This trip started with a No 407 bus to East Croydon and then the 1121 Bedford Thameslink train to Farringdon. I arrived at 1148 and within 3 minutes an Elizabeth line train arrived with the destination of Maidenhead. This should have been fine but as we reached Paddington passengers were being advised to catch this train and get a local bus at Hayes to the airport. There were apparently issues in the tunnels which led to the airport from Hayes so no trains were going into the airport. This meant that we were held up as trains that were supposed to be going that way had to be found an alternative stabling point before they returned eastwards. It was thus 1233 before we reached Hayes and Harlington station and it was very busy with people with cases. Eventually I was able to fight my way though and walk southwards to Farley Corner which was where the bus stop at Hayes station said the bus terminated. However, when I was waiting on the opposite side of the road and the next No 350 was approaching I saw there was someone already aboard. It appears the bus actually goes to ASDA which is the next stop the other side of Farley Corner.
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| Bus arrived bang on time |
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| A busy bus stop with at least four more buses for me to do |
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| Abellio 8895 Approaching |
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| Notice advising of change of No 350 route depending on outcome of survey |
I was aboard Abellio 8895 at 1243 and this returned me in the direction of Hayes and Harlington station. Here the traffic was very slow and eventually I found the reason was a delivery lorry which was parked in the main road. This was making it very difficult for buses to pass each other, of which there were a large number.
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| Hayes and Harlington station |
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| Heading down Botwell Lane eventually the bus route is the only bus serving the road |
At the High Street the bus filled completely with many standing and we turned left down Botwell Lane past Botwell Green Leisure centre and library. This route runs from Botwell Lane left into Botwell Common Lane and I found although the bus stops stated no other bus used the road, but there was an SL8 behind us heading for Uxbridge! When we reached Dawley Road the SL8 went right but our bus went left so that it could access Bolingbroke Way and the Stockley Park estate.
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| Entering Stockley Park |
Here the U5 also joined us as we made slow progress around the estate owing to the speed humps. It was 1310 as we entered Stockley Park West although with all the toing and froing it was difficult to know what direction we had been heading in under the cloudy skies. Crossing under Stockley Road we took Horton Road and entered Yiewsley. For this part of the journey the bus was again the sole user of the road until we reached the high street where we turned left and headed over the Grand Union Canal and then under the GWR at West Drayton station at 1316.
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| Briefly on the A4 dual carriageway |
Heading vaguely south now, the bus was full and standing once more as we took Station Road and then Harmondsworth Road to the end where the bus went right along Holloway Lane into Harmondsworth where many people alighted. On Harmondsworth Road we had crossed the M4 and at the end of Holloway Lane when it had become Hatch Lane we met the A4.
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| Crossing the Duke of Northumberland's river at the bus gate into terminal 5 |
From here the bus made short work of running west along the A4 then south on the A3044 and left through the bus gate to access Terminal 5 where we terminated at 1333.
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| Inside Terminal 5 with a First Berkshire double decker ahead of us. |
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