Longest bus journey across London?

[wivenswold]

I thought this might be an interesting idea for discussion, what is the longest journey across London that you've done entirely by bus?

I can offer a Summer 1982 trip on a Red Bus Rover...
23 Barking to The Strand (RM)
77 The Strand to Wandsworth (RM)
39 Wandsworth to Putney (DMS I think)
93 Putney to Wimbledon (Possibly another DMS)
131 Wimbledon to Hampton Court (M)

We gave up on the way back and got an R Stock District Line train.

[thesquirrels]

Aug 1, 2015 15:16:32 GMT wivenswold said:

I thought this might be an interesting idea for discussion, what is the longest journey across London that you've done entirely by bus?

I can offer a Summer 1982 trip on a Red Bus Rover...
23 Barking to The Strand (RM)
77 The Strand to Wandsworth (RM)
39 Wandsworth to Putney (DMS I think)
93 Putney to Wimbledon (Possibly another DMS)
131 Wimbledon to Hampton Court (M)

We gave up on the way back and got an R Stock District Line train.

Once went from home to uni (South Tottenham to Southampton) entirely by bus which basically took a day, though with some textbook connections the 70 miles from Kingston to the coast took little over three hours!
279 home to Manor House (early DLA)
29 Manor House to Camden Town (Citaro bendy)
27 Camden to Hammersmith (SEL)
220 Hammersmith to Putney (AV?)
85 Putney to Kingston (can't remember)
515 Kingston to Guildford (Mercedes midibus - beaver?)
X64 Guildford to Winchester (last bus! - 1850. Bog standard Stagecoach B10M)
Solent Blueline 1 Winchester to Southampton (Leyland Olympian [ECW body, Cummins engine, duly hammered])

I was glad to have a bed waiting at the other end!

[stubag]

I want to have a go at how far I can get just using my Arriva staff pass.....I just don't have the time

[snoggle]

Not so much across as round

34 WW - Arnos Grove
251 Arnos Grove - Burnt Oak
114 Burnt Oak - Ruislip Stn
U1 Ruislip - Uxbridge
U3 Uxbridge - Heathrow
X26 Heathrow - W Croydon
75 W Croydon - Lewisham
108 Lewisham - Stratford
69 Stratford - WW
Another local bus to the Bell Corner I forget which

Took about 10-11 hours on a Good Friday when you have the benefit of Saturday frequencies but lightish traffic.

The only other cross London trip that's memorable was

123 WW - Tottenham
73 Tottenham - TCR
10 TCR - Hammersmith
391 Hammersmith - Kew Gardens

The middle two jnys were on RMLs on a sunny spring day. I travelled through the AM peak but it was one of those lovely bus rides where there's no time pressure to be anywhere fast and you can watch the world go by.

I also did West Croydon to WW during the night when the Olympics were on as I could get a late Overground to West Croydon to snap the N64 and the 75, N108, N69 and N73 home. ISTR the 75 was fairly rocket powered and the N108 ended up absolutely heaving full at 0200 or thereabouts in Blackheath. I also remember a chap who got on the N108 at Lewisham then changing to a N86 at Stratford so goodness knows how long his journey was.

[bigbaddom1981]

Not too long ago I went from Putney to Edmonton Green

37 to Clapham Junction (might have been 337
35 to Liverpool Street
149 to Edmonton Green

Took over 3 hours

Another was Lakeside to Edmonton Green

370 to Romford
86 to Ilford
123 to Tottenham High Road
Bus to Edmonton Green

Took over 4 hours!

Things we do for our love of buses!

[Deleted]

A journey from 2005:

281 Tolworth - Hounslow
111 Hounslow - Heathrow Central
N9 Heathrow Central - Aldwych
N15 Aldwych - Romford
N86 Romford - Stratford
N108 Stratford - Lewisham
N21 Lewisham - Borough
N35 Borough - Clapham Junction
N87 Clapham Junction - Tolworth

Leave Home 21:30PM
Return 07:50AM

[vjaska]

I've got a London one but I have rode from Luton to Edgware solely by bus and that's after a day's riding around on buses in Luton & Dunstable.

I've not done many long ones though I've done Brixton to Borehamwood by bus - 2 to Victoria, 16 to Kilburn, 32 to Edgware & 292 to Borehamwood, Rossendale Avenue.

[Deleted]

I once travelled by bus from Camberwell to my grandmother's house in Bexhill

436 Camberwell to Lewisham
208 Lewisham to Bromley North
402 Bromley North to Tunbridge Wells
251/51 (same bus) Tunbridge Wells to Hailsham
98 Hailsham to Bexhill

Depart 06:00, arrive 12:00

My longest within London was Croydon to Barnet:
250 to Brixton
2 to Victoria
82 to North Finchley
383 to Barnet

[LX09FBJ]

I've travelled 70 plus miles on one journey:

R70 from Hampton to Richmond
65 from Richmond to Kew Bridge
267 from Kew Bridge to Hammersmith
266 from Hammersmith to Brent Cross
102 from Brent Cross to Edmonton Green
149 from Edmonton Green to London Bridge
40 from London Bridge to Elephant & Castle
155 from Elephant & Castle to Tooting Broadway, and on to St George's Hospital
280 from St George's Hospital to Tooting Broadway
VLE17 on the 57 from Tooting Broadway to Kingston
131 in Kingston (between Fairfield and Cromwell Road)
111 from Kingston to Hampton.

Should I be bothered tomorrow, I might do a Google Maps routeing of some of my recent journeys to find the longest.

[COBO]

Several years ago I did this bus journey going from a job interview in Newbury Park (which I didn't get ?) to My house.

66 from Newbury Park to Gants Hill (DP)
123 to Tottenham (VLA)
259 to King's Cross (VNL)
30 to Marble Arch (ALX400)
94 to Shepherds Bush (TLA)
260 to North Acton (VP)
487 to North Greenford (DML)
92 to Greenford Broadway (VNZ) - I miss VNZs.
E10 to Ealing Broadway (DMS)
E1 to Greenford Broadway (DN)
92 to Home (VNZ)

[vjaska]

I've also done Brixton to Crawley as well

The 109 (S reg DLA IIRC)
The 405 (Omnicity DD)
The 100 (Omnicity 10.8m)

And Brixton to Bluewater via three different routes:

Route 1: P4 to Lewisham, 89 to Bexleyheath & 96 to Bluewater
Route 2: 492 to Sidcup, 321 to New Cross, 177 to Peckham & 37 to Brixton
Route 3: 477 to Orpington, 358 to Bromley, 227 to Crystal Palace & 432 to Brixton

[sid]

I've done Sidcup to Seaford a few times by different routes.

51 to Orpington

Any bus to Green Street Green

402 to Tunbridge Wells

Either
252/51 to Eastbourne

Or

29 to Brighton

Then 12/A to Seaford

Or 492 to Bluewater

308 to Sevenoaks then 402etc

[jay38a]

Aug 1, 2015 16:59:33 GMT stubag said:

I want to have a go at how far I can get just using my Arriva staff pass.....I just don't have the time

With my Go-Ahead one from Metrobus, I can get to Weymouth before I'm stuck as I can use it on Stagecoach (South, East Kent and East Sussex), Arriva Southern Counties, Compass Bus, Abellio and obviously Go-Ahead companies. So is give or take little independents its valid throughout Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Hampshire and Dorset.

I can also get to Oxford for free using the X90 but even though Oxford Bus accept Arriva staff passes its only on local services not the coaches which is Go-Ahead passes only.

If you ask Maidstone they maybe able give you a list of operators where it's valid.

[towerman]

Can remember the old 107 from Enfield Garage,at one time it was the longest route in London Queensbury to Enfield Lock.

[stubag]

Aug 28, 2015 10:21:55 GMT jay38a said:

Aug 1, 2015 16:59:33 GMT stubag said:

I want to have a go at how far I can get just using my Arriva staff pass.....I just don't have the time

With my Go-Ahead one from Metrobus, I can get to Weymouth before I'm stuck as I can use it on Stagecoach (South, East Kent and East Sussex), Arriva Southern Counties, Compass Bus, Abellio and obviously Go-Ahead companies. So is give or take little independents its valid throughout Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Hampshire and Dorset.

I can also get to Oxford for free using the X90 but even though Oxford Bus accept Arriva staff passes its only on local services not the coaches which is Go-Ahead passes only.

If you ask Maidstone they maybe able give you a list of operators where it's valid.

As a rule the big op cos take each others, So you should with your Go Ahead pass get on all Arriva / Stagecoach buses. Also You should be able to use Reading Buses, and Thamesdown in Swindon. my list of validity says, any Arriva (and Green line)
Red Rose ( Aylesbury), Stephensons of Essex, national express within operating area, Uno Bus, Go Ahead South coast, Stagecoach, and Canterbury. When I've visited places where there's an Arriva garage near, I've called up and asked there staff pass arrangements with other operators. I've managed to used mine in The Hague on Arriva South Holland buses, and Veiola bus in The Hague too.