Donnington to Wellington

Distance, just under six miles. Route: Donnington-Trench-Hadley-Haygate-Wellington. This was the bus route that served my little Shropshire village of Hadley. It's sixty years or more since I rode a bus on that route, and indeed the route probably no longer exists since they superimposed the overblown new town of Telford on the area. But I can still remember some aspects of it. 

First, there were in fact two bus routes, the local one, which ran what they called "Utility" buses, very simple affairs with bum-numbing wooden seats, because there was a war on, as people constantly reminded each other; and the longer Midland Red route which went from Newport, via Donnington and Wellington, to Shrewsbury the county town.

Secondly, even us little jockeys were proud of the fact that EVERY stop between Donnington and Wellington was the name of a pub. I can't remember them all after such a long time, but they included the Barley Mow, the Britannia, the Bush Hotel, the King's Head, the Cross Keys, the Summer House, the Buck's Head and the Cock Hotel.

This blog entry is just an excuse to post pictures of the two wartime buses and three of these memorable hostelries. Oh yes, and before you ask me, in my salady Salop days, I downed a pint in most of them.