Tuesday, 22 July 2025

Day 277 Another nearby bus the No 412 from Croydon to Purley via Selsdon.

 I walked to Fiveways carrying two bags of books for Charmaine and boarded a No 119 to take me to Croydon. The bus deposited me at St Georges Walk and I walked around the corner to Park Street where I awaited the No 412.

The bus route operates every twenty minutes

Park Street with scaffolding
which has been in place years

Display says next bus in 19 minutes

My mount to Purley DW552 of
Arriva London

The display suggested eventually I had 19 minutes to wait for the next bus but within two minutes DW552 appeared around the corner. So at 1018 I was back in St Georges Walk heading for the High Street and then Southend as we went under the Croydon flyover. Beyond the junction with Southbridge Road the bus took the left fork at the Swan and Sugar Loaf and then continued along Selsdon Road with the No 403. As with that bus route we had to take Sussex Road to avoid the low railway bridge across Selsdon Road.

Croydon original town hall and library

Crossroads with Coombe Road

Heading up Sussex Road







The No 403 left us at Carlton Road and then the No 412 forged its way on its own with Croham Hurst on our left as we climbed into Upper Selsdon Road all the way until we reached Addington Road at 1032. Here the bus turned left to the traffic lights and then went right into Old Farleigh Road and immediately right in front of Selsdon library and Sainsburys. This took us past a waiting No 409 of Metrobus waiting to return to East Grinstead.

Artwork under bridge at Sussex Road

Bridge on Selsdon Road too low for
 double decker buses

First stop where No 412 is on its own

Croham Hurst on left as we climb towards Selsdon

Bus shaped foliage as we ploughed on up hill

The entrance to what was the Selsdon Park Hotel







The bus then returned the way it had coming along Addington Road passing the end of Upper Selsdon Road at 1037. Until we reached the roundabout just beyond All Saints Church Sanderstead we were accompanied by the No 359. 

Passing Selsdon Sainsburys
with a No 409 waiting

In Old Farleigh Road waiting to turn in next
to Metrobus 8981 on the No 409








After the roundabout the No 412 was again alone as it headed along Rectory Park and into Mitchley Avenue at the bottom of the dry chalk valley.  This is Riddlesdown and at 1044 it was then a climb beyond the shops before the dog leg and the drop to the A22 along Downs Court Road,

Approaching All Saints Church Sanderstead

Descending Rectory Park






Just past Riddlesdown shops

Dog leg atop Downs Court Road

Usual queue at bottom of Downs Court Road to
get into Purley. ( remember this from my commute
to Brize Norton from  Orpington in 1984!)

The usual queue of traffic was encountered at 1048 as we reached the A22 and after stopping at Tesco's the bus should have gone past the library and into Pampisford Road. However, because Pampisford Road was being resurfaced the bus went along Purley High Street. It stopped briefly to let people off who wanted the library stop and then went non stop to the Royal Oak roundabout where it did a complete circuit and came back the other way terminating at 1101.

Purley High Street

Following a bus on its rightful route
 to the Royal Oak

View from opposite side of the road
as we come back towards Purley

Arriva's DW552 at its stand 43 minutes after departure

I then walked to the actual Purley library stop and caught a No 289 back to Waddon station and walked home arrived just before 1130.



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