Day 224 A repeat of a bus I use to use when travelling to London Weather Centre, but now it doesn't pass it anymore, the No 341..

 I took the train to London at 1200 with the wife, but changed to the next train to London Bridge at West Croydon so as to be able to change there for a train to Charing Cross. We then walked to meet one of her school friends at the cafe in Foyles. After a tea or coffee they went to the Gielgud theatre and I walked to Red Lion Square to deliver a book to the library there and in Kingsbury took a No 68 to Waterloo arriving about 1445.

The journey expected to take 51 minutes

Arriva's HV275 pulling up under bridge from
Waterloo East

The No 341 starts from stop F in Waterloo Road and Arriva's HV275 which I boarded at 1455 was my mount for this trip. The bus went straight over Waterloo Bridge and then right around the Aldwych and along Fleet Street.

The view whilst approcahing Waterloo Bridge

Three Tourist buses ahead of us next to Somerset
House

On Fleet Street where this building
displays the original use thereof.

Fleet Street looking towards
St Paul's Cathedral

Passing the building destroyed
 in a zeppelin raid in 1915

Unlike when I used to catch it to work when it was the No 171A to begin with it passed by Fetter Lane and continued to Ludgate Circus where it turned north along Farringdon Street.

It followed Farringdon Street as far as Mount Pleasant sorting office and then turned right up Roseberry Avenue thereby rejoining its original route. This meant th bus passes by Sadlers Wells theatre and then turning left into St John Street it passes along Islington High Street.

The Old Red Lion Islington where we saw the play that goes wrong before it hit the big time.

The Old Queen is Essex Road which now has
a profile of Elizabeth the Second

The Alpaca Essex Road

At Islington Green we headed along the Essex Road and continued along this until we crossed over the Balls Pond Road and into Newington Green Road and then left at the green itself into Green Lanes. At this point we were sharing the road with only the No 141 having hitherto had many accompanying routes. 

Passing Clissold Park

This took us past Clissold Park and over the New River where there was a huge water works before passing across Seven Sisters Road at Manor House station and then down the hill with Finsbury Park on our left to cross the New River again. We followed the same route as the No 141 until we reached The Salisbury Hotel where we turned right along St Ann's Road and finally the route was alone. At Chestnuts Park the bus took the road that used to be known as Black Boy Lane but is now La Rose Lane so as to reach West Green.

I was intrigued by the metalwork in the gaps in the stairs up to Bruce Grove station, why are they the shape they are?

The bus briefly turned right here just at the point where the GER line to Wood Green used to cross under with the track bed now filled with the houses of Gresley Gardens. Nigel Gresley's tank engines used to pull trains to Wood Green from North Woolwich. Taking Philip Lane from here we reached the Bernie Grants arts centre and paused to exchange drivers outside Tottenham bus garage from 1604-1606. Then we took the A10 northwards past Bruce Gove station but when straight on when that road heads left and took Lansdowne Road in the direction of Northumberland Park. Turning left along Shelbourne Road the bus again began ploughing its own furrow as far as Leeside Road and then it joins with other roads as it turns briefly into Meridian Way and then turns right to terminate at Glover Drive Superstore. at 1620.

HV275 has arrived at the terminal point

Three different No 341s were present
when we arrived

Platform 2 at Meridian Water,
there being no platform 1

Train passing on fast line through platform 4

Platforms 3 and 4 at
Meridian Water

From here I walked to Meridian water station, which I have never used before, in order to catch a train to Str\atford. The 1638 arrived at Stratford at 1654 and I then spent a little while train watching before taking the Elizabeth line the one stop to Whitechapel. Changing here I then caught the District line one stop to Aldgate East and here went to St Georges Alie Street for Organ Vespers at 1800. After the service and my inspection of a piano I caught a No 343 to London Bridge and just managed to get the 1955 home to Waddon.

Day 223 To Harrow for the No 340

 I returned the costumes we had borrowed to Sutton Community Works around 1015 so was not able to leave for London until the 1135 train to London Bridge. This nevertheless enabled me to reach Finchley Road on the Jubilee line at 1221 and there to catch a Metropolitan line train to Harrow on the Hill. I arrived at Harrow on the hill station at 1237 so only just over an hour from leaving Waddon and walked around the corner to the bus station where a No 340 was waiting.

RATP 45388 at Harrow on the Hill bus station

Timetable for the No 340 at Harrow

At 1246 I was aboard RATP 45388 heading out of the bus station towards the High Street. We turned left and set off in the direction of Harrow Civic Centre and Harrow and Wealdstone station..

Running along Harrow High Street

The bus followed along Wealdstone High Street behind a No 140 which terminates at Harrow Weald bus garage and we reached this location at 1305. Beyond the bus garage the route climbs the hill to the roundabout and then turns right along Uxbridge Road towards Stanmore. Up until this point there were a number of buses using the same road but now it was only two Harrow buses the H12 and H18. The H18 left us at Brockhurst Corner and then we were only accompanied by the H12 until just before Stanmore when the No 324 arrived. 

On Uxbridge Road at Brockhurst Corner

About to descend Stanmore Hill into Stanmore

Finally after traversing Stanmore Broadway at 1313 the bus takes Marsh Lane as the only service to use it, apart from a night bus. 

Marsh Lane

The only part of route on its own coming to an end

The route being on its own does not last for long though, as at the next set of traffic lights the No 79 and No 186 join us to run under the Jubilee line at Canon's Park at 1319. From here it was a fairly straight run to pass over the A5 and terminate at Edgware station ar 1325.

Approaching Edgware station

After a food and comfort break I found out there was no Northern line service at Edgware and the Underground service was replaced by the NL1 bus service from the High Street. This bus took the best part of forty minutes to pass by the 5 stations between Edgware and Golders Green. So it was not until 1439 that I was on a Northern line train heading South. It therefore seemed sensible to abort the attempt to do the No 341 bus as well this day. I therefore boarded a Thameslink train to Croydon from Kings Cross.

New electric single decker now in service on the No 251 to Arnos Grove from Edgware bus station

Day 222 An hour's ride betwixt Shadwell and Leytonstone stations on the No 339.

 I had a dentist's appointment at 1040 so made my way there by tram and train so I wouldn't have to come home from Orpington to start the trip. Having been given a clean bill of health I joined the 1141 to Cannon Street and left that train at New Cross at just after 1200. From here I caught the 1212 London Overground train towards Dalston Junction as far as Shadwell. On arrival above ground there was quite a heavy blustery shower occurring and it took a little while to ascertain that the No 339 left from the opposite side of the railway line and DLR station to the No 100 I had caught in 2018.

Martha Street stop where Stagecoach 67011 waits

Stop D Shadwell station

The service was being provided by the penultimate in the series of the new Stagecoach London single deckers number 67011. The bus left stop D in Martha Street at 1236 and turned right then right again along Tarling Street to intercept Sutton Street where the bus turned left heading north across the Commercial Road and along Jubilee Street as far as Stepney Way. We then turned right to reach the Stepney Green and city farm where we entered the High Street.

Tarling Street E1

Stepney City Farm

As we turned right into Ben Johnson Way we met another bus route for the first time the No 309, however soon we were alone again turning left along Harford Street. At the top of this we turned right into the Mile End Road thereby joining other bus routes and we did not remain alone thereafter as we headed north up Grove Road after passing under The Green Bridge.  

Ecology centre at Mile End

The Roman Road E3 one can ride along

The gate to the pedestrianised part of 
Roman Road

The next change was to turn right into Roman Road where we were joined with the No 8 to Old Ford. When we reached the arch delineating the pedestrianised part of Roman Road the bus headed right down St Stephen's Street and subsequently left along Tredegar Road now on its own again. We crossed over the Eastway on a bridge and entered the Old Ford Trading Estate where we stopped at Fish Island at 1305. 

Fish Island stop

Passing the Olympic now West Ham stadium

After this we were briefly joined by the routes No 276 and No 488 but forged off alone again amongst the Olympic park area passing the Bobby Moore Primary Academy and the Olympic stadium and finally the Aquatic centre before reaching Stratford City Bus station where drivers were exchanged at 1315. By 1317 we were leaving the bus station and entered the new postal zone of E20 after passing by the International station. The area had twenty years previously been the London International Freight Terminal but was now full of recently built tower blocks. We returned onto more long lived parts of Stratford at Chobham Road turning north up Major Road and then right along Crownfield Road to reach the Leytonstone High Road. I had intended to combine this bus with the No 340 from Harrow to Edgware so was taken aback when we stopped at Harrow Green! 

The bus turned left off the High Road along Cathall Road and as we emerged over the Central line which was running parallel with the A12 there were good panoramic views of London, had it not been for the rainwater on the windows! 

We turned right at the lights here into Groves Green Road and followed this road for the rest of the route to Leytonstone Underground station where we arrived at 1338, so slightly over an hour was taken for the journey.

The final stop at Leytonstone Underground station

I checked when i was on the Central line train how long it would take to get to Edgware and I would not have arrived until 1450. I presumed this would mean the buses would be full of school kids so decided rather than risk contracting a cold or something worse I would leave the No 340 for another day and got off the train at Stratford. After a short while here, I took an Elizabeth line train one stop to Whitechapel and then the London Overground to West Croydon arriving home at 1530.

Day 221 Another trip outwith the TFL area in order to do the No 338 from Radlett station to London Colney Fields retail park.

The journey began with taking a suitcase and large bag of items for delivery to the Beatrix Potter AGM being held at the Victoria and Albert Museum. So after leaving the contents and my wife there, I caught the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross and St Pancras station. On arrival at St Pancras and having paid for my ticket I found at 1400 that the next train was the 1342 and it said delayed. The following train at 1412 was also delayed and further down the 1442 train was stated as on time. However, at 1410 the 1442 was also displayed as being delayed. So after standing on the platform until 1443 the 1342 arriving to convey me to Radlett where I arrived at 1516. I checked where the No 338 departed from which was just around the corner in Watling Street but I groaned when I saw the previous bus was at 1507 and the next was not until 1607. Other hours have two buses but not the hour I happened to arrive in thanks to the delays on the railway. It seemed odd to me that the bus stop was on the side of the road heading south when the map showed the bus going north so I checked the bus stop opposite. Indeed the No 338 was not indicated as stopping there so I was about to return when I saw a piece of paper fluttering on the bottom of the stop stating changes owing to road works, It did not mention my bus but it made me uneasy. People at the bus stop with me who were waiting for the No 602 were getting worried when time for their bus came and it didn't. I was lucky, however, and the bus arrived bang on time at 1607.

Cessna on base leg for Elstree airfield overhead

Bus stop display at Recreation Ground Radlett

The bus service is provided by Lucketts of Watford and I had a very engaging driver. The bus did very briefly head towards London but soon turned right up Aldenham Road and then right down Station Road to arrive almost opposite the Recreation Ground bus stop I had spent fifty minutes at.

Lucketts of Watford minibus on route No 338

Turning left at the end of station road aboard
the No 338

We then turned left and headed away from London up Watling Street towards St Albans. After about a mile and a half the bus swung right at some traffic lights to enter Harper Lane which starts with a narrow bridge over the Midland mainline. This took us to the site of Harperbury hospital which seemed still to have some NHS function but was also a housing estate where the bus did a circuit and waited for a while. The driver informed me this route was busy in the rush hour with people heading to the station as the car park was more expensive than the four pound return bus ticket. On Saturdays though, it was always quiet-I was the only customer for the entire route there but another passenger did join on the route back. 

Narrow bridge at start of Harper lane

Harperbury Park on site of hospital

After leaving the hospital site we ran parallel with the M25 passing Watford FC's training ground before pulling up over the M25 and turning left into the retail park which is a turning off  Barnet Road. We arrived at just after 1620 when the driver advised me to be back for ten to five in order to be taken to Radlett station.

Sullivan Bus on the No 84

My bus running off back to Radlett

Red Rose bus company operate the No 357

I went into the shopping centre and upstairs to the cafe to have a latte and sandwich and it was suggested if I got crisps too it would be two pounds cheaper which obviously I did. I made my way back to bus stop 2 or B and the No 338 duly arrived as the driver said he would. I found out on my way back he used to drive for Arriva from their Garston depot and at one stage was seriously looking at moving to Halfway on Sheppey and transferring to Arriva's Sheerness depot, He thus knew where I meant when I explained what I was doing and how I had been at Sheerness only a few days ago.

Bus services from bus stop B-5 different bus companies

However the No 200 bus appears only once and that only on a Monday at 1233

The destination of the No338 London Colney retail park

The bus arrived back at Radlett at about five past five and this was plenty of time to catch the Sutton train at 1712. However, this was a slow way round from my point of view so I left the train at St Pancras and took the following Brighton train which was diverted away from London Bridge owing to engineering works. I arrived home at about 7PM.

A rather cheaper trip than the No 334, £3.75 on the train and £4 round trip on the bus.