Then we were off, round the corners onto Manor Road, to load up at stop K. Metrobus' Omnidekka 919 came the other way on the 127 to Purley, today's equivalent of the 234A. Whilst we were still at the top RT190 pulled round the corner in front of us, terminating from a 157 journey.
We turned east from Wallington along the road past Beddington Park to Waddon, and into West Croydon. We met RT604 returning from an afternoon trip to West Croydon as we passed the new tram station at Centrale.
Again we used the bus station at West Croydon, then headed south through central Croydon, to wend our way through South Croydon and up through Sanderstead to Chelsham. There we changed drivers again, outside the supermarket that covers the site of the old Country Area garage.
The we climbed the long back-slope of the Downs, toward Tatsfield, and rolled down the gradient into Westerham. Soon we were stopping at Sevenoaks Station to set down, before climbing up St,Botolph's Drive to the War Memorial and on through the town.
I don't remember much of the trip beyond Sevenoaks to Tonbridge - I was probably half-asleep by then, but I woke up as we came into Tonbridge. We made our final set down at Tonbridge Station and headed off empty for Tunbridge Wells to put the bus to bed. It had been an excellent day.
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
Ian's Bus-stop
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