Today’s duty was an early book on at 05:45, starting with a run to Salisbury. After I’d passed through Stockbridge an oncoming car kept flashing it’s lights as it approached and passed me. I checked, and no, I wasn’t on main beam. Then the next car flashed it’s lights and put on hazzard lights. I checked, and no, I hadn’t left an indicator on. Obviously they were trying to communicate something to me but what was it? As I drove on the only idea was that perhaps there was an accident ahead but over the next couple of miles nothing appeared except more cars flashing lights. Then as I rounded a corner the problem appeared in my headlights – a fallen tree completely blocking the road. I’m on a relatively narrow road, out in the countryside where there are no street lights, it’s pitch dark, raining and the road’s blocked. Aaargh!

Cars were able to do a 3 or 4 point turn in the road but with the bus being longer than the road was wide that was an option not open to me. I called Control and told them the problem, I explained where I was and they couldn’t think of anywhere to turn and were planning on sending a second bus out to do the journey bypassing the section where I was stuck. After the call I walked back along the road and there was a farm entrance about 100 metres behind me, could I turn it there? I returned to the bus, started it up and tried reversing, both mirrors showed me absolutely nothing, I couldn’t even make out where the road ended and the verge began. At least I could stick my head out of the driver’s window and see a little. I reversed some way and got out to see how near I was to the farm entrance which was on the nearside (my totally blind side), I did this a couple of times until the rear wheels were about7 or 8 metres from where I wanted to swing the back in. Reversed again trying to visualise in my mind how far I travelled. Got out and checked again – perfect the rear wheels were in the right spot. Returned to the drivers seat and started swinging the wheel round trying to visualise in my mind what the back was doing. I had to get out and check twice but I did it and turned the bus round! Called Control again and told them the second bus wasn’t now needed but I’d now be running 30 minutes late. No dead, no injured, no damage to the bus – a success I think!