Day 153 to NE London for The No236 from Hackney Wick to Finsbury Park.

 Another late start, this time after table tennis saw us catch a No 410 bus to East Croydon and then the 1438 train to London Bridge from Uckfield and then Northern and Central lines to Bethnal Green. At Bethnal Green Charmaine had a book launch to go to and I then continued on the Central Line to Stratford and finally took the Overground to Hackney Wick.

Hackney Wick station looking towards Stratford

 I knew the bus route started on Eastway but it was not immediately obvious when I arrived there, so I called our son Richard and he confirmed the bus stop I needed was out of sight around a corner, but I was at least in the correct road. I passed the layover location just as a bus was emerging so missed that one and had to catch the bus twelve minutes later at 1619.

As usual I just missed Stagecoach's 39128

The Trowbridge Estate Hackney Wick

A rift in the cloud after an aircraft has passed through

Stagecoach 37553 approaching

 

It seems that Tower Transit has shed many of its buses now as each bus I saw was an ex Tower Transit bus now operated by Stagecoach London. This bus was now labelled Stagecoach No 37553 and very soon took us left under the A12 to Mabley Green along the Lee Conservancy Road. At the first junction we turned left along Homerton Road and into Homerton. Once in Homerton we turned right just beyond the library in order to access the Homerton Hospital. The bus then returned to the same road which by now had become Homerton High Street and soon turned left under the North London Railway. This afforded the opportunity to reach Morning Lane and after a little trip around back roads we were heading south down Mare Street. 

An old bank on Mare Street just before we took Westgate Street

This direction of travel was arrested at Westgate Street where we turned right through Broadway Market at 1642 and thence to Queensbridge Street where we travelled due north as the only bus on the road to Graham Road and Dalston Lane. The bus then headed west after crossing the railway again to Ridley Market and later crossed straight over Kingsland High Street heading for Canonbury via Boleyn Road, Matthias Road, Stoke Newington Green and Beresford Road. It was only at Stoke Newington Green that we left the London Borough of Hackney having been wandering around the borough for 40 minutes.

A chippy that obviously supports the Arsenal in Highbury

From Canonbury station the bus took Grovesnor Avenue which become Highbury New Road and at the end of this road the bus turned right and followed the route I had taken previously taken 5 years ago on the No 4 and the No 19. Finsbury Park station was reached at 1709, 50 minutes after departure.

Final destination Finsbury Park Station with another ex Tower Transit bus in front

I caught a Thameslink train to East Croydon from Finsbury Park at 1730 arriving home at 1845.