| The 349 started life in 1995 and was probably an over-ambitious attempt to get people to park their cars away from pressure spots in Saddleworth. To that extent the service was organised by Peak National Park, Oldham MBC, North West Water , GMPTE and Greater Manchester Police.
Every Sunday from 30th April to September 24th 1995 Glossopdale provided two buses which worked on a half-hourly frequency from Uppermill along Carr Lane and Queensway to the Satellite Youth Centre at the end of Wellington Road, Greenfield. This was the “Park and Ride” car park and although it was not very big, it turned out to be more than adequate to meet demand. It was signposted by some very visible signs on Chew Valley Road. The bus waited time here and met the one in the opposite direction. It would then continue to the end of Wellington Road and directly to Dovestones reservoir car park. This reservoir is a popular attraction in summer and has limited parking, the idea of the service was to try to ease pressure here and in Uppermill village. However, people did not like to leave their cars and the buses trundled around Saddleworth empty, the principal source of traffic apparently being churchgoers attracted by the 20p flat fare. 1996’s service was operated by JP Executive Travel and was less ambitious. It still served Dovestones reservoir but proceeded directly through Greenfield to Uppermill and then continued to serve Brownhill Visitor Centre, Diggle and terminated on Standedge at the car park near the Pennine Way. This site had once been the Blue Peter Transport Cafe. This service ran hourly from May 5th to September 29th 1996 (with a break for lunch) but seems to have also attracted little traffic and thus the 349 service quietly disappeared. |
The sign on the right makes it clear where JP’s L708 LKY is. Brunclough Reservoir is one of the reservoirs used to feed the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and made an excellent terminus in theory as it is also where the Pennine Way crosses the A62. As mentioned in the historical notes, this was once the site of the Blue Peter Transport Cafe, a stopping point for lorry drivers in the days before the M62 when the road over Standedge was a busy commercial artery. 799x533 349001_14445 JP Travel L708 LKY Standedge Brunclough Reservoir.jpg |
JP’s Mercedes L708 LKY has just finished the descent from Standedge into Diggle on a working to Dovestones. 799x533 349010_14444 JP Travel L708 LKY Diggle Huddersfield Road.jpg |
Glossopdale M636 FJF waits in Uppermill bus station. The bus is carrying quite a lot of publicity about the service but there is no-one around to read it. Photo courtesy Eric Ogden. 1000x666 349020_Glossopdale_M636_FJF_Uppermill_Bus_Station.jpg |
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JP's L708 LKY is in Uppermill square on the first day of their operation of the 349 service. The destination is one that I would never have expected to see on a bus! Photo courtesy Jon Brierley. 999x667 349025_JP_Travel_L708_LKY_Uppermill_Square.jpg |
Glossopdale’s M634 FJF is turning from Wellington Road into Queensway in one of the more obscure parts of Greenfield as it works to Uppermill from the car park at the end of Wellington Road. 799x533 349045_12784 Glossopdale M634 FJF Greenfield Wellington Road.jpg |
This was the last day of operation of the service in 1995 and the last time two buses met up at the car park at Wellington Road in Greenfield. M636 FJF is the usual Plaxton-bodied Mercedes but a surprise on this occasion was the ex-National Welsh Freight Rover Sherpa E176 TWO, which had previously worn a yellow livery and called itself a Bustler. 799x533 349050_12789 Glossopdale M636 FJF Greenfield Wellington Road.jpg |
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Another view of the last meeting of two buses. The service the following year only used one bus. 799x533 349051_12790 Glossopdale E176 TWO Greenfield Wellington Road.jpg |
A green bus surrounded by green trees does not make the best photograph, but it’s the closest I got to photographing one at Dovestones Reservoir, to my regret. The bus has just come up Bank Lane to join Holmfirth Road and drop down to the Clarence Hotel. 799x533 349070_12785 Glossopdale M634 FJF Greenfield Bank Lane.jpg |
