Day 276 A very local bus and another not that far away the No 410 and 411.

 At midday I caught a No 410 from my nearest bus stop to Wallington Shotfield. Here I waited for the bus to start its return journey and spoke to the driver about the tram rail replacement happening in Croydon and how delayed his journeys were. He warned me it had taken over half an hour to get from West Croydon bus station to East Croydon and he suggested people walk from Reeves Corner if they didn't want to miss their train. I had taken our son to the station this morning by car as the previous day he had been late for work.

Arriva's SLS24 at Shotfield

Journey should take 46 minutes

At 1217 I was back aboard Arriva's SLS24 and we left to turn left and left again so as to descend Woodcote Road through the Wallington shopping area. Once under the railway bridge we swept around the entrance to the station at 1220 but no one boarded. 

Class 377 in platform at Wallington

Wallington bus station turn around

Where the bus turns right into Croydon Road

At the crossroads we turned right and joined running along Croydon Road with the No 407 and SL7 and reached Church Road Beddington at 1230 and passed where I had boarded at 1234.

Lavington Road bus stop I left half an hour previously

The bus then continued to Purley Way, turning left here and then right into Waddon road and stopped at 1239 for the Wandle Park tramstop. The trams were terminating at the next stop Reeves Corner, and hoards of people boarded at we reached the nearby bus stop. We ran up Tamworth Road as usual and into West Croydon bus station at 1245.

Opposite Reeves Corner bus stop

The normal exit route from West Croydon bus station

Normally the bus would have been able to follow the tram tracks to wards East Croydon at this point but the way was barricaded. Thus we had to return the way we had come to North End and then go left and left again up Poplar Walk. There is normally the facility to go straight over at the end of this road, but this was barricaded as well. So we had to go left as Wellesley Road runs towards Whitehorse Road. Doing a turn around the roundabout we returned back  down Wellesley Road, now the other side of the tramway barricade.

The queue back into Wellesley road having gone 
around the roundabout

Wellesley Road tram works

At 1257 we were back on the usual route and reached East Croydon station at 1259. Going down Cherry Orchard Road we needed to reach Davidson Road at the bottom but could only get to it by going all the way around the roundabout to the right. 

The top of Cherry Orchard Road

Looking up Davidson Road

At Davidson Road the No 410 is finally the sole bus in the road and it does a couple of forays off the road doing short circuits and then returning. The first was at 1308 to visit roads which are reminiscent of the Croydon Canal; replaced by the London Bridge railway, being Canal Walk and Towpath Way. At the end of Davidson Road we went left at Tennison Road crossing over a very long bridge to reach Selhurst Road where we turned right and headed into South Norwood, reached at 1316.

Clock tower at South Norwood High Street

Taking Norwood Hill we past Stanley Halls
and then the school

The No 157 goes straight on at the crossroads to Crystal Palace, but this bus turns left up Norwood Hill past the Stanley Arts Centre and adjoining school. We forged off on our own again at Southern Avenue and took Lancaster Avenue running beside South Norwood Grounds park.

St John the Evangelist

Looking down Anerley Hill

Climbing Anerley Hill with the Transmitter mast in the background

At St John the Evangelist we entered the Sylvan Estate at Sylvan Road and this led to Mabberley Road and finally Hamlet Road. Exiting Hamlet Road we reached Anerley Hill . The bus climbed Anerley hill and terminated, having turned left onto Crystal Palace Parade at 1333.

Arriva's SLS24 heading for lay over

London Overground 378145 in platform 3

Looking across to platforms 5 and 6
with 7 and 8 not in use

Two class 701s passing at Clapham Junction

Next I walked down to Crystal Palace station and caught the 1354 train to Victoria from Platform 4. At some point they altered the numbering of the platforms because I remember the current platforms 1 and 2 being numbered 7 and 8 in about 1970. On arrival at Clapham Junction I crossed to Platform 11 and didn't have long to wait for the 1421 to Kingston. As I approached the bus stand at the Cromwell Road bus station I could see a few people boarding so I was unable to photograph the No 411 bus or timetable before climbing aboard.

Reversing out of Cromwell Road bus station

This bus was London United DE20127 and it was turning out of the bus station at 1444. I haven't done this manoevre before, which was to turn right, rather than left around the one way system. This was because the other buses that do this I have done from the opposite end of the route.

Approaching Bentalls Kingston

The bus didn't stop in Wood Street like the other buses I have used but stops just around the corner at Clarence Street/All Saints Church. Once across the river the bus turned left and headed for Hampton Court along Hampton Court Road. At the roundabout outside Hampton Court itself we went straight on which took us back over the river at 1458.

The parched grass opposite Hampton Court

Mitre Hotel next to bridge over Thames
at Hampton Court

As we turned right along Bridge Road the bus became the sole TFL user of the road and we were now out-with the GLA area and in Elmbridge Borough of Surrey. At the mini roundabout we turned right into Walton Road and remained on this road as we ran through East Molesey. Beyond East Molesey the road took us to West Molesey war memorial at 1507 and then turning left into Central Avenue we terminated at Central square .at 1510.

West Molesey war memorial

Only one TFL route other two are Surrey CC

Journey should take 23 minutes

DE20127 ready to return to Kingston

I walked back to Walton Road expecting to be able to get a bus to Hampton Court and indeed a No 661 school bus was indicated at 1530. However, when it arrived it swept past despite the bus totem stating school buses stop here. I thus had to wait for the next No 411 which was not until 1546. This bus returned me to Cromwell Road bus station at Kingston where I caught a train to Wimbledon and finally a tram to Beddington Lane. I then walked home which took 45 minutes.

Day 275 To East Grinstead to ride the No 409 to Selsdon library.

 Charmaine had to be at the Orpheus Centre in Godstone for 0900 so I drive her to the end of the road it is located in and then walked to Godstone Green to catch a No 409 to East Grinstead. On arrival a lady informed me I had just missed the bus and so had to wait forty minutes for the 0940 departure which was surprisingly on time given the diversions because of the subsidence in Godstone High Street. Metrobus 6015 picked me up and took me down to the A22 and south to Blindley Heath and then through Lingfield to East Grinstead where I alighted at King Street at 1015. I asked the driver whether I could get the bus back from there but he directed me to the war memorial. I went here to find when the departure time was and found a set of gardens commemorating the rail 200 anniversary.

Godstone Green looking very parched

Across road from Godstone Green
where I waited for forty minutes

Railway 200 garden

Railway 200 garden

409 and 236 are barely visible
 in bottom right square

Bus shelter at the war memorial

Mostly Hourly service Mon-Fri apart from school
runs

Our bus emerging

Metrobus 6015 arriving

Building above blue van is old High Level station

Leaving East Grinstead

The bus came at 1040 and journey was expected to take two minutes short of an hour and a half. It was the same bus with same driver who had brought me to East Grinstead. The bus passed down the south side of Beeching way with the old high level station now privately owned to stop at the remaining station. Leaving here we followed the No 400 route and others left at the fire station and over the remaining tracks and then the loop line bridge the bus ploughed its own furrow right at the mini roundabout down Lingfield Road.

Only one bus on the totem the No 409

Out in Sussex soon becoming Surrey countryside

This took the bus downhill and out of East Grinstead and across various tributaries going east and west   through Felcourt in country areas before reaching Lingfield at 1054.

Red Rum Caffe Lingfield

The Star at Lingfield

At Lingfield the bus met with other bus routes and turned right to pass Red Rum Caffe and then left down Church Road. Here it became very difficult for the bus driver to get past parked cars particularly where there was some minor roadworks. We turned left into Station Road and again left at Lingfield Common Road which led to us joining the B2028 to Blindley Heath. As we did this process we met a double deck No 409 going the other way and the driver flagged him down to warn of the difficulty he had encountered.  

Leaving Blindley Heath

The Lagham by Godstone railway station

At Blindley Heath we took the A22 north through South Godstone, reaching the railway station at 1112 and then went left at the diversion into Godstone village. I arrived back where I had boarded the bus to East Grinstead at 1119. 

The road that has to be used twice going north and south because of the High Street closure

I sat under the tree to the right of the phone box

The previous site of Godstone garage

The High Street closed

In the interim roadworks had been set up on the access road so had to go through them twice before rejoining the A22 to the A25 roundabout. Here we went left to reach the normal route again by the site of Godstone garage. This took 9 minutes instead of the usual two and we soon heading north to the roundabout under the M25 and subsequently north along the A22 until the junction for Caterham.

A No 407 waiting to leave Caterham for Sutton

We reached the roundabout by Waitrose and Caterham station at 1135 and then went up Church Hill to Caterham on the Hill. The bus then too me to Westway Common where I had been recently for the No 400 and No 404. 

Passing Westway Common

Passing Westway Common

The bus went right at Coulsdon Road past Tesco's and the access for the ARC where Charmaine is in a play this coming Sunday. At the next set of traffic lights we went right down Banstead Road and then left into Buxton Lane. 

Climbing up to Warlingham with Bourne valley
 between here and Kenley airfield

At Ninehams Lane junction at 1148 the bus went right, passing the entrance to RAF Kenley and then left down Whyteleafe Road to cross the level crossing at Whyteleafe station at 1153. we went straight over at the A22 roundabout and after going under the railway bridge, of the line to East Grinstead we took Westhall Road and climbing steadily passed Upper Warlingham station. 

War memorial on Warlingham Green

This road slowly wound around to reach Warlingham Green at 1158. We then headed south along the B269 as I had recently on the No 403, but this time went past the Sainsburys and turned left into Chelsham Road but soon left again into Sunnybank which took us to Farleigh Road. We didn't just run along this to Selsdon though, but turned right at the Harrow PH to go along Harrow Road to Chelsham Road. 

Turning at the Harrow PH

Bus turnaround at what was Warlingham
Park Hospital

Still loads of countryside

Selsdon Woods in background

Here we went left and entered into the former Warlingham Park Hospital site which is now a housing estate. We then retraced our steps back to the Harrow and turned right and headed along Farleigh Road past the golf course and many fields and then Selsdon woods to run up the hill to terminate at Selsdon library and Sainsburys at 1217.

Now we are near London

Arrival at Selsdon

Where I waited in vain many moons ago for
 the No 357 which was a casualty of Covid

I then took a No 412 to South Croydon and a No 407 back to Beddington where I arrived back home at 1320.