Southern Vectis route 2
Encyclopedia
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 run. Double-decker bus
es are normally used to operate the route.
The full Route Rouge service 2 ran from Cowes
Co-op
to Newport Bus Station
via Cowes Cemetery, then to Rookley
, Godshill
, Whiteley Bank
and Shanklin
along the A3020 road. From there it continued to Sandown
mainly on the A3055 road
. Buses ran every half-hour during weekdays, but in the evenings and on Sundays this service was reduced to hourly or less.
Service 2B ran in addition to the main route on Sundays and on weekday evenings. It ran from Newport to Robin Hill, Arreton
, Winford
and Apse Heath
, partly along the A3056 road. It then served Shanklin before continuing along the main road to Sandown. For some period buses on route 2B were extended to terminate at Dinosaur Isle
. This route did not operate during the same part of the day as route 3B. It was less frequent than service 2. Services 3, 3A and 3B
also operated under the Route Rouge branding.
In 2001, route 2 was extended from Sandown to Ryde
via Bembridge
, St Helens
and Nettlestone
, to replace route 1
which had been withdrawn between Sandown and Bembridge and was re-routed away from Nettlestone to Tesco. This didn't last long, with route 2 cut back to Sandown again from the next timetable dated 19 May 2002, and being replaced by route 12
. Due to the reduction of route 12 over the next few years, from 31 October 2004 service 2 took over limited operations on the route from Sandown to Bembridge
via Whitecliff Bay
. One bus per hour, weekday daytime only, was extended from Sandown to Bembridge, also serving Bembridge Windmill
. In this form, service 2 remained virtually unchanged until 2006.
was in the process of being redeveloped, and so along with most of Southern Vectis' other routes, it operated from Newport's temporary Litten Park bus stands.
. Services from Newport to Shanklin and Sandown continued with virtually no difference, except that the Route Rouge branding was no longer used. Service 2B was abandoned, partially replaced by the new route 8
, and services from Sandown to Bembridge were transferred to the new route 10
, although route 8 has now been extended over part of route 10 to Bembridge, with the 10 withdrawn.
In April 2007, most services on route 2 were extended from Sandown to Ryde bus station to complement the existing route 3
buses. On 17 March 2008, most evening services on the route were withdrawn due to a cut in local government subsidy. However, the evening service was later re-introduced after the next timetable change on 31 August 2008. More cuts were made in September 2010 which meant the route once again lost its evening service and ceased to serve Ryde, terminating at Sandown (as it did when the new network began in April 2006, having only been extended from Sandown to Ryde in 2007 as described above.) The Route also was changed to serve Merstone instead of Blackwater and Rookley, The Service 3 was changed to serve Blackwater and Rookley instead of Merstone, thus enabling the Route 3 to serve Rookley when the 2 doesn't run in the evenings. From April, 2011 the extension to Ryde was re-introduced on a trial basis, using the Oakfield High Street route into Ryde.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
by Southern Vectis
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 Ryde
Ryde
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 Merstone
Merstone, Isle of Wight
Merstone is a quaint little hamlet on the Isle of Wight. It is home to Merston Manor, built in 1605 in the Jacobean style by Edward Cheeke, and rebuilt in the Victorian era. Merston Manor was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the present structure is arguably the oldest brick house on the...
, Godshill
Godshill
Godshill is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight with a population of 1,465 according to the 2001 census. It is located between Newport and Ventnor in the southeast of the Island.-History:...
, 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...
, 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...
and Brading
Brading
The ancient 'Kynges Towne' of Brading is the main town of the civil parish of the same name. The ecclesiastical parish of Brading used to cover about a tenth of the Isle of Wight. The current civil parish now includes the town itself and Adgestone, Morton, Nunwell and other outlying areas between...
. The general daytime frequency of the route is every half-hour each direction, although in the evenings and on Sundays fewer buses run. Double-decker bus
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
es are normally used to operate the route.
Route Rouge
The current route 2 was created in the 1985 revision of services, and ran between Sandown and Cowes via Shanklin over the following years, despite several different versions of associated route numbers 2A, 2B and 3. In the early 2000s until April 2006, the route number 2, and its associated 2B number, was used to flag buses providing services on the Route Rouge, a network of bus routes that crossed the Island, broadly from north to south. The network was started in January 2001, although route 2B was not added until November 2003.Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
Co-op
The Co-operative Food
The Co-operative Food, abbreviated sometimes to the Co-op, is a brand devised for the supermarket and convenience store business of the UK's consumers' co-operative movement. It is the name of the largest division of The Co-operative Group, and is used by other independent consumer co-operatives...
to Newport Bus Station
Newport (Isle of Wight) bus station
Newport bus station, on the Isle of Wight is located at Orchard Street in Newport town centre. Recent redevelopment has seen the former 1960s-built South Street bus station demolished, to make way for a new row of shops, and the current facility built behind that site...
via Cowes Cemetery, then to Rookley
Rookley
Rookley is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. It is located five kilometres south of Newport near the centre of the Island.It has a country park on the site of the last working Isle of Wight brickworks. There is a pub at the country park and another pub, the "Chequers" a short...
, Godshill
Godshill
Godshill is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight with a population of 1,465 according to the 2001 census. It is located between Newport and Ventnor in the southeast of the Island.-History:...
, Whiteley Bank
Whiteley Bank
Whiteley Bank, also spelled "Whitely Bank", is a small village or hamlet on the Isle of Wight, England. It is mainly known by the crossroads, now styled as a mini-roundabout, between the A3020, B3327 and Canteen Road to Apse Heath. Whiteley Bank is in Newchurch Parish.Whiteley Bank is the home of...
and 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...
along the A3020 road. From there it continued 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...
mainly on the A3055 road
A3055 road
The A3055 is an A-Class Road on the Isle of Wight in Southern England. It forms the Southern portion of the circular around-the-Island A-class loop, the northern section being the A3054...
. Buses ran every half-hour during weekdays, but in the evenings and on Sundays this service was reduced to hourly or less.
Service 2B ran in addition to the main route on Sundays and on weekday evenings. It ran from Newport to Robin Hill, Arreton
Arreton
Arreton is a village and civil parish in the central eastern part of the Isle of Wight, England. It is about 3 miles south east of Newport.-Name:The settlement has had different names and different spellings over the years...
, Winford
Winford, Isle of Wight
Winford is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, that since the 1950s and in particular in the late 1970s has seen considerable housing development. The local shop in Forest Road closed some time ago, but tourist attractions with gift shops are situated nearby....
and Apse Heath
Apse Heath
Apse Heath is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, UK. Apse Heath is centered around the intersection of Newport Road and Alverstone Road. It is northeast of Whiteley Bank and south of Winford....
, partly along the A3056 road. It then served Shanklin before continuing along the main road to Sandown. For some period buses on route 2B were extended to terminate at Dinosaur Isle
Dinosaur Isle
Dinosaur Isle is a purpose-built dinosaur museum located on the Isle of Wight in southern England.The museum was designed by Isle of Wight architects Rainey Petrie Johns in the shape of a giant pterosaur. It claims to be the first custom-built dinosaur museum in Europe...
. This route did not operate during the same part of the day as route 3B. It was less frequent than service 2. Services 3, 3A and 3B
Southern Vectis route 3
Southern Vectis route 3 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport, Ventnor and Ryde. It also runs via Rookley, Godshill and Brading. The general daytime frequency of the route is every half-hour each direction, although in the evenings and on Sundays fewer...
also operated under the Route Rouge branding.
In 2001, route 2 was extended from Sandown to Ryde
Ryde
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...
, 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
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...
, to replace route 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...
which had been withdrawn between Sandown and Bembridge and was re-routed away from Nettlestone to Tesco. This didn't last long, with route 2 cut back to Sandown again from the next timetable dated 19 May 2002, and being replaced by route 12
Southern Vectis route 12
Southern Vectis route 12 is a bus service operated by Southern Vectis between Newport and Totland via Shorwell, Brighstone and Freshwater.- West Wight Route :...
. Due to the reduction of route 12 over the next few years, from 31 October 2004 service 2 took over limited operations on the route from Sandown to 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...
via Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay is a sandy bay near the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight, England about 2 miles south-west of Bembridge and just to the north of Culver Down. It is a tourist site , has a popular beach with two hundred metres of sand and shingle, and minimal facilities including 2 cafes...
. One bus per hour, weekday daytime only, was extended from Sandown to Bembridge, also serving Bembridge Windmill
Bembridge Windmill
Knowle Mill, better known today as Bembridge Windmill is a Grade I listed tower mill at Bembridge, Isle of Wight, England which has been preserved.-History:...
. In this form, service 2 remained virtually unchanged until 2006.
Current Route
The current route 2 began operation on 1 April 2006 at the start of Southern Vectis' new network change. As such, when it first began operation Newport bus stationNewport (Isle of Wight) bus station
Newport bus station, on the Isle of Wight is located at Orchard Street in Newport town centre. Recent redevelopment has seen the former 1960s-built South Street bus station demolished, to make way for a new row of shops, and the current facility built behind that site...
was in the process of being redeveloped, and so along with most of Southern Vectis' other routes, it operated from Newport's temporary Litten Park bus stands.
Route
The route as it stands today retains most of the pre-2006 route. The section from Cowes to Newport was abandoned, and virtually all services on this corridor are now run by route 1Southern 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...
. Services from Newport to Shanklin and Sandown continued with virtually no difference, except that the Route Rouge branding was no longer used. Service 2B was abandoned, partially replaced by the new 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...
, and services from Sandown to Bembridge were transferred to the new route 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...
, although route 8 has now been extended over part of route 10 to Bembridge, with the 10 withdrawn.
In April 2007, most services on route 2 were extended from Sandown to Ryde bus station to complement the existing route 3
Southern Vectis route 3
Southern Vectis route 3 is a bus service operated on the Isle of Wight by Southern Vectis between Newport, Ventnor and Ryde. It also runs via Rookley, Godshill and Brading. The general daytime frequency of the route is every half-hour each direction, although in the evenings and on Sundays fewer...
buses. On 17 March 2008, most evening services on the route were withdrawn due to a cut in local government subsidy. However, the evening service was later re-introduced after the next timetable change on 31 August 2008. More cuts were made in September 2010 which meant the route once again lost its evening service and ceased to serve Ryde, terminating at Sandown (as it did when the new network began in April 2006, having only been extended from Sandown to Ryde in 2007 as described above.) The Route also was changed to serve Merstone instead of Blackwater and Rookley, The Service 3 was changed to serve Blackwater and Rookley instead of Merstone, thus enabling the Route 3 to serve Rookley when the 2 doesn't run in the evenings. From April, 2011 the extension to Ryde was re-introduced on a trial basis, using the Oakfield High Street route into Ryde.
Services
A half-hourly service is operated in each direction during Monday-Sunday daytimes. Evening services run every hour.| Bus leaves Departure point ↓ | First buses | Last buses | Journey Times (daytime) to: | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to Ryde | to Newport | to Ryde | to Newport | Newport | Godshill | Shanklin | Sandown | Brading | Ryde | |
| Newport | 06:45, 07:15 | 23:25 | 0h15 | 0h30 | 0h48 | 0h54 | 1h17 | |||
| Godshill | 07:00, 07:30 | 06:40 | 23:35 | 23:35 | 0h19 | 0h15 | 0h33 | 0h39 | 1h02 | |
| Shanklin | 07:15, 07:45 | 06:30 | 23:50 | 23:25 | 0h29 | 0h10 | 0h18 | 0h24 | 0h47 | |
| Sandown | 08:03 | 06:15 | 00:02 | 23:14 | 0h46 | 0h21 | 0h17 | 0h06 | 0h29 | |
| Brading | 08:09 | 07:57 | 00:08 | 23:02 | 0h54 | 0h35 | 0h25 | 0h08 | 0h23 | |
| Ryde | 07:40 | 22:45 | 1h11 | 0h52 | 0h42 | 0h25 | 0h17 | |||
External links
- Southern Vectis website - islandbuses.info
- Southern Vectis route list
- Southern Vectis route 2
- Full Timetable