Day 233 Another attempt to do a No 351, this time successfully from Chelmsford on 17th July 2024

 I caught the 1005 train to London Bridge went down to the Jubilee line and travelled to Stratford where I arrived just in time for the 1055 towards Braintree. This train arrived at Chelmsford at 1124 and I walked down the stairs then under the bridge into the adjacent bus station to ascertain when the next No 351 was going to leave.

Quite a wait for the No 351

Eastern National colours from 
1970 on a more recent bus

First Essex bus at Chelmsford bus station

The service is hourly so the next bus to Brentwood and beyond was not until 1205. Whilst I was waiting I felt a thump on my back, I had been assaulted by a Painted Lady butterfly. At just prior to 1205 a first Essex bus number 44469 arrived on route No 351 to Warley.

First 44469 arriving to take me to Warley

Barbers in Chelmsford

Driving past the access to the newer A12
 entering Margretting

 

This bus went straight under the railway line unlike all the double deckers and did a sweep of the centre of the city before doing two sides of a dual carriageway so as to be able to head west down the old A12. At the BBC Essex building the bus swung right along Writtle Road to cross over the Great Eastern mainline and left once we arrived at Westway. Taking the roundabout's second exit returned us to the old A12 which was now a dual carriageway and we tore down this at a fair lick as there was only farmland or woods either side. After a while we crossed under the newer A12 Chelmsford bypass and passed into Margretting and then Ingatestone.

Typical Essex cottages in Ingatestone

Should have been a photo of Mountnessing
windmill but tree swept into screen  

Entering Margretting we also entered the Borough of Brentwood at 1227. Once through the adjoining settlement of Ingatestone it was back over the A12 and on to Mountnessing at 1234. Crossing the A12 there was a sign stating Chelmsford 7 miles: the bus had taken half an hour to achieve that distance. The A1023 now called Chelmsford Road took us into Shenfield and past Brentwood Community Hospital and into Brentwood itself. The bus had been quite busy for much of the journey but finally 10 travellers left the bus at Brentwood town centre to leave just two of the original bus load to continue on beyond the railway station. However, whilst here at 1252 bus three boarded.

Clock in Brentwood

Journey's End Warley

The bus climbed up the hill from the valley where the railway was crossed and turned left into The Drive. At the end of this road we terminated at 1256 at Eagle Way Warley. 

Mascalls Lane, no path either side and loads of
vehicular traffic

Looking NE towards Brentwood

Mascalls Lane still with view towards London

The only TFL route to Brentwood

I could have caught the next bus back to Brentwood but decided it would more interesting to walk cross country so as to intercept the No 498 bus for the run into Romford. This entailed walked along Eagle Way to the crossroads at Warley Hill and then cross straight over into Mascalls Lane. This latter road took me all the way to Brook Street where I had about ten minutes to wait for the next bus to Romford which arrived at 1337. This bus conveyed me to Romford where I caught the Elizabeth line at 1402 to Whitechapel and changed here for the London Overground to West Croydon and home.