Day 34 a real trek all the way to Mark Gate from Barking on the No 62

This started as an idea to accompany wife to a theatre in London and then head off to do the No 62 and return from Kings Cross via the No 63 to Peckham. However, again it was not to be. We departed the railway station on the 1302  train arriving at Victoria at half past one where we boarded the No 38. This 'Borismaster' took us to Shaftesbury Avenue where my wife alighted to see the play 'Everyone's Talking About Jamie' at the Apollo. I continued to  the stop prior to Southampton Row where I walked to Holborn Kingsway tube station and caught the Central Line to Mile End. Here I crossed the platform to catch the District Line to Barking arriving there at 1445.
The No 62 runs from Gascoigne Estate in Barking and the only way to get there was to catch a No 62 from the railway station to the end of the route (Stagecoach 10330 at 1503) so as then to be able to return from the starting point.

Aboard Stagecoach 10330 on way to start journey

Arrival behind Stagecoach 10310
at the terminal/start point in the Gascoigne Estate

The penultimate stop in Barking

The bus came up behind another of similar type; Stagecoach 10310 at 1515. This bus moved off at 1518 and arrived back at Barking railway station at 1533

I was not aware that Barking had an Abbey but that is what the stop is called

before wending it way north then south past Upney station to the A13. The bus then returns north to reach Chadwell Heath before heading up Whalebone lane to reach the A12 at the Moby Dick and finally having transited Mark Gate to reach the local version of City limits at 1632.

I had passed through the centre of Mark Gate and reached
Bisset Road which was evidently Essex countryside

A No 62 returning down Bisset road
from the terminal point near City Limits

I snapped this whilst the driver was
turning the destination board. The No 62
does not go to Beckton!

A very rural outlook from which I set off  for home

To return I caught the No 362 to Chadwell Heath, then walked to the railway station where I caught, for the first time, an Elizabeth line class 345 unit to Stratford. From there I took the Jubilee line to Canada Water and then the London Overground to Sydenham as the next West Croydon train was not for over ten minutes. Eventually at West Croydon I caught the 1829 train home, so a whole 6 hours to do one bus route!