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 |
.
No comments:
Post a Comment