Day 298 (2nd April 2026) The No 436 from Lewisham to Battersea

 I left home at 1030 but did some shopping in Croydon before boarding an Elmers End bound tram at 1113. This tram dropped me at Elmers End at 1129 which was perfect timing for the 1139 Charing Cross train. I left the train at 1151 and walked to Lewisham Centre where the No 436 begins its journey to Battersea. At the stop there wasn't the usual timetable but a count down system instead.

Lewisham Centre with new Bakerloop bus BL1

Countdown display rather than timetable

My No 436 in distance

London general's EH209 arrived at 1209 and off we went along Lewisham High Street to run around the railway station bus stops at 1213. After exiting right and under the bridge we ran along Loampit Vale and up Loampit Hill past the old Lewisham Road station still a curio shop, which it was when I first ran past in 2017 on the No 21. This road took us past the original Deptford library and on to New Cross where we exchanged drivers outside the bus garage at1224. An announcement was then made that the bus was on diversion and what a diversion it was.

Lewisham DLR station

Climbing Loampit Hill, a view often seen from
passing trains in my youth.

Approaching New Cross with City in distance beyond

We went up the Old Kent Road instead of taking Camberwell New Road. We continued all the way to the Old Kent Road Tesco where we did a circuit around via Dunton Road and then headed back along the Old Kent Road in the opposite direction. After a while we turned right into peckham Park Road and this finally meant we entered Peckham from the north.

Pasing Goldsmith's college

Heading up the Old Kent Road behind a new BL1

ASDA on Old Kent Road

Having done circuit of Tescos about to
head left back towards New Cross

Now passing Old Kent Road ASDA
 going the opposite way

Waiting to turn left to run around Peckham bus
station from North and West rather than east and south!!

#

The bus then ran around the roads which run outside the bus station past Morrisons at 1249 and thereby regained its proper route which took us back past the Aylsham centre and left along Camberwell New Road. Just past the Trotter 3 wheeler we were asked to wait for three minutes to regulate the flow and then continued to Camberwell Geen where we arrived at 1303.

Passing Camberwell

Walworth bus garage

Walworth bus garage

An announcemnet was next made that the bus would be terminating at Vauxhall. We passed the Walworth garage and went on towards the A23 and A3 junction and then ran alongside the Oval to reach Vauxhall bus station at 1318. 

Passing The Oval cricket ground

Heading to MI5 building

Vauxhall bus station

The replacement bus arriving

Extensive roadworks in Nine Elms Lane

Flats at Battersea power Station

Final arrival just by bridge next to the closed
platform one at Battersea Park railway station

Thankfully it wasn't that long a wait for EH141 to arrive and convey us the final mile or so to Battersea Park station which was reached at 1335 after some lengthy slow running owing to the extensive roadworks. I then boarded a train home