Day 289 the No 425 from Clapton to Ilford; or so I thought!

 I had planned to catch the 1105 London Bridge train but missed it and caught a No 410 to the top of Tamworth Road and then walked to East Croydon station. Here I took the 1125 to London Bridge and then the Thameslink to Farringdon at 1146 and from there the Elizabeth line to Liverpool Street station. Finally the 1218 Chingford train took to to Clapton where I arrived at 1228. I walked from there to Brooke Road and then into Nightingale Road where there was already a No 425 loading up.

Avery scratched bus timetable display,bus less than
15 minute interval service taking about an hour 

Only the No 425 calls here

Lay over point in Kenninghall Road also used by
the No393

When the bus arrived, as with the one previous, it stated on it that its destination was Manor Park. Stagecoach 11373 picked me up at 1245 and then returned the way I had come on foot to Upper Clapton Road. The bus turned right here towards the Lea Bridge roundabout.

Approaching the Lea Bridge roundabout from the north

The bus headed straight on at the roundabout to Clapton Pond and then on down Lower Clapton Road and into Urswick Road.

Proceeding down Lower Clapton Road

About to turn left at Urswick Road

The road turned east and we went left into Fenn Road so as to access Homerton hospital which was reached at 1258. As we returned to Homerton High Street the bus turned right passing Fenn Road again before heading left under the railway then left into Morning Lane. The bus then continued into Kenton Lane before turning right into Valentine Road and then Well Street. We followed next  Cassland Road and then Terrace Road now with the No 277 for company.

The church of Church Crescent 

We ran around Church Crescent into Lauriston Road and across Victoria Park where we entered the borough of Tower Hamlets at 1308.

Crossing through Victoria Park

Taking Grove Road we went over the humpback bridge of the Regents Canal and down to the Mile End Road. Here we headed east to Bow and onward to Stratford, passing under a railway line with evidence of the covered stairwell of a disused station, this was another station called Bow Road which closed in 1949.      

Mile End Underground station

Approaching the Bow Flyover

Stratford the left turn will take us into bus station

We did a circuit of Stratford bus station at 1329 and then went east along Romford Road. 

Travelling along Romford Road east of Stratford

At this point we were following the route of the No 86 and No 25. The latter had as it destination Ilford Hainault Street as should the No 425, but at 1345 on arrival at Manor Park the bus announced it was terminating.

Stagecoach 11373 leaving me at Manor Park

Bus Journey should normally take
another 10minutes to Ilford

On the countdown display in 15 minutes it was showing a No 425 going to Hanault Street. However, three minutes later that bus said it was going to   Manor Park. I then googled on my phone why were there no No 425s going to Ilford and the reply said that until 12th December cycle lane works in Ilford meant the No 425 would be terminating at Manior Park.

BACityflyer G-LCYL outbound from London City

Class 66 of GBRF 66781 about to take
North London Line

G-XWBF of British Aiways for Heathrow

B-LXM of Cathay Pacific heading to Heathrow

720550 heading empty to depot via international
loops

9V-SKU A380 of Singapore Airlines for LHR

Cessna 510 OE-FOE outbound from London City

I therefore went around the corner and caught the next Elizabeth line train to Stratford where I watched trains and planes for a while. At 1510 I took the Jubilee line to CanadaWater and then the Overground to West Croydon arriving home at 1620.

Day 288, the No 424 from Putney to Fulham.

I walked toWandle Park tram stop to catch a Wimbledon tram, however, on arrival the information system said ther had been a tram failure and thus there were delays. Despite this there was a Wimbledon tram indicted in eight minutes so I decided it would be quicker to wait for that arrival. I was at Wimbledon station at 1200 and by 1209 I was aboard a No 93 to Puhne Heath. The timetable sggted it should take just ten minutes but reailty wasthat the roadworks on Wimbledon Hill meant it took lost double that.   

Strange time interval service of every 35 minutes. 
Journey supposed to take 37 minues.

WS86 of London General awaiting departure

Once at Putney Heath Green Man bus terminal there was a No 424 in at bus stop B and I only just managed to be aboard for its 1229 departure. The bus headed off alone along Wildcroft Road with two other passeners who both alighted as the bus turned right into Telegraph Road opposite the cricket ground. 

Wildcroft roadwit heath on left

Cricket ground after turning into Telegraph Road

Telegraph Road took us down to the main road of Putney Heath where be briefly joined a few other busroutes. However the bus soon left then by turning right then left down Carslake Road. There was next a good deal of wriggling around narrow roads made more difficult for the driver by all the parked cars.

Waiting at the lightsto turn left down Putney Hill

Crossroads between A205
 and Putney Hill 

Eventully at the end of Chatfield Avenue we returned to Putney Hill and turned left to head for Putney Bridge. Progress towards the bridge was quite slow, we stopped a Putney railway station at 1242 but didn't reach the bridge until 1250. Once off the bridgewe took the New Kings Road accompanied by the No 22. It wasn't very long though before we turned right into Peterborough Road alone. 

St Mary's church by Putney Bridge south side

The duke by the Green

The green Parsons Green

This road took us towards the river and at Carnwath Road we went left to cross straight over Wandsworth Bridge Road into Townend Road. Here we joined other bus routes again but were soon diverted left along Byam Street and Broughton Road then Pearscroft Road so as to reach Bagley Lane, which we should have reached nearer the river.

Bulding works on river waterfront Carnwath Road

Fulham old Town Hall

This took us back to the New Kings Road at 1311 but only briefly as soon we took Harwood Road to Fulham Broadway. The bus then took Fulham road for quite a time before it headed off right on its own along MunsterRoad past the strangely named Reporton Road.

Reporton Road 

Church in Fulham PalaceRoad

WS86 on arrival

Journey'sEnd

This meant we reached Lille Road road rejoining with a number of routes and we followed this road until we turned left at Fulham Palace Road. As we reached Fulham cemetary the bus turned right into Lysia Street and was then on its own to the end of the route near Craven Cottage stadium in StevenageRoad which was reached at 1341. The journey had taken almost double the time on the bus stop at 72 minutes. 

Statue of Johnny Haynes outside
Craven Cottage stadium 

River Thames high upstream of Putney Bridge,
4.63m at Richmond with 4.60 flooding level

To get home I walked past the stadium to Fulham Palace and stopped there for lunch. I walked onward afterwards to Putney Bridge station to get an Underground train to Wimbledon and then a tram back to Wandle Park. I arrived home at 1515 catching for a short way a No 410.

Pill box gun implacement now at least 80 years old at northern end of Putney Bridge 

Day 287 The No 423 from Hounslow to Heathrow terminal 5.

 I took the 1100 train to Clapham Junction and then changed to platform 5 for a train to Hounslow. It was just insufficient time to get from platform 14 to platform 5 so I had twenty eight minutes to wait for the next train which was the 1202 to Weybridge via Staines. This train arrived at 1230 and I then needed to walk to the High Street to catch the No 423, one of which departed just as I was arriving at the first bu sstop. It is a twenty minute interval service so it was 1309 before I was aboard RATP now First 45251.

Twenty minute interval service

One of many buses available here
at school Lane

The bus initially took the pedestrianised part of the High Street as far as Douglas Road but then curved around to join the Hanworth Road arriving at The Bell Hounslow at 1317.

Initial pedestrianised section ahead

Alongside the A315 at Midsummer Park

Following the No 237 at The Bell

 From here the bus took the A315 past Midsummer park accompanied by a number of other routes and turned right opposite Hounslow Heath Nature reserve up Barrack Road. We then went right along Corporation Lane and then two lefts in succession which meant the bus route was finally on its own as it went past the Barracks. 

Hounslow Barracks

Having passed the south side of the barracks the bus continued until it reached the junction with Lichfield Road where drivers were exchanged between 1329 and1331. Taking Salisbury Road right we passed Green LaneSports Centre.

Green Lane Sports Centre

Turning left so as to cross the
A30 to Hatton Cross station

On reaching Faggs Lane the bus turned right and then almost immediately left along the A30 toward Hatton Cross. Approaching Hatton Cross we had to go left to follow a loop around to access Hatton Cross Underground station by crossing the A30 at right angles. From here at 1344 we followed around the east and north of Heathrow airport deviating left once we reached the A4.

Passing the Three Magpies on the A4 

 The A4 was taken up to where it became the Colnbrook Bypass where we took the left fork past the Premier Inn to Longford village.

Having passed The Thisle and Premier Inn on way 
to Longford we passed through this bus gate

We were with other TFL bus routes from joining the A30 but we swapped these for First Berkshire bus routes after leaving Longford onto the A3044 and then into Terminal 5 where we terminated at 1400.

 

Arrival in the bus station at LHR Terminal Five

To return home I took the Piccadilly line to Barons Court and then the District line from there to West Brompton changing at Earls Court. The London Overground then conveyed me next to Clapham Junction where I caught a train home at 1546.