I did this trip by catching the 1330 train to West Croydon and then the 1340 from there to London Bridge. Before I had my over 60 pass I would have done this by the cheapest way possible but now I just went straight into zone 1 and caught the Jubilee line to Canada Water. This lead to my reaching the start of the route only an hour after leaving home.
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| Stagecoach 80119 at Canada Water bus station. |
At 1415 I was therefore leaving Canada Water bus station aboard Stagecoach 80119 which had previously been Thames Transit VH38119. I had noticed buses like these last month being utilised on the route No 160 which when I took the route was operated by Arriva Thameside.
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| Road works all the way from Canada Water to Deptford. |
The bus route travels through Surrey Quays stopping at the shopping centre and then heads left into the marina area along Plough Way following which the No 47 and No 188 were also diverted because of roadworks. These roadworks continued along the route to Evelyn Street Londis near Deptford High Street and on the way we traversed what looked like the remains of two bridges over previous wharf areas. Indeed, one parapet said Bridge Wharf in chalk or white paint which was fading away. At 1427 the driver was asked to wait outside this Londis for a couple of minutes. However, by 1437 we had arrived at the Cutty Sark and the bus then did a circuit of Greenwich town centre before heading off down Greenwich South Street towards Blackheath. The bus by now is following the No 180 route which after a stop for a few minutes at Sparta Street headed on to Lewisham railway station.
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| Commemoration of the battle of Deptford Bridge in 1497 beside the Sparta Street bus stop |
At Lewisham station where we arrived at 1447 I saw the new electric buses now on route No 484. On the corner beyond the bus stops the Territorial Support Group were arresting two scooter drivers it would appear, one of whom was older than me!
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| New electric buses on the route No 484 |
The bus then takes the A21 down Lewisham through Catford to arrive at the Catford bus garage at 1501.
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| Terminus of the No 199 route at Catford Garage |
From here I caught a No 54 to Elmers End and then took a tram to Wandle Park and finally a No 410 bus.
