London by (Bus) Numbers
Discover previous little-known areas of London by bus
Important to note: All the places I visit are free of charge to the public
Hi to you all!
My name is Helen Lewis aka London Routemistress. At the end of 2021, I decided I needed some adventure back in my life and owing to Covid restrictions, couldn’t easily travel abroad. So my thoughts came nearer to home – and I decided to explore the London I live in (but wasn’t brought up in) and have come to love. So what’s the best way to travel around the city? By bus if you want to see the “real” London …. so I made up my mind to start at number 1 (New Oxford Street to Canada Water) and find the not-so-well-known parts of the capital over the coming weeks, months and hopefully years.
At first I thought I’d just do part of each route and did exactly that for numbers 1 and 2. I then realised that in order to be true to what I was hoping to achieve – exploring the whole of London – I had to start at the beginning of each route and end at the terminus. This has meant that at times, it’s taken me up to an hour and a half just to reach the start of the route but it’s definitely been worth it.
The way I’m doing it is this:
Every weekend I research the bus route that I will do the next Monday, this being the day I’ve set aside to travel. The idea is to get on and off the bus at specific pre-assigned/designated stops in order to visit places of interest, that are little- or even not- known to the majority of people.
I visit between 4 and 6 places, and they will vary according to the route. Sometimes I will see memorials, historic buildings, museums, cemeteries, parks and gardens. I generally don’t pay to enter places, mainly because I don’t stay long enough to justify an entrance fee. I make a note of anywhere I think deserves a follow-up visit for which I’d be happy to pay.
So join me in my London adventure and explore the city with me – either here by reading my weekly blog, or find me at the start of the next London bus route.
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Bus route 162
1. Bexley Road/Glenesk Road bus stop I’d been to Eltham a few times previously but this spot is an area that I know nothing about and as I wasn’t able to find anything that struck me as being of historic or artistic interest, I decided to take a look at the houses in the adjacent…
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Bus route 161
1. Chislehurst Sainsbury’s bus stop Opposite the bus stop is the Queen’s Head pub, one of the area’s oldest buildings, parts of which are Georgian and some even older. It’s likely named after Queen Elizabeth I, having previously been known as the King’s Head. It has served as a central landmark for centuries, including hosting…
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Bus route 160
1. Start of route Before getting on the bus at Catford, take a look at Catford Bridge station which was built as far back as 1857 as part of the Mid-Kent and North Kent Junction Railway and is a key example of South Eastern Railway architecture, with its distinctive yellow brickwork. Inside the station forecourt is…
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