We caught the 1030 to Battersea Park in order to deliver some books to the Rose Community Centre near Savonna Street. I didn't linger in case work was found for me to do and made haste to the new Battersea Power Northern Line station. This enabled me to try the new extension to Kennington for the first time.
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| The new station at Battersea Power Station |
However I was endeavouring to get to Liverpool Street and therefore had to change trains at Kennington and then again at Bank for the Central line to Liverpool Street. The 1203 Chingford train then conveyed me to Wood Street. Here I disembarked at 1219 and walked up Upper Fyfield Street to the park where the No 230 begins the journey to Wood Green. On my way I passed a Platinum Jubilee coloured electric bus heading for Wood Green.
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Walking down Upper Fyfield road a
Platinum Jubilee bus on the No 230 |
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| The next No 230 lurking in the shade |
The bus runs every fifteen minutes so I had a little wait until 1238 before Ee9 started back to Wood Street station from where the bus turns right and heads down Wood Street in order to achieve Whipps Cross bus stand.
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| Whipps Cross bus stand |
As we passed along Lea Bridge Road we passed a car showroom with four different Rolls Royces in the window. The bus took Leyton Green Road which took us to Leyton bus garage and then right up to the Bakers Arms. Going ahead meant we were in Hoe Street and this road allowed the bus to reach Walthamstow bus station. However, before we got there we were asked to wait for two minutes as progress had been too rapid. We left the bus station at 1301 and made our way to James Street station and then on to Blackhorse Road. At the station of this name the bus turned left and we crossed the Lee Valley to Tottenham Hale bus station.
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| I was rather surprised by the name of the beauty parlour near the Bakers Arms. Presumably Yuki is someone's name |
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| Crossing the Lee valley |
At this bus station the bus driver was changed betwixt 1318 and 1320 and we then headed up to the A10, passing Tottenham garage in Philip Lane and then we went to West Green common.
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| Interesting building on Philip Lane |
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| Arrival at Wood Green Underground station |
From here the bus took me past Turnpike lane Underground station for the first time and on up Wood Green High Street to terminate at the Piccadilly line station at 1340 which was only 3 minutes over the booked timing of 59 minutes.
Next I had to get to Enfield Chase to catch the No 231. In order to do this I decided to take the Piccadilly line northbound to Cockfosters at 1352 which arrived there at 1409. I then walked down the 'high street' called Cockfosters Road to the roundabout and just into Bramley Road caught a No 307 towards Brimsdown which enabled me to arrive at Enfield Chase station at 1439.
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Stop CC just down the hill from Enfield Chase
railway station |
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| Metroline's VW1282 arriving |
Metroline's VW1282 arrived at 1449 and this was, according to the timetable, expected to be quite a short journey back to Turnpike Lane, only 35 minutes. The bus heads east along Church Street and then Soulbury Road until it meets the Great Cambridge Road the A10. This was a journey which took a little over 10 minutes. Thereafter progress was quite quick down the A10 and we reached the North Circular Road at 1512 and crossed into Harringay at 1514.
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The only bus routes on the A10 the
No 217 and 231 |
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| The queue to reach Turnpike Lane interchange |
This journey was an exact duplicate of the No 217 as shown by the photo even to the extent of the route from the A10 to Turnpike Lane where I arrived at 1522 only 33 minutes since departing Enfield Chase.
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| My No 232 waiting in the bus station |
The next bus, the No 232 departs from bus stop S at Turnpike Lane and I was underway by 1545 on single decker WS144 of London General. The bus headed back up Wood Green High Street reaching the Underground station at 1555. From here it continued north until we reached the North Circular Road. This road I found would be utilised many times as the bus erratically heads west towards Brent. Thus before reaching Palmers Green the bus turned west along the North Circular but kept straight ahead when the North Circular bends right to pass Arnos Grove Medical Centre and then the distinctive Piccadilly line Underground station.
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| The distinctive Arnos Grove Underground station |
Soon after turning left into Friern Barnet Road the bus turned left again passing New Southgate station and on reaching the North Circular turned right once again to rejoin this road. At the next junction we left the A406 only to return to it after stopping on the slip road. Stops were few and far between over the next section to Brent Cross during which time we passed under the Finchley High Road at 1625. As time went on it was becoming increasingly difficult for the bus to re-enter the traffic stream and as evidenced below there were long holds up which must have impacted the bus route going the other way.
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| Queues on the eastbound North Circular Road |
The access to get to Brent Cross shopping centre was quite convoluted requiring an almost 360 degree circuit of the roundabout after leaving the slip road and then a 180 degree turn under the A41 to arrive at 1633. Departure west took us over the North Circular on a bridge and then turning parallel with the westbound A406 we reached Staples Corner. Soon however, we turned south down Coles Green Road as far as Dollis Hill Lane and turning right here, brought us to Neasden and then the opportunity to rejoin the A406. We joined the A406 for only a short time though, before turning off and heading around to the left. This returned me to Brent Tesco, which I have visited a number of times and beyond this Besant Way, Pitfield way and finally Mitchell Way, all three in the St Raphael's Estate. I arrived at the last stop at 1706 a journey of 71 minutes.
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| Back where I was not so long ago when I was catching the No 224 at Mitchell Way |
To get home I walked along the A406 to Stonebridge Park station where I caught a Bakerloo line train to Willesden Junction and then the London Overground to Clapham Junction. I just missed a train so had to wait for the 1809 to deliver me home just before 7 pm.
