london routemistress

Discovering the lesser-known parts of London by bus

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.

Remains of the Manor House of Edward III at Rotherhithe (Bus Route C10)

  • Bus route 171

    1. Catford Bridge station bus stop It wasn’t so long ago that I visited Catford Bridge station but there is a lovely small display of artwork and I couldn’t resist seeing it again, especially as one of the paintings is of a red London bus. They were all created by students at St Dunstan’s College…

  • Bus route 170

    1. Start of route The bus starts at Downshire Field, a pleasant enough green space but with no exceptional redeeming features. That said, nearby is a rather splendid bronze bull, placed here as part of the local arts scheme to bring art to the public. The artist was Robert Clatworthy who was inspired by a…

  • Bus route 169

    1. Clayhall/The Glade bus stop Before getting on the bus, take a look at Hurstleigh Gardens Open Space. It’s a local green space often referred to as Cocked Hat Plantation, because its triangular shape resembled a cocked hat (a triangular, three-cornered hat popular in the 18thC). The space features remnants of ancient woodland and there is a flood alleviation…

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