Day 281 To Gravesend for the only No 416 I could find a trip in rural Kent to Meopham.

 I caught the 1035 to London Bridge and there boarded the 1104 to Dartford via Bexleyheath. At Dartford I just missed the late running 1137 to Gravesend but it would still not have got me there in time to get the previous No 416. So when I caught the 1156 to Gravesend and arrived at the bus station at 1210 I had just short of two hours to wait for the next bus.

The Class 707 going back to London, whilst my
networker arriving to take me on to Gravesend

A class 395 Javelin train arriving at Gravesend

Each Javelin is named after an olympian

At 1225 no sign of a No 416 

Class 69 69005 with a ballast train for Hoo
Junction in 1960s livery

The No 416 timetable but from Meopham
to Gravesend not the other way around

Balfour Beatty class 20 20905 which was running
light attached to No 20901

Redroute buses E4HRR resting

Finally the bus is indicated but still plenty
of time to go to Greggs for a tuna baguette
and latte.

Inbound Embraer to Biggin Hill

The bus arrived just after 1PM  and then waited in the bay east of the station for almost an hour before running into the bus station at 1403 and leaving for Meopham at 1405. The bus was Redroute buses Optare Solo E4HRR which I had seen many times years ago locally when it was operated by Epsom Buses Quality Line.

The No 416 arriving

Heading north in one way system

Passing pier for ferry to Tilbury

The bus turned right and went around the one way system heading down to the riverside and then later climbing up to the east of the town centre so as to head east along the A226 in the direction of Rochester. Once past St Peter and Paul church of Milton Next Gravesend with Denton we reached a roundabout which we went straight over. Quite soon though, the bus turned right into a housing estate at Forge Lane the bus then went left into Barr Road and then right into Cruden Road. we were climbing all the way and at a t junction at the end we took Cervia Lane to the end and then turned left down Thong Lane back to the A226. 

At this point this A road had a 50 mph speed limit which meant we whistled along. I wanted to get pictures if the Thames Estuary as we were climbing again but the trees were too frequent to enable me to photograph the increasingly widening river Thames. We passed Thamesview Crematorium and entered Shorne where we turned right off the main road into Forge Lane where we climbed once more reaching Shorne Village at 1423.

Shorne village store

Crossing the A2

We continued climbing into the village of Shorne Ridgeway and at the end of Tanyard Hill we took the right turn signposted Cobham. Passing Shorne Woods Country Park we crossed the A2 and next to it HS1 before stopping at Cobham Hall bus stop.

Cobham War Memorial

Looking down The Street Cobham

Cobham village sign

We turned left here past fields to reach Cobham War Memorial where we forked right along The Street and into Cobham Village itself.

Building near Cobham

Beyond the village we reached the national Trust property of Owletts. where we went left and at 1433 we reaching Sole Street railway station.

Numerous apple trees betwixt Cobham and Sole
Street

Sole Street village sign

Agricultural areas en route

Turning into Meopham

Arrival at Meopham school

The end of the road

Awaiting return to Gravesend

E4HRR standing for twenty five minutes before
returning

Owletts on way back

Continuing along the same road we eventually reached the main road and turned left in Meopham. The bus remained on this road steadily climbing the shallow rise until we reached Meopham Secondary School. The bus did a circuit within the school grounds and then parked at 1441.

A clearer view of Cobham sign

Cobham primary school

Junction at end of The Street Cobham

Shorne Woods Country Patk

Clearer view of Shorne Village stores

I had had a chat with the driver about what I was doing once the last passenger disembarked at Shorne until another boarded at Sole Street. He very kindly pointed out things I could photograph on the route which would be good references to my having done the journey. Since I was the only passenger at the terminus I filled him in with more detail as to what I was doing and why. The bus the  headed back to Gravesend at 1505 and I was on platform zero at 1546 boarded the 1549 Victoria train. I changed at Lewisham and caught a Hayes train to Elmers End and then the tram to Wandle Park and finally a No 410 arriving home at 1750.

Gravesend necessitated a train and return bus ticket to Meopham

Day 280 A more local trip again, from Tulse Hill to Old Kent Road Tesco on the No 415.

 Today it was a fairly short journey to the start point in Tulse Hill, the 1100 Victoria train changing at Streatham Common for a London Bridge train two stops to Tulse Hill where I arrived at 1147. Straight out of the station I then walked around two sides of a square and found Transport for London 'Borismaster' LT634 awaiting departure.

LT634 awaiting departure

I wasn't kept waiting long

Bus should take around half an hour

It was around a thirty minute trip according to the timetable and at 1153 after a short wait we on our way up Tulse Hill. As we started to descend on the other side of the summit, the road was blocked on the opposite side by a hydraulic lift.

A hydraulic lift blocking half the road

This road ran into Effra Road which meant that by 1202 we had turned right onto the A23 and were passing Brixton Station.

Queue into Brixton High Street

Brixton Underground station

We continued down the A23 to reach Kennington but at the stop where we met Camberwell New Road the bus driver was requested to wait from 1209-1213. We then turned right along the A3 past Kennington and on to The Elephant and Castle which was reached at 1220.

Heading down Brixton Road towards Kennington

Passing Kennington Park

The new buildings at Elephant and castle still under
construction

This school founded in 1903 was in the same foundation as my
senior school St Olave's and St Saviour's founded in 1571

We turned through about 270 degrees so as to leave The Elephant and Castle on New Kent Road, the A2. As we reached the Bricklayers Arms junction the bus was again requested to wait and so we stayed here beside St Saviours and St Olave's girls school from 1224-1228.

On final approach to Tesco's

LT634 leaving to turn around the next corner.

Thereafter we continued along the Old Kent Road and terminated at Tesco's at 1233. From here I boarded a No 453 to New Cross Gate and then had to wait 15 minutes in quite a cold wind for the 1300 train to West Croydon. I then boarded a No 410 from the bus station home arriving at five to two.

Day 279 A trip to Dartford for the No 414 since TFL dispensed with this route number in January 2025.

 Since Dartford is not within the TFL remit this required us to catch at train to London Bridge and then a train to Crayford so as to catch a TFL bus No 96 to Dartford. This process delivered Charmaine and I to Dartford Station at 1207 in good time for the 1215 No 414 to South Darenth. 

An hourly bus service

Arriva 1613 arriving to drop off passengers and
exchange drivers 

Looking at market from 
Market Street

Arriva SE No 1613 stopped at the bus stop about 1210 and the drivers then exchanged and at 1215 we were off to do a trip down Home Gardens then Market Street and finally into Lowfield Street. Already the bus was quite full but at this stop thirteen people joined the bus. It was stated there was room for 29 sitting and 17 standing and this meant all seats were occupied and there were a couple of standees as we set off at 1220.

Lowfield Street

Dartford Borough Council wheelibins

The bus then went in a straight line into Hawley Road across Princes Road and this took us under the A2 and subsequently the M25 by 1226. This largely bypassed Hawley itself but the village of Sutton at Hone was strung out along this road, the A225 and we reached The Ship at 1231.

Sutton at Hone dental shop

The Ship Sutton at Hone

Ship Sutton at Hone

Just past the Ship the bus took a very narrow left turn called Devon Road and by this means we reached South Darenth as we crossed the River Darent and turned left into Holmesdale Road. climbing up hill from the river we turned right into Shrubbery Road, one of a large number of narrow roads for a bus service with parked cars making the road even narrower. there were many occasions when approaching cars had to go backwards to allow the bus through. After crossing the railway we entered Gorringe Avenue where according to the bus timetable the No 414 terminated.

River Darent medical centre South Darenth

Southdown Church Gorringe Avenue

However, the bus reversed into Prince Charles Avenue at 1239 and then continued back the way it had come. We didn't go into Shrubbery Road thought but turned left down East Hill to reach the Jolly Miller PH at 1243.

Holmesdale Road at South Darenth

Bull in Horton Kirby

Very narrow road in Horton Kirby from within bus

Turning left just after the Jolly Miller we took Horton Road to Horton Kirby, turning left up Jacobs Lane then right into Forge Lane and into Horton Kirby at 1248. Here there were again some very narrows Roads and Lombard Street was negotiated quite lowly owing to all the parked cars. 

Crossing the River Darent as we enter Devon Road

Teepee beyond allotment near Hawley

Arriva SE 1613 pulling away Instone Road Dartford

At the crossroads where we met Ray Hill the bus turned right down hill towards the river and then followed The Street back to Horton Road and we exited Horton Kirby at 1253. We went back into South Darenth going under the viaduct at Station Road and eventually rejoining Holmesdale Road at the Jolly Miller to re-cross the River Darent.

This meant we were again in Devon Road but at the opposite end of this road it was one way so we had to take the left of Cedar Drive to access the main A225 and head back through Sutton at Hone to Hawley and back into Dartford. I left the bus in Dartford at 1306 at Instone Road.

New tram bus in Dartford

Home Gardens new IE tram Bus

We subsequently caught a No 96 back to Crayford and a train to London Brodge where we had just missed our direct train by less than minute. We therefore took a Thameslink train to East Croydon and then a tram and bus home.

Bus ticket to Horton Kirby and back