Day 140 A circuit around west London the No 220 and No 221 encompassing 5 SW post codes, 3 W, 3 NW and finally 4 N post codes.

 The days started off with a trip to Sutton to deliver some books to the shelves on Sutton Station. I then caught a No 164 to Wimbledon station as this looked likely to be quicker than waiting for the next Thameslink on the parallel route by train. At Wimbledon I got the next Southwest train one stop to Earlsfield and then the No 270 bus to Mapleton Road Wandsworth which is where the No 220 departs from. I had 7 minutes to wait on arrival at 1302. 

Mapleton Road Wandsworth

RATP 40409 Arriving at 1309

At 1310 I was aboard RATP 40409 and it quickly took off and turned left past the Wandsworth Police Station then bore right under the railway rather than climb West Hill. This took the bus alongside Wandsworth Park with the river Thames visible through the park. At the end of this road we reached Putney High Street and turned right and proceeded over Putney Bridge.

Awaiting turning right into Putney High Street. Sign indicating
Tideway Project. London 's Super Sewer.

Looking back at sewer works as we cross Putney Bridge

Once over the bridge the bus took Fulham Palace Road but this lead to increasingly slower progress the nearer we got to Hammersmith. The Broadway was achieved twenty minutes after leaving Putney High Street at 1327. The bus went in and out of the bus station and then did a circuit around the western side of the bus station and associated buildings to head up Shepherds Bush Road.

The works on the north side of Hammersmith bus station,
making for some confusion as to what bus starts and stops from where

Grenfell Tower still shrouded as viewed from stop outside TV Centre

The bus hurtled up this road to Shepherds Bush Green past the TV centre and under the Westway. Once we had reached the Mitre Way Wormwood Scrubs stop we were finally on a road only this route serves. This took us over in turn the GWR, the Grand Union Canal and finally the route out of Euston. The bus stopped at Willesden Junction station at 1406. This was however not the terminus but the east side of the station. The bus having by then turned left onto the Harrow Road continued for another five minutes before terminating at the western side of Willesden Junction station at 1411. This was 7 minutes longer than the booked time of 54 minutes and explained the need for the rapid driving when it was possible to do so.

Arrival at Willesden Junction

Driver came out to ask me why
I was photographing his bus.
He was worried there was
 something wrong with it

From here I needed to get to Edgware for the No 221. The TFL journey planner recommended the following would take 54 minutes, take Overground to West Hampstead, then Jubilee from West Hampstead to Canon's Park then bus No 340 to Edgware. To Canon's Park took 43 minutes, including having to wait until the ten minutes until the 1422 to Stratford. The bus stop beneath the Underground station at Canon's Park stated it would be a ten minute wait for the next bus and looking at the timetable it suggested the bus would then only take 6 minutes. Therefore I walked to Edgware, the No 340 bus passing me just before I reached the A5 near the start of Edgware High Street.

HV213 reposing at Edgeware bus station

Arriva's Hybrid Volvo HV213 provided my mount to Turnpike Lane Station at 1520. This bus turned right down the High Street and then right past the library along Hale Lane to the Jolly Badger where we continued to take Hale Lane in the direction of Mill Hill Broadway. The travel was painfully slow as we approached Mill Hill Broadway station but this then cleared and we ran up the Broadway here easily and then turned right down Flower Lane. This was the first of many occasions until North Finchley where it was the only bus route on the road. There was some considerable wriggling and steep climbing in places, particularly Engel Park with brief tremendous views over London. We descended Bittacy Hill and reached Mill Hill East station at 1554.

Climbing Engel Park

Mill Hill East station typical GNR

Taking the left of Frith Lane meant via some quite rural parts we reached North Finchley and the Tally Ho corner and doing a circuit around the bus station without entering it we headed off to Friern Barnet at 1611. Traffic was quite slow from here until we reached New Southgate. From Bounds Green industrial estate towards Wood Green once again  the No 221 is the only bus route on the road after we had crossed the A406 at 1632. The bus then ran through Wood Green and on to Turnpike Lane Station where we terminated at the stop before crossing the road to the bus station at 1648.

Arrival at Turnpike Lane station

I then caught a Piccadilly line train to King's Cross and a Thameslink to East Croydon, finishing with a tram to Wandle Park. 

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Day 139 A day where I was able to do three buses the No 217 Turnpike Lane to Waltham Cross, the No 218 from North Acton to Hammersmith and finally the No 219 from Clapham to Wimbledon.

 The day started by taking a No 407 to the Whitgift centre at 1008 and then a Thameslink train from East Croydon to Finsbury Park at 1035 and then a Piccadilly line Underground service two stops to Turnpike Lane. The bus station above the Tube station was achieved at 1120 and it appeared I had just missed a bus but two No 217s suddenly pulled into the bus station. This is the first route I have used in its entirety operated by Sullivan buses.

Sullivan Buses E75 at Turnpike Lane

So at 1124 I was aboard Sullivan's E75 an AD E40D headed for Waltham Cross on the No 217 which quickly turned right and right again to be proceeding in a Northeasterly direction along Westbury Avenue. The bus did a little wriggle at Lordship Lane and then took The Roundway to reach the Great Cambridge Road. The journey from here north was largely on a dual carriageway through Edmonton and Enfield. 

Typical road type for much of the route
the dual carriageway of the Great Cambridge Road.

Once we reached Southbury Road the bus did a little deviation through the 1990s built Enfield Retail Park at 1154 but soon returned back to the A10 and continued north until we almost reached the M25 at 1203. The bus then turned east along Bullsmoor Road until it reached  the A1010 Hertford Road and then passed over the M25 where it is in a short tunnel.

Getting ready to turn right down Bullsmoor Road prior to reaching the M25

The concrete blocks announce the leaving of Greater London and entering the Borough of Broxbourne Hertfordshire

The park above the M25 tunnel

The bus having crossed into Hertfordshire swung down Abbey Road and then into the Waltham Cross bus station where we terminated at 1212.

Disembarkation point at Waltham Cross Bus station

A surprisingly large number of red TFL buses since this location is out-with the Greater London area

In order to get to the next bus I needed to get to North Acton which is on the Central Line. At this point I made a bad decision and because I saw a No 279 bus arrive, I thought I would take it quickly back into Enfield so boarded this bus at 1218. It then took me until 1244 to do the 1 1/4 miles to Turkey Street. The railway station was about a 10 minute walk from where I alighted and when I arrived I found the next train was not until 1307. This delay put paid to any possibility of doing four buses of which I had harboured hopes when I started out. I remained on this train until Liverpool Street mainline station and took the Central Line 16 stops west to reach North Acton at 1418.

Looking down on North Acton station

The No 218 reposing on Victoria Road

The bus readying to leave before I had ascertained
the actual departure point

The Central line at this point is in a cutting rather than below ground so just had a few steps to climb and then I arrived at Victoria Road where I saw there was a No 218 waiting. However, when I reached the bus stop I could see it was not where one boarded the bus.

London United's DE20094 at the first stop long before I could get there!

The next No 218 arriving with Acton Vale as destination

By the time I had found where the bus stop was located the bus I had seen waiting was long gone and therefore I had to wait for the next one. This was one of the Wrightbus Streetlites that until very recently used to be operated by Tower Transit but are now operated by RATP. No 33027 is ex TT 46101 which was still stenciled on the inside of the bus. As this bus arrived it had on the front Acton Vale as its destination. When I challenged the driver he said because of a demonstration in Hammersmith he was being told they would have to terminate the bus early.  We were underway at 1434 from the bus stop in Wales Farm Road and crossed Western Avenue and then Horn Lane into Noel Road. The next part of the route is quite strange as it does three sides of a large recreation ground where people were probably playing cricket for the first time this year. At one corner we passed the road where the Bridge Cafe of Apprentice fame briefly came into view. Having returned to Noel Road we passed West Acton station and at 1445 then headed south as the road became Twyford Avenue. At the bottom of this road the bus turned east into the Uxbridge Road which we followed through Acton to Acton Vale. In the meanwhile the bus driver had made an announcement which was inaudible but the internal sign stated the destination was now Hammersmith bus station so we assumed the change of destination had been the reason for that announcement.  

Non standard point of termination

As we entered the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham the bus turned off the Uxbridge Road into Askew Road which led to Goldhawk Road and then almost straight over this we took Paddenswick Road down to the District railway near Ravenscourt Park Station. The bus did not go under the railway but turned left and ran parallel with the line into Hammersmith Broadway. The bus terminated outside the Hammersmith and City Underground station. It wouldn't normally do this but works in the bus station meant this was where we parted company at 1514.

London United 30027 at Hammersmith

The nearest point where I could catch the next route was at Clapham Junction and since there is a direct bus, the No 295, passing through the bus station I thought I would catch that. I bought a tomato and mozzarella baguette and latte at Paul's in the central area and waited for the next bus to convey me onward. It was rather galling to see a number of buses pass thorough on the No 220 route which I would not now have time to do today. The bus took around 40 minutes to get me to Clapham Junction and then I had to find Asda which is where the next bus started from.

London General's WS17 at ASDA Clapham

Proof, if needed of location!

This bus was another Wrightbus Streetlite, this time  WS17 of London General. The bus took off at 1613 taking a couple of swift left turns to take St John's Road up to Battersea Rise and then turning right to climb the rise and on to Wandsworth Common North Side. Here the bus turned left onto Trinity Road and followed this to Tooting Bec. We passed once again people playing cricket on the common to the east of us, whilst Wandsworth prison was to the west of us. 

Surprisingly rural part of Wandsworth Common

The last part of the common was really rural looking and was showing signs of spring being really sprung. Tooting Bec was reached at 1635. The bus turned right onto the A24 and it was then a significant crawl to Tooting Broadway where we waited for two minutes to even the flow and on to Colliers Wood. At Merton bus garage the bus driver was changed which took three minutes and we were back underway at 1701. The route then took us to to South Wimbledon Underground station and then up to Wimbledon itself finally terminating at Francis Grove at 1715.

Approaching the final stop in Wimbledon

The final stop of the day.

I returned home on the tram arriving exactly 8 hours after departure.

Day 138 The third trip to Staines, this time from Kingston on the No 216.

 The normal route to Kingston would have been tram to Wimbledon and then train, but with the tram out of action owing to works we used the 1300 train from Waddon to Clapham Junction. This actually worked very well as we arrived on platform 14 at 1331 and the next train to Kingston was the 1336 from platform 11. However, this was where the luck ran out. As we passed the back of Cromwell Road Bus Station I could see a No 216 waiting at the bay for departure. The train arrived at 1356 and the bus left at 1400 just before we could get to it. There was another bus in twenty minutes so we had a little walk around the shops and arrived in time to catch the 1420.

Cromwell Road Bus Station

Waiting to board DLE30061 to Staines

This bus was, as many are in Kingston operated by London United a part of the Paris public transport authority RATP. Our bus No 30061 left on time and turned right out of the bus station and headed for Wood Street. The bus then crossed the river and ran alongside the parklands of Hampton Court Palace. 

Waiting on the bus in the traffic at Hampton Court by the Floral Gate

As we approached the entrance to the palace the roadworks just across the bridge caused a substantial hold up such that we remained ten minutes behind schedule for the rest of the journey. From here onward we were wavering either side of the A308 for much of its journey to Staines. First we went to Hampton Green and Hampton railway station and then back to the main road before going the other side of it to Sunbury. We returned to the A308 at the roundabout under the M3 and then after a short while turned left to take a circuit through Tesco. Once the bus returned to the Staines Road it travelled a little way towards Staines before turning away to the right down Feltham Hill Road which brought us to Ashford town centre at 1520. From here the bus headed to the A30 where we turned left to the Crooked Billet roundabout and on into Staines where we arrived at 1535. This was a 15 minute longer journey than booked, principally owing to the hold up at Hampton Court.

Arrival at Staines bus station

 The return journey was done in a number of stages, initially the No 117 was chosen as it is the quickest route back to Feltham. However, the normal route under the Staines bypass was blocked and the bus had to go south and then north to regain its normal route just prior to Ashford station. We disembarked at Ashford to visit a shop and then boarded the next bus to Feltham. On arrival here we had a little look around before catching a train to Clapham Junction and then the 1838 towards Epsom Downs. All was well until we reached Norbury but soon after leaving this station the train came to an abrupt stop. After a while the driver announced there was an incident at Thornton Heath and we would have to go back to Norbury. He walked through the train and then once he had arrived there he said over the loudspeaker that we were now allowed to go through Thornton Heath as long as we don't stop. After 35 minutes stationary we were thus on our way again and we reached home at 5 minutes to 8 over three and a quarter hours after leaving Staines. 

Day 137 Two buses in northern part of the capital the No 214 and No 215

 There was some business to attend to before we reached Finsbury Square to board the No 214. The 1100 train to Clapham Junction was taken and we changed to Platform 10 for a train to Waterloo. Outside Waterloo we caught a No 59 to Holborn Kingsway in order to visit the theatre where we had had tickets for Cinderella for a date that was cancelled in January. From here we walked to Chancery Lane and boarded a diverted No 243 to the Old Street roundabout and from there walked down City Road to bus stop C where the No 214 starts its journey to Highgate Village.

No 214 laying over at Finsbury Circus

Waiting for the bus, be-masked
 of course

London General's See91 arriving

Charmaine boarding See91

At 1257 we boarded London General's all electric See91 and returned back up City Road straight over the Old Street roundabout, past Moorfields hospital and on to the Angel Islington where we arrived at 1308. Turning right betwixt King's Cross and St Pancras stations at 1314 we then wended our way under St Pancras station to turn right along Pancras Road. Traffic became rather heavier as we approached Mornington Crescent station and then after Camden High Street we took the A400 Kentish Town Road at 1330.

Disembarkation

Waiting for the next No 214

At Kentish Town it was noticed there were some shops which might enable a special birthday card to be bought and so we disembarked at Kentish Town Post Office at 1339.

Boarding See78

We were able to buy the necessary card and board the next No 214 that came along See78 at 1351. This is then a fairly steady climb to Parliament Hill Fields and then up the 1 in 10 hill to Pond Square at Highgate. Here because of roadworks the bus halted instead of taking us to Highgate school at 1403 which fitted the 55 minute road timing allowing for 12 minute wait at Kentish Town.

No 88 at Parliament Hill Fields

Bus stop closed but driver let us out at 
Pond Square Highgate

From Highgate we needed to get to Walthamstow bus station to catch the No 215. The No 271 was boarded and this took us to Upper Holloway station where we caught a 'Goblin Line' train to Black Horse Road. We were very lucky and only had three minutes to wait so having changed at Black Horse Road for a Victoria line train to Walthamstow we were at the bus station soon after 3 o'clock. 

Waiting at Walthamstow Bus Station

Stagecoach 19785 approaching at 1515

The bus station was being renovated so it was very busy at times until the next No 215 arrived at 1516. It was No 19785 operated by Stagecoach that arrived at this time but very few actually boarded the bus. 

The van blocking the junction at the Bell Forest Road

The bus turned left out of the bus station and then left up Hoe Street but unlike the No 212 it went straight on to Forest Road. There was a van making deliveries which caused a considerable hold up between the shopping area and Forest Road. 

At the Bell on Forest Road the bus crossed over into Chingford Road and on to the Crooked Billet roundabout over the North Circular. Continuing onward Chingford Mount was reached at 1539 and at Mansfield Park the bus turned left down Mansfield Hill, the first occasion when it was the only route on the road. The road reached the A112 and bore right and pulled in at the Yardley Lane Estate. This is where the bus has habitually terminated except in the summer.

The pull in for Yardley Lane Estate with the wigglybus No 379 also turning round at this the county boundary

However, today the bus headed on along Sewardstone Road into Essex and arrived at the Lee Valley Campsite at 1555, which meant the hold up at Forest Road cost the bus about six minutes.

Entering Lee Valley Campsite

The bus laying over with Charmaine still aboard in
our seat at the front

To return home we boarded the same bus, well actually Charmaine didn't get off unlike me and stayed on until we reached Kings Head Hill. Here we walked around the corner and caught a No 313 to Chingford. To get home from here took one and a half hours with a train to Liverpool Street, a No 133 bus to London Bridge and then the Uckfield train to East Croydon. Then finally the No 410 bus to get us home at ten minutes to seven.