Day 244 Another trip to the Barking area this time to do the No 368.

 I made sure Charmaine reached the 1205 to Market Harborough at St Pancras and then took a Metropolitan train to Barking. I arrived at the station at 1249 and resolved to walk to the starting point in the Hart Estate bus as I was walking towards North Street a No 368 arrived. I thus boarded that to the start of the journey.

Bus stand in the Harts Lane Estate

Timetable suggests a journey of 32 minutes.

London General's Wright Hybrid Volvo No 70

The bus driver having made himself comfortable I reboarded London General's WHV70 five minutes after alighting at 1309 and we set off briskly back the way I had recently travelled. This part of the journey to the roundabout was only covered by the No 368 route.

One of a number of ex public houses seen, in
some places only the sign remained, this is North Street

We turned left to cross over the throat of Barking station which took us to the roundabout to the north of Barking station. We reached the station at 1314 and after that took the diversionary route around the back of the High Street to intercept North Street at near Barking Abbey. 

Church on site of Barking Abbey

From here we continued to run around the outside of the town centre in an anti-clockwise direction and thereby reached Ripple Road.  A little way along this road roadworks caused quite a hold up the Barking side of the Movers Lane junction. Beyond this though progress was quite quick to Rippleside Cemetery which was reached at 1330. 

The end of Ripple Road where it meets the A13

At the junction with A13 flyover we bore left along the A1153 (Lodge Avenue) accompanied by the No 62. However, after the Roundhouse this bus route is alone and continued thus along Lodge Avenue until we reached the Bennetts Castle Lane stop where the bus driver announced the bus would terminate. The hybrid bus had been making strange grinding noises each time it tried to pull off in electric mode so I guess this was why. It was 1344 when we got off and the bus service is every 11-13 minutes.

St Cedd's church Lodge Avenue

The bus in front was going all the way but departed as we stopped

WHV70 at terminal stop

Journey left only five minutes

Our saviour WHV113 arriving

With perfect timing WHV113 hove into sight at 1357 and we quickly turned left now joined by the recently covered No 364. We separated from that route at the end of Bennetts Castle Lane joining the Nos 128 and 150 as we turned right as far as Valence lane where those buses go straight on and we turned left again accompanied once more with the No 62. We then passed over the railway at Chadwell Heath station and terminated in the one way section at the stop call Wangey Road at 1403. The billed 32 minute journey had taken 54 in total. To get home I took the Elizabeth line at Chadwell Heath to Farringdon and then the Thameslink to East Croydon, a tram and finally a local bus which took two hours.

Final Arrival

WHV113 starting its return journey

Day 243 Two buses one miles away and the other nearby, the No 366 and No 367.

 After dropping some items at the Croydon dump I caught a bus to East Croydon and boarded the late running 1045 to Peterborough as far as Farringdon. Here I switched to an eastbound Elizabeth line to Stratford arriving at 1155. After only a four minute wait I was on the last train-the Central line to Redbridge. Emerging from the station I found there was a No 366 right outside but this is not where the route starts from, so I walked along Roding Lane South with the Roding valley park on my right as far as Falmouth Gardens.

A No 336 waiting at Falmouth Gardens

As I approached a bus that was waiting at the starting point took off for Ilford at 1210. The service was every 8-10 minutes so it was 1226 when I boarded London Generals' Byd electric single decker See217 and headed straight back the way I had walked to Redbridge station.

Falmouth Gardens bus stop

Regularity of service which should take just under
an hour

Awaiting departure

Roding valley allotments

Beyond the station the bus took the A12 briefly before heading off right down The Drive with the No 145 for company. This road passed Cranbrook Primary school and on to Cranbrook Road which took us into the town centre of Ilford. The station passed at 1240 the bus went left and left again to pass the central library and back past where I quite recently was awaiting the No 364. Out to the east of Ilford the bus briefly took the A118 but soon swung south down Sunnyside Road as the only bus covering the road turning left at Eton Road. The bus joined with another on South Park Road before heading back east along Loxford Lane past Loxford Park, again alone.

Sunnyside Road

Passing Loxford Park

At the 'T' junction at the end the bus headed left and ran into Barking town centre. At 1304 we were at Barking station and at Barking Green the bus stopped to change drivers 1306 to 1308. After this we travelled into an industrial are following a No 325 down roads with some bus gates before reaching the B ecton triangle retail park. The bus retraced it steps back to where it crossed the North Circular and then took this south as far as Armada Way where it went left into Gallions Reach shopping centre ar 1322. The bus took Armada Way around the DLR depot and then to Gallions station. We took the A117 at the Gallions roundabout then left down Ferndale Street and then Woolwich Manor Way after running past Cyprus station to pull into Beckton bus station at 1338.

Gallions shopping centre

Arrival at Beckton bus station

At Beckton DLR station I took a train headed for Canning Town but I got off briefly at Royal Albert to look at what was residing at London City Airport. 

Embraer Emb-190 of Cityflyer at London City

I then reboarded a Canning Town destined train and  changed for one to Poplar. At Poplar I boarded a Canary Wharf train and here a Lewisham train arrived as we pulled up. Thus I arrived at Lewisham about 1500 and found there was a Sevenoaks train at 1516 which led to me getting the branch line train at Grove Park at 1532 to Bromley North.

Bus turning area at Bromley North

Networker at Bromley North

Waiting for the fourth item on the list

Bus number 8 on the list

A No 367 going down to the end to turn around

Abellio 8202 arriving

At 1556 I boarded Abellio 8202 at Bromley North setting off briskly down Kentish Way thence by Elmfield Road to Bromley High Street. Beyond this the bus took Westmoreland Road and then went right at Cumberland Road.

Heading for Bromley High Street

The first stop along Cumberland Road

Descending Kingsdown Road with the
 central Library on the hill in the background

This road becomes St Mary's Avenue and the bus, beyond the church, headed north downhill along Kingswood Road. Going left at Valley Road the bus went left again at Shortlands railway station joined the No 358 briefly before heading right along Beckenham Grove. The bus then wriggles alone through Shortlands before emerging from Oakwood Avenue into Bromley Road and running into Beckenham beside St George's church. 

St George's church Beckenham

Pillar box cover of a spider for halloween

At 1619 the bus then went left down hill so as to take Beckenham High Street and then joined the No 352 to head along Village Way. The bus goes it alone again at the traffic lights to reach Elmers End via Eden Park Avenue. After passing Tescos and crossing the Hayes railway line we entered the London Borough of Croydon.  The bus then took a long road called the Glade which lead to Orchard Avenue and eventually Shirley shopping centre. 

Sweeping past Shirley library

Shirley Coop

From here the bus did a circuit of the Shirley oaks estate between 1641 and 1645 before running down to Ashburton park and then left along Addiscombe High street. Finally going left up Cherry Orchard Road the bus reached East Croydon and subsequently taking Wellesley Road it terminated outside Delta Point at 1705.

Croydon transmitter on hill from Shirley Oaks

Final stop outside the Old BT building Delta Point

I walked around to West Croydon bus station and caught a bus home.

Day 242 Another bus in NE London the No 365 on 25th September from South Street junction with A1306 to Havering Park, North of Romford.

 The day started quite late catching the 1205 to London Bridge from which I travelled by No 43 to Bank and then walked to Fenchurch Street. The 1253 was waiting in the platform and at 1319 I got off at Rainham. The journey planner suggested I caught a No 287 but after twenty minutes no such bus had been seen travelling either way so I caught a No 103 to Cherry Tree Lane. On arrival I turned left into Cherry Tree Lane and was able to catch a No 365 to its start point. However, what I had not appreciated that had I not done it this way there were a number of roads I wouldn't have covered as it is a one way route around the Orchard Estate.

Awaiting departure time on the 'old' A13

So at 1401 having alighted to get the obligatory picture I was back on board Stagecoach's double decker 19786. We travelled east initially along the A1306 but soon swung left into Cherrytree Lane passing the way in to the Orchard Estate but crossing over the A125 which the No 103 had used into SouthEnd. Once again I was on the remains of RAF Hornchurch and the bus turned left along Mungo Park Road.

A rather gloomy day driving through the suburbs,
of Hornchurch

Ex RAF Hornchurch

 On reaching Wood Lane the bus turned right and abruptly left to take us to Rosewood Avenue which enabled the bus to reach Elm Park station. At no point in the journey so far had the bus been the only bus operated  on the road and we joined the No 252 at this point before driving in concert with the No 165 down Elm Park Avenue then left into St Abbs Lane and finally left onto Hornchurch Road passing Hyland Way at 1425.

Elm Park 

 After the stop at Roneo Corner at 1431 we heading into Romford Town Centre by way of the Queen's Hospital. We passed the station and heading to Romford Market and then along North Street to cross the A12. 

Roneo Corner Romford

Once travelling along the B175 there was a fork right for Havering Atte Bower we could have taken but instead we followed the well used route to Collier Row. Finally once we had turned right at the Collier Row roundabout at 1458 the bus was on a road I hadn't previously used as we took Clockhouse Lane to the  end. We were climbing for much of the time and at the end of this lane we turned left and terminated in Frank Road having circled the roundabout on the western end of the road.

Queuing to cross the Eastern Avenue A12

Sign advertising Havering Country Park in Collier
Row

Descending to the final stop, which is on right after
having circled the mini-roundabout

Journey's End

I caught a No 294 then back to Romford station where I decided to take the London Overground train to Upminster. From Upminster it was District line to Whitechapel and London Overground from there to Croydon and home

Day 241 Another visit to Ilford this time to do the No 364.

 This time we caught the 0935 London Bridge train and changed there onto the Jubilee line to Stratford where we arrived at 1027. An Elizabeth line was then taken the four stops to Ilford where we arrived at 1045. I then separated from Charmaine leaving her to do shopping in the High Street whilst I walked to the far end at Hainault Street where the No 364 leaves for Dagenham. 

This display spoke with forked tongue as there were
,many more buses before the No 364 arrived

The journey should take 47 minutes and is
 every 8 minutes or so

London General's SE 317 arriving

As usual I just missed a No 364 as I approached London General's SE 308 which I rediscovered when the journey ended. SE317 of London General finally arrived at 1105 and then conveyed only me as far as the library and Kenneth More Theatre where other persons joined and more passengers got on as the bus went along the road avoiding the pedestrianised part of the High Street. The bus turned right past Ilford station and then very soon turned right into Coventry Road and it was announced we were in a hail and ride section. This section saw the bus turn right down Granville Road and then back left to rejoin Coventry Road, all the houses being of late Victorian or Edwardian era construction. The hail and ride section ended as we turned right into Perth Road, still as the only bus to cover these roads. The bus combined with other routes briefly as it took the left turn into Russell Gardens. Soon however, the bus started to plough its own furrow again, along Wards Road as another hail and ride section. Travelling along this road we passed a bridge parapet which had allotments beside it. This was the remains of the GER branch from Ilford to Newbury Park which was replaced by the Central line service from Leytonstone in November 1947. At the end of this road we went briefly left then followed Meade Lane until it became Percy Road. Two weeks ago we stayed in Percy Street in Alnwick in Northumberland-a strange coincidence.

At the end of Percy Road we turned right into 
Barley Lane where we joined the EL3. A bus I caught
after doing the No 362 and saw a No 364 in this
very spot last week.

The bus then took us straight across the A118 past Goodmayes station and left at the end along Green Lane as far as Bennets Castle Lane where again the No 364 is the only bus that serves the road. At the junction with Longbridge Road the bus went left for a short spell before going right and then down Parsloes Avenue which took us past the Bobby Moore Sports Hub.

Bobby Moore Sports Hub playing fields

Beyond this we crossed over Heathway into our last hail and ride section along Reede Road. At the end of this road the bus turned right to reach Dagenham East station where the last passenger alighted. I then continued to the next roundabout where the bus did a complete circle around and terminated facing back towards Dagenham East station, behind the bus I had missed in Ilford London General's SE308.

Bus terminated at 1153 behind sister, 48 minutes
after leaving Ilford Hainault Street.

I then rang Charmaine and arranged to meet her at Whitechapel as we had an appointment arranged for 2 PM at Enfield archives.