Day 257 To Woolwich for the No 386 to Blackheath.

 I caught the 1205 to London Bridge and then the Thameslink to Rainham service at 1248 to Woolwich Arsenal where I arrived at 1309. Consulting the map at the bus stop outside I saw that the bus started from Woolwich High Street which I would be able to access by heading down to Beresford Road and turn left. However, when I did this I found that the pavement immediately left was closed so crossed the road and went left. Then after a short walk I found the pavement on that side was also closed so had to cross over once again. Eventually walking west I got to where a single decker bus was visible and this was SEN18 awaiting its next journey on the No 386. 

Woolwich High Street stop with SEN18 behind

View opposite the bus stop of Woolwich Leisure centre

The service is expected to take over an hour and was quite contorted around the borough of Greenwich and left the stop at 1327. Indeed just around Woolwich itself, after starting facing west we then went Southeast on Hare Street, Southwest along Powis Street then Southeast along John Wilson Street, NE into Castile Street before reaching Woolwich Arsenal station where we were facing due East at the end of Vincent Road. Here we turned right up Burrage Road then left to climb up Bloomfield Road to Plumstead Common. After a quick right and left we were in Herbert Road at 1342 and for the first time of many subsequent occasions this was the only bus route operated on the road. Herbert Road led us to Woolwich Common and going right here we were able to take Ha Ha Road so as to reach the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Having been full and standing when we left Woolwich Arsenal only 5 passengers now remained.

Entering grounds of Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Travelling beyond the hospital the bus reached Shooters Hill Road for the first time and here turned right and then soon left on our own again into Corelli Road. This took us past the place where I parked my car when I did the No 291 which starts at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Wricklemarsh Road. The bus went right along Holburne Road, left along Dursley Road before going right up Woolacombe Road and returning via Wricklemarsh Road and Weyman Road to Shooters Hill Road. Heading west briefly the bus deviated once again on its own along the Old Dover Road which took us across the A102M and past Blackheath library.

Crossing over the A102M with Docklands behind

This meant we were at Blackheath and did a circuit by the Royal Standard at 1409 but then took Westcombe Park Road passing the end of Mycenae Road where Charmaine's friend from school Debbie used to live. At Vanburgh Hill the bus turned right and headed down the steep hill 17% or in old money 1 in 6  towards the river. 

Descending Vanburgh Hill

At the junction at the bottom traffic was very slow, initially as we turned into Trafalgar Road it looked like the parked lorry outside Tesco's was the problem but once past this the queues continued and eventually it proved to be roadworks outside the Royal Naval College that was the problem. It took almost twenty minutes to get from Vanburgh Hill to Greenwich Town centre a distance of about 5 furlongs.

Do they still repair the appliances in the line above
or just more techy items. Trafalgar Road.

 At 1437 we left Greenwich town centre and took Greenwich South Street to reach Blackheath Hill. Climbing up the hill there was a continuous stream of traffic coming the other way and this continued across the heath. Presumably this traffic was trying to avoid the queues in Greenwich. We went right at the roundabout into Blackheath and terminated at Royal Parade at 1446.

Solid traffic on a Saturday afternoon
on Blackheath

Royal Parade with interesting display destination
on bus I have just got off!

I walked down to the railway station and caught the next No 202 to Crystal Palace which took nearly 50 minutes. From There I caught a No 410 which was diverted from Anerley Hill, as was the No 157 owing to roadworks and returned home just before 5 PM.