The 192 bus

Word sketches from my notebook. 23 May, 2015.

I’ve spent the week recovering from my first bout of Covid, which has stolen almost two weeks from me at the busiest time of the year!

As such, I’m sharing a note from my 2015 journal, which touches on the photography series I shared last week (all shots taken on the 192 this month). Hope you like it.

The 192 was more than just a bus route for me; it was a vital link between Stockport and Manchester, tracing its path along every stop on the A6.

It holds a special place in my heart, filled with nostalgia for the old, fume-belching buses that rumbled along the road.

With our trusty Clipper cards and the freedom granted by our under-16s bus passes, we felt like we had the keys to the city.

Whenever we spoke of Manchester city centre, we affectionately called it 'town'.

A memorable part of the journey on the 192 was when it trundled by the huge McVities’ biscuit factory on the busy A6 road.

Each morning, in anticipation, we'd fling open the bus's upper deck windows, eager to catch the delicious aroma of biscuits baking - the highlight of our mornings.

Those late-night returns home on the 192 night bus were adventures in themselves, especially after nights out. The windows so obscured by our breath, it was impossible to tell where one body ended and another began.

The squeak of the glass as we wiped the window clear with a hand, to peer out and check how much time would pass before our bus stop appeared.

Scrunched up love letters passed from one grubby hand to another, stuffed in our pockets next to our Camel Lights and cigarette papers.

Hidden in my school rucksack among the usual teenage essentials – Polo mints and Impulse body sprays – were secret stashes of peach Schnapps (classy from the very beginning) ‘borrowed’ from the cellar of the pub in which I lived at the time.

As the scent of Chic perfume (chic it was not!) wafted through the air, it transformed the top deck into a fragrant oasis of cheap scent, reminiscent of a teenage girl’s bedroom, full of laughter and chatter.

These bus journeys, filled with the smells of childhood and the excitement of adolescence, are treasured memories that are etched in time as vivid snapshots.