Bus Challenge No 200!!

Plan B - Bradley Stoke

Here follows a long saga about a right palaver!

Today’s plan was to take the train to Gloucester to see the cathedral and cloisters decorated for Christmas, something I’d really been looking forward to. Knowing that the trains were badly affected yesterday due to flooding, I started monitoring the trains from 7am. The delay on my train was getting longer and longer but I decided that as long as I had an hour in Gloucester I’d still go, so headed to the station (passing an underwater park, the Chew and Avon both higher than I’ve ever seen), only to find that the train was now delayed by 40mins. (Found out later that the train was in fact eventually cancelled altogether!)

At this point I switched to my prepared back up plan, and took the bus into Bristol, and then a second bus heading north out of the city to Bradley Stoke. Every year I buy a certain diary, and after previously phoning around I found that the Bradley Stoke store was the only place that had any in stock. Before leaving home, I’d checked that the store still had the diary however when I got there the shelf was empty! According to the store’s system there were eight in stock but nobody could track them down. A very kind customer service lady tracked down a manager to see if they could post one to me when new stock came in but manager said no, even when I explained my circumstances and that I’d travelled a long way. I was quite upset.

So to cheer myself up I went and ordered myself a McDonald’s ice cream. After waiting 15mins, and watching people who’d come in after me collecting their orders, I asked where mine was. It had been overlooked. By the time it arrived I didn’t have time to sit down and enjoy it, so had to eat it on the hoof, running for my return bus in order to back in time for Dad’s return from day care.

Bus journey time = 1hr 46mins
Waiting between buses time = 17mins
Total bus journey time = 2hr 3mins

A frustrating day. And a waste of a beautiful sunny day. What with the kerfuffle on New Year’s Day, 2024 has not got off to the best of starts...

Thank you.