Day 162 to far East London for the No 247 and No 248.

 There were no trains because of engineering works to Victoria from Selhurst and neither were there any trains to London Bridge. Therefore my initial transit at 1030 was just as far as West Croydon where I changed to the London Overground to Canada Water. From here it was then a Jubilee line that I took to Stratford arriving at 1130. I then transferred to the Central line so as to reach Barkingside  Underground station on the Hainault loop of the Central line. I arrived at 1154 and it was very wet as I searched for the stop from which I could catch the No 247 to Romford station, there being no signs at the station to tell me where to catch any buses.

A very wet first half of the day for this trip

Barkingside Station stop is a good 5 minute walk from the station 

Eventually I found the stop, on Tanners Lane near the junction with Craven Gardens, where Stagecoach 19829 of North Street Garage Romford was already waiting. At 1206 I was aboard and we set off to the magistrates' court where we picked up the first collection of passengers. The bus turned right and headed for Fullwell Cross whereupon we took the left turn called Fencepiece Road. These are all roads I have used before and we turned right along the New North Road to Hainault station which I traversed when upon the No 150. Throughout this journey it was extremely difficult to take photographs as the inside of the windows were steaming up and there was rain streaming down the outside of the windows. At the junction with Elmbridge Road the bus went straight over joining the route No 362, the route No 150 having turned left at this point. At the traffic lights at the end of the road the bus turned right and entered much more rural surroundings with Hainault Forest on both sides of the Romford Road. At the roundabout at Mark Gate we turned left along Collier Row Road with a No 62 just across the roundabout at the terminus of its route from Barking. We also in quick succession, went from the Borough of Redbridge into the Borough of Barking and Dagenham and then into Havering. From here we ran back into suburbia at Collier Row and turned right at a roundabout I had previously seen on the No 175. Thus it was only a very short part of the route from Mark Gate roundabout to Collier Row Glass Junction where this bus was the only one to cover that road. From Collier Row we headed south to the A12 arriving at 1239. 

Waiting to cross the A12, just north of Romford, weather gradually abating

Once across the A12 we passed the North Street Romford bus garage of Stagecoach and ran around the eastern side of town and down to the railway station where the bus terminated outside LIDL at 1250. The route was supposed to take 38 minutes but this time we took 44 minutes. 

Terminal bus stop, around corner from Romford
station

Bus layover point now visible as Stagecoach 19829 moves away

By this time the cold front had passed through and the rain had ceased so I was hopeful my next bus from Romford Market the No 248 might present better opportunity for photographs. I walked back through the town and emerged on the other side of the eastern bypass and crossed by underpass the roundabout by the town hall to arrive at the Romford Market bus stop. There is a bus layover point to the north of here but the 'Borismaster' which was to be my mount was actually parked at the stand near LIDL when I got off the No 247. This bus had come up the eastern bypass around the roundabout at North Street and back to pick me up at 1313. This was LT90 of Arriva and it only picked up myself at this point but picked up many more as it drove through the town centre back to the railway station.

Route No 248 to Cranham due soon on my arrival at bus stop

My earlier bus returning whence it had come

Arriva's LT90 arriving, roads wet but it is now dry

Emerging from town onto Rom Valley Way we soon were turning left to Roneo Corner and onto the Hornchurch Road. On the way we crossed by a park and in the dip we passed across the Ravensbourne. Despite working at Flood Forecasting Centre I could only recall the Ravensbourne being in South London, indeed I passed by the source of that river at Keston on my previous day out to do the No 246. We reached Hornchurch Town Centre at 1337 and then pressed straight on along Upminster Road towards Upminster Bridge. 

Heading up the Hornchurch Road at Abbs Cross Lane

Upminster Bridge District line station

Queuing to get to Upminster

 Station Road

Once past this station we crossed the Ingrebourne river and climbed up St Mary's Lane to reach Upminster. 

There were roadworks in Station Road which were somewhat troublesome but once past the station we continued for a while eventually turning right into Avalon Road. Towards the end of this road we passed the Golden Crane Pub and then turned left into Front Lane. The bus then took us into the Upminster Park estate and turned right into Roseberry Gardens, a name I am very familiar with as every day walking to school I used a road named this in Orpington. This road took us along two sides of a square so with Front Lane to begin with and Brunswick Avenue to end we were back at the same point this time with the Golden Crane Pub ahead of us.

Approaching the Golden Crane Pub in Avalon Road

Turning into car park by Moor Lane

Underground service vehicles

Disembarkation in the car park 

The bus next turned left and followed along Front Lane until it reached the junction of Moor Lane where it terminated at 1401, although didn't announce that it had. The bus just turned right into a car park and I had to ask the driver to open the doors to let me out. This car park is next to the Upminster Underground depot.

Rather than sample the delights of the Upminster Park Estate again I thought I'd try an alternative route to Upminster and crossing the bridge I found another bus stop and very soon a No 346 arrived at 1406 and this deposited me at Upminster station at 1416. The next train to Fenchurch Street was at 1422 as there was no Underground service owing to engineering works. Rather than change at West Ham and use the Jubilee line home, I stayed on the train until Limehouse and caught the DLR a brief one stop to Shadwell. Here I was able to change to a London Overground train to West Croydon and after a four minute wait a train home, where I arrived at 1634.

Day 161 A fairly short trip on a nearby bus, the No 246 from Bromley to Westerham.

 The first trip in 2023 had to wait until after the week of public transport strikes 3-7th January, so on the 9th of January as my wife had an appointment with the optician at Bromley it seemed the ideal opportunity to take the next bus on the list. I arrived at Bromley North station at 1220 and the bus according to the timetable was supposed to arrive at 1225. However, the next twenty minutes of buses due shown on the display system didn't include a No 246.

The fifth bus I have used which alights or starts from this stop at Bromley North Station

Rather blurry because it caught me unprepared and note the make shift route number because bus has recently been moved to Bromley garage from West Ham

It was therefore a bit of a surprise when Stagecoach 36347 arrived bang on 25 minutes past and I therefore enquired of the driver what was going on. He said there have been problems with the Ibus system for a while not displaying all the buses. As with the other buses I have caught from here the bus heads down Kentish Way to the Civic Centre ex Stockwell college and then works past the Glades to go down the un-pedestrianised part of Bromley High Street to Bromley South station.

The stop opposite Hayes Station where it is the third bus route I have utilised

After turning into Westmoreland Road and then Hayes Lane the bus separates from the routes I had covered before going this way : Nos 119, 138 and 146 and takes a right turn into Cameron Road. The bus rejoins the routes of the aforementioned 119 and 138 at Hayes High Street having worked its way through to Mead Way and then left down Pickhurst Lane. Hayes was reached at 1242. From here we followed those routes as far as the roundabout at the bottom of Glebe Way and then after turning left the route is quickly on its own as it climbs to Hayes Common. The bus doesn't take the first turning right but the second, West Common Road to get to the Keston Fox.

Inside the single decker at the Keston Fox

Beyond the pub after passing the single storey building which used to be the Post Office we reached the A233 where we briefly rejoined with the route No 146. From here the bus went to Leaves Green and past Biggin Hill Airfield.

Passing the Hurricane and Spitfire gate guards of St Georges Chapel Biggin Hill

There were some roadworks which briefly held us up at Main Road Biggin Hill but were soon on our way through Biggin Hill with by this time only 3 passengers, 2 having alighted at Waitrose. An unusual stop name was passed without stopping called Tatsfield Path, most similar stops would be road or lane but not this one. On arrival at the Aperfield Inn only two people remain aboard. This location had been the terminus for a while of routes from London for day trippers. Much as the George in Farnborough was for those using the No 47 from Shoreditch.

The Aperfield Inn

By now the bus is the only route on the road.  I days past there used to be the No 410 to Reigate from Bromley, the 705 to Sevenoaks from Windsor when I was a kid, and later even the 746 which has somewhat morphed into the 246 as this route is extended on summer Sundays to Chartwell.

Descending the hill at speed with the Pilgrims Way from Winchester to Canterbuiry where the hedge line is located

We crossed into Kent just before the summit of Westerham Hill which at 824ft is the highest point in the county before descending the hill and passing Pilgrims Way at quite a lick. Before reaching Westerham we crossed the M25 where at the next stop a few much less frequent buses were indicated. The No 401 runs only on Sundays, the No 594 every 50 minutes which is a very strange time interval, indeed, whilst the 695 is a school bus running just once a day. In addition the No 1 links Westerham to Sevenoaks 4 times a day.

Station House, the original Westerham station closed in 1961

The bus terminated at Westerham Green at 1308. The bus then continues empty beyond Quebec House to layover in the car park before returning on the opposite side of the road.

Stagecoach 36347 leaving to layover before conveying me back to Biggin Hill

After a few photos of the green I crossed the road to find that there was no timetable for the No 246 back-just a piece of paper saying that the service is curtailed at Lebanon Gardens Biggin Hill owing to roadworks on Westerham Hill. I knew this didn't apply having just descended Westerham Hill at a rate of knots so decided to walk to the next stop towards Bromley so I could have a good look at the old railway station which closed in 1961.

Churchill reclining on the Green

General Wolfe exhorting his troops into battle

When the next bus arrived I enquired about the note and the driver said it was ages ago and should have been removed! I stayed on the bus to Biggin Hill airfield and then dropped into the café for lunch.

Austrian Cessna 510 outbound

Polish Cessna 525 inbound

German Cessna 560 arriving

German  Pilatus PC24 arriving

A clearer view of the Biggin Hill gate guardians

 After an hour or so I caught a No 464 to New Addington and a tram home.

Day 160 After many days where transport strikes have made doing my odyssey rather difficult, the No 245 from Alperton to Golders Green.

 Owing to engineering work on the line to Victoria it took rather longer to get to Alperton than on previous occasions. Thus we had to get a bus to East Croydon at 1125; later than we intended as I wanted the cold front to have cleared through. At East Croydon we took the 1153 train to London Bridge and after arrival walked to the Jubilee Line at 1212. Here we caught a train to Green Park where we changed to the Piccadilly line for a train to Alperton. At Alperton station it was quite a shock to see nothing remains of the Metroline bus garage adjacent to the station  and that it was being billed as a location of future housing. From here we walked to Sainsburys where we found we had a 12 minute wait for the next No 245.  

 

Charmaine actively waiting for our bus to arrive

The No 245 Waiting departure from lay over.

Metroline's VW1831 arriving ar the Alperton Sainsbury's bus stop

Behind the barrier is the razed site of Alperton bus garage

Metroline's VW1831 arrived at 1342 and soon passed the site of Alperton garage as we headed for Sudbury. At the next fork we took Bridgewater Road to the Sudbury roundabout and then under the bridge at Sudbury and Harrow Road station before taking the right at the next major junction into Watford Road. The bus turned right at a set of traffic lights into East Lane and passed over a bridge at Wembley North after which were nice views of the Wembley Arch and the surrounding high rise buildings.

 

View of Central Wembley from East Lane

We continued across Preston Road into Forty Avenue which becomes Forty Lane passing to the north of Wembley Park before swinging southeast down Blackbird Hill. As we crossed the river Brent here I was very surprised to see a heron in such an urban setting standing in the river. Neasden Lane followed, once the river was crossed and this then took us through a spiral to Neasden parade, and then after this circuit we headed down Tanfield Avenue which becomes Crest Road. The bus turned right along Coles Green Road to where we met Dollis Hill Lane.

'Borismaster' on bus route No 332

Looking Southeast from Dollis Hill towards Kensal Rise to Primrose Hill

We then turned left and dropped down to the A5 (Edgware Road) to turn right to Cricklewood bus garage where we arrived at 1423. From here we took Cricklewood Lane to go under the Midland main line next cross Hendon Way and up the hill to Childs Hill. This meant we reached the Finchley road where we turned left and ran into Golders Green. The bus terminated at 1438 whereupon Charmaine went off to investigate the High Street.

Approaching Golders Green bus terminus

Journey's End

We used the Northern Line to get to Kings Cross from here and then took a Thameslink train from St Pancras to East Croydon arriving home around 1715.

Day 159 Another two buses done, albeit the second ended in the dark-the Nos 243 and 244.

 I made the 1135 London Bridge train and reached that station in time to catch the late running 1159 to Charing Cross the one stop to Waterloo East. I then wound my way down the spiral stair case to Waterloo Road in order to reach the starting point of the No 243 to Wood Green.

HV337 and HV343 of Arriva London awaiting
next duty

Waterloo station bus stop

There were two buses laying over HV337 and HV343, the first was in an all over advertising scheme and it was this bus that became my mount to Wood Green at 1217. This route I had used occasionally when commuting to Clerkenwell Road and it was a shock when I reached the Aldwych and found it was now two way and the part of the Strand to St Clement Danes church had been pedestrianised. The route follows Kingsway where there were many large baubles hanging from the Plane trees which flank the road and then right along Theobalds Road to Clerkenwell Road where I passed the old London Weather Centre at 1237.

Baubles suspended from branches of Plane trees in Kingsway

The bus continues along Clerkenwell Road until reaching the Old Street roundabout which is still or is it again being worked on. 

Work again or still happening at the Old Street roundabout

Passing what was effectively straight on we reached the Kingsland Road where we met up with the previous route, the No 242 as far as Dalston Junction. Here the No 242 goes right but the No 243 continues straight on to Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill and then Seven Sisters.

Atop Stamford Hill

Awaiting our departure from beside the Berney Grant Centre Tottenham

At Seven Sisters we had quite a wait as we were supposed to be changing drivers but no replacement driver arrived for six minutes. The Tottenham garage is just a little bit further on, albeit down a road on the left. At 1334 we were back underway again and continued our northward progress until we reached Bruce Grove where the bus went left. At the Bruce Grove museum we went left again and headed towards Wood Green with misty views of Alexandra Palace in the distance.

Lorry totally blocking Lordship Lane into Wood Green

With the final destination in sight there was a lorry broadside across the road which was depositing tarmacadam into a side road and we were forced to wait at 1348 before we could continue and finally we reached the terminal stop, just before Wood Green Underground station, at 1350.

Disembarkation at Wood Green

Lordship Lane Wood Green

From here I needed to get to Woolwich for the No 244. This entailed catching a Piccadilly line train to Kings Cross then a Thameslink from St Pancras to Farringdon and then the Elizabeth line from there to Woolwich, where I arrived at 1459, just over an hour later. The bus itself starts from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital which is well above the town near Woolwich Common. There were a number of buses that could have taken me there but the first to arrive was a No 469. This bus at the next stop stated it was stopping for a change of driver. I should have plumped for one of the other options but how was I to know? So having boarded this bus at 1509 I was at the hospital at 1525. But where was the bus stop, the first I saw didn't have the No 244 on it. Then it dawned the bus doesn't go the quick way to Woolwich, it heads off W to SW. 

Layover point for Nos 244, 291 and 469

The wrong bus stop in distance

It should take 47 minutes

London General's SE61 arrives to take me to
Abbey Wood

At 1531 I was aboard London General's SE61 as it headed west to meet Shooters Hill Road. The bus then turned east and became crammed with schoolchildren and remained thus for much of the journey which precluded any photographs from within the bus as it was a single decker. Once the bus had breasted Shooters Hill it turned left into Shrewsbury Lane and then left again down Eglinton Hill, this being the sole bus route on this road. At the bottom of the hill we briefly met the No 386 prior to Plumstead Common Road but just as soon the bus turned West again it was the only bus at Nightingale Vale and HaHa Road. As we approached the traffic lights heading West I could see the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in front of me, but we then turned right and proceeded back to Woolwich Arsenal where we arrived at 1551, almost an hour after disembarking nearby earlier.

From here the bus turned right along Plumstead Road to the bus garage and then turned left into Thamesmead West. The only other route here was the No 380 and we met one of that type laying over outside Belmarsh prison after our saunter around various residential roads all with bird names. By now it was 1607 and well after sunset as we moved swiftly down the main artery to reach Thamesmead Central. Here we covered some parts of Thamesmead I had visited previously before taking to the main road to Abbey Wood. We reached the station entrance by 1620 but this is not where the bus route ends. It goes on the the next roundabout and turns right into a little Victorian estate just south of Abbey Wood station where I arrived at 1624.

Rather dark by the time we reached journey's end!

The station was not far from where the bus dropped me and at 1636 I was heading back to Woolwich on board an Elizabeth l0ine train heading for Heathrow Terminal 5. I walked to Canon House on the Arsenal estate to meet my friend Tim who runs his company Flying Spot from there and later we had a pint before returning to the Elizabeth line to Whitechapel and then Overground and Southern train, arriving home before 7 P.M.

The Flying Spot Ltd., Cannon House, 25 Cadogan Road, Royal Arsenal Riverside, Woolwich, London, SE18 6LB. https://www.theflyingspot.co.uk/