Countdown to Croyde

First Devon and Cornwall will start their new service this Friday (co-incidental on my birthday), running from Barnstaple to Croyde. There has been much talk about which buses will be operating the service, as no new open tops have yet been made available. It had been heard that one of the N reg Volvo Olympian open tops from Weymouth would be operating the service, though the buses that have turned up in Barnstaple, currently parked at the depot are 2 of the Cornwall's Volvo B10M open toppers, D701 GHY and D705 GHY. D701 is already branded up for the service so this will certainly be used. As for this N reg open topper, I've heard no further reports. It has also been rumored the K616 LAE may be undergoing work at the moment to convert her to open top format, before the full timetable comes into use on the 300. At the moment 300 operates on a reduced timetable, until the height of summer, so less buses are required. So several questions still surround the route, we shall just have to see what comes to light over the next few months!