Day 266 I had hoped to do two buses but had to settle for only the No 398.

 Once again I caught the 1035 train to London Bridge and changed there for the Jubilee line intending to change at Finchley Road for the Metropolitan line to Ruislip. However very soon after joining the Jubilee line an announcement was made that the was no service on the Metropolitan line to Harrow and so I quickly decided to arrack from the other end of the route. I thus got off at Green Park at 1118 and walked to the Piccadilly line. On arrival at the platform the display said there would be a thirteen minute wait for the Rayners lane train so I boarded the next one heading for Heathrow with the intention of alighting at Acton Town. On arrival at Earls Court there was another announcement stating the train was being held for reasons unknown, so my changes of making the No 399 were ebbing away already. After waiting about 8 minutes the train resumed its journey and after a wait of about five minutes the Rayners lane train had caught up. I then boarded this train as far as Sudbury Hill where I arrived at 1150. I checked on the tfl app and it was about a 16 minute walk to Lillian Board Way to catch the No 398 at Henbury Road. This walk took me initially south towards the A40 and then west along Whitton Avenue West. After a while there was a gap between the house and a way into the woodland  area where I found the Coston Brook.

The Coston Brook

Steps in the path leading up to the housing estate

Climbing up some broad steps I entered a housing estate with all the names related to sport. Lillian Board , Mary Peters, (Chris) Brasher and (Roger) Bannister all Olympians and (Alec) Bedser and (Harold) Larwood from the world of cricket. The time to walk expected on the app was pretty good guidance and I was at Henbury Road in time for the departure of RATP now First 27004 at the Henbury Road stop at 1237.

The terminus and start point-
Henbury Road

Two buses an hour, journey 36 minutes

RATP now First Bus 27004

Where I was waiting

New ownership depicted on side

The bus did a left hand loop around Bedser Drive to return to Lillian Board way  along Henbury Road. The estate looks to have been built in 1970s or 1980s whilst at the end we turned left into Wood End Lane where the houses looked 1930s or 1950s built. At the end of this route the bus route joins the No 487 as it turns right along Whitton Avenue West and then meets the No 395 at Northolt fire station. The bus then wet under the railway near Northolt Park station and took Northolt Road to South Harrow Piccadilly line station. The bus went under the bridge and then did a circuit of the bus station and then headed back under the bridge and turned right into Eastcote Lane.

Difficult to read but road sign says Brasher Close

The next stop after Sudbury Hill on Piccadilly line

Similar bus type on one of the H (Harrow) routes

Alexandra Avenue

This meant we reached a set of traffic lights where the bus turned left so as to reach Rayners Lane Underground station at 1259. Beyond the station the bus turned left along Village Way now with the H12 but it became the sole bus route after crossing Cannon Lane into Eastern Avenue. As we reached Boundary Road we had entered Hillingdon from the borough of Harrow, having started the journey in the borough of Ealing.  As we reached Field End Road the bus turned left to again cross the Underground lines at Eastcote station. Heading south now it wasn't long before we went left along Southbourne Gardens and this changed name before we went back to the Underground line at Ruislip Manor station via Victoria Road. I had used this road before on the No 114 and we followed that route turning left along Pembroke Road after the station and running parallel with the railway we turned into the forecourt of Ruislip station and terminated at 1316.

Arrival with Ruislip station behind

Record shop on roundabout south of
Ruislip manor station

Given the last No 399 leaves Barnet the Spires at 1445, I thought it unlikely I could get there in time and this was certainly hammered home when I walked to the Metropolitan line station to find no trains running. I thus abandoned my pan and caught the next No 278 to Heathrow airport arriving around 1430. I then got myself a meal deal for lunch and boarded what is now the SL7 but had been the X26 whilst I was working back to Wallington Green. As usual the bus took over two hours; an average of about 9 mph, so I was not home until quarter to six.