And now for something completely different. On Saturday 27 June, a fleet of historic, preserved buses were operated on a gala day across the Rame Peninsula, aka the Forgotten Corner of Cornwall. The great news is that the five routes ferried people between pubs! And there was no fare to pay, only voluntary donations for fuel and maintenance costs.

Most of us arrived at St Germans station by train and walked to the Eliot Arms for a quick half before our bus arrived.

The pub was already very busy with a queue for the bar. The weather was dry and sunny so most people were outside.

No, Steve wasn’t drinking Rattler (as if he would)!

Our bus on Route X was a preserved 1999 Dennis Dart with Alexander coachwork, apparently the last one of its kind.

We were soon in Polbathic, where I got off for the Halfway House. On the bar were St Austell Proper Job, Keltek Ref’s Had A Mare, and Otter Amber.

Not finding any Cornwall members in the bar, I took my Amber up to the beer garden at the back and settled down on my own, thinking that they had all stayed on the bus.

Then I found that there were a few elsewhere in the large garden!

Time to leave Polbathic and get the next bus to Antony, still on Route X. This was an Alexander Dennis double decker in Stagecoach colours. This must be one of the most modern preserved buses, registered in 2006 (newer than my newest car)!

Antony was the major junction of the gala, with four out of five routes passing through. The Dennis Dart that we had in St Germans stopped here and was now a Route A coming from Torpoint to Hessenford, again packed with passengers.

The pub here at Antony was the Carew Arms, rebranded as Woogies, where I had St Austell Tribute and Sharp’s Doom Bar.

Brian and I were the only two left and decided to head east. The next stop on all routes would have been Torpoint. The next bus along was a 1994 Mercedes 709D with Plaxton Beaver body In Western National colours. Brian and I were the only passengers on board, and the driver kindly dropped us off at the Wilcove turn.

We had a pleasant walk down into the village to the Wilcove Inn where the tide was in, rather than the half-mile of mud that I had always seen before.

On the bar were Summerskills Jester and Skinner’s A Pint of Two Halves.

To get out of Wilcove on foot meant a steep climb uphill! Regaining the main road, we headed to Torpoint. Quite a CAMRAmble on its own! Arriving at our last, and furthest flung pub, the Carbeile Inn. This is a large pub selling St Austell Tribute on handpump.

After our pint, we waited outside for the Beaver to arrive on Route X to take us back to St Germans where we waited for our trains east and west.

Thanks to the bus enthusiasts for a good day out.

Cheers,

Steve Barber