Southern Vectis route 12
Encyclopedia
Southern Vectis route 12 is a bus service operated by Southern Vectis
between Newport
and Totland
via Shorwell
, Brighstone
and Freshwater
.
to Newport via Chessell
and Brighstone. Later, for many years, prior to re-modelling of routes in 1985, it was the principal service to Newport, running via Yarmouth
and Shalfleet
and thence to Sandown
via Shanklin
. The route via Brighstone was numbered 29 in that period, running via Chessell, with a seasonal variant 28 via Compton. Latterly no. 28 via Compton became the primary year-round route.
From 1985 route 7 became the main West Wight route, with the Freshwater via Brighstone route numbered variously, but most often as route 7B. However, between 1996 and 2001 it was numbered route 12, and this numbering has been revived through the changes of autumn 2010. In 2001 the 7B numbering was resumed. In 2006 the suffix letter was dropped, and destination boards only signalled the variation in route.
On 5 September 2010, the route number 12 was revived in the West Wight area, with the southern branch of route 7
being axed and replaced by a broadly 2 hourly service numbered 12 along the same route.
It is considered likely that at least some of the section along the Military Road may have to be re-routed at some point due to coastal erosion. There are suggestions that when the road is fully breached a new bypass may be built further inland, but it is not certain this would happen. In the absence of such a new road, it is likely Service 12 would revert to its 1933 route via Chessell.
via Bembridge
had run as service 1
. From 2001, buses between Sandown and Bembridge were withdrawn from that service and replaced by route 2
, which was extended from Sandown to Ryde via Bembridge. It ran via Nettlestone
, and route 1 was diverted via Tesco and Oakfield
. However, from the new timetable on 19 May 2002, route 2 was cut back to Sandown, leaving the places between Bembridge (which was still served by route 1) and Sandown, and St Helens
and Nettlestone, without a regular bus service. Therefore, from that date, route 12 was introduced, running between Ryde, Nettlestone, St Helens, Bembridge and Sandown, with a roughly hourly service off peak. By the 13 April 2003 timetable, the service had thinned a little, with more slight reductions and the withdrawal of the Sunday journeys from the winter timetable 2 November 2003. The journeys removed were the open-top connectors to the Sandown Bay Tour
. These journeys were reintroduced from 4 April 2004, along with some Sunday buses, for the 2004 Summer season. The same thing happened again over the Winter and Summer periods of the 2004/5 timetable, although some journeys were restricted to school days only.
The route survived the Southern Vectis network change of April 2006 virtually unchanged. However the school only journeys were removed from the timetable, and from then the route ran with two journeys from Ryde to Sandown and five in the other direction, two of which only started at Bembridge. One journey ran via Seaview to supplement route 4, which was the main route through that area at the time. From 1 October 2006, the Sandown to Ryde journeys were revised, with only four running, one of which started in Bembridge.
Route 14 (from Ryde) was extended from Tesco to Bembridge from the same date (replacing the selected route 9 journeys that continued from Ryde to Bembridge), and further improvements to the 14 from 31 December 2006 limited route 12 two one morning journey in each direction from that date. This continued throughout the summer 2007 timetable, but route 12 was finally withdrawn at the start of the winter timetable on 30 September 2007. The last day was 29 September.
Between its last day of operation and 19 December 2009 sections of the old route were served by routes 16 (between Ryde and Bembridge) and 10
(between St Helens and Sandown), however this didn't provide a direct link to Ryde from Yaverland, or a direct link to Sandown from Nettlestone that the previous route had. From 20 December 2009 changes to route 8
from Sandown were made, restoring these connections. Certain journeys on this route were run using open-top buses in the summer.
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
between Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
and Totland
Totland
Totland is a village and civil parish at the western tip of the Isle of Wight. It lies on the coast at Colwell Bay, which is the closest part of the island to the British mainland...
via Shorwell
Shorwell
Shorwell is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. It is located six kilometres from Newport in the southwest of the island. Shorwell was one of Queen Victoria's favourite places to visit on the Isle of Wight.-History:...
, Brighstone
Brighstone
Brighstone is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, 6 miles southwest of Newport on the B3399 road. Brighstone was previously known as "Brixton"...
and Freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
.
West Wight Route
Route no 12 has a long history in the West Wight. It was one of Southern Vectis's original route numberings, introduced in June 1933, when it ran from Alum BayAlum Bay
Alum Bay is a bay near the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England, within sight of the Needles. Of geological interest and a tourist attraction, the bay is noted for its multi-coloured sand cliffs.-Geology:...
to Newport via Chessell
Chessell
Chessell is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight towards the west in an area known as the Back of the Wight on the B3401 road. Public transport was previously provided by Southern Vectis on route 11. It is also home to the Chessell Pottery Barns. which are a popular tourist attraction.-External links:*...
and Brighstone. Later, for many years, prior to re-modelling of routes in 1985, it was the principal service to Newport, running via Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
Yarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river...
and Shalfleet
Shalfleet
Shalfleet is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. it is located between Yarmouth and Newport in the northwest of the island.-Background:...
and thence to Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
via Shanklin
Shanklin
Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the...
. The route via Brighstone was numbered 29 in that period, running via Chessell, with a seasonal variant 28 via Compton. Latterly no. 28 via Compton became the primary year-round route.
From 1985 route 7 became the main West Wight route, with the Freshwater via Brighstone route numbered variously, but most often as route 7B. However, between 1996 and 2001 it was numbered route 12, and this numbering has been revived through the changes of autumn 2010. In 2001 the 7B numbering was resumed. In 2006 the suffix letter was dropped, and destination boards only signalled the variation in route.
On 5 September 2010, the route number 12 was revived in the West Wight area, with the southern branch of route 7
Southern Vectis route 7
Southern Vectis route 7 is a bus service operated by Southern Vectis between Newport and Alum Bay via Yarmouth, Freshwater and Totland. The general daytime frequency of the route is every hour each direction. There has been significant local concern over the withdrawal of route 7 from some villages...
being axed and replaced by a broadly 2 hourly service numbered 12 along the same route.
It is considered likely that at least some of the section along the Military Road may have to be re-routed at some point due to coastal erosion. There are suggestions that when the road is fully breached a new bypass may be built further inland, but it is not certain this would happen. In the absence of such a new road, it is likely Service 12 would revert to its 1933 route via Chessell.
Sandown—Ryde
Prior to 2001, buses between Sandown and RydeRyde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
via Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
had run as service 1
Southern Vectis route 1
Southern Vectis route 1 is a bus service operated by Southern Vectis between Cowes and Newport on the Isle of Wight. The daytime frequency of the route is every 7-8 minutes. There are two route variants between Northwood and Cowes Pontoon, running either via Cowes Round House or Cowes Park and Ride...
. From 2001, buses between Sandown and Bembridge were withdrawn from that service and replaced by route 2
Southern Vectis route 2
Southern Vectis route 2 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport and Ryde via Merstone, Godshill, Shanklin, Sandown and Brading. The general daytime frequency of the route is every half-hour each direction, although in the evenings and on Sundays fewer buses...
, which was extended from Sandown to Ryde via Bembridge. It ran via Nettlestone
Nettlestone
Nettlestone is a village on the Isle of Wight, England about 4 miles south east of Ryde. It is listed in the Domesday Book and was established c.1086...
, and route 1 was diverted via Tesco and Oakfield
Oakfield, Isle of Wight
Oakfield is a suburb of the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. Historically part of the St Helens parish, it was absorbed into Ryde Borough in 1933 and in turn into Medina Borough in 1974...
. However, from the new timetable on 19 May 2002, route 2 was cut back to Sandown, leaving the places between Bembridge (which was still served by route 1) and Sandown, and St Helens
St Helens, Isle of Wight
St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...
and Nettlestone, without a regular bus service. Therefore, from that date, route 12 was introduced, running between Ryde, Nettlestone, St Helens, Bembridge and Sandown, with a roughly hourly service off peak. By the 13 April 2003 timetable, the service had thinned a little, with more slight reductions and the withdrawal of the Sunday journeys from the winter timetable 2 November 2003. The journeys removed were the open-top connectors to the Sandown Bay Tour
Island Breezers
Island Breezers is the brand name given to the open top bus services run by Southern Vectis, which is the main bus operator on the Isle of Wight....
. These journeys were reintroduced from 4 April 2004, along with some Sunday buses, for the 2004 Summer season. The same thing happened again over the Winter and Summer periods of the 2004/5 timetable, although some journeys were restricted to school days only.
The route survived the Southern Vectis network change of April 2006 virtually unchanged. However the school only journeys were removed from the timetable, and from then the route ran with two journeys from Ryde to Sandown and five in the other direction, two of which only started at Bembridge. One journey ran via Seaview to supplement route 4, which was the main route through that area at the time. From 1 October 2006, the Sandown to Ryde journeys were revised, with only four running, one of which started in Bembridge.
Route 14 (from Ryde) was extended from Tesco to Bembridge from the same date (replacing the selected route 9 journeys that continued from Ryde to Bembridge), and further improvements to the 14 from 31 December 2006 limited route 12 two one morning journey in each direction from that date. This continued throughout the summer 2007 timetable, but route 12 was finally withdrawn at the start of the winter timetable on 30 September 2007. The last day was 29 September.
Between its last day of operation and 19 December 2009 sections of the old route were served by routes 16 (between Ryde and Bembridge) and 10
Southern Vectis route 10
Southern Vectis route 10 was a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport and Sandown. It also ran via Brading, St Helens, Bembridge, Whitecliff Bay and Yaverland. The general daytime frequency of the route was every hour in each direction...
(between St Helens and Sandown), however this didn't provide a direct link to Ryde from Yaverland, or a direct link to Sandown from Nettlestone that the previous route had. From 20 December 2009 changes to route 8
Southern Vectis route 8
Southern Vectis route 8 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport and Ryde. The route travels via Pan Estate, Robin Hill, Arreton, Winford, Lake, Sandown, Yaverland, Bembridge, St Helens, Nettlestone, Seaview and Pondwell. The general daytime frequency of the...
from Sandown were made, restoring these connections. Certain journeys on this route were run using open-top buses in the summer.
External links
- Southern Vectis website - islandbuses.info
- Southern Vectis route list
- Southern Vectis route 12
- Full Timetable