Day 44 A convenient trio of Nos 75, 76 and 77

The No 75 starts from stop KA outside the Fairfield Halls in Croydon and I was here at midday to catch Stagecoach 12268 to Lewisham Station.

A collection of No 75s in Wellesley Road, Enviro E400s
 of Stagecoach London

 I can't recall having any reason to use this bus before but the duration of the ride at a quiet time of day provided ample reason not to do so. By 1232 we had only just left the London Borough of Croydon and entered Penge. It took a further forty minutes to reach journey's end and I finally alighted at 1314 to catch the Docklands Light Railway.

Approaching Lewisham station

Heading north along Lewisham High Street

The DLR took me to Canary Wharf where I crossed to platform 4 to take a  train to Stratford at 1336. This train arrived at Stratford Interchange at 1350 which was nicely in time for the 1400 train to Bishops Stortford. I disembarked at Tottenham Hale and crossed to the bus station to catch the No 76.

Tottenham Hale bus station with London General LT881 at back
waiting to form my No 76 to Waterloo

I have already been here before to catch the No 41 run by Arriva, but the No 76 to Waterloo is run by London General and it was their 'Borismaster' LT881 that I climbed aboard at 1423. The bus heads to Seven Sisters and then down to Stoke Newington where I had been very recently indeed on the No 73. From here the bus goes down Rectory Road and on into Dalston. However, south of Dalston we turned right into Engadine Road rather than continue towards Shoreditch. This enabled the bus to join the southbound route of the No 21 down what was called the New North Road at one point. Here we passed a building with a strange name for the location: Seaview Cottage. We then turned into Canalside and here passed a No 812 bus coming the other way. This is only the second time I've ever seen one of these buses which is an unusual route being operated on behalf of Hackney Council at 0930-1600 only.
The bus then ran past Old Street, Moorgate and on to Bank where it turned right into Cheapside owing to road works and then left into New Change to regain its route past St Paul's Cathedral.

Queuing to Cross Blackfriars Bridge road at Ludgate Circus

The bus then ran along Fleet Street to the
Aldwych.

Big Ben shrouded in scaffolding

After crossing Waterloo Bridge it went around the IMAX and followed York Road to County Hall and then at the roundabout headed left under the railway ridge to terminate at the western end of Lower Marsh at 1536.

LT881 leaving to lay-over before
returning to Tottenham Hale

The No 77 starts from Waterloo and therefore this was an ideal combination, well almost, as I had to walk down Lower Marsh to Waterloo Road. Then I turned left to the bus station and then crossed over York Road to the start point in the road leading towards the Festival Hall.

The nearly 14 year old PVL412 seemed to be in difficulty.

 

Brand new Enviro Hybrid EH288, my mount to Clapham Junction

 There was a Plaxton bodied Volvo waiting as I arrived but it was the brand new Enviro hybrid EH288 that I boarded at 1605. This bus headed west to Vauxhall and onto Wandsworth Road past the repaired Battersea Arts Centre and turned left at what was Arding and Hobbs.

Vauxhall Bus station

Lavender Hill Police station

I alighted here at 1645 as traffic was increasingly slowing the bus and I thought it was a convenient point to catch a train home from Clapham Junction. However, as I reached the platform the next train to Sutton was cancelled and the one after should have been twenty minutes later so I went to platform 13 to catch a train to East Croydon. I tried to board a tram but as my oyster card was £2 in deficit, despite the journey being free because I had utilised three buses already, I had to walk home. I will have to return to Clapham Junction and do the remainder of the route to Tooting on my next day of travelling!