I took the 1030 Victoria train to Clapham Junction and then the 1119 Basingstoke train; the same train I caught for many years with bike when heading for Hook and RAF Odiham. This meant I arrived at 1148 and went out of the station and turned right where there are a row of bus stops. The internet said I needed to wait at bus stop No 5 and at 1215 YX20OCY of Falcon arrived on the No 437.
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A combination of Falcom and White bus companies' buses
awaiting their next duty at woking |
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| Bus route hourly |
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Falcon's YX20OCY ready to take me to
Brooklands |
We headed west parallel with the railway and then ducked under the railway heading south into Victoria Road but did a strange circuitous route to enable the bus to get close to the opposite side of the railway station in Oriental Road. We followed the length of Oriental Road stopping for two minutes outside the previous location of the railway orphanage.
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| Statue of man sunning himself Woking town centre |
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| Woking railway orphange used to be here |
Once at the end of Oriental Road we took the second exit from the roundabout, college Road and then left into Oak Lane. We then did a circuit of an estate before enterring Pyrford.
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Only the one bus serviced the majority
of the roads the No 437 coveres |
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In Princess Road another No 437 heading for
Woking |
Emerging at East Hill we briefly took the Old Woking Road but then turned right into Pyrford Common Road. This was a very rural road with extensive heathland spoilt by one discarded mattress by the roadside.
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| Enterring Pyrford Common Road |
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| Very countryfied |
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| Pyrford village sign |
After the small St Nicholas Church the bus swung left into Warren lane. This was at times a single track road and eventually we reached Pyrford Lakes golf course. Taking Floyds Lane we reached the strangely named Engliff Lane which took us to the centre of Pyrford and the village hall,.which were reached at 1241.
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| West Byfleet railway station |
Coldharbour Road took us past the sign welcoming us to West Byfleet and this route via Oakcroft Road led to the A245. Going right here we entered West Byflet proper and turned down Station Approach to the railway station .
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| Wey navigation |
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| The parallel quicker route-the M25 |
The bus returned the way it had come to the A245 and then set off in the direction of Byfleet itself crossing over the canal and then the M25 before reaching the roundabout where surprisingly for April there were Poppies in flower. At the next roundabout the bus took the A318 and that took us to Tescos where the bus terminated at 1255.
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| Arrival at Brooklands Tescos |
I visited Costa here and had a cappucino and an all day breakfast and then walked to Byfleet and New Haw station through the remains of the Brooklands banked racing track.
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| The banked racing track |
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| Further section of banked track |
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This area was where the Vickers aircraft factory
was situated where my Uncle Jim used to work |
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| Bus stop offereing compost but no bus service |
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| Bus stop seriously overgrown |
I reached the railway station in time for the 1339 which took me the one stop to Weybridge. At this station I crossed the platform and boarded a train headed for Staines, Artero 701057. The train left at 1403 but we were advised as we approached Virginia Water that the train would wait nine minutes there and if we preferred we could cross over the bridge and arrive quicker on a train from Reading. I did this and reached Staines at 1427, which was just as well as the No 438 was supposed to pass the railway station at 1432.
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What appears at first inspection to be
a regular service |
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| White Bus No 59 arriving |
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However bus service runs five times a day
but at not a regular interval |
I waited until 1441 and was almost going to give up when White bus No 59 arrived. This bus took me briskly over the railway bridge to the law courts where Charmaine had at one time gone to look at a job. We had been travelling along with route No X442 until taking Pavilion Gardens we entered the Royal Estate and became the sole bus service.
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| Passing Staines law courts |
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| Philip Street |
Pavilion Gardens morphed into Berryscroft Road and then Green fielde End. Beyond this the bus took Arnold Road, Elizabeth Avenue, Charles Road and came to a halt opposite Philip Street. The driver announced this was journeys end and so I explained what I was doing and paid for the return trip. The bus at this point is two hourly so I wouldn't have wanted to wait for the next one. We then retraced our steps to the main road via the other roads already mentioned which we reached at 1451.
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| Peculiar name for road |
It was then back past the law courts over the railway at 1454 and on into Staines town centre and we terminated at the bus station at 1459.
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| Display inside bus |
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| White Bus 59 at Stines bus station |
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Another 400 bus route I will be back here for the
No 441 |
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| Pretty graphiti beneath Windsor line railway bridge |
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| Artero taking Windsor line |
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| Artero now wholly on Windsor line |
I then walked back to railway ststion and caught the 1528 train to Clapham Junction and from there the 1609 Epsom Downs train home arriving at quarter to five.
