Day 190 After a busy morning the No 292 was a significant trek.

 I had a number of things to do before I could leave the local area so I was aiming for the 1205 to London Bridge when aboard the No 410 bus. However, as I got onto the platform at Waddon the 1200 to Victoria arrived and when aboard I saw that the 1205 had been cancelled. This train arrived at Victoria at 1243 and after taking a Victoria line train to King's Cross and St Pancras I arrived at 1259 just in time for the 1303 St Albans train to convey me to Elstree and Borehamwood. On the journey we passed through the almost ready Brent Cross West station but I didn't see how trains would get from there to Dudden Hill without crossing the fast lines on the flat.

A No 292 bus leaving for Borehamwood

Walking down Theobold Street with a No 292
approaching

A Cessna 172 descending to Elstree airfield

I arrived at 1327 at Elstree and Borehamwood station and as I emerged a No 292 was leaving bus stop C. However when I got to this stop I found it was the stop to catch the bus the 8 minutes to Rossington Avenue Borehamwood. I didn't think this would take me too long to walk, so I set off in pursuit of the bus. I was mistaken though, as the walk took me 28 minutes, but it was only as I neared the end of this walk that a No 292 passed me. The total walk was almost 1 3/4 miles and my thighs were protesting as I had already done almost a mile with in addition all the stairs at the various stations. Lets hope it will stand me in good stead for the Ride and Stride 17 mile cycle ride in week's time.

The terminal bus stop

Looking across to the first bus stop

Metroline's VWH2053 No 292 arriving
at terminal point

Metroline's VWH2053 as No 292 arriving
to pick me up

Metroline's VWH2053 arrived opposite at 1419 and at 1423 was picking me up to retrace my steps back to Elstree and Borehamwood station, albeit not crossing the football pitches diagonally as I did on foot. Most of this area seems to be made up of post war estates and after Leeming Road shops we headed up Gateshead Road to intercept Theobald Street and headed back towards the railway station where there was some roadworks which caused a brief hold up.

Roadwork created queue in Theobald Street

At the end of this road the bus does a circuit outside the station stopping this time at bus stop A at 1433 (an hour after leaving) before the bus took Borehamwood High Street. There was a right turn into Tesco's before we passed the Elstree Studios where there were two Sullivan buses single deckers, one of which was branded for their Thorpe Park shuttle service.

Elstree Studio

Briefly the bus took the A5135 with the No 107 but at the Studio Way roundabout it headed off alone along Manor Way until it reached Furzehill Road. There was a broken down Swedish lorry on Manor Way but it didn't impede our progress very much. At Furzehill road we turned left and soon were joined by a No 107 as we headed for Stirling Corner where I had previously changed buses between doing the No 262 and 263. The bus unlike the No 107 turned right and ran along the A1 to its junction with the A41 at Apex Corner passing Scratchwood as we did so.

Heading down the A1 from Stirling Corner we
 reach the ULEZ boundary created from yesterday

The bus then ran into Edgware and we dwelt a very long time in the bus station from 1503 to 1510 and as we exited I found out the reason: the traffic lights had failed where the pedestrians walk into the bus station. From here we headed to the A5 and ran down this through Burnt Oak on a road I had covered with five other buses. The bus remained on the A5 until it reached the turn for ASDA Colindale where we terminated at 1521. 

Entering Edgware bus station

Arrival at Colindale Superstores

I then walked to Colindale Underground station where I caught a Northern line train to Kennington and there I changed to a Morden train as far as Balham. There was only 2 minutes to wait for the train home so I made it home soon after 5pm.