We decided to go to Leighton Buzzard by bus yesterday. I love my Morrisons supermarkets and so really, despite there being slightly closer locals for Morrisons SM’s, going to Leighton Buzzard was the most direct route via public transport. We can get the bus from just down the road and it takes us almost directly to the supermarket.
Em was umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether we should go. We tried to check what the fare would be, but the bus company’s web site is SO vague. Em was worried it was going to cost us £7.00 return, each! But I was hoping that the bus company was not going to be quite THAT money-grabbing. I tried to ring them, got the old “Press 1 for this, and 2 for that” business. There was a section for fares, but of course, that option rang once then had a message that said “Unfortunately all our operators (right, one person manning the phone – if there were any AT ALL manning this part of the line) are currently taking calls, please call back later, or check the web site.” Erm, that’s why I was RINGING ‘cos the information I wanted wasn’t on your crappy web site!! Geez!!!
Anyway, we decided to take the bull by the horns and just go down to the stop and see how much it would be. When the bus arrived I fell over the step (good start!). After my adept recovery (not adept enough to give the driver a wry smile!) I asked the driver how much a return ticket to Leighton Buzzard would be. He said “£4.50”, well although it was still fairly expensive, it wasn’t £7 a piece, so we got on. It’s probably a competitively priced fare considering LB is about 15 miles away, and our nearest market town Hitchin is only about 6-7 and it costs £3.15 return to get there!
It’s a fairly long journey. The trip takes about an hour, but it’s a pleasant enough trip and it does go through the countryside – which is nice, especially in the type of weather we had yesterday (IE: lovely and sunny). The rape seed fields are at their most colourful at the moment (I wish it was called canola, like it is in Oz, it just doesn’t sound right enjoying looking at “fields of rape”).
By chance, it was market day at LB. We got a little bargain there. One kilogram of nyger seed for £1.60. The goldfinch food is well stocked. And there was a shop there selling “larger” ladies clothes. I got myself a nice top for £9.00! We went on to Morrisons, had a bite to eat in the cafe` and then went around the aisles getting bits and bobs.
I took a little video on my mobile on the bus back, trying to capture the countryside, but it was a bit lame. I’ll add it to the post anyway. Mind the sound.
My neck and shoulders got sunburnt (we had a while to wait for the return bus and I got burnt waiting) and they’ve been itchy since then, and a bit tender, ouch.
hey you get comments thats cooli get none 🙁 loli wish our bas fairs were that price it cost me $3 to get just to the square the other day a 5 min ride!
thank god u said cannola fliedsi was thinking wtf is a rape field?you get comments that’s cool!i dont even know ppl r reading mine 🙁 lol
Hi Lis,The fare might sound cheap but convert it to Oz dollars and it doesn’t sound so good. It would take us 20 mins to get to Leighton Buzzard by car. The bus takes so long ‘cos it stops at other towns and villages along the way. A £4.50 return fare is like $11, times that by two and well, it was $22 for 2 return tickets. On a good day we could get to London on a bus for the same price! We have to pay enough to get into town (Luton town centre), which is only like 2km away and that costs £2.50 return (about $A6.00). Having said that I know when I was getting the bus from Minto station to Cheryl’s house that was about $A2.70 or something. If we were on benefits in Oz though, we’d get concessions. We don’t here. Almost £10 for 2 return fares to a nearby town is a luxury for us. It’s sick really. Just another case of “rip-off Britain”.
As for the “rape” fields – I know it’s awful. I do say to Em in a tongue-in-cheek way “ooh, look at the fields of rape” – in a whisper. I’d dare not say it out loud. It looks really lovely though, the contrast of the green land and then these bright yellow fields in between. It’s quite beautiful.