Day Seventy One two buses in West London the No 116 and No 117 on 9th Jan 2019

On the 9th January I was once again on my way to Hounslow where the No 116 starts. I caught the 1150 train to Clapham Junction and then having arrived at 1220 was able to catch the 1225 to Hounslow from platform five.  The train arrived at 1257 and it's then quite a walk to Hounslow town centre which is much nearer the Piccadilly line Underground Stations.

Waiting in Hounslow High Street with Hounslow bus station in the background

I passed a No 116 bus as I was walking down the mainly pedestrianised part of the High Street but I wasn't concerned as the bus service is every 10-12 minutes.

Finally getting out of the cold and onto a warm London United 45141

However, it was not until 1339, when I had been waiting over twenty minutes that finally London United Hybrid 45141 arrived. After a short period underway we overtaken by another No 116, presumably the one that should have appeared during the gap!

Christmas decoration in Bedfont

However, as we reached Bedfont an announcement was made that the bus was terminating at Bedfont Green. At 1409 we therefore left that bus and joined the one that had overtaken our bus, the 2018 London United Hybrid 45300, which had been held for us so we could catch up.

London United 45300 awaiting our arrival at Bedfont Green

Shortly after this we encountered the reason for the poor regularity of the service. The A30 had roadworks and we took 20 minutes to go from the county boundary to Ashford Hospital at 1436, a distance of less than a mile.

Traffic, stationary on the A30

Ten minutes later and the bus is still creeping occasionally towards its destination

Final bus stop for the No 116 at Ashford Hospital

Bus stop from where I just missed the No 203 to get to Staines

At Ashford Hospital I needed to travel to Staines bus station to catch the No 117. The bus to Staines is the No 203 but it left just as I crossed the road. I checked the timetable to find it was only a twenty minute service  and given it would be joining the A30 to get to Staines I decided to walk to Ashford station to catch a No 117 from there to Staines. When I arrived at the bus stop it was another 15 minute wait for the bus. Therefore I started to walk to Staines, after a short walk west parallel with railway, the road and bus route headed south in the wrong direction so I took a footpath that continued west past Bronzefield prison. This footpath lifted up over the railway by means of a metal bridge and as I crossed a cyclist came the other way.

Pathway between a fishing lake and a school playing field heading west

Here I am crossing the Shortwood Nature Reserve

A Southwestern Railway class 707 heading towards Town from Staines

I asked him if the path continued to Staines as it was not obvious from where I was standing. He confirmed that after a short walk north I would encounter another path heading west. The path crossed a nature reserve to the east of the Staines Bypass and then after walking underneath the bypass I was able to walk into Staines town.

I reached the Bus station at 1532 almost an hour since leaving Ashford Hospital but it was a pleasant walk, much of it in countryside.

Waiting at Staines bus station with a First Berkshire bus No 8 for Windsor  and against the wall a Whitebus on route 446 to Woking

To the left a Hallmark bus on route 458 whilst my mount DE953, arrives for the No 117

At 1544 I boarded DE953 a Metroline operated Enduro Dart and settled in the back seat of this single decker for the duration. When we reached Challenge Road just by the county boundary the bus driver said he had been asked to wait for three minutes. So we waited here until 1605 before heading onward towards Feltham which was reached at 1615. Again we we were asked to wait and remained at the bus stop for two minutes before encountering the roadworks at the bridge over the railway line which meant a diversion to the Airman pub instead of the direct route onwards to Hounslow Heath. The normal route was regained at 1632 and Hounslow Bell Corner was reached again at 1643, 3 hours since I had passed it on the outward journey. This bus route goes past Hounslow bus garage and then on to Isleworth. Then just before the railway station the bus turned right and headed towards the river before turning left and finally right into the West Middlesex Hospital where I arrived at 1701.

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Journey's end where I will be when I catch the No 481 in 3 years time perhaps?

From here in the cold light showers of rain I walked to Syon Lane railway station; exactly the opposite journey which I made when I came here to catch the No 110. I changed at Clapham Junction to the 1744 to Sutton and achieved the warmth and comfort of home at 1830.