Riding the Routes: Day seventy three I finally do the entire route of a bus I have used since primary school, the No 119.

The No 119 is a bus I have used frequently since living near Croydon and used it even when I was a kid living in Orpington to get me to West Wickham swimming baths. The bus service was very irregular when my wife and I were children. I well remember waiting at Bromley South for an hour for a Regent Three to take me to West Wickham. The route has, however been swapped with the 194B which became the 198 beyond Croydon since then.
My wife and I had ventured to Bromley to meet up with Bromley library colleagues for lunch and having done this took the opportunity to walk to Bromley North railway station and catch the 1430 No 119 to Purley Way Colonades.

Charmaine checking when the next No 119 was due

Charmaine boarding London General WHV61 at Bromley North station

London General's Hybrid WHV61 arrived within two minutes of our arrival and left at 1430 down Kentish Way with the first stop at Bromley Civic Centre. The bus route then turns right to regain the High Street for the run down to Bromley South station.

Passing from Kentish Way to Bromley High Street one turns
left after a view of the Ravensbourne Valley

The No 261 route has recently gained new stagecoach buses in the 11060-11075 number range and one of these is here seen having come down Mason's Hill and shortly to head up Bromley High Street

Once the bus had got to the end of Hayes Lane at 1442 we stopped to pick up a large number of school kids from what was Ravensbourne Boys School in the 1970s. From here the bus goes through Hayes and on to West Wickham via Corkscrew Hill. However at the stop at Glebe Way/Addington Road the bus stop was closed with a cover over the stop stating this, but the bus still stopped at 1453.

Roadworks at the Croydon/ Bromley borough
boundary where West Wickham becomes Shirley

From West Wickham the bus continues along the A232 through Shirley (borough boundary reached at 1500) and on towards Croydon. After East Croydon the bus diverges from its 1960,1970 route and heads south nearly reaching the Swan and Sugarloaf before it turns right up Warham Road and on to the Waddon estate.

Fiveways, the bus is on Denning Avenue about to turn left, but there are plans to close this part of the junction and make it 4 ways, so not sure how that will affect the No 119 in the future.

Once at Fiveways the bus turns up the A23 to reach 'Croydon airport' which was the destination on the 194 and subsequently the 119 until the water palace was built in the 1980s. At 1539 the bus stopped at the Colonades and then I walked home which took just over twenty minutes. Its all the way back to Hounslow again for the 120 next!