Riding the Routes: Day 104 Much nearer home again the No 166 on October 14th.

This journey had to made wholly by bus and I chose to do it from the opposite end towards home as the starting point Epsom Hospital is outwith the TFL area. Thus at 1259 I caught a No 407 to Sutton, changed at 1330 to a No 213 to North Cheam and then went around the bend to catch at 1354 a No 293 to Epsom Hospital. This three bus journey cost me £1.50 and according to my Oyster journey history when I boarded Arriva's ENL103 I was not charged for the return, and so the entire trip cost only £1.50 despite taking three hours in total.

Arriva ENL103 waiting to leave from Epsom Hospital

When we first moved west of the Greenwich meridian there was a No 408 bus that would have taken me all the way from my local bus stop to Epsom Hospital, but this service faded away after 76 years in 2000.

An hourly service only which should take almost an hour and a half

I was very lucky in my choice of arrival time at Epsom Hospital of 1414 as I found that this part of my intended route is only hourly and started at 1421.

The bus headed west briefly before swinging south down Woodcote Side with Epsom Common on the right and then turned left to make a 270 degree turn around the hospital site to rejoin the A24 and run into Epsom.

Heading around the west side of the hospital

Pond by the eastern side of Epsom Hospital

The bus passes the Epsom Clock Tower and market area

The bus reached the Clock Tower at 1428 and after the next stop in the High Street the bus became almost full. Unlike the No 293 the No 166 takes Upper High Street and makes it way to Epsom college passing Epsom Downs station and then leaves the Borough of Epsom and Ewell and enters the Borough of Reigate and Banstead along Yew Tree Bottom Road.

Climbing onto Epsom Downs

Quite soon we turned right along a street called Rose Bushes which appeared to be a typical late 1960s early 1970s development and at the end of this we reached the A240.
At the Drift Bridge junction the bus needed to turn right for Banstead but as this is a banned turn it had to go under the Drift Bridge around the roundabout and back so it could take the A2022 towards Banstead. This act took the bus briefly back into the Borough of Epsom and Ewell.

Passing the end of Nork Way Banstead

At 1448 the bus was at Nork Way and it took a further five minutes to come to a rest in Banstead High Street.

An S1 in Banstead High Street

Banstead High Street

It rejoined the A2022 and headed towards Purley where the bus very briefly flirts with the London Borough of Sutton near Oaks Park but turns right to Woodmansterne and Chipstead. Parked vehicles now began to prove a problem as cars and vans were parked on both sides of Chipstead Way and it took some very skillful driving to get through to arrive at Chipstead Valley Road at 1511.

A No 166 on a shorter route in Woodmansterne.
In fact there are two of these for every one that reaches Epsom.

After a 360 degree turn in front of the Midday Sun the bus regained Chipstead Valley Road and went under the Tattenham Corner branch railway bridge and subsequently into the London Borough of Croydon at 1513, 52 minutes since departure.

Finally in London Borough of Croydon

School children then began to throng the bus from here into Croydon and parents' cars blocking the roads made for long waits at traffic lights into Coulsdon and we reached Smitham station at 1523.

Purley Tesco

From here the bus ran straight up the A23 to Purley and then on through Brighton Road past the bus garage to reach West Croydon bus station at 1555, so an hour an a half's journey in total, and at the time I didn't even know it had been free!