Chesham Broadway Running Day

Sunday 24th October 2003

Prepared by Ian Smith, 9th November 2003

Part 3: 397 to Cholesbury Common, 348 back (GS62)

Alan Charman invited me on a 397 trip up to Cholesbury in GS62. With a handful of passengers, warned that this trip might include something out of the ordinary, we set off. We turned north out of Chesham, following the road up Chesham Vale. This was a relatively gentle climb. The trees were lovely. We passed more girls on horses.

We met a couple of early fifties cars. The climb continued up through Hawridge and onto Cholesbury Common, where we stopped for photos.

Alan warned us that we were going to do something unusual, and not go back the way we had come. Rather than turn on the Tring road triangle he set off down the Cholesbury road, then branched right onto a narrow lane that took us over the hillside past Parrott's Farm and down to the Buckland Common terminus of the 348. It was not very far, but it was narrow. I think even Alan wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew, but he assured me that he could get through. Foliage brushed both sides of the GS, and then we were there, at Buckland Common.

Alan reversed the GS into the dead end at Buckland Conmmon, and reset the blinds for the run back to Chesham as a 348.

Then it was down the road through Bellingdon. More autumn colour, more riders. This time I managed a passing shot of the old timber-built farmhouse before we descended into Chesham.

There Alan found another load of passengers for his next trip which I think was too Ley Hill on the 316, although his bus sported a 373 to Penn blind for some reason. Well, this was supposed to be a fun day for the drivers. As for me, I fielded a request from the crew of GS34 for a guide on a 397 up to Cholesbury Common...

Part 4: 397: Chesham to Tring and back (GS34, GS2)

All photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.

Back to Ian's Bus-stop Part 2: 348 to Buckland Common. Part 4: 397 to Tring & back (GS34, GS2)