Day 104 Much nearer home again the No 166 on October 14th.

This journey had to made wholly by bus and I chose to do it from the opposite end towards home as the starting point Epsom Hospital is outwith the TFL area. Thus at 1259 I caught a No 407 to Sutton, changed at 1330 to a No 213 to North Cheam and then went around the bend to catch at 1354 a No 293 to Epsom Hospital. This three bus journey cost me £1.50 and according to my Oyster journey history when I boarded Arriva's ENL103 I was not charged for the return, and so the entire trip cost only £1.50 despite taking three hours in total.

Arriva ENL103 waiting to leave from Epsom Hospital

When we first moved west of the Greenwich meridian there was a No 408 bus that would have taken me all the way from my local bus stop to Epsom Hospital, but this service faded away after 76 years  in 2000.

An hourly service only which should take almost an hour and a half

I was very lucky in my choice of arrival time at Epsom Hospital of 1414 as I found that this part of my intended route is only hourly and started at 1421.

The bus headed west briefly before swinging south down Woodcote Side with Epsom Common on the right and then turned left to make a 270 degree turn around the hospital site to rejoin the A24 and run into Epsom.

Heading around the west side of the hospital

Pond by the eastern side of Epsom Hospital

The bus passes the Epsom Clock Tower and market area

 The bus reached the Clock Tower at 1428 and after the next stop in the High Street the bus became almost full. Unlike the No 293 the No 166 takes Upper High Street and makes it way to Epsom college passing Epsom Downs station and then leaves the Borough of Epsom and Ewell and enters the Borough of Reigate and Banstead along Yew Tree Bottom Road.

Climbing onto Epsom Downs

Quite soon we turned right along a street called Rose Bushes which appeared to be a typical late 1960s early 1970s development and at the end of this we reached the A240.
At the Drift Bridge junction the bus needed to turn right for Banstead but as this is a banned turn it had to go under the Drift Bridge around the roundabout and back so it could take the A2022 towards Banstead. This act took the bus briefly back into the Borough of Epsom and Ewell.

Passing the end of Nork Way Banstead

At 1448 the bus was at Nork Way and it took a further five minutes to come to a rest in Banstead High Street.

An S1 in Banstead High Street

Banstead High Street

 It rejoined the A2022 and headed towards Purley where the bus very briefly flirts with the London Borough of Sutton near Oaks Park but turns right to Woodmansterne and Chipstead. Parked vehicles now began to prove a problem as cars and vans were parked on both sides of Chipstead Way and it took some very skillful driving to get through to arrive at Chipstead Valley Road at 1511.

A No 166 on a shorter route in Woodmansterne.
 In fact there are two of these for every one that reaches Epsom.

 After a 360 degree turn in front of the Midday Sun the bus regained Chipstead Valley Road and went under the Tattenham Corner branch railway bridge and subsequently into the London Borough of Croydon at 1513, 52 minutes since departure.

Finally in London Borough of Croydon

School children then began to throng the bus from here into Croydon and parents' cars blocking the roads made for long waits at traffic lights into Coulsdon and we reached Smitham station at 1523.

Purley Tesco

From here the bus ran straight up the A23 to Purley and then on through Brighton Road past the bus garage to reach West Croydon bus station at 1555, so an hour an a half's journey in total, and at the time I didn't even know it had been free!

Croydon library and old town hall

Arrival at West Croydon bus garage

My conveyance heading off for a rest. The driver told me he was next
doing the short run to Banstead

Day one hundred and three the distant No 165 which runs betwixt Romford and Rainham.

I caught the 1120 train from my local station then took the London Overground 1131 to Highbury and Islington. From Canada Water I took the Jubilee line arriving at 1215 at Stratford and then at 1218 caught one of the new Crossrail trains to Romford, where I arrived at 1238. After a search for the wife's Christmas present I then found out where the Brewery Leisure and shopping centre was located.

Brewery Romford bus terminus with Bluebird
of Dial a Ride service

The top of the flue with Brewery written thereupon

I boarded Stagecoach 37536 on the No 165, an AD E20D, less than a year old which left at 1318. At this point I realised that I didn't have a memory card in the camera, so had to utilise my mobile so therefore had missed taking a photograph of the bus approaching.

The Romford ring road passing the shopping
 centre and market area 

A bus I used many months ago the No 66

We headed around the ring road from west around the north and then followed down the east side of Romford market. From here the bus filtered through the back streets towards Romford station and at this point there was an announcement that the bus was on diversion. Initially the bus turned left into Victoria Road but as we passed the Victoria public house there was a No 165 coming up Albert Road but the bus I was on carried straight on instead until it reached the Drill roundabout.
At this point the bus headed down past Emerson Park station just after 1330 and was back on the usual route. After here the bus passed the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch as it ran into Hornchurch past a salon called 'the only tan is Essex'.

After turning left eastwards, subsequently the bus stopped and then did a loop around a gaggle of eating emporia and headed west down Hornchurch High Street until we reached Abb's Cross Lane at 1338.
Travelling down this route we ran into some roadworks just past Harrow Lodge Park which it was obvious the cars coming the other way had jumped the lights. Between Elm Park Avenue and Elm Parade we passed a road called Brian Close but this was quite well established so cannot have been named in honour of the Yorkshire and England batsman. Beyond Elm Park station it was apparent we were entering what was the ex RAF airfield of Hornchurch as the road we lingered on for quite a time was called Mungo Park Road. Whilst on this road we ran past Scargill's infant school which again had a strange Yorkshire connection! Once we had turned right into South End Road we reached the old A13 and turned east for a while until we reached a roundabout where we went right into Bridge Road and then very soon left into Rainham Tesco.

The gentleman the bus driver helped-almost only person on the bus after we had left Rainham Tesco

 At the next stop the bus driver was extremely patient and helpful to an infirm man who was trying to exit the bus at Brights Avenue with his walker. From here the bus recrossed the A13 now A1306 and passed through Rainham along Upminster Road. The bus the  wriggled its way through the Abbey Wood Estate to terminate next to a fields and extensive woodland at 1411.

Journeys end: a semi rural outpost of the TFL network

Stagecoach single decker No 37536 awaiting return to Romford

To get home I chose to take the other bus that terminates at this point the No 287 back to Rainham. Here I had a 15-20 minute wait for a C2C train to take me to West Ham and thence home the way I had come arriving home at 1615.

Almost ready to head back to the Brewery Romford

Day 102 two nearby routes, the Nos 163 and 164.

I left home at 11am and walked to Wandle Park tram stop where I boarded a tram for Wimbledon at 1125. The arrival at Wimbledon was at 1150 and by 1157 I was aboard SE 275 of London General heading for Morden from Worple Road.

Worple Road Wimbledon with a No 163, 201, and 164 waiting
their next journey; my mount London General's SE275 in front

No 164 and 163 going opposite way in Hartfield Road

 These buses follow each other around the bus station and down the Victorian terraces of Hartfield Road to turn right over the level crossing. Gradually as one gets further from Wimbledon the ages of the buildings lessens and there were two buildings one with 1902 inscribed upon and another with 1903, on it as we passed by the remains of the Nelson Hospital on the opposing side.

Date on building 1903 opposite remains of the Nelson Hospital

The railway station we next reach is Wimbledon Chase which was opened in the 1930s with the line from Wimbledon to Sutton. Once past this railway station the bus turns right up Kingston Road and takes us to Raynes Park railway station before swinging round to head south towards Westway and then Grand Drive. After the parade of shops the bus takes Tudor Drive at the roundabout at the 'Beverley' pub which is now called the Morden Brook.

Typical interwar semis in Morden in Hillcross Avenue

Tudor Drive runs into Hillcross Avenue as we ran down the northern side of Morden Park to reach Links Avenue and turned right to terminate at Morden tube and bus station at 1230.

Disembarkation point at Morden station

The logical step now was to take a bus to Sutton in order to return on a No 164 back to Wimbledon. I chose to cross the road and catch a No 80 at 1236 which ran me to Sutton railway station. It was getting increasingly moist by the time we reached Sutton, a legacy probably of Hurricane Lorenzo now downgraded to storm Lorenzo by Met Eireann.

The No 164 starts in The Quadrant which was across the tracks of the trains to Epsom Downs and then down some steps and here I found SOE2 already waiting to return me to Wimbledon.

SOE2 and a Go Sutton minibus at stop Q in the Quadrant 

 Thus a quick photograph was taken in the drizzly rain before boarding at 1307 and the bus then went around the triangle and turned right into the High Street and back past the front of the railway station.

Becoming increasingly wet through the day made it difficult to take any photographs from within the bus.

There are lots of traffic lights which hindered progress such that it was 1315 before I had left the High Street and was heading up Angel Hill towards the roundabout at Rose Hill which was achieved at 1321. The bus route passes straight over at the roundabout and down St Helier Avenue to Modern Hall Park. Once we had turned right into Morden High Street it was announced that bus drivers would be exchanged and thus we waited for three minutes whilst this took place. From Morden the bus initially drives along Links Avenue but unlike the No 163 heads up Martin Way to South Merton railway station.
Throughout the journey the bus had been bleeping and when the drivers changed over I heard them mentioning that it had been reported and should be fixable remotely.
The bus continued in a straight line down to Bushey Way where the bus turned right and rejoined the No 163 route past Wimbledon Chase station at 1340 and drove back to Wimbledon town itself. The terminal stop reached at 1350 was exactly where I had got on the No 163 almost two hours earlier.

Arrival back in Worple Road on London General's SOE2

I then  walked to Wimbledon theatre to get some tickets for the 'Dennis the Menace' musical and then boarded a No 93 to Morden Road tramstop. The industrial estate here I hoped would be a likely place to source a part for Richard's camera but both electrical wholesalers here could not furnish me with what was required. So I went back to the tramstop and caught a tram to Therapia Lane and from there I walked home arriving at 1600. Five hours to do two local buses!

Day one hundred and one, three buses John knew well the Nos 160, 161 and 162

The first trip of October 2019 saw me aboard a No 410 to Centrale where I changed to an Elmers End bound tram. At Elmers End I caught a Networker at 1154, having arrived at platform one on the tram at 1149. This train took ten minutes to reach Catford Bridge where I alighted and walked towards bus stop Q which is down a side road from the South Circular and located behind the Catford shopping centre.

No160 & No320 buses laying over

Arriva T298 arriving at Bus Stop Q on route No 160

There was already a bus laying over and at 1208 T298 of Arriva came to stand next me. After turning left onto the South Circular the bus follows the route of the No 124 I did earlier this year until we reached Torridon Road.

Evidence we are initially on the South Circular

Corbett community library  Torridon Road

Here the No 160 goes straight on along Sandhurst Road and down to Verdant Lane. After turning left at Verdant Lane the bus rejoins the South Circular by turning right and going under the railway bridge south of Hither Green railway station. Once the bus had reached Baring Road we were advised the bus would wait a while in order to regulate the service. The wait was actually only from 1224-1226 and then we were back running along the South Circular; the No 160, the only route at this point bar a school service.

Back along the South Circular Road

 We continued straight on to reach the Yorkshire Grey where we lingered for a couple of minutes before we ran almost fully around the roundabout to head down Middle Park Avenue at 1232.

No 124 approaching from east
as we turn north at Newmarket Green

As we turned left at Newmarket Green we rejoined the route of the No 124 for its run into Eltham. Just beyond here the inconsiderate parking of various cars meant we had to wait as a No 160 and a No 124 came the other way before we could proceed. At the end of the road near what was obviously a cinema of old we turned right and set off to Eltham High Street.

Parked cars making life difficult for bus operations

Bus stop for No 162 in Eltham High Street to be used after doing the No 161

After passing past the shops the bus turned right down Southend Crescent where I had previously alighted from the terminal stop of the No 124. The bus then continued along Foots Cray Road to New Eltham station where I arrived at 1253.

Looking down onto New Eltham railway station

No 162 approaching us in Southwood Road New Eltham

 At this point the bus turned right towards the A20 and then continuing down Green Lane crossed from the Borough of Greenwich into that of Bromley. A little further along the bus did a turn to the left and we drove the length of Edgebury where one of my closest friends at St Olave's used to live. At the end of this road the bus turned right into Belmont Lane and on to the Chislehurst Gordon Arms. From here the bus follows the route of the No 61 and indeed this route replaced the No 61 from Eltham Well Hall to Chislehurst in about 1979.

Approaching Chislehurst War Memorial with all three buses I
hope to do today: the No 161 located beyond the tree.

By 1306 we had reached the Chislehurst War Memorial to where I had to return to catch the No 161 to North Greenwich but for now I stayed on the bus as it turned left and made for Sidcup.

Turning around at Sidcup railway station

Finally disembarked at terminal of No 160

I eventually reached Sidcup station at 1316. The bus driver actually didn't think anyone was left on the bus so didn't stop at the terminal stop but carried on after some manoevering to the layover point. When the driver discovered I was trying to get off she recalled I had boarded at Catford and we discussed what I was doing.

The layover point at Chislehurst War Memorial. The next bus out Stagecoach's 12435.

I then walked through the housing estate opposite and made my way to a bus stop where I could return to the Chislehurst War Memorial. This was effected by boarding another No 160 T331 at 1327 and I reached the war memorial just in time to catch a No 161 which was rapidly filling up with schoolkids.

The No 161 is run by Stagecoach and No 12435 another hybrid awaited to transport me back to Chislehurst and onward via Eltham and Woolwich to the erstwhile Millenium Dome. The bus left at 1337 and after a little jiggery-pokery owing to a rapid police vehicle approaching we made it away before the lights changed. The bus route is quite straight through Chislehurst into Mottingham with good panoramic views over London atop Red Hill and down Whitehorse Hill.

A nice view of London through a messy front window.

 At Mottingham the bus turns right and takes one to Eltham which was reached at 1357. By 1402 I was passing Eltham station where I would later stop to board the No 162 and was back running along the South Circular Road once we had passed the Well Hall Roundabout.

Crossroads at Eltham church with High Street to the right. 

At Shooters Hill the bus turned left at what was the Brook Hospital before taking a right down Baker Road to reach the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich at 1412. At 1423 the bus was in Woolwich town centre where there were large quantities of school children, but most that were on my bus disembarked here.

Once again on the South Circular heading for Woolwich

The original Woolwich Equitable building.

 The bus had to reach the A206 to head west to Charlton and so it took a right turn then left and left again around Woolwich Arsenal railway station.  The bus having reached the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road turned right and headed to the North Greenwich Interchange where we arrived at 1446.

Arrival at North Greenwich bus and tube Interchange

Here I made a brief comfort stop and bought a coffee before boarding a No 132 back to Eltham at 1453.

Metrobus Dart No 177

This bus got to the Eltham bus and rail interchange just as a No 162 started up and therefore I had to hurry to reach the bus before it left at 1518. The bus route is operated by Metrobus and was a small Dart numbered 177.

Overtaking a No 161

The bus took me back to Eltham High street overtaking a No 161 as it did so.


In the High Street the bus passed a No 160 which was being driven by the same lady with whom I travelled from Catford to Sidcup earlier in the day. On this bus the route follows straight past the end of Southend Crescent, which meant I was following the No 132 I had used from North Greenwich. The bus finally turned away to the southwest when we reached Avery Hill and headed down Avery Hill Road. This eventually took me back to New Eltham station which was reached at 1531.

New Eltham station now on the No 162

From here the bus route followed that of the No 160 as far as Edgebury. However, as soon as the bus had entered Edgebury it turned abruptly left into Domonic Drive. We arrived in this road at the same time as the refuse lorry which caused some grief owing to parked cars making progress difficult until the road straightened out. The bus runs towards the A20 dual carriageway but turns right into Molescroft which morfs into Imperial Way at the Greenwich/ Bromley Borough boundary. In this road there were again a multitude of parked cars and around a blind bend a car suddenly appeared in the way. The driver of this car was not very good at reversing but eventually we were able to get past and then ran by Edgebury primary school and then on to the Gordon Arms once again at Chislehurst which was achieved at 1548. The journey has thus far taken 1/2 hour to get from Eltham to Chislehurst. The next part of the route to Bromley was the No 227 route when I was a kid but this has now been cut back to Bromley North. The No 162 initially replaced the southernmost part of the 161A in 1994, but this was switched from starting at Petts Wood to Eltham to replace the No 228 and then the No 273 from the war memorial to Petts Wood. The bus turns right at the memorial and heads to Bromley via Chislehurst station and onward to reach Kentish Way at 1604.  The bus headed down the High Street and then turned right along Westmoreland Road to reach Hayes Lane. We then turned right at the Chinese garage and passed Kelsey Park to Beckenham passing a stop just before Bromley Road called Chancery Lane at 1623. The bus reached Beckenham Junction station at 1627.

Arrival at Beckenham Junction railway station

Tram 2534 my mount back to Wandle park

I next caught a tram to Wandle Park for which I only had to wait 5 minutes.  I reached home at 1720.