Project public transport.

March 14, 2013

I am currently in the planning stage so right now it exists in list and many many bus time table pdfs form. As many people in the north know Beeching shut down a lot of our railways, this has left large chunks of the northern countryside a nightmare to get to. I plan not to let this get in my way and will be creating geocashing walks and routes over the coming months/ hopefully years. I am coming from chesterfield but will be giving transport directions from the nearby cities as well. I'll only post the full details when I've been and tested them for myself.

Important point. thetrainline journey planner does not realise that the stations at Stockport and Manchester airport exist and will often throw up errors and station not found for a journey which changes at them. It's insane but I've had to use a map and look for stations in areas with trails and cashes, then I've had to check to see if it's a open line or not and trace it back using the rail network map to see what stations it's all connected to. For example if I put in Chesterfield to Chapel-En-Le-Frith it won't find anything but if I put in Stockport to Chapel-En-Le-Frith then it comes up (only 1 change) and you are there in around an hour and a half. Stockport in particular is a great jumping off point for people from Sheffield, chesterfield, Derby and Nottingham as there is an hourly fast train.

For example you can easily get to one end of the bollin valley area by going to Stockport, and then Macclesfield and to get to the other end you go to Manchester airport, as all the walks start very near to the stations or you can get the slow stopping train between the two to go deeper.

If you need to get a bus or tram at any point, for example you can get the sheffield to manchester stopping train and get off at chinley and there is a bus stop outside the station which will take you to whaley bridge or chapel in le frith (from the latter you can walk down to dove holes) which is on a different line, then there is a little known day bus pass called "explorer" it's £5.50 for an adult and £3.70 for a child. You get unlimited travel on stagecoach buses and trams in Derbyshire Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and west Yorkshire. Don't discount the sheffield trams, at either end of them there are reservoir/nature reserves and given that they have stopped the shuttle from Banford to Ladybower/Derwent they are far less annoying to get to.

Feel free to jump in and suggest routes, I'm mostly missing Nottingham as it's not an area I'm familiar with.

March 14, 2013

Just a note on the 'explorer' ticket. Did you mean the 'Derbyshire Wayfarer'?

Before I discovered the dark art of driving I was a big user of the Wayfarer ticket especially while caching but it needs much more promotion, a bus route that passes my house is listed as a vendor but most drivers were not aware of the ticket often consulting the company handbook.

I hadn't heard of this one. Double checking and it's different, the stagecoach explorer is a bigger area but stagecoach bus/tram only, It's worth it if you are going to or from Sheffield. It it should be noted that it's the cheapest day pass if you have children as the explorer/explorer+ tickets don't have a child's fare wherever you are. The wayfarer is only valid within Derbyshire and has the disclaimer "Travel between Derbyshire and Sheffield*, Burton-on-Trent*, Macclesfield*, Leek* and Uttoxeter* is also included.

* Town/city centre (valid on direct journeys to/from Derbyshire only)." . It's all a big mess really *does more digging*

Lines it's valid on.

Buxton - Chapel-en-le-Frith - New Mills (Newtown)

Sheffield - Hathersage - Hope - Edale - Chinley - New Mills (Central)

Sheffield - Chesterfield - Alfreton - Langley Mill

Sheffield - Chesterfield - Derby

Derby - Belper - Ambergate - Cromford - Matlock

Derby - Long Eaton

Derby - Tutbury and Hatton - Uttoxeter

Derby - Willington - Burton-on-Trent

Shirebrook - Whitwell

Trying to work out how the hell one would actually get to Macclesfield on the train using this ticket, you would have to go to new mills and then walk to the other station or get a bus, however if you have a friends and family rail card it has the potential to add many hours onto your travelling time. It does work out as cheaper in a lot of cases especially if you are in a family group (in my case it's 2 children and a dog) and I'll factor this ticket in to the costs and public transport details when I make lists.

First trip is being planned, there is a nice circle of cashes from surprise view near Hathersage and Grindlford, getting both the train to grindlford or the 272 bus from sheffield will put you at either end of it but the bus is a better option as there is a multi if you go clockwise.

March 14, 2013

Another bus service that may be useful is the Trans-peak. This runs from Derby to Manchester stopping at many Peak District towns and villages.

Time table here: http://www.derbysbus.info/times/timetables/TPKP_130218.pdf

Edited March 15, 2013 by Capt. Grimbeard

March 14, 2013

Another bus service that may be useful is the Transpeak. This runs from Derby to Manchester stopping at many Peak District towns and villages.

Time table here: http://www.derbysbus.info/times/timetables/TPKP_130218.pdf

March 15, 2013

Welcome to the game learnincurve.

Your plans sound very interesting and your knowledge of bus timetables is admirable. I only know that you buy your ticket from the conductor and smoking is only permitted upstairs.

I know you have said that you are just in the planning stage at the moment but could I persuade you to participate a little more in finding caches before you embark on your months/years of setting caches?

We had found 200+ caches before we set our first one and we are so glad that we waited until we had more experience. This knowledge enabled us to create a cache which to this day, we still consider to be one of our best. Just a thought. Good luck.

Edited March 15, 2013 by thehoomer

March 15, 2013

Thanks for the replies, that's just the bus timetable I was looking for Capt.

@thehoomer Don't worry I'm not in over my head here, geocashing is just a extension on something I do already - I've been hiking all over the peak district and various ways for about 25 years and have unknowingly walked past hundreds upon hundreds of cashes already many of them level 4s and a few level 5s and a lot of what I am about to embark on is just going back to areas I've been to before, the difference will be using a gps instead of map or memory. It's the gpx files for walks I will be creating not the cashes themselves as I will be going from area to area before moving on and won't be able to to maintenance. Saying that there are a few gaps around Hathersage that could be closed, I may get my father to look after a couple on his daily dog walking route.

Hopefully if I show how easy public transport can be more people will get out into the countryside, seasoned public transport veterans will know that once you accept a slower pace of life then the journey becomes part of the trip as a whole, it's about acceptance and remembering to bring a book.

I fear you can't smoke on buses any more, the bus driver is legally allowed to have you taken out and shot for it.

March 15, 2013

Hopefully if I show how easy public transport can be more people will get out into the countryside, seasoned public transport veterans will know that once you accept a slower pace of life then the journey becomes part of the trip as a whole, it's about acceptance and remembering to bring a book.

There are plenty of public transport cachers, one I know is about to hit 1000 finds in under a year, another is already over 2k (both well beyond me and I have a car!) As you say,a little planning and patience is all that's needed.

March 17, 2013

First walk went on today, there are two walks from this one bus stop, this first part is 2- 3 hours of cashing for a family and it ends at a pub.

Get the 272 bus from D4 stand at the Sheffield bus station, it's the one next to the seating area for a cafe, which is nice.

Timetable http://www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/timetables/sheffield/796.htm

You get off at the surprise view bus stop, it's actually next to a car park to your right in between the fox house and the actual surprise view. Coordinates are 53 19'01" N 1 37' 25" W

It's not a particularly steep walk but the paths are rather rocky as are the cashe areas, I wouldn't want to do this in the wet (again) with the family.

premium http://coord.info/GCHAMY

http://coord.info/GC30YBT

optional - http://coord.info/GCQ0J5

http://coord.info/GC1CMM0

http://coord.info/GC1HZ3F

The millstone pub where there is a Puzzle cashe http://coord.info/GCR0EQ

Edited March 17, 2013 by learnincurve