David Slater (Spoddendale)'s photos with the keyword: Pathfinder Coaches

Monday 27 February 2006 - During World War 2 East Anglia was home to numerous Royal Air Force aerodromes one of which was at RAF Wratting Common located on the border of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. The county boundary straddles the farmland where the aerodrome was. The memorial dedicated to those who died on missions from Wratting Common stands near Weston Woods Farm on Common Road and appears in this view. Burtons Coaches S553 BNV, a Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario new to Meteor Parking in February 1999, was working the Haverhill to Cambridge service 16.

Christmas Eve, Monday 24 Dec 2007 – Burtons Coaches S550 BNV, a warm and sprightly Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario, paused beneath the Christmas lights in Newmarket High Street when working the 1810 service 400 to Mildenhall. This service, sponsored by Suffolk County Council, ran the full normal schedule until the late evening (with related services 200/201, 312 and 401). My assigned duty was number 224 with a start time of 1515 ending at 2342. I worked the following trips but it wasn’t at all busy, the figures in brackets indicating the passengers carried: 1520 Mildenhall-Newmarket 400 (1) 1600 Newmarket-Barrow 312 (1) (then empty to Mildenhall via Barton Mills to refuel) 1715 Mildenhall-Newmarket 401 (1) 1810 Newmarket-Mildenhall 400 (1) 1850 Mildenhall-Lakenheath 201 (1) 1915 Lakenheath-Mildenhall 201 (0) 1940 Mildenhall-Newmarket 400 (1) 2020 Newmarket-Mildenhall 400 (0) 2140 Mildenhall-Newmarket 400 (0) 2215 Newmarket-Mildenhall 400 (1) 2250 Mildenhall-Lakenheath 201 (0) 2315 Lakenheath-Mildenhall 200 (0).

Tuesday 29 May 2007 (approx 1630) - When heavy rain swells the River Kennett the water, rather than pass beneath the concrete road surface, flows over the top of it meaning that traffic has to splash through the ford. Burtons Coaches Mercedes-Benz Vario S550 BNV had been new to Meteor Parking in February 1999. It had worked the 1550 Newmarket-Barrow service 312 and was returning empty to Newmarket to operate the 1715 service 200 to Brandon. The 15th century medieval packhorse bridge crosses was on the ancient route from Bury St Edmunds to Cambridge. Spanning about 20 metres it comprises four small arches to avoid an inconveniently steep slope on both sides.

Tuesday 29 May 2007 (approx 1630) - When heavy rain swells the River Kennett the water, rather than pass beneath the concrete road surface, flows over the top of it meaning that traffic has to splash through the ford. Burtons Coaches Mercedes-Benz Vario S550 BNV had been new to Meteor Parking in February 1999. It had worked the 1550 Newmarket-Barrow service 312 and was returning empty to Newmarket to operate the 1715 service 200 to Brandon. The 15th century medieval packhorse bridge crosses was on the ancient route from Bury St Edmunds to Cambridge. Spanning about 20 metres it comprises four small arches to avoid an inconveniently steep slope on both sides.

Friday 4 July 2006 (approx 0800) - Burtons Coaches S550 BNV seen in the remote Fenland village of Pymoor about to work the once daily service 125 at 0805 to Ely. It was a Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario new to Meteor Parking in February 1999.

Thursday 12 October 2006 - Burtons Coaches Limited S131 NRB, a Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario. This bus and a similar vehicle S130 NRB came to Burtons from another Tellings-Golden Miller affiliate to replace its Dennis Dart single deckers. Since driving this bus for the first time (on 23 September 2006) ‘Burtons Buses’ fleetnames had been added in a different style to that previously used. The pair were new in September 1998 to Pathfinder of Newark. The fleetnumber 731 came with the bus but it is not used by the operations staff at Burtons who refer to it as ‘S131’.

Thursday 12 April 2007 - Burtons Coaches Limited 730 (S130 NRB), Plaxton Beaver 2 bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario new in September 1998 to Pathfinder of Newark. Liz the cleaner was giving it a wash down at the Haverhill garage.

Tuesday 5 September 2006 - Burtons Coaches S130 NRB seen at Great Bradley. I was driving this bus empty from Haverhill to Mildenhall as a replacement for a damaged bus. It had worked the 1825 Newmarket-Brinkley service 46 and then returned to the Haverhill yard whereupon it was issued to me. It was a Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario which, along with sister bus S131 NRB, came to Burtons from another Tellings-Golden Miller affiliate to replace its Dennis Dart single deckers. Both were new in September 1998 to Pathfinder of Newark.