Day thirty one The supposedly near No 57

As I had an afternoon spare I thought 'let's dash off the No 57'. After all it starts in Kingston which is not too far away. So at 1445 after recharging my Oyster card I boarded a No 407 from Beddington and headed to Wallington Green to catch the No X26 to Kingston. This arrived in town at the same time as a No 57 was leaving so I ended up waiting for nearly 15 minutes for the next No 57 at the Fairfield bus station which departed at 1617.

Fairfield bus station stop

The bus arriving that was to
 provide my stead to Clapham Park

To prove we are on the edge of TFL
 territory Stagecoach South 35213
a Dart on the No 715 to Guildford

My No 57 E121 waiting before departure

 The bus was London General E400 E121. After a run through Kingston we headed through Norbiton up the hill towards Kingston Hospital. However, at the lights where we were to turn right the police had closed the road on which we wished to continue. Thus all the traffic was funnelled past the hospital and then turned left towards Raynes Park before it could rejoin the A3  at the Beverley junction. The bus continued at this point to Raynes Park and Wimbledon. Road works in Merton High Street caused some slow traffic from the Polka theatre until Merton bus garage but after this traffic was fairly light. Even the travel through Tooting and on to Streatham was steady. It was at 1756 that we arrived at the same terminal spot that I had reached on the No 45, Atkins Road, which is on the South Circular.

Arrival at Atkins Road on the South Circular once again

At the terminus at Atkins Road stop at 17:56

Then to get home I walked to Brixton garage where I caught a No 250 as far as Thornton Heath garage where I changed to a No 289 to Purley Way. I then arrived home at 1915, almost 5 hours to do one bus route!