Day 185 After a trip to the Eel Pie Island open day at Twickenham to Heathrow for the No 285.

Not only did we visit Eel Pie Island but we also went to the Osterley book shop in the original Osterley District line station before the Great West Road was built in the 1930s. We had arrived at Osterley station from Hounslow East and then retraced our steps and subseqently continued on to Heathrow Central bus station.

Another No 285 arriving

Abellio 2579 awaiting departure

Charmaine waiting for bus to come around

At 1705 we boarded Abellio double decker No 2579 and after a lengthy loading period we were underway at 1707. When I worked at Heathrow this route was operated by London United and was a single decker. It went left after travelling under the runway and then right onto the A4 as far as Hatton Road North where we took the northern perimeter road around to Hatton Cross station arriving at 1725. From here the bus crossed the A30 and turned right onto the A312 to take us to Feltham station eight minutes later. 

The thoroughly wet weather makes photography
difficult

This being a Saturday traffic was much lighter than weekdays as we returned along Hanworth Road to join  the Uxbridge Road next to The Airman public house. On my way home from the work this was always a slow crawl down to Apex Corner and on past the Sainsbury's supermarket. The bus did a quick trip into the Sainsbury's car park area and out at 1742. This is where we left the London Borough of Hounslow and entered Richmond.

Sainsburys in and out

As we pick up passengers the quick 
bus to Kingston from Heathrow, the X26 goes by

From the traffic lights at the end of Uxbridge Road the bus headed left and into Hampton Hill at 1750 passing the library and theatre before swinging right at the lights for Teddington. Just after the National Physical Laboratories the bus route is joined by the 281 and for much of journey thereafter we were following a No 281 as we went through Teddington to the Landmark Arts Centre and there turned right for Hampton Wick and onwards to Kingston. 

Landmark Arts Centre Teddington

We arrived at the Cromwell Street bus station at 1809 almost exactly an hour after departure.

Disembarkation in the rain

Abellio 2597 off to rest before
 its return to Heathrow

To get home from here we took the No X26 to Wallington Green and finished off with a No 407 arriving home at 1942.