After collecting a bookcase from Emmaus and taking to the ARC in Caterham I was ready to catch the 1235 London Bridge departure. Here I boarded a Jubilee line train to North Greenwich arriving at 1320, but rather than get a bus straight away I went to have a look at the Thames cable car set up. Thus it was 1350 that I was waiting at stop B for the No 422.
 |
| Inside North Greenwich bus station |
 |
| Waiting at bus stop B |
 |
| Stagecoach 12343 arriving |
Stagecoach 12343 picked me up at 1357 and initially followed the route of almost all the other buses away from the bus station but soon went right into John Harrison Way as sole user to reach Millenium Primary School. The bus next goes straight under the A102M and down Blackwall Lane to the Woolwich Road joining with other routes as it did so. At this point the bus turned east returning towards the A102M, however insead of joining this road it did a complete circuit of the roundabout under the road so as to be able to take the left into Combedale Road. From here we followed roughly parallel with the motorway up Westcombe Hill past Westcombe Park railway station to reach the Royal Standard at Blackheath at 1413.
 |
| Low stratus on the building tops |
 |
| At the end of Blackwall Lane |
 |
Waiting to climb Westcombe Hill with A102M
beside us |
The bus then headed east over the A102M along Charlton Road to Charlton House and continued on the same road through The Village and Charlton Park Road heading for Woolwich.
 |
| Crossing the A102M on Charlton Road |
Woolwich Arsenal station was reached at 1431 and after this we turned right along the A206 Plumstead Road to near the garage. At this juncture drivers were exchanged betwixt 1434 and 1437. We next avoided the large roundabout with the bus garage in the centre by heading straight along the bus only section towards the Plumstead station stop.
 |
| A No 53 waiting in Plumstead to return to Lambeth North |
After running along Plumstead High Street the bus turned right up Wickham Lane, now with only tthe No 96 for company. On reaching Upper Wickham Lane we entered the Borough of Bexley and turning left at Okehampton Crescent we left the route of the No 96 but joined with the B11 service. There seemed to be quite a number of diversions in this area as we took King Harolds Way and then Bedonwell Road. Although the bus stops only said No 422 on them I saw SL3, and 301 and later we joined with the No 401.
 |
| Three No 96s in Wickham Lane |
 |
| Buses under diversion at Bedonwell Road |
We forked right along Hythe Avenue, which meant once again we were on our own and this road fed into Cumberland Drive.Taking Pickford Lane at the roundabout now with both the B11 and B12 we ran past Bexleyheath railway station at 1507. This road led straight into The Avenue and at the end of this we turned left at Crook Log and entered The Broadway. The bus looped around the pedestrianised part of Bexleyheath High Street and terminated at the clock tower at 1516.
 |
| Stagecoach 12343 leaving at Woolwich clock tower |
I decided to return home via Bexley station as it appeared to be as accessible as Bexleyheath and immeadiattelyy a No 132 arrived which I took to Bexley High Street. Annoyingly I missed the 1542 train byy seconds and had to await the next at 1557. This train then just missed the 1625 train home at London Bridge by 3 minutes so I ttook tthe 640 ttrain tto Norwood Junction hoping tto cath a London Overground to West Croydon. No such luck, all it meantt was I had to wait for the train which leftt London Bridge at 1655 and arrived home at half past five.
No comments:
Post a Comment