So to reach the No 317 meant a return to the far Northeast of London which required the catching of the 1030 train to Balham, from here the Northern Line four stops to Stockwell and followed by the Victoria line to Finsbury Park. Emerging from the Underground onto platform 8 the 1122 was still indicated but a gentleman on the platform said no you've just missed it when asked. Since the next train to Enfield Chase was almost half an hour away I returned down to the Underground and caught the Piccadilly line to Oakwood. Here I was able to catch a No 121 bus to Enfield Chase arriving there two minutes after the next train would have been leaving Finsbury Park.
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| Metroline's OME2678 resting at Little Park Gardens |
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Buses every 20 minutes with journey 30 minutes
duration |
I walked down to the starting point of the No 317 to Waltham cross and Metroline's OME2678 arrived at 1208 to take me on the half hour journey to Waltham Cross. This bus quickly conveyed me down the High Street to Enfield Town station and by 1215 I was Cineworld near the Great Cambridge Road. A much quicker journey when last time I attempted it to do the No 310.
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| Moving past Enfield market place |
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| Metroline's OME2674 coming the opposite way |
After crossing the Great Cambridge Road the bus turns left into the Enfield Retail Park. After this it joined the Great Cambridge Road and headed north at quite a rate of knots. By 1223 we were crossing CarterHatch Lane where I have come earlier in the month to visit the Forty Hall Christmas event.
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| Great Cambridge Road dual carriageway |
After the stop for Turkey Street station, where I was marooned by the No 317 last time I came this way, the bus went right down Bullsmoor lane ro enter Waltham Cross by turning left ar 1232 and coming to halt at the bus station at 1234.
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| Crossing the border into Broxbourne at M25 tunnel |
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| Waltham Cross bus station with Arriva Herts bus in front |
I then nipped into the shopping centre for comfort break and past, bread pudding and coffee at at 1300 was aboard a No 279 to get me to Turkey Street station. Waltham Cross is in the Hertfordshire borough of Broxbourne so my oyster freedom pass doesn't allow me to catch a train until I am back safely in Zone 6. Annoyingly as I approaching this station I saw a southbound service leave. I had missed it by three minutes this time and would have twenty seven minutes to wait for the next train to convey me three stops to Silver Street. I would have been better served remaining on the No 279 bus to Edmonton Green.
At 1337 the train duly arrived and I got off at Silver Street to find a sign telling me the North Middlesex Hospital was 5 minutes walk. However, I had never been to this hospital before and I walked into the maternity unit which appeared to be isolated from the rest of the hospital. I asked at reception and a chap called Ben said I'm going that way follow me. He was as good as his word and I emerged after going upstairs and over a bridge into the main hospital where outside Arriva's ENR4 was waiting as the next No 318.
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| Boarding ENR4 of Arriva at North Middlesex Hospital |
There were two stops outside, the one for this bus and that for the No 491 which I could have caught at Waltham Cross bus station but assumed this would have been much slower. The bus left at 1402 and immediately entered a hail and ride section down Bull lane.which became Queen Street which meets White Hart lane at a 'T' junction. The W3 bus joined the No 318 along White Hart Lane for the run to the Great Cambridge Road where the bus goes straight on but the No 318 goes left joining with the Nos 144, 217 and 231. Very soon we reached The Roundway where the other buss went right but the the No 318 forges on alone to Bruce Castle, where the bus went left along Lordship Lane N17 again now alone.
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| The Roundway with the No 318 the only service |
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| Court named after Suffragette by Pembury Road Bruce Grove |
After going under the railway line the bus crossed the Tottenham High Road and was then in the company of the No 341 and No 476 along Lansdowne Road. There was a sharp right turn into Shelbourne Road which was followed until the end where we turned right into Roseberry Road, left into Havelock Road and finally right into Dowsett Road.
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Sign warning of parking restrictions
for Tottenham's home games at Dowsett Road |
At the end of Dowsett Road it took a long time to get into the Tottenham high Road owing to the quantity of traffic but eventually we were able to turn left and pass Bruce Grove railway station at 1435.
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| The Palace on Tottenham High Road |
The bus then headed south along Tottenham high Road until we reached the town hall where the bus driver was changed. However, once the new bus driver had got on he announced that the bus wasn't going on and we had to get in the one behind us, which then promptly overtook us and he amended the announcement. This was an earlier Arriva EN18 which departed at 1445 towards Stamford Hill. After passing the railway station at South Tottenham and starting to climb towards Stamford Hill the bus took a left and entered another hail and ride section on its own from Wargrave Avenue to Grovelands Road and then back along Craven Park Road and Ravensdale Road back to Stamford hill ar 1501. However, with after only a very small duration in Stamford Hill the bus went left along Egerton Road to terminate at Rookwood Road by what was Stamford Hill bus garage at 1504.
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| Journey's End by Stamford Hill bus garage, destination already changed for return |
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EN18 heading off back to North Middlesex Hospital
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Disembarking from EN18 at Stamford Hill
Broadway |
I stayed on the bus as it went to Clapton Common Road and on to Stamford Hill Broadway where I alighted and walked north to Seven Sisters Victoria line station where I boarded a southbound Victoria line train at 1518. This train took me to Victoria and there I changed to the District line and took an Ealing Broadway train the one stop to Sloane Square.
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| Normal starting point for the No 319 on Sloane Square |
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| First stop one can board in the King's Road |
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| Chasing Arriva's EA22 down the King's Road |
Emerging from the Underground station I found that the first stop for the bus, bus stop H was closed owing to roadworks so I saw Arriva EA22 sail by and head down the Kings Road. Following the bus I was able to overtake it because of all the Christmas shoppers blocking the crossings for long periods and at 1553 was able to board this No 319 destined for Streatham Hill.
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Darkness outside was causing bad reflections
on bus window |
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Most lights were yellow like this but there was a
white crown suspended over the
middle of the road |
There were lots of decorations across the King's Road and we made quite slow progress through Chelsea to take the left-Beaufort Street towards Battersea Bridge at which was crossed at 1613. The bus then followed the route of the No 49 to the Latchmere, Battersea High Street and then left at Falcon Road to reach Clapham Junction at 1627. It was by this tome so dark no useful photographs could be taken and so I got off and caught the 1639 train home.
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| Final shot of the day after getting off the bus at Clapham Junction station |
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