road undulating as it passes through Peacehaven, Saltdean and Rottingdean with the first distant views of Brighton appearing on the horizon. Entering the city of Brighton, the first landmark is the modern marina whilst on the right-hand side are the beautiful facades of the Georgian terrace houses before the bus turns inland at the Palace Pier. Where once corporation buses parked and Southdown coaches turned into the coach station, there is now work in progress turning the area into a wide pedestrian boulevard and we leave the bus whilst it continues to the terminus at the railway station.
For the bus enthusiast Brighton is a gem. Few cities outside of London can boast such an intense bus network with the majority of services provided by Go Ahead Brighton & Hove; several routes provided by Stagecoach including the intensive 700 service, and Compass Bus operating a small network of contracted services on behalf of the council. Besides plenty of photographic opportunities, there are also numerous opportunities for lunch before our next journey.
At 2.36pm we are waiting on Churchill Square at stop G for Regency branded route 28 - a 2hr 25min inland return journey to Eastbourne. YY25 DNV, another E40D MMC, departs on time and we start a thirty-minute crawl along the A27 through the north Brighton suburbs, making a short stop outside the B&H depot on Lewis Road for a driver change. The route continues along the A270 through a built-up area before turning onto a slip road at Falmer Hill, where the A270 meets the A27. A dilapidated bus shelter on the slip road caters for passengers accessing the university campus and football stadium. Approaching Lewis from the south you get the opportunity to enjoy the architecture of this old coaching town as the bus descends into the town centre. The one-way system brings you to a bus stop directly opposite the former bus station/depot, now in a sorry state and looking for a buyer, whilst the numerous roadside bus stops are an inconvenience to car drivers using the busy T junction. The bus completes a full circuit of the one-way system, climbs back up through the town centre, turns right to cross the River Ouse and then into the industrial estate. After enjoying a selection of warehouses and out of town shops we emerge onto the side of the downs just before the turning to Ringmer, the next destination on the route. By the time we arrive the schools are out, the King’s Academy is a large school and the next three bus stops at teaming with children. Before departing the village, the bus turns off the main road making a long one-way circuit through a large housing estate collecting still more children. Eventually we reach open countryside and after some miles and arriving at the small village of Laughton, we start to drop off a few children. Shortly afterwards the bus joins a long queue of traffic waiting to turn right and join the A22, a long straight stretch of road leading to Hailsham, a large town where most of the children leave the bus at various stops along the route. We wait time at the town centre, an opportunity to admire the skills of the Turkish barbers, before heading out of town and rejoining the A22. The bus by-passes Polgate before joining the A2270 for a slow journey through the northern suburbs of Eastbourne with a short diversion to visit the East Sussex College campus and General Hospital. The bus arrives at Eastbourne town centre on time at one minute past five, the western loop of out figure eight completed.
Day two and once again we wake to a beautiful sunrise over the English Channel, not a single rubber dingy in sight. By 9.35am we are again standing in Cornfield Road waiting for the 9.40am departure of Stagecoach route 99 to Hastings. Yesterday was a Go Ahead day, today will be a Stagecoach day and will prove to be an interesting contrast. Whereas Go Ahead has a clearly defined product and marketing strategy e.g. quality, Stagecoach has for many years seemed unable to define their product as attempts with ‘Gold’ have now fallen by the wayside, leaving a mixture of ill-defined liveries, an aging unkept fleet, poor driving standards and shabby uniforms. All that aside, SK20 AXG, an AD E40D new to Greater Manchester, departs on time, with us in our favourite top-deck front seat. The route starts by leaving Eastbourne via the coast road before hitting the modern urban sprawl containing huge retail parks typical of so many towns and cities these days. We drop a German family at Pevensey, intent on seeking out the castle whilst wondering if they have a return or dayrider ticket. The landscape becomes flat for the next few miles before we enter the outskirts of Bexhill-on-Sea and work our way through the dense housing estates before arriving into the town centre. Bexhill could be a poster town for the government’s policy of vehicle electrification, just a pity in this case most of those vehicles are mobility scooters. The bus continues through the town passing the art deco De La Warr Pavilion on the seafront, now looking slightly worse for wear, before calling at the railway station and leaving the town. Sadly, the next part of the journey is rather depressing: the main road through Bulverhythe and St Leonards is littered with unkept industrial units and poorly maintained housing. Eventually reaching the Hastings’ seafront, the view out to sea offers some relief but it is all too apparent why this area of the country is considered to be one of the most deprived. At Hastings town centre we alight at the shops but there is little to lift the spirits, however a cup of tea and a breath of sea air helps after which we walk up hill to the bus station.
In its favour, Hastings does have a modern bus station that is located directly outside the railway station and adjacent to the East Sussex College campus. We are waiting for the 12.36pm departure of route 1066 to Royal Tunbridge Wells and the bus finally arrives five minutes late on the inward journey. One grumpy driver and a full load of passenger aboard and we are away in no time. Whilst buses branded for the 1066 were running around Hastings, none were observed on the actual route with our bus being a recent repaint into the new standard Stagecoach livery, Scania K230UB with AD bodywork. After enjoying a pleasant journey from Eastbourne, unfortunately this journey was to prove my point about Stagecoach’s inconsistences. The driver sped along and then kept waiting time at every village on route, he was also discourteous to passengers and, in particular, some of the school children we would eventually pick up. The 1066 leaves Hastings on a long uphill section of route through the densely populated suburbs before hitting open countryside with far reaching views and soon arrives into Battle, hence the route number (Stagecoach have an ‘eye’ for marketing). Battle is a pleasant little town and we get some time to admire the Abbey whilst we wait time, the bus stops being directly outside, before continuing up the High Street. At this point the route has two variants, we are on the one going via Whatlington, which necessitates a right turn from the High Street onto Mount Street and we experience a dangerous driver manoeuvre on the part of the bus driver. Without stopping, we turn right across the flow of traffic into narrow Mount Street, with cars waiting to turn into the High Street, we are unable to get past the cars and are now blocking the road in all directions causing a standoff. The issue is resolved by cars reversing and then mounting the pavement enabling the bus to squeeze pass. Needless to say, we then head at speed through open countryside to Whatlington and on to St. Johns Cross, where we rejoin the other route variant and continue to Robertsbridge to pick up our first passengers since leaving Battle. Robertsbridge is a pretty village, once on the main road but now by-passed by the A21. Groups of children are waiting at the two bus stops in the village, heading for home at 1.20pm: the English education system, discuss! A few children alight in Hurst Green, but most remain onboard until we reach Hawkhurst crossroads, where once again we wait time. Interestingly, the bus stop flag displays eight routes, quite a number for such a small town. Before turning left there is just enough time to reminisce about the Maidstone & District depot and bus station that until 2006 stood just a short distance to our right. On this route you do get to see some wonderful villages and countryside, as we now pass through Flimwell before reaching Ticehurst, picking up the last passenger for this trip and once again waiting time. Just twenty-eight minutes of the journey remains and we have Wadhurst to pass through before reaching Royal Tunbridge Wells, which we do four minutes early at 2.18pm.
Royal Tunbridge Wells built on a hillside, exudes wealth. The lower town centre where the railway station and main terminus point for many of the bus routes is located has many fine Georgian buildings, whilst the upper town centre has a more modern feel to it with bus stops spread over three roads including a section controlled by a bus gate. The principal operator in the town is Arriva with Go Ahead and Stagecoach providing limited longer distance services. It is encouraging to see three independent operators still providing services: Autocar, Go Coach and Hams all have routes into the town centre. After a late lunch and time for photography, we need to move on.
For the final journey of the day, we are back on Stagecoach for their route 51 to Eastbourne. The afternoon timetable has an irregular headway and we are waiting for the 4.40pm departure. Twenty-nine minutes prior to this a Tunbridge Wells Boys' Grammar School, school days only service 251 (a short working 51) should depart, going as far as Heathfield. However, with just minutes to go before our bus is due, the bus stop is teaming with school children. At 4.40pm the 251 arrives and a sudden rush to board occurs, and I enquire with the driver as to the whereabouts of the 51. He informs me it is right behind and sure enough, on cue, an AD E40D pulls up behind with just ourselves, two other adults and a handful of children left to board. This is to prove a pleasant way to end the day, bagging our top deck front seats, a driver of the old school and a generous running time, we settle in for the next 2 hours and 18 minutes. The first twenty minutes is a pleasant run through open countryside along the A267 to Marks Cross, a small village, now bypassed by the main road. This is followed by a much longer diversion off the main road to the much larger and prettier village of Rotherfield. Once back on the main road it is only a short distance before we turn off again, this time heading in Mayfield, where before entering the village centre we wait time on the fire station forecourt. The village is dominated by the church and extensive grounds of the private school. We return to the main road and with light traffic make good time to Cross-in-Hand where once again we wait time, before entering Heathfield where a five minutes layover is timetabled in. Having watched the comings and goings in the fish and chip shop, we set off along Heathfield High Street before turning right to Horam and rejoining the A267. Thirty-one minutes later, just like yesterday, we find ourselves in Hailsham, where the last of the children from Tunbridge Wells leave the bus and we again wait time. Unlike yesterday the run to Eastbourne takes us into Polegate and we collect our final passenger of the day and wait time outside the railway station. The remainder of the route replicates yesterday journey and we arrive on time into Eastbourne at 6.58pm, nine hours after we departed from the same bus stop.
This part of the country is well worth exploring with wonderful countryside, beautiful villages, interesting coastline and plenty of history. All helped of course by a comprehensive bus network, making it even better!
