Day 40 A trip on the No 70 after visiting the Royal Society and Ocean Liner exhibition at the V & A.

My wife as visits organiser of the Retired Members Group of professional library association CILIP meant we had a visit to see the library of the Royal Society this morning. This fascinating tour was followed by a walk to Victoria which took us across the Mall just as the Princess Royal drove by to attend the garden party in honour of Prince Charles's 70th birthday. We then took the District line to South Kensington to visit the V & A to see their exhibition of luxury ocean liners. Fortuitously South Kensington is the eastern limit of the route No 70 and so we chose to board London United DLE30051 at 1547.

The road outside the V & A Museum
showing No 70 on diversion signs

Bus Stop S at South Kensington

London United DLE30052-we missed this one!

DLE30051 arriving at bus stop S

The route heads up Queens Gate to Hyde Park  turns west past the Albert Hall to Kensington High Street before turning north and then east on the north side of the same park to run along Queensway. However at 1612 we reached a diversion along Queensway and the right turn that it required was very tight. The bus had to reverse and go forward a number of times before it could proceed west down Moscow Road. We continued to Pembridge Square and then turned north into Chepstow Place. As we reached the normal route again it was obvious from all the plant in the road why the diversion had been necessary. The bus does a loop into the Ladbroke Grove Sainsbury's bus station as I did on my journeys on the No 23 and the No 52 but then went back the way it had come for a short while before heading west down Bayleys Road.

Reflection of photographer in glass behind driver (I am wearing a light blue T-shirt)

The bus then headed towards East Acton passing the Hammersmith Hospital and Wormwood Scrubs prison in the process. After passing East Acton station the bus went under the railway bridge at Acton Central, up the High Street past Acton old town hall before turning south and running past Acton Town tube station to reach the Chiswick business park at 1710.

Arrival at Chiswick Business park

We thought about catching the No 70 back to
Acton Town but the bus seemed reluctant
 to depart so we walked to Chiswick Park instead.

We then walked to Chiswick Park underground station to catch a District line train to Victoria. However, whilst on the train the driver announced we were likely to be held up by a points failure at Aldgate. On arrival at Hammersmith we thus dived across the platform onto a Piccadilly line train which we took to Earl's Court. At Earl's Court we took my usual route home from Heathrow, taking the district line one stop and then changing to London Overground or Southern to Clapham Junction. However, since the first train to come was a southern train to East Croydon, we took that all the way to meet a friend in the Spread Eagle pub for dinner.