Day 82 A trip on the X26 to Kingston in order to do the No 131

I left home before eleven in the hope I could get a bus to Walliungton Green in order to pick up the X26 at its first stop outside Croydon. No such luck-the No 407 decided to exchange drivers at the Plough and the X26 sailed past. I thus had almost half an hour to wait for the X26 to take me to Kingston. That was the reason I used to walk to Wallington Green when I was catching the X26 to Heathrow for work rather than risk the bus. I therefore arrived at Kingston Fairfield bus station at 1225 just as a No 131 left. I didn't have long to wait as the bus service seems to run every 5 minutes and London General's WVN40 was soon taking me into the centre of Kingston.

Fairfield bus station Kingston with the No 131 I missed, with incorrect destination display.

WVN40 turning into bus stop for layover in bus station

Aboard the next No 131 in Kingston High Street
with a No 513 provided by Reptons buses 

The bus made such good progress that by the mainline railway bridge as we entered New Malden we had caught up with the previous No 131. This meant that when we reached The Fountain the bus was requested to wait to allow the preceding bus to make more progress.

The Traffic lights at the junction of Worple Road and High Street Wimbledon were not working but this didn't seem to limit the rapidity of our travel owing to the lightness of the traffic.

A No 93 pulling out in front of us at Wimbledon station

We again caught up with the previous No 131 at the Polka Theatre, and we were very close behind at South Wimbledon Northern line station. Whilst I was musing whether the bus will be held again to allow the other bus to escape the driver announced we would be switching drivers at the stop prior to Merton garage.

WVN37, the preceding No 131

Merton London General bus garage

This delay was for about 3 minutes and then we ran along the A24 through Colliers Wood and on into Tooting where we halted with the Underground station to our right whilst still remaining on the A24.

Arrival at the Tooting Broadway Crossroads at 1332

From here I ran across the road in an endeavour to catch a No 127 to Hackbridge, but as there was a 13 minute wait I decided to board the No 355 to Mitcham. From here I walked across Mitcham Common, through the Beddington Farmlands to Beddington Park and home. The walk took 1 3/4 hours.

A lovely day for a walk with a Peacock butterfly sunning itself

Day eighty one a nearby route the No 130

I decided it would be most efficient to add this route by travelling to New Addington on a tram and catch the No 130 to Thornton Heath whereupon I could make my way home by bus thereby restricting total cost to £4.50 maximum. I caught the No 410 to Centrale Shopping Centre and from there the tram took me to arrive at New Addington Central Parade at 1357. I have previously walked from here to Biggin Hill airfield for the air shows but knowing that would take me a rather long way around to Vulcan Way I decided to strike out 'cross country'. I didn't know which roads I needed so it was rather in hope that I walked along Salcott Crescent and then took the second left to a green called Ownsted Hill. On arrival at the green there was a footpath signed for Godric Crescent which I had vaguely heard of so took that, and after arriving in that road found another to Calley Down Crescent. This was a road I definitely knew was near where the bus started and indeed there was a bus waiting the other side of King Henry's Drive in Vulcan Way.

Abellio 8189 awaiting departure with a No 64 behind

The bus departed at 1415 and within six minutes I found myself back in New Addington's Central Parade.

Passing one of the 'second generation' Croydon Trams at Central Parade terminus

 From here the bus follows the tram route until Headley Drive and then does a circulate of the northern parts of the estate. I had done this coming the other way on the No 64 taking in Merrow Way and Fieldway before returning to Lodge Lane, the main entrance route to New Addington.

On the arrival at the Addington Interchange the drivers were exchanged, which took about 4 minutes and we were back on our way at 1440. From here the bus travels up Gravel Hill a route I had not taken on a bus since trams replaced buses nearly twenty years ago now. The No 353 and 357 had been the normal route from and to Orpington from Croydon, or the 853/857 and before that the N.

Before the 1987 storm there was a line of huge trees
 along Gravel Hill but these are all recent saplings

A few kids joined the bus at Coloma Convent and Ashburton schools in Shirley but it was not until we stopped at Norwood Junction at 1502 that the small single decker became full to bursting with school kids. The bus then headed initially towards Selhurst but turned right on Park Road to pass the north side of Crystal Palace football stadium. From the junction with Whitehorse Lane we ran to Thornton Heath High Street and eventually came to a halt at the Tesco in Parchmore lane at 1512.

Interesting pastel shaded shops in Thornton Heath High Street,
not quite as picturesque as Tobermory!!

Thornton Heath Parchmore Lane Tesco

I then caught a No 250 to Thornton Heath Pond and then a No 289 home.

Day 80 a short trip aboard the No 129

My wife and I met some friends in Eltham and had lunch with them and after a pleasant couple of hours we caught the No 286 bus to Greenwich from Eltham High Street to Greenwich (Cutty Sark).
Our bus pulled up immediately in front of a No 129 which was readying to depart. The service is provided by London General and was a double decker Wrightbus Gemini WVL356.

Charmaine hurrying to catch WVL356 before it departs to North Greenwich

National Maritime Museum

Greenwich Park looking up to the observatory

Greenwich library building now for sale

Millennium village

Emirates Airline as we approach North Greenwich

Emirates Airline with Cumulonimbus cloud behind

The bus left at 1544 and retraced the route of the No 286 past the National Maritime Museum
















and the closed Greenwich library back to the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road.











From there the bus heads under the flyover, turns left into Millennium East shopping and leisure centre and then on to the Millennium village.

Millennium Dome, photo taken once off the bus

Our No 129 running to layover at 1605

The bus route then runs up to North Greenwich bus terminus and arrived here only 20 minutes after leaving Greenwich at 1605. This was definitely the shortest journey that I've done.
























To get home from here it was the Jubilee line to Canada Water and then London Overground to West Croydon.

Day seventy nine, a local bus and one almost as far away as can be

I arrived at Purley station just as a No 127 left for Tooting at 1132 so had to wait until 1143 for London General E223 to depart.

E223 of London General resting before heading to Tooting

The No 127 approaching Purley Station

The bus traverses routes I have used frequently since moving to places west of Croydon in 1986. Thus we went up Foxley Lane and then right at the roundabout to pass Wallington girls school and down Woodcote Road, Wallington's high street.

The top of Woodcote Road ostensibly Wallington high street

A bus we use very frequently the No 410 with class 377 at Wallington station

From Wallington the bus goes to Carshalton where the bus had to skip the Bucklers' Way stop owing to road works at 1212. Turning north when we reached Hackbridge we passed the famed Bedzed development.

BEDZED development

The famous BEDZED development

However once past Mitcham Junction station the bus was on diversion and carried straight on into Mitcham turning right into Mitcham Fair Green.

The usual route past the closed Wilson Hospital

The route past Cannons Leisure I thought we
would take was also blocked and we carried onwards

Remains of tree branches brought down
by storm Gareth yesterday next to the pond

Diversion sign at Mitcham Fair Green

Once past Mitcham library the bus heads northeast rather than the direct route to Tooting choosing to head for Streatham until it reaches Southcroft Road.

The original boundary plates between Surrey County Council
and London County Council over the river Graveney.

Plates zoomed in, the LCC one is almost too corroded to read.

Tooting library

Final stop for the No 127

Here the bus turns left to Amen Corner and on to Tooting Broadway Underground station where we arrived at 1246.

From Tooting I had to get to the start of the No 128, this meant either going to Romford or to Clayhill Broadway. I decided to go to the latter as it would be easier to get back once the traffic and public transport got busier.
Initially I caught the Northern Line northbound to Clapham North where I was able to walk to Clapham High Street overground station, a distance of 175 M. This I am sure is the first time I have ever been stood on the platforms at this station.

The opposite platform at Clapham High Street

I arrived at 1300 and at 1308 a London Overground train picked me up and took me to Canada Water where I changed at 1328 to the Jubilee line again for a trip to Stratford. At Stratford I made the decision to catch a Central line train to Gants Hill at 1343. This station is underneath a roundabout so I took exit one where I was able to board a No 123 which took me within ten minutes to Roding Lane South. The No 128 starts from the opposite side of the dual carriageway here through a width restriction.

The Arriva bus hiding on the left beyond the width restriction

As with many of Barking's buses there are coloured
bars indicating a dedicated bus to the route

Arriva VLA135 awaiting departure

At 1419 the No 128 VLA135 of Arriva London departed due east towards Barkingside. Once at Barkingside the bus route turns right into Cranbrook Lane and follows this back to the large roundabout at Gants Hill which was reached at 1432. From here we followed the route of the No 123 back to Ilford and reached the railway station at 1439.

Passing Ilford railway station

Travelling east from here we slowly encountered more and more school kids such that by the time we reached the driver exchange at Becontree Heath at 1513 the children streaming over each zebra crossing caused us to make really slow progress. Finally we reached Romford station at 1536.

Final stop around the corner from Romford station

To get home required a train to Stratford and I caught the fast train at 1550 which was first stop Stratford arriving there at 1603. From here I took the usual route Jubilee line to Canada Water and London Overground from there to West Croydon. Thankfully the broken down train which had caused considerable chaos through Sydenham didn't affect my journey but there were plenty of cancellations from London Bridge through Norwood Junction.

Day 78 one in the north and one in the south

I mostly do these trips on a weekday so to do one on a Saturday was a nice change. No danger of buses being full to the brim at school closing time today! So my first destination was Finchley Central for the No 125 and I left home at 0918 to catch the 0930 to Balham which was actually 4 minutes late arriving but with an almost on time arrival at Balham. From Balham I took the Northern line Bank branch to Finchley Central where I arrived at 1047, exactly 47 minutes since leaving Balham. On arrival I found the start point of the bus route was not Finchley Central but down the road to the left by the now closed Church End library.

Photo taken with mobile phone of layover point of the No 125

At 1107 I boarded Metroline's VWH2033 based at Potters Bar and headed north along Ballards Lane towards the Finchley North bus station.

Ballards Lane which is effectively Finchley High Street

At the bus station at Tally Ho corner we didn't enter it, as the reverse direction does, but drove by to the west and waited for a short while here whilst drivers were exchanged. The bus from here continued north towards Whetstone where it turned east along Oakleigh Road North as far as Russell Lane and then we descended into Osidge, the valley of the Pymmes brook at 1132. Climbing back up to the east of the valley we ran up to another No 125 with its hazard warning lights going. Had it come to grief climbing the steep hill one wondered?

Metroline's TE892 on Osidge Lane

Once atop this hill the bus headed towards Southgate where I had recently been when aboard the No 121. However, from here the bus follows a different route down Winchmore Hill Road as far as the pub of that name.

I had thought I had arrived when we stopped here but its still quite a 'hike'.

Instead of from this point going the quick way to Winchmore Hill the bus turns north along Eversley park road  then southeast along Green Dragon Lane before finally coming to a halt at Station Road roundabout having arrived from the northeast at 1152.

VWH2033 of Metroline awaiting its return to Finchley

Once arrived it was now necessary to get to Eltham so a brisk uphill walk took me to Winchmore Hill station where a most unexpected sight occurred. There was a slight commotion on the platform because just in front of the opposite platform was a large butterfly. Granted it was a sunny day but it was blustery with a chill wind and this was my first ever Camberwell Beauty!

The opposite northbound platform at Winchmore Hill station 

Previous photo zoomed in somewhat

Class 313 arriving bound for Moorgate; there was another 3 minutes later due on the other platform so hope the butterfly got out of its way

I then caught a class 313 to Moorgate at 1207 which should by now have been replaced by the class 717s at least 8 of which were at Hornsey depot or Ferme Park yard. At Moorgate I changed onto the Northern line to London Bridge arriving there in time at 1249 for the 1251 Bexleyheath line service to Slade Green as far as Eltham where I arrived at 1315. There are two buses that link the railway station with the start point of the No 126 but since one had only just drawn up and the other was not evident I decided it would be prudent to walk, as their services are at 15 or 20 minute intervals. Thus I walked up Well Hall Road to Eltham High Street and then walked the length of this to its junction with Southend Crescent.

The No 126 disgorges its passengers in the High Street and then lays over here

 Down this road was where I had alighted from the No 124 but the No 126 starts from the other side of the road.

From the layover point the bus runs down
Southend Crescent

The bus then turns around the roundabout
and heads back to start the journey from
bus stop FH

Aboard Metrobus No 755 awaiting the turn into Eltham High Street from Southend Crescent

Metrobus no 755 provided the No 126 service which departed bus stop FH at 1341 and turned left back down the High Street I had earlier walked. Unlike the No 124 the 126 turns left at the church and heads straight to Mottingham and indeed took only 14 minutes to reach the shops near the library. The route then follows identically that of the No 124 to Grove Park station, and therefore once again we had to negotiate the roadworks at the top of Chinbrook Lane.
The bus then heads for Bromley beyond this point down Burnt Ash Lane and I took a couple of photos here since this was where Debbie and John lived most recently.

Kynaston Road entrance to Sandringham Road a little further up.

Shops along Burnt Ash Lane

Final arrival at Bromley High Street was at 1429.

Metrobus No 755 having deposited me in Bromley High Street

I could from this location have caught the No 119 home but since I had reached 'The Wall' on my Oystercard I decided to catch a train up to Victoria and then change from platform 1 to platform 12 for my journey home where I arrived prior to 4 pm.