Small Mercies in Mercia

Leaving the present-day capital behind, I travel to the Midlands for a couple of days, beginning by visiting the former capital of Mercia, one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England, in order to explore a new area for me by bus.

Arriva bus routes in and around Tamworth. Note the network of town services and the two main terminals on either side of the town centre at Corporation Street and Victoria Road. Other operators’ services are not shown, the principal ones being run by Diamond Bus and Bus Link.

Arriva in Tamworth

Tamworth is a market town in Staffordshire, some 14 miles north-east of Birmingham, taking its name from the River Tame which flows through it. As the road signs on the approach proclaim, Tamworth was the “Ancient Capital of Mercia”, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 8th and 9th Century, covering much of Central England. King Offa was crowned here and went on to build his famous dyke that divided Mercia from Wales as a protective barrier. Tamworth Castle stands high above the river on the site of the original Saxon Fort and the following Norman motte and bailey castle, which it replaced in the 12th Century. The town centre is a web of fairly narrow streets, many of which are now pedestrianised, including the open square next to St Editha’s Parish Church, a large sandstone building which is a prominent landmark.

There is no Bus Station as such, instead there are two main terminals either side of the centre, one at Corporation Street (mainly for services to the north and west of town) and another at Victoria Road (mainly for services to the south and east). Arriva are the largest operator in the area, with a traditional brick-built garage just around the corner from Corporation Street that was inherited from Midland Red North, rather than the modern preference for depots on industrial estates further out of town!

In terms of vehicles and routes, the double deck allocation comprises Enviro400s, mainly found on trunk route 110 to Birmingham City Centre, although 11 electric double deckers are on order to replace them and were expected to be delivered later in 2026. Single deckers consist of a mix of Optare Versa, VDL SB200 Wright and Mercedes Benz Citaro types, although a batch of new Enviro200 MMCs is in course of delivery, mainly for Versa replacement.

I had only been to Tamworth once before by bus, when I rode an Olympian on the 110 to and from Birmingham some years ago, so many of the routes in the area were virgin bus territory for me.

Mercedes Benz Citaro no 3000 is seen at Victoria Road in Tamworth Town Centre before I rode it on Town Service 7 to Stonydelph.

These rugged performers are likely to be retained in service, for the time being at least. There are 7 of the type at Tamworth, including one in a “retro” Midland Red livery.

Route 7: Tamworth - Stonydelph - Tamworth

I began my day at a damp Victoria Road Interchange, where several bus services depart to destinations east and south of town. There is much interworking on the town services, which often switch routes at this location.

First on my list, a quick spin on Arriva local route 7 aboard one of the Mercedes Benz Citaros based in the town, with the neat fleet number 3000. A surprising number of takers for a service proceeding out of the centre at this time of day, as we made our way eastwards along Glascote Road through typical older red-brick Midlands style terraced housing and 1930s semis. At the edge of the traditional town, we entered a dual carriageway section where the view changed to more of a “New Town” style with post-war housing amid trees and grassy areas. Although Tamworth was not one of the designated Post-War New Towns, it expanded in similar fashion, the outer areas looking very similar to places nearer home like Stevenage and Harlow.

After dropping most of our passengers, we entered the Stonydelph area, a typical post-war housing estate, with a one-way terminal loop in “frying pan” style. Somewhat oddly, everyone else had left us by this stage and I was the only one keeping the driver company for the first part of the return trip. However, we did start to pick up a few as we progressed nearer to town, but arrived back with only single digit numbers on board. A 40 min rounder to start the day.

The 7 operates every 15 mins M-F daytimes, 20 mins Sat daytimes and 30 mins Sun daytimes, with an Hourly M-S evening service.

Optare Versa no 2974 is pictured at Lichfield Bus Station on Route 765 after my ride aboard from Tamworth the long way round.

These vehicles are in course of replacement with new Enviro200 MMCs, so their time left in the area is likely to be limited.

Route 765: Tamworth - Lichfield

Next, I walked through the town centre to the other main terminal at Corporation Street, to ride some out of town services.

I began with a ride on Optare Versa no 2974, which was the allocated bus on the 765 route to Lichfield. The main route between the two towns is the X65, which is more frequent and operates direct, but the 765 goes “around the houses” and runs every 70-80 mins all day M-S including evenings. The unusual frequency is presumably so that it can be operated with one bus.

Only three of us on board as we left Tamworth, making our way along Lichfield Street onto the Lichfield Road. Leaving the town behind, we entered more open country, crossing both the River Tame and the Coventry Canal at Hopwas, passing “The Tame Otter” pub, a delightful location beside the canal. Then a fast stretch through the woods before passing a huge pig farm, which took up large fields on both sides of the road and seemed to go on forever!

Reaching Whittington, we turned off the main road near the Staffordshire Regiment Museum and served various army facilities including the Mercia Regiment HQ. After moving through a housing area, we reached Whittington Village itself, traversing narrow streets. Then onwards to the outskirts of Lichfield, although we again deviated to serve the Boley Park Shopping Centre and adjacent housing estate, with large numbers of short-riders on this section contrasting with hardly anyone up to this point. We arrived at the large Lichfield Bus Station after a 35 min trip. This is located conveniently for Lichfield City Station just across the road, but is a short walk from the city centre, with views of the spire of Lichfield Cathedral to be seen.

Bus Link Scania Wright Solar no 71 on the X66 to Tamworth at Lichfield Bus Station. This is a competitive service with Arriva’s X65 between the same points.

Bus Link is a small independent operator based in Burton-upon-Trent with a number of services in various parts of Staffordshire. The livery is based on the well-known independent Stevensons, which once ran in the area and operated ex London RTs and RTWs back in the day.

Route X65: Lichfield - Tamworth

For the return run, I switched to the faster X65 route, which operates every 30 mins M-S daytimes only. However, there is a competitor in the form of “Bus Links”, an independent Staffordshire operator, who operate a similar X66 between the same points, also every 30 mins M-S daytimes. At least the departures are relatively spread out, with X65s leaving Lichfield at x00 & x30 mins past the hour and X66s at x20 & x50. From my observations, the number of passengers on each bus was in single digits, so the corridor does seem a bit over-bussed. Oddly, there is no Sunday service at all on either route, when one might expect at least an Hourly service during daytimes.

The two buses on the X65 when I travelled were a Citaro and a brand new Enviro200 MMC - I caught the latter, fleet no 2158. This time we departed Lichfield on the more direct main road route towards Lichfield, although we were delayed for a couple of minutes by temporary lights and one-way working on the city outskirts. We followed a slow-moving farm vehicle for a short while, which fortunately soon turned off, enabling us to put on a spurt. Back to Whittington, where we joined up with the 765 again at the Regimental Museum. It was then another run past the pig farm and through the woods, before crossing the canal and the river back into Tamworth. We terminated at Corporation Street after a 23 min run, a couple of minutes late, but considerably faster than the indirect 765.

At the other end of the X65, we see Arriva’s Mercedes Benz Citaro no 3005 in Corporation Street Tamworth. This is a typical allocation for the type.

However, I travelled on new Enviro200 MMC no 2158 between Lichfield & Tamworth, which was the other bus out on the X65.

Route 110: Tamworth - Birmingham

Next item on the agenda was some double-deck action, with a ride on Arriva’s principal trunk route in the area, the 110 to Birmingham. This operates every 15 mins M-F daytimes, 20 mins Sat daytimes, 30 mins Sun daytimes and Hourly evenings. Currently operated mainly with Enviro400s, a helpful driver informed me that a batch of new electric double-deckers is on order and expected before the end of the year, so my timing was judicious in order to ride the existing offering.

A good number joined me aboard Enviro no 4412 and soon we were off, making our way out of Tamworth, past the busy Ventura Park Shopping Centre and on to Fazeley, where we crossed the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, passing the large 5 storey edifice of Fazeley Mill, a former textile factory built in 1886, now Grade II listed and converted to apartments. Moving on through suburban Mile Oak, the nature of the route changed completely as we entered a fast country section through fields and woods, going up hill and down dale, during which we passed the Buzzards Valley Wineyard.

Crossing a large roundabout, we moved from Staffordshire into West Midlands county, with Birmingham style bus stops replacing the Staffs CC design. Entering the Borough of Sutton Coldfield, we progressed through the suburbs, before arriving into the bustling town centre. After this, it was an urban run through Wylde Green, Yenton and Erdington, where we competed with various parallel “X” services operated by National Express West Midlands. Descending Gravelly Hill, we had a final fast run over the A38M “Aston Expressway”, a 2 mile motorway which links the M6 at “Spaghetti Junction” to Birmingham City Centre on a viaduct high above the city.

After calling at Aston University, we looped around the city centre, before arriving at the terminus beside a large Weatherspoons called the “The Square Peg” - very convenient for a comfort stop after a long bus ride! 1h15m end to end on this journey, which had provided an interesting mix of scenery ranging from urban to open countryside.

Enviro400 no 4412 is seen at “The Square Peg” PH in Birmingham City Centre, terminus of trunk route 110. I had just travelled aboard this bus from Tamworth.

The time left for these vehicles is limited, as a batch of new double deck electrics is on order to replace them on the route. The interior of the Enviros feature high backed faux leather seating in “Sapphire” style, although this branding is no longer used.

Whilst the main allocation on the 110 is double deck, two or three single deckers a day is not uncommon. VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar no 3763 proves the point in front of “The Square Peg”, a large Wetherspoons in Birmingham City Centre.

This vehicle was on the working ahead of the one I took on the return trip to Tamworth.

Route 110: Birmingham - Tamworth

After obtaining some lunch supplies, I returned to the Square Peg stop for the next double-deck working on the 110, which turned out to be Enviro400 no 4415, which looked as though it had been in the wars, as it had a few battered lower panels. On departure, we saved a few minutes in this direction by proceeding direct back to the A38M, having already completed the city centre loop on the inbound trip. A fast run up to Gravelly Hill, which we then had to climb at slow speed. Busy, with plenty on and off through the suburbs of Erdington and Yenton back to Sutton Coldfield.

After dropping a number in the town centre, we continued with fewer on board through the outer suburbs, before crossing the county boundary back into Staffs. By now, the on/off light showers had increased to a heavy downpour, although it was nice and dry inside in the bus as we continued through the countryside up to Mile Oak. A few short-riders joined us here and in Fazeley for the final section back into Tamworth, by which time the rain had mercifully stopped. About 1h10m in this direction.

Enviro400 no 4415 sits at a damp Tamworth Corporation Street terminus after my ride aboard from Birmingham in the rain.

Some of the offside lower panels seem to have sustained some damage on this vehicle.

Route 2: Tamworth - Gillway - Tamworth

Back in Tamworth, I decided to end the day with a few rides on some of the other local routes. Routes 2 & 3 to the north of town were conveniently located at the adjacent stop to my arrival point in Corporation Street, but drivers were reporting delays on the latter due to roadworks en route. Therefore, I opted for the former, as VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar no 3759 was just about to depart on the next number 2. This operates every 30 mins M-S daytimes and Hourly Sun daytimes, with no evening service.

A fair number were aboard for the trip, as we proceeded northwards along Wigginton Road away from the town centre. A classic town service with a loop section around a largely post-war estate at Gillway, although an extra bit has been added to serve a new development known as Arkall Farm. Turning off the traditional route, we entered the brand new housing area, with buildings in a mix of Georgian and other styles, plus the obligatory grass-landscaped areas, ponds and wide footpaths often seen on modern developments of this type. After circling around the far end, where building work was still going on, we returned the way we had come and rejoined the original Gillway loop, before proceeding back into town via Wigginton Road.

A short 25 min perambulation. By the time I had alighted back at Corporation St, the driver had already re-set the blinds for his next trip, on Route 3, as the two routes tend to interwork here.

I travelled on VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar no 3759 on Town Service 2 to Gillway and back, but when I alighted back at Corporation Street, the driver had already re-set the blinds for the next trip on Route 3 to Coton Green.

There is much interworking on Tamworth Town Services, the 2 & 3 doing so at this location on many trips.

Not a bus I travelled on, but this shot shows the nearside view of Optare Versa no 2987 at Corporation Street, also on local route 3.

The bus shelter in the background is at the stop for out of town services to the east.

Route 5: Tamworth - Amington - Tamworth

I then made my way back across the Town Centre to the other terminus at Victoria Road, to sample a couple of other routes to end the day, beginning with Route 5. This operates eastwards to the Amington area. Buses run every 15 mins M-F daytimes, 20 mins Sat daytimes and 30 mins Sun daytimes, with an Hourly M-S evening service.

As with the other town services, a mix of all single deck types is in evidence, but I had Citaro no 3003 on my journey, which was well patronised with home-going shoppers. This time, we proceeded out of town along the Amington Road past traditional housing, to “The Amington Inn” PH, before turning off around a series of estate roads, the former village now being well and truly absorbed into urban Tamworth. There have been various new housing areas built in the area over the years, with new estates added in the 1990s and 2010s. Interestingly, many of the roads have short names without the traditional appendage of “Road”, “Drive” or “Close”, some are named simply after plants or flowers, examples seen include “Briar”, “Cornel”, “Saffron” and “Sorbus”.

After a short loop section on an estate built on the former Tamworth Golf Course, where the roads all had golfing associations, like “Eagle Drive”, “Boundary Drive”, “Troon” and “St Andrews”, we continued via the reverse of our outward route back to town, by now with hardly anyone on board. We completed the round trip in 35 mins on this occasion.

One of the new Enviro200 MMCs, fleet no 2157, seen in Victoria Road Tamworth on local route 8 to Hockley & Wilnecote. I had travelled on similar vehicle 2158 on the X65 earlier.

Just peeping in behind, Citaro no 3003 on Town Service 5, which I had just ridden to Amington and back.

Route 8: Tamworth - Wilnecote - Tamworth

My final route of the day was the 8, slightly longer than the previous local services I had been on, which serves the area south of the town into nearby Hockley and Wilnecote. Another route running every 15 mins M-F daytimes, 20 mins Sat daytimes, but with an Hourly service evenings and Sundays. A habitual mix of single deck types, the first one being new Enviro200 MMC no 2158, although I let this one go as it was running about 10 mins late and had a large crowd on board, including home-going school students!

Instead, I joined the bus behind, formed of elderly Optare Versa no 2981, which had clearly seen better days. The driver told me that the new Enviro200 MMCs are now in course of replacing the Optares, which are “a bit knackered” in his words! As the bus in front had cleared the crowd, we didn’t have that many on board as we made our way out of town along leafy Peelers Way, to the suburb of Kettlebrook. We then continued along estate roads in the Belgrove area, although we overtook the bus in front by missing out a loop around Birds Bush Road and continuing along the main road, Wilnecote Lane. Apparently, this diversion is scheduled in the afternoon peak to avoid inconsiderate parking around local schools, passengers for the missing section having to stay on the bus until it returns to town, as it will serve this in the inbound direction.

At Ninian Way, we reached an industrial area with small business units, before turning off into Hockley, with more housing and a terminal loop on the edge of countryside. On the way back, the bus takes another route along Tinkers Green Road into Wilnecote, before rejoining the outward section at Wilnecote Lane. We then traversed the section we had missed earlier via Birds Bush Road, much to the relief of a lady who had travelled from town and wanted a stop on this part of the route! Back through Belgrove and Kettlebrook, picking up more passengers, although we were then overtaken by the bus behind which had left just before us, taken the longer outbound route and had by now caught us up. Although the other bus was now very late, fortunately we arrived back into Tamworth virtually on time after an interesting trip of a touch under 50 mins.

Optare Versa no 2984 at Victoria Road terminus on the 8 to Hockley & Wilnecote.

I travelled the route on sister vehicle 2981 to conclude my day in the town.

So ended my day in Tamworth, which had been an interesting experience and somewhere new for me to explore in terms of bus rides. I was lucky to have caught things on the cusp of change, before new electrics enter service and the oldest diesels disappear!

It was then time to check into my hotel for the night, before Day 2 of my Midlands Adventure, which will feature in the next article.

Watton

The imposing entrance to Arriva’s Tamworth Depot, convieniently situated just around the corner from the main Corporation Street terminus.

The steel framed, red brick building was opened by the BMMO in 1928. After passing through the ownership of Midland Red and then Midland Red North, it ended up with Arriva Midlands North in 1997.