Day 292 Two buses around Dartford the No 428 and No 429, the first TFL the second operated by GoCoach of Swanley.

The trip began with the 1005 train to London Bridge which, having arrived just before 1030, gave me sufficient time to reach Platform 1 and the train from Cannon Street to Dartford via Blackheath and Woolwich at 1036. Arrival at Erith station was at 1113 and I then had to find the bus stop outside the Riverside Centre to catch the No 428 to Bluewater.     

Arriva's DW502 loading up in Erith

I left the station and followed the pathway and as I rounded the corner I saw there was a No 428 at the stop already embarking passengers. So at 1118 I was off aboard Arriva London's DW502. This is the only bus that turns left onto the A206, so we were on our own for a while along this road before we were joined by the Nos 89 and 99 for the route to Slade Green station. After stopping for the station the bus continued in an arc to rejoin the A206 at a roundabout.

The access to Slade Green railway station

Here the bus again ran along the A206 for a while but then turned right at a roundabout and forged on alone towards Crayford (B2186). Passing signs to the Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre we crossed Maiden Lane and continued toward Crayford crossing the River Cray and passing the Lindy Lou vintage tea room by the river.

Brown sign for Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre

River Cray quite swollen after 7 inches of rain
in just over a month

Lindy Lou tea room with river beyond

The bus turned right onto the one way system and then remained on what was the original A2 Watling Street towards Dartford now with the Nos 96 and 492 for company.

Crayford High Street

At 1145 we reached the top of West Hill and began our descent into Dartford. We went left as all traffic has to, towards the Home Gardens stop and after crossing the River Darent and passing the parish church we turned left and drove up Temple hill.

Starting descent into Dartford

Parish church with River Darent in foreground

St Anthony's URC with very thin spire

After crossing the throat of the Dartford tunnel on the B255, subsquently we went into the Darent Valley hospital circulation area which was reached at 1158. We then returned to the B255 and descended with Bluewater to our left before rising up to a roundabout which was a very convoluted way of accessing the quarry Bluewater is situated in. We terminated in the bus station  at 1206.

Part of the convoluted trip into
Bluewater going south to go north

Bluewater in quarry from over the A2

Entrance to the shopping complex

DW502 at journey's end.

A brookline bus on route No 479 in Darent valley hospital car park

I took a No 96 back towards Dartford and arrived back in Home gardens at 1224. My next bus I expected to start on the other side of the road, and I saw two Go Coach yellow and purple buses as I was crossing the bridge over the road. I made it in time to catch the 1230 No 429 to West Kingsdown via Swanley.

GoCoach on No 429 service in Home gardens 

The bus then took me back to the church along Home Gardens but then went around the other side of the one way system past the library and out of town along the A225.Once across the 'second A2' the bus went right into Oakfield Lane. Here we climbed up to NW Kent college and across the present A2.

Summerhouse Fish and Chips

We were thus heading for Bexley and having not taken the route through Wilmington, I expected the bus to take Leyton Cross Road, instead though we passed the remains of Bexley hopsital and descended the hill towards Bexley itself. However, at Baldwyn Park at the bottom of the dip the bus went left accompanied by the B12 bus. We followed this same bus route through the estate taking the left into Tile Kiln Lane the right Summerhouse Drive.

Looking towards back of Hook Green lane where
some members of Charmaine's family live

Birchwood Road sign

Continuing, this brought us to Birchwood Road where we went right towards the old Bull at Swanley. Before we reached that part of the road though, the bus did a left into Leyton Hatch Lane, then right into Russet Way and worked its way back to the old A20 that runs into Swanley. We didn't go the quick way left into Swanley but went right and then left following through an estate starting at Brook Road, then Lavender Hill, Cherry Aveneue and finally St Mary's Road which brought us back to the old A20 just north of the ASDA store. This was the old No 423 route whih Arriva dropped some while ago. We ran around the east side of the store and just south of it took the 'recent' addition of Godsel Road. (The road network was different here when I was a kid and caught the No 477 from Orpington station to Swanley for my swimming lessons.)  This road leads to Crockenhill but we took the right turn into Azalea Drive arriving at the railway station stop at 1304.

The roundabout south of ASDA in Swanley

After a brief stop we returned back the way we had come along Goldsel Road but then turned right away from ASDA, down the hill and so past the GoCoach garage which was the Country area London Transport garage before 1970. 

Crossing the now M20 with M25 on bridge above

At the M25 junction we took the A20 which at this stage reverts to a less busy road being largely replaced by the M20. Here a sign said West Kingsdown 5 miles and Farningham 1 1/2 miles. So at the next roundabout we turned right and went into Farningham village.

At 't' junction in Farningham village

Historic structure in Farningham

Here we went left at the 't' junction and over the River Darent with its historic remains and back briefly to the A225. To continue to West Kingsdown one can't now turn right onto the A20, so had to go left back to the roundabout and then on up the hill onto the Downs. Eventually we got to Brands Hatch which was reached at 1317, at a fair rate of knots, as no habitation here necessitates a bus stop!

Typical countryside as we climb on the A20

Not much furtheron  we entered West Kingsdown and what struck me as we turned into it was the name Hever road. This turned out to be just the start of many Hever Castle themed roads.

Hever Avenue

Hever Road shops

Hever Road

Brands Hatch

Our daughter worked at Hever Castle for seven years and we then passed Astor Road and Penshurst Close, Hever Avenue and Hever Wood Lane. Exitting from Hever Avenue back onto the main road we reached the Portobello Inn and the bus terminated at 1324.

The Portobello Inn

Timetable shows only 4 buses
 reach West Kingsdown a day

Looking back from returning
 bus stop at bus terminal point

The Wrotham mast a view point
from roof of London Weather centre
37KM

Three tickets, each of three pounds

I walked across the road and caught the same bus back to Swanley at 1330. I hoped to get the No 477 to Orpington but on the bus stop there was no indication the buses went any further than Swanley station. On the website though there appeared to be an hourly bus service operated by Kent Country; the long standing operator Arriva SE having pulled out last year owing to GoCoach competition. My bus did come exactly as predicted on the website at 1411 and it took me to the station and then on through Crockenhill, Kevington and St Mary Cray to Orpington. Here I boarded a No 353 to Addngton tram stop but as there are no trams this week, had to await a tram replacement bus. A bus of the identical class to that I had ridden on the No 428 arrived at 1605. This dropped me at East Croydon and I then caught a No 410 home arriving at 5pm. Thus it took me 3 and a half hours to get from West Kingsdown to Beddington. Had I driven by car it would not have been much more than an hour's journey, even with the traffic!