Services 68 & 86 to West Mersea - Tide Tables

On occasion there will be exceptionally high tides at Mersea Island which will affect our services.

During this time the following services will be required to terminate and start at Peldon:

67	Colchester to East Mersea	Thursdays ONLY
68	Highwoods to West Mersea	Monday to Saturday
69/69A	Colchester to East Mersea	Tuesdays ONLY
86	Colchester to West Mersea	Monday to Sunday

Strong winds can affect our pre-scheduled arrivals/departures from Peldon. Some tides are predicted to be just under height; therefore any bad weather could cause a rise in tide. Please continue to check the First Bus app and our social media channels for up-to-date travel information.

March 2025

To West Mersea (departing Osborne Street, Colchester)
Date:	High Tide Peak Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:
01/03/2025	13:15 (5.37m)	12:05	13:35	14:35	::::::::	::::::::
02/03/2025	13:54 (5.40m)	11:45*	13:45*	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
03/03/2025	14:34 (5.26m)	13:35	14:35	15:35	::::::::	::::::::
04/03/2025	15:13 (4.99m)	13:35	14:35	15:05	15:35	15:50
28/03/2025	11:23 (4.98m)/23:43 (5.04m)	09:35	10:35	12:05	22:50*	::::::::
29/03/2025	12:08 (5.24m)	10:35	12:05	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
30/03/2025	13:51 (5.39m)	11:45*	13:45*	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
31/03/2025	14:30 (5.38m)	13:35	14:35	15:35	::::::::	::::::::
To Colchester (departing High Street, West Mersea)
Date:	High Tide Peak Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:
01/03/2025	13:15 (5.37m)	12:55	14:25	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
02/03/2025	13:54 (5.40m)	12:40	14:40	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
03/03/2025	14:34 (5.26m)	14:25	15:25	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
04/03/2025	15:13 (4.99m)	14:25	15:25	15:43*	16:25	::::::::
28/03/2025	11:23 (4.98m)/23:43 (5.04m)	10:25	11:25	22:55	::::::::	::::::::
29/03/2025	12:08 (5.24m)	11:25	12:55	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
30/03/2025	13:51 (5.39m)	12:40	14:40	::::::::	::::::::	::::::::
31/03/2025	14:30 (5.38m)	12:55	14:25	15:25	::::::::	::::::::

*Sunday 02/03/2025 - Service 86 - the 11:45 and 13:45 journeys depart from Mason Road.
*Tuesday 04/03/2025 - Service 69A - the 15:43 journey departs from Ivy Lane, East Mersea.
*Friday 28/03/2025 - Service 68 - the 22:50 journey departs from Highwoods.
*Sunday 30/03/2025 - Service 86 - the 11:45 and 13:45 journeys depart from Mason Road.

Updated 03/03/2025

ALL Colchester services | St Botolph's Street, Colchester | EMERGENCY road closure

St Botolph's Street, Colchester is closed for emergency roadworks from Tuesday 25th March to Monday 31st March 2025.

Due to the location of the road closure - the bus station on Osborne Street, is not accessible via St Botolph's Street Roundabout. The following services will be placed on diversion:

Bus No.	Direction of route:	Diversion route:
S1	To Highwoods	The S1 service will divert via Southway and Headgate.
S3	To West Bergholt	The S3 service will divert via Southway and Headgate.
S4	To Greenstead	The S4 service will divert via Southway and Headgate.
S5	To Greenstead	The S5 service will divert via St Johns Street.
S8	To Monkwick	The S8 service will divert via Southway and Headgate, Head Street, High Street, Queen Street and Osborne Street.
S8	To Colchester General Hospital	The S8 service will divert via Southway and Headgate and Head Street.
67	To Colchester, Osborne Street	The 67 service will divert via Southway, Headgate, St Johns Street and Stanwell Street.
68	To Highwoods	The 68 service will divert via Southway and Headgate, Head Street, High Street, Queen Street and Osborne Street.
69A	To Colchester, Osborne Street	The 69A service will divert via Southway and Headgate, Head Street, High Street, Queen Street and Osborne Street.
86	To Colchester, Osborne Street	The 86 service will divert via Southway and Headgate, Head Street, High Street, Queen Street and Osborne Street.
104	To Colchester, Stanwell Street	The 104 service will divert via Southway and Headgate.
X20	To Colchester Railway Station	EVENING journeys only. The X20 service will divert via Southway and Headgate, Head Street, High Street, Queen Street and Osborne Street.

Head Street, Colchester is closed for overnight roadworks from Monday 24th March to Wednesday 26th March 2025. *ALL services will be unable to serve bus stops on Head Street*. The road will be closed from 20:00hrs each evening and is to re-open from 05:00hrs each morning. ALL Colchester services | Head Street, Colchester | OVERNIGHT road closures | First Bus

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service 31/331 | Burnham Road, Latchingdon | Road closure

Burnham Road, Latchingdon is closed from Tuesday 25th March to Wednesday 2nd April 2025.

Due to the location of the road closure the 31 and 331 services will divert in both directions via Steeple Road, Grange Avenue and Green Lane.

The following bus stop(s) will not be served in both directions:

The Village Hall
Greenacres

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

MULTIPLE Colchester services | North Station Road, Colchester | OVERNIGHT road closures

North Station Road, Colchester is closed for overnight roadworks from Wednesday 26th March to Friday 28th March 2025.

The road is to be closed from 21:00hrs each evening and is to re-open from 05:00hrs each morning.

Due to the location of the road closure, multiple Colchester services will divert in both directions via Colne Bank Avenue, Colne Bank Roundabout and Station Way.

All bus stops will be served as normal - however, there will likely be delays to services.

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Services 2A/87 | Mile End Road, Colchester | Road closure

Mile End Road, Colchester is closed for roadworks from Monday 31st March to Friday 20th June 2025.

Due to the location of the roadworks, the 2A and 87 services will divert in both directions via Bruff Close, Northern Approach Road and Mill Road.

The following stops will not be served in both directions:

Groves Close (towards Great Horkesley only)
Oaks Place
Tall Trees
Mile End Church
Link Close
Rectory Close (towards Colchester City Centre)

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service X30 | Essex Regiment Way, Little Waltham | OVERNIGHT road closure

Essex Regiment Way, Little Waltham is closed overnight for roadworks from 21:00 on Sunday 30th March to 05:00 on Monday 31st March 2025.

Due to the location of the road closure the X30 service will operate all journeys in both directions via Main Road (B1808) and Valley Bridge. NO journeys will operate via Chelmer Valley Road and Essex Regiment Way.

The clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on Sunday 30th March 2025 (switching from GMT to BST). There will be a temporary change to the X20 and X30 timetables, in the early hours of Sunday 30th March 2025, owing to the clock change: Services X20 & X30 | Clocks go forward on Sunday 30th March 2025 | First Bus

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Services X20 & X30 | Clocks go forward on Sunday 30th March 2025

The clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on Sunday 30th March 2025 (switching from GMT to BST).

GMT= Greenwich Mean Time (clocks go back)
BST= British Summer Time (clocks go forward)

There will be a temporary change to the X20 and X30 timetables, in the early hours of Sunday 30th March 2025, owing to the clock change:

X20

Colchester to Stansted Airport

X20 departures on 30/03/2025 ONLY	GMT	BST
Colchester Osborne Street	01:25	03:25
Lexden, Halstead Road Corner	01:32	03:32
Stanway Sainsburys Store	01:36	03:36
Marks Tey, Railway Station	01:41	03:41
Marks Tey, Poplars Nurseries	01:44	03:44
Bradwell, The Swan	01:54	03:54
Braintree Tesco East Store	01:57	03:57
Braintree Bus Interchange	02:05	04:05
Braintree, Tortoiseshell Way	02:10	04:10
Great Dunmow High Street	02:23	04:23
Stansted Airport	02:37	04:37

Stansted Airport to Colchester

X20 departures on 30/03/2025 ONLY	GMT	BST	BST
Stansted Airport	00:45	02:45	05:00
Great Dunmow High Street	00:59	02:59	05:15
Braintree, Tortoiseshell Way	01:14	03:14	05:30
Braintree Bus Interchange	01:20	03:20	05:40
Braintree Tesco East Store	01:25	03:25	05:45
Bradwell, The Swan	01:28	03:28	05:48
Coggeshall Market Hill			05:54
Marks Tey, Poplars Nurseries	01:37	03:37	06:02
Marks Tey, Railway Station	01:40	03:40	06:05
Stanway Sainsburys Store	01:45	03:45	06:11
Lexden, Halstead Road Corner	01:48	03:48	06:15
Colchester Osborne Street	01:55	03:55
Colchester Head Street			06:22
Colchester Railway Station			06:27

X30

Southend-on-Sea to Stansted Airport

X30 departures on 30/03/2025 ONLY	GMT	BST	BST	BST
Southend-on-Sea Travel Centre	23:55	00:55	03:15
Victoria Station Interchange	23:58	00:58	03:18
Southend Hospital South	00:03	↓	↓
Earls Hall Avenue	↓	02:01	03:21
Kent Elms Corner North	00:09	02:05	03:25
Eastwood Rise	00:14	02:10	03:30
Eastwood Road	00:19	02:15	03:35
Rayleigh Railway Station	00:21	02:17	03:37
Wolsey Park North	00:27	02:23	03:43
Chelmsford Bus Station	00:51	02:47	04:10	04:58
Broomfield Hospital	↓	↓	↓	05:08
Church School	02:13	03:08	04:31	05:23
Great Dunmow High Street	02:19	03:14	↓	05:29
Stansted Airport	02:34	03:29	04:44	05:44

Stansted Airport to Southend-on-Sea

X30 departures on 30/03/2025 ONLY	GMT	BST	BST	BST	BST
Stansted Airport	00:40	03:20	04:15		05:08
Great Dunmow High Street	↓	↓	↓		↓
Church School	00:52	03:27	04:27		05:20
Broomfield Hospital	↓	↓	↓	04:40	05:35
Chelmsford Bus Station	02:16	03:57	04:49	04:55	05:50
Wolsey Park North	02:36	04:17		05:15	06:11
Rayleigh Railway Station	02:42	04:23		05:21	06:17
Eastwood Road	02:44	04:25		05:23	06:18
Eastwood Rise	02:48	04:30		05:28	06:23
Kent Elms Corner North	02:52	04:35		05:33	06:28
Southend Hospital South	↓	↓		05:38	↓
Holiday Inn Southend Airport	↓	04:40			06:34
Earls Hall Avenue	02:58	04:43			06:37
Southend-on-Sea Victoria Station	03:02	04:47		05:44	06:41
Southend-on-Sea Travel Centre	03:05	04:50		05:47	06:45

For more information regarding BST and GMT - please refer to gov.uk When do the clocks change? - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

ALL Colchester services | Head Street, Colchester | OVERNIGHT road closures

Head Street, Colchester is closed for overnight roadworks from Monday 24th March to Wednesday 26th March 2025.

The road will be closed from 20:00hrs each evening and is to re-open from 05:00hrs each morning.

From 20:00hrs on Monday 24th March to 05:00hrs on Tuesday 25th March 2025.
From 20:00hrs on Tuesday 25th March to 05:00hrs on Wednesday 26th March 2025.

Due to the location of the road closure the following bus services will be placed on diversion:

*ALL services will be unable to serve bus stops on Head Street.*

Bus No.	Direction of route:	Diversion route:
S1	To Highwoods	The S1 service will divert via Crouch Street, Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.
S2	To Highwoods	The S2 service will divert via Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.
S3	To West Bergholt	The S3 service will divert via Crouch Street, Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.
S6 / S7	To High Street	The S6/S7 services will divert via Butt Road, Southway, Balkerne Hill, Middleborough and North Hill.
1A	To Greenstead	The 1A service will divert via Balkerne Hill, Middleborough and North Hill.
2A	To Great Horkesley	The 2A service will divert via Crouch Street, Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.
68	To Highwoods	The 68 service will divert via Crouch Street, Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.
75	To Osborne Street	The 75 service will divert via Crouch Street, Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.
87	To North Station/Great Horkesley	The 87 service will divert via Balkerne Hill, Middleborough and North Hill.
88/88A/88B	To Osborne Street	The 88, 88A and 88B services will divert via Balkerne Hill, Middleborough and North Hill.
102**	To Harwich	The 102 service will divert via Stanwell Street, St Botolph's Circus, Magdalen Street and Brook Street.
371 / X71	To Osborne Street	The 371 and X71 services will divert via Balkerne Hill, Middleborough and North Hill.
X20	To Osborne Street/North Station	The X20 service will divert via Balkerne Hill and Middleborough.

**The 102 service will be unable to serve the following bus stops: Head Street, The George, Greyfriars (in both directions) and The Surgery (in both directions).

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service 102/104 | Mayes Lane, Harwich | Road closure

Mayes Lane, Harwich is closed for roadworks from Monday 17th March on Monday 7th April 2025.

Due to the location of the roadworks the 102/104 services will divert, in both directions, via Oakley Road (B1414).

The following stops will not be served in both directions:

Bay View Crescent
C of E Primary School
Church
Michaelstowe Drive
Clayton Road
Valley Road

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service 170/370 | Great Leighs Bypass Roundabout South, Chelmsford | OVERNIGHT road closures

Great Leighs Bypass Roundabout South, Chelmsford is closed for overnight roadworks from Monday 24th March to Thursday 27th March 2025.

The road is to be closed from 21:00hrs each evening and is to re-open from 05:00hrs each morning.

Due to the location of the road closure the 170 and 370 services will be placed on diversion:

Towards Braintree

The 170 and 370 services will divert via Great Leighs Bypass before returning to normal line of route on London Road.

The following bus stop(s) will be not be served:

Dog & Partridge
Shimbrooks
Main Road
St Annes Castle
Rochester Farm
Deres Bridge

Towards Chelmsford

Normal line of route - No diversion - All bus stops served.

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service 5A/1A | Bromley Road/Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester | Road closure

Bromley Road/Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester will be closed for roadworks from Monday 24th February to Monday 31st March 2025.

Due to the location of the road closure the S5 and 1A services will be placed on diversion:

S5 & 1A

Towards Greenstead: Service S5 and 1A will divert, after serving St Andrews Gardens, via Saint Andrew's Avenue, Avon Way and Hawthorn Avenue before terminating journey at Greenstead Library.

Towards Colchester City Centre: Service S5 and 1A will commence journeys at Greenstead Library and will divert via Hickory Avenue, Forest Road, Hawthorn Avenue, Avon Way and Saint Andrew's Avenue before returning to normal line of route at St Andrews Gardens.

The following bus stop(s) will not be served in both directions:

Fairfield Gardens
Dilbridge Road
Goring Road East
Hazelton Road
Bromley Road
Hazlemere School
Sir Charles Lucas School

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.