I had a dentist's appointment at 1040 so made my way there by tram and train so I wouldn't have to come home from Orpington to start the trip. Having been given a clean bill of health I joined the 1141 to Cannon Street and left that train at New Cross at just after 1200. From here I caught the 1212 London Overground train towards Dalston Junction as far as Shadwell. On arrival above ground there was quite a heavy blustery shower occurring and it took a little while to ascertain that the No 339 left from the opposite side of the railway line and DLR station to the No 100 I had caught in 2018.
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| Martha Street stop where Stagecoach 67011 waits |
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| Stop D Shadwell station |
The service was being provided by the penultimate in the series of the new Stagecoach London single deckers number 67011. The bus left stop D in Martha Street at 1236 and turned right then right again along Tarling Street to intercept Sutton Street where the bus turned left heading north across the Commercial Road and along Jubilee Street as far as Stepney Way. We then turned right to reach the Stepney Green and city farm where we entered the High Street.
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| Tarling Street E1 |
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| Stepney City Farm |
As we turned right into Ben Johnson Way we met another bus route for the first time the No 309. However soon we were alone again turning left along Harford Street. At the top of this we turned right into the Mile End Road thereby joining other bus routes and we did not remain alone thereafter as we headed north up Grove Road after passing under the Green Bridge.
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| Ecology centre at Mile End |
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| The Roman Road E3 one can ride along |
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The gate to the pedestrianised part of
Roman Road |
The next change was to turn right into Roman Road where we were joined with the No 8 to Old Ford. When we reached the arch delineating the pedestrianised part of Roman Road the bus headed right down St Stephen's Street and subsequently left along Tredegar Road now on its own again. We crossed over the Eastway on a bridge and entered the Old Ford Trading Estate where we stopped at Fish Island at 1305.
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| Fish Island stop |
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| Passing the Olympic now West Ham stadium |
After this we were briefly joined by the routes No 276 and No 488 but forged off alone again amongst the Olympic park area passing the Bobby Moore Primary Academy and the Olympic stadium and finally the Aquatic centre before reaching Stratford City Bus station where drivers were exchanged at 1315. By 1317 we were leaving the bus station and entered the new postal zone of E20 after passing by the International station. The area had twenty years previously been the London International Freight Terminal but was now full of recently built tower blocks. We returned onto more long lived parts of Stratford at Chobham Road turning north up Major Road and then right along Crownfield Road to reach the Leytonstone High Road. I had intended to combine this bus with the No 340 from Harrow to Edgware so was taken aback when we stopped at Harrow Green!
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The bus turned left off the High Road along Cathall Road and as we emerged over the Central line which was running parallel with the A12 there would have been good panoramic views of London, had it not been for the rainwater on the windows!
We turned right at the lights here into Groves Green Road and followed this road for the rest of the route to Leytonstone Underground station where we arrived at 1338, so slightly over an hour was taken for the journey.
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| The final stop at Leytonstone Underground station |
I checked when I was on the Central line train how long it would take to get to Edgware and I would not have arrived until 1450. I presumed this would mean the buses would be full of school kids so decided rather than risk contracting a cold or something worse I would leave the No 340 for another day and got off the train at Stratford. After a short while here, I took an Elizabeth line train one stop to Whitechapel and then the London Overground to West Croydon arriving home at 1530.
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