To try and achieve three buses without entering the rush hour I started on the No 410 bus heading for East Croydon at 1020. This bus as usual changed drivers at the top of Tamworth Road which meant I arrived at East Croydon at 1040; perfect timing for the 1045 to Peterborough. However, this train didn't arrive until 1051 so I could have had a leisurely walk to Waddon station and caught the London Bridge train which would have arrived at 1058. On arrival at London Bridge I stayed on the Thameslink train and alighted at St Pancras International. At 1118 I arrived there and by 1124 I was on a Northern line Underground train to Golders Green.
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| Metroline's DE1022 awaiting its departure |
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| Bus stop at Golders Green station which is effectively around the corner |
Emerging from the station at 1138 I immediately saw a No 268 to my right, but it didn't appear this was where the bus picked up passengers. I looked around the bus station but couldn't find a No 268 bus stop and indeed having seen another No 268 outside the bus station area I found the stop on the road south of the bus station area. On arrival the indicator said the bus was due but it wasn't until 1148 that the bus I had seen earlier arrived to pick us up.
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| DE1022 approaching the stop |
The bus then headed south climbing as it went towards Hampstead Heath passing Golders Hill park on the right. The climb evened out at the Jackstraws Castle and after passing the pond we descended into Hampstead High Street.
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| Golders Hill Park |
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| Pond just beyond the Jackstraws atop Hampstead Heath |
Roadworks near the Hollybush Steps meant one of the bus stops was closed and we turned left with the High Street at 1158. Beyond here the bus continued in a straight line down Rosslyn Hill which became Haverstock Hill.
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| Restaurant sign now very faded on Hampstead High Street |
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| Typical villa on Belsize Avenue |
When the bus turned right into Belsize Avenue it was finally the sole user of a road. This was the only occasion this happened, though, after turning into Buckland Crescent at the end the bus turned left and we were at Swiss Cottage.
The bus did an almost 36 degree turn around the Swiss Cottage roundabout to be heading up the Finchley Road. Just before arrival at the final stop our progress was blocked by a broken down black Porsche. Our driver and the refuse lorry that we nudged trying to overtake had words with the Porsche driver and he got in and glided out of the way.
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| Black Porsche totally blocking Finchley Road |
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| Now off the bus on the Finchley Road |
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| Bus heading off around the corner to layover for return to Golders Green |
The bus then terminated at Finchley Road O2 at 1214 which meant a 26 minute trip which is booked to take 30 minutes.
My next bus is from Bexleyheath to Bromley but given the following bus starts in Putney it seemed sensible to go to the extreme east and come back. Thus I walked the short distance to Finchley Road Underground station arriving at 1218 and by 1220 was aboard a Jubilee line train heading for London Bridge. At 1242 I climbed onto the Class 465 Networker bound for Gravesend by Sidcup. I caught this rather than wait for the next Bexleyheath line train which was not until 1305. The train I was on was first stop Hither Green so it was only seven more stops before I was able to leave Bexley station and catch London General's EP1 on a route No 132 trip to Bexleyheath which brought me to the clocktower at 1327. The No 269 started from the same stop I disembarked at and at 1334 DW447 of Arriva was turning right away from the pick up point with me aboard.
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| The Bexleyheath clocktower |
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| Arriva's DW447 approaching the stop |
The bus heading north, then east, then south and finally west along the southern side of the shopping centre to access Bexleyheath library stop after turning right at the roundabout. The bus then made it back to the roundabout and turned right down Townley Road towards the A2. At first the bus shared the road with the B13 but once we reached Arbuthnot Lane the B13 turned west whereas the No 269 climbed over the A2 and then turned left at the end to join the route of the No 132 towards Bexley.
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| Sole user of road, the No 269 |
Just beyond the crossing of the river Shuttle there were some roadworks but these caused minimal delay before the bus was climbing up the hill and then down the other side to the Bexley War Memorial. Here the bus turns right and joins the No 229 heading towards Sidcup.
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| The stop for my wife's Aunt Edie |
At Footscray Lane these buses part company but having turned left then we were on the same road as the No B14 before the No 269 turned right along Faraday Avenue to become its sole user. This road became Hatherley Crescent near Sidcup station and two other buses were then using the same route. The bus turned left up Station Road across Sidcup High street past Queen Mary's Hospital and over the A20 to reach the Borough of Bromley at 1405.
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| The Park Sidcup, where our twins' godfather lives |
This road is the A222 and the bus continued along this road through Chislehurst common down to the station where the Kydbrook is crossed and on to Bickley and eventually Bromley. Arrival at Bromley North station was achieved at 1426.
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| Bromley North bus terminal |
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| DW447 departing for the driver's break |
The next destination was Putney Bridge and the quickest way to do this was catch a train from Bromley to Victoria and then use the District line. However when I arrived at Bromley South at 1438 I found the next Victoria train was not for 22 minutes. When it came to it though I waited for the one after at 1503 as that was said to be direct whilst the other went by the Catford Loop and stopped at Denmark Hill. It was the correct decision as the train I caught arrived 3 minutes ahead of time and that would have been 9 minutes before the 1500 from Bromley would have arrived. I was on the westbound District line platform at 1521 and at 1524 I caught a Parsons Green bound train. Putney Bridge was one stop further on but it took a while to get the train I had left to go into the siding to allow the following train to arrive. It was 1548 when I arrived at Putney Bridge but I only had to wait 3 minutes for Abellio's 2029 to turn the corner and pick me up.
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| Abellio's 2029 at Putney Bridge |
The exit for the station area to cross the bridge was really choked with traffic and it took almost ten minutes to cross the bridge.
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| Putney rail bridge and Thames |
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| Looking towards Thames across Wandsworth Park |
Once clear of the bridge the bus turned left and headed for Wandsworth. The tide was in as we crossed over the river Wandle and then turned right into Ram street to point in the direction of Earlsfield,
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| Brewery Heritage Centre Wandsworth |
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| Approaching Earlsfield station along Garratt Lane |
effectively following the line of the river. The bus became increasingly full as we moved away from Wandsworth at 1611.By this time we were a good way into Garratt Lane, sometimes the bus was not stopping at stops because nobody wanted to get off, so there was no additional room for passengers. Garratt Lane is so long that by the time we were arriving at Tooting Broadway Underground station the house numbers were 1071 and 1073.
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| 1073 Garratt Lane |
Once across the A24 the bus was in Mitcham Road and despite loads of people getting off for the Underground, hoards were waiting to board. Amen Corner was passed at 1639 and then thanks to the bus lane we were able to sail pass queuing traffic caused by a set of roadworks just before Figges Marsh.
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| Queues caused by roadworks viewed from near Tooting station |
Once through Mitcham town centre the bus headed in the direction of Croydon but at the Canons Leisure Centre it turned in and around to end the route facing back the way it had come. This was about 1700, and was 69 minutes instead of the booked 48 minutes.
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| Journey's End |
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| Starting point and terminal point at Mitcham |
I caught the tram home from Mitcham Junction walking there from the bus terminal point and arrived home at 1750.
