Day 165 another foray to the far east for the No 252 but at least it was a much brighter day than on Wednesday

 I just realised I would miss the London Bridge train so caught a No 410 bus to West Croydon in order to take the London Overground at 1046 to Canada Water. From there I changed onto the Jubilee line at 1117 and took the train  to West Ham to change again to the District line eastbound at 1129. The first train was for Barking and I took this and then alighted at the terminus and boarded the following train to take me to Hornchurch where I arrived at 1159. The No 252 actually stops at the Underground station but I thought I'd walk into town to the starting point as I had already been sitting down for an hour and a half. 

My bus laying over on the SW side
 of the Hornchurch town centre triangle

It took about 10 minutes to walk and I found that the bus doesn't start from where it was laying over but on the northern side of the triangle of roads in the town centre.

This is the fifth time I have called at this bus stop 
with the No 248 only the previous week

Stagecoach 10168 approaching

The bus departed at 1216 and comprised Stagecoach No 10168. It immediately returned me back to the Underground station and took me past it and onto the airfield estate where it soon became the only bus route. Much of the open airfield is Hornchurch Country Park but the domestic area is currently an almost finished estate of houses. Once we had wound around the area we came to some traffic lights where the bus turned right and a little way up the road passed RJ Mitchell Primary School on the right, the name recalling the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire.

A much older double decker on the same route number on Airfield Way with road on left leading to other roads all named after world war two airfields

One of many RAF relevant place names we
passed this one named after Sir Hugh

Just after the school the bus turned left signposted Elm Park station where we arrived at 1229. Beyond the station the bus turned left along Elm Park Avenue and only after a brief spell where there had been other bus routes the No 252 forges its own path again. The bus turned right at the lights at the end into Harrow Lodge Park and this road continued until we reached Roneo Corner where I had been last week on the No 248 to Cranham. The bus from here ran into Romford as the No 248 had exited Romford and we headed for the station where the bus driver was exchanged betwixt 1243 and 1245. 

I had followed a route from Collier Row to Romford station on the No 247 but this bus doesn't use the same route and after going around the ring road as far as the Brewery returns to take Mawney Road once again as the sole user of a road. This road crossed the A12 and the bus continued across this thoroughfare heading straight on as the road is renamed White Hart Lane. 

The junction of White Hart Lane and Collier Row Road

At the end of this road the bus turned right into Collier Row Road and the bus terminated at the shops just before the main roundabout in the settlement at 1306. The bus timetable said the bus ought to take 45 minutes and it took 50 so was fairly close to schedule.

The Collier Row shopping centre where the bus goes
ahead to turn around the roundabout and heads back on the opposite side of the road

I returned on a No 247, as this was a quicker route back to Romford and then caught an Elizabeth line train to Whitechapel and London Overground from here back to West Croydon. I spent some time at Stratford admiring the view en route so didn't get home until 4 pm.