Day fifteen the disparate 32 and 33

These two buses are not easy to combine and it was the catalyst of being asked to meet someone in Hounslow that made my resolve to do both in a day. To get to the start of the 32 necessitated taking the 1024 train to Clapham Junction. There I changed to the London Overground at 1101 to Willesden Junction, whereupon I then changed to the Bakerloo and Euston London Overground platforms at 1123. This was in order to travel towards Central London to the first station that is sub surface, if one travels along the Bakerloo line from the Northwest into Town, Kilburn Park, which was reached at 1133.

No 32 arriving from layover just around the corner near Kilburn Park underground station

The Bakerloo line station building at Kilburn Park

No 32 a Enduro hybrid TEH1461 of Metroline

So once at Kilburn Park underground station I waited for the No 32 at 1143 to take me to Edgware. This bus, Enduro Hybrid TEH1461, replicates my journey on the No 16 until Cricklewood depot and then continues along the A5 to Colindale, Burnt Oak and finally Edgware. Whilst I was heading north through Cricklewood an unmarked police car heading south on our side of the road very nearly hit two totally unaware pedestrians as they crossed a zebra crossing right in front of the car. The first person I could understand as she had earphones in but the second would have needed to be blind and deaf not to have noticed the oncoming vehicle. Luckily no blood was spilled owing to the excellent driving skills of the police car. There was quite a delay at Burnt Oak and in the distance I could discern a large red lorry parked facing the wrong way towards me with my binoculars. Eventually this lorry turned around and moved off and a 10 minute delay was the net result on my arrival at Edgware at 1255.

Disembarkation at Edgware underground station 

I visited the Nat West bank to pay in a cheque and Greggs for a meal deal before resuming my journey which required me to get to Hammersmith bus station. I decided that the quickest way might be to take the No 221 to Mill Hill Broadway station, which I reached at 1335. From there I caught the 1338 Thameslink to Sutton as far as West Hampstead. As I walked to the London Overground West Hampstead station I could see a train approaching so I ran and caught that train, the 1356 towards Richmond. In order to get to Hammersmith it was then necessary to alight at Gunnersbury to catch a District line train to Hammersmith.

District Line train arriving at Gunnersbury

Optare Versa OV30106 laying over at Hammersmth Lower Bus Station

I thus arrived at Hammersmith after a most non direct method, but in a little over an hour as I was ready to board the No 33 to Fulwell. The 1437 departure was the first time that I had encountered a bus in this numerical order quest that was not a double decker being an Optare Versa OV30106 of London United. The bus crossed the river by way of Hammersmith bridge into Barnes, then turned right along the South Circular road through Sheen and then onwards to Richmond. Twickenham was next and then via a large dog-leg through Strawberry Hill and Teddington to end at Fulwell depot,  albeit the old Twickenham Tramway depot rather than the Fulwell bus depot.

Arrival at Fulwell depot

Bus turning into the depot where it rests before its return to Hammersmith

To get to Hounslow I initially boarded a No 281 but after one stop it was announced that there would be a change of bus driver. Now, given the very tortuous trip ahead through the streets I had already seen were very busy, I thought I'd walk on and try and catch the No 290 for a couple of stops and then to change to the No 110 to reach Hanwell Road Hounslow. However, the 290 took off before I could get to it so I walked on to where the 110 joins the road from the East. As I approached a No 110 sped away ahead of me so I continued walking and eventually I reached Hounslow Heath where it joins Hanwell Road. This walk was of about 40 minutes duration, so probably about 2 miles before a No 110 arrived and I caught that to my destination. After the meeting I caught the train from Hounslow to Clapham Junction and then arrived home at 1850.