Never having been a driver I spend a lot of time travelling on buses. The majority of journeys are just from A to B and are instantly forgotten. This journey though is one I never tire of.

Maybe I cut a lonely figure as I set out on my journey, a woman of a certain age, perhaps going shopping or – being on this bus from Scarborough to Filey – a solo tourist. But inside I am excited, as this is my favourite bus ride. Many of my fellow passengers are visitors too, but I feel I know the route as well as the locals who hop aboard. They usually know each other, and their chatter entertains. The bus drivers are jovial and helpful: a stark contrast to those in the cities, who have to battle to keep to time.

I await the sign – Welcome to Filey – and round the next bend my heart misses a beat. It is the gate to nowhere. Two gateposts with a view across fields, the lane leading to a farmhouse, and swerving out of sight.
Flashback to the early 1990s – and I am doing the same journey with my young son and my mum. Darren sees the gateway, and exclaims that it is just like his favourite film Back to the Future: when Marty sees the entrance to Hill Valley, but this is before it was even built!

Fast forward – and the excitement is still there. We travel past as a family, always paying homage to the familiar gates.Time moves on again, and Filey is no longer on my son’s holiday list. But Mum and I still catch the bus, and we always remember happy times, when we pass the gates.

Mum passes away. Now I am a solo traveller. The gateway approaches. The chatter of my fellow passengers fades away, and I reflect on those happy days in the past. There is sadness for the dear ones who are no longer sitting next to me. But I still have my memories, and I am not alone. With each journey I wonder what the future will hold, and what experiences will come, to join the others in my memory store.

I may “cut a lonely figure”, but my Back to the Future bus ride enriches me greatly. I can surely be forgiven if I let slip a little smile?