Go Bus marks 40 years of Roundabout on Sunday with a free bus and car show at Gamecock Meadow, free vintage bus rides from Swanley, and a bouncy castle.

A free vintage and classic bus and car show comes to Gamecock Meadow in West Kingsdown this Sunday, 16 August, with classic buses and cars on display, a classic car autojumble, a bouncy castle and free bus rides all day. It runs from 10am to 4pm at Gamecock Meadow, London Road, West Kingsdown TN15 6BZ, and entry is free. (Go Bus, Vintage & Classic Bus & Car Show)

The show is run by Go Bus, the Swanley-based operator that runs many of the district’s local bus routes, in association with West Kingsdown Parish Council and District Scouts. It is being held to mark 40 years of the Roundabout bus network, which Go Bus says first ran around Orpington four decades ago. (Go Bus, Vintage & Classic Bus & Car Show; Go Bus, home page)

You can get there on a free vintage bus

The transport is part of the day out. Go Bus says a frequent free vintage bus service will run between West Kingsdown, its Swanley garage and Swanley station, so anyone arriving by train can reach the meadow without a car. Roundabout and Orpington-area vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s will also run special services from Swanley garage, Swanley station and Ruxley Corner, and historic vehicles will work services between Swanley bus garage and Orpington High Street. (Go Bus, Vintage & Classic Bus & Car Show)

The Swanley garage on London Road will be partially open on the day, with what Go Bus describes as a limited display of vehicles. Bus & Coach Buyer reports that the anniversary display inside the garage brings together four restored former Roundabout vehicles, Optare CityPacers OV2 and OV3 in their original livery alongside two Carlyle-bodied Dennis Darts, and that three of them will leave the garage in convoy at 3.40pm for West Kingsdown, returning at 4.15pm, with two open for members of the public to ride. (Bus & Coach Buyer, 40 years of Roundabout to be marked with open day and show)

The same report quotes Go Bus managing director Alastair Willis saying: “Forty years ago to the day, the little Roundabout buses first took to the road around Orpington, and it’s a real thrill to bring some of them back together to mark the anniversary.”

Panel of key facts on the West Kingsdown bus and car show: Sunday 16 August 10am to 4pm at Gamecock Meadow, London Road, West Kingsdown TN15 6BZ, free entry, free vintage bus service to Swanley garage and station, and a convoy of restored Roundabout buses leaving Swanley garage at 3.40pm
Graphic by Sevenoaks Online

What else is on the meadow

Alongside the bus and car displays there is a classic car autojumble and sale stands, with transport-related sales stands in the Village Hall. Food and drink are available to buy at Gamecock Meadow, and the bouncy castle and free rides are aimed squarely at families. (Go Bus, Vintage & Classic Bus & Car Show)

Owners can still bring a vehicle. Go Bus says the show is open to any cars, trucks or buses built before 2000, with separate bus and car entry forms on its event page and enquiries by email. (Go Bus, Vintage & Classic Bus & Car Show)

What it means for you

The show is free and needs no booking, so the main thing to plan is how you get there. The free vintage services are the easiest option, and they run all day between the meadow, Swanley garage and Swanley station. Anyone driving should expect more traffic than usual on London Road through the village between 10am and 4pm, and around the Swanley garage when the convoy leaves in the afternoon.

Gamecock Meadow is on London Road in West Kingsdown, the road Go Bus’s 429, D29 and D30 services use between Dartford and West Kingsdown. Full route and timetable information is on the operator’s own routes pages. For what else is happening across the district this month see our what’s on listings, our guide to things to do in Sevenoaks and, for families, things to do with kids. For anything that might slow the journey, check our roadworks and travel update.

Sources

Image: Five buses parked outside Swanley Bus Garage by David Hillas, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph. The photograph shows the operator’s garage on an earlier occasion, not this year’s show.