please empty your brain below
|
|
Back in 1964/65 I used to ride the 57 from Mitcham Lane/Aldrington Road every Wednesday to go to College in Kingston as part of my apprenticeship. I remember the trip very well. I see the bus routing has not changed much. Brought back many memories.
Peter Watmore | 10.03.22 - 6:51 a.m. | #
|
|
I’ll assume next year’s trip will start very close to me in order to allow the narrative arc to complete at East Ham public mortuary 😬
TomH | 10.03.22 - 7:35 a.m. | #
|
|
https://youtu.be/gVamQ6jodK0 is a pleasant hour to while away to. A front seat ride of the:whole route.
Nigel | 10.03.22 - 7:45 a.m. | #
|
|
Welcome to the world of grumpy old men, but consider these little girls may be the future Ladies who Bus and spend their time looking up archives of old bus routes to find themselves in an DG episode!
John G | 10.03.22 - 8:07 a.m. | #
|
|
I feel your pain. If it were me I'd probably have got off and caught the next 57 (unless the rules mean you have to cover the whole route in one go). Even so, restarting afresh may have been a better option even if it did mean depriving your readers of those six paragraphs.
Tim | 10.03.22 - 8:25 a.m. | #
|
|
Aha! I thought the Rivers of London series would appear at some point. Just be careful round the Fleet.
D9000 | 10.03.22 - 8:27 a.m. | #
|
|
Yes, noisy children are very sapping. But it is heartening that they were engaging with and enjoying the bus ride rather than being hunched over phones or tablets. What John G said.
Sarah | Homepage | 10.03.22 - 8:42 a.m. | #
|
|
Happy birthday, DG! The girls on the bus may have been a chore to sit through, but a delight to read.
Jayne | 10.03.22 - 8:47 a.m. | #
|
Loved hearing about the girls!
What Sarah said.
Joho | Homepage | 10.03.22 - 9:09 a.m. | #
|
|
Adding to what others have said, it's good to think that those girls may well stick to the bus for life rather than resorting to a car to go everywhere.
Andrew S | 10.03.22 - 9:39 a.m. | #
|
|
It's surprising and lovely to hear that a ride at the top and front of the bus can still elicit so much joy in young people.
Josh | 10.03.22 - 9:49 a.m. | #
|
|
I’m thoroughly enjoying the over-optimistic comments from people who didn’t get to sit next to them.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 10.03.22 - 9:55 a.m. | #
|
|
"genderable", a great DG word. Back in the late eighties we went from Harwich to Gothenburg, there were several football teams of young boys returning from a tour, almost all had long flaxen hair.
Mike | 10.03.22 - 10:03 a.m. | #
|
Isthat your second visit to Kingston in a week, or did you do this trip the same day you visited the King's stone?
Happy birthday, and already looking forward to your next visit in 8 years' time (and 14, and 28...)
Timbo | 10.03.22 - 10:27 a.m. | #
|
|
I shall look forward to travelling the 74 in a few weeks time!
Barry Coppock | 10.03.22 - 10:29 a.m. | #
|
When I was a student I lived in a 10 storey Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) block of flats at the back of Furzedown school. The view at night, from my 10th floor window, was tremendous. Electric trains sparking on the tracks etc. Ah happy days :-)
I'm fairly sure that the Capital Ring crosses the 57 bus route.
Marmaduke Jinks | 10.03.22 - 10:34 a.m. | #
|
Ah, the bum-numbing journey from Streatham to Kingston which I used to make in the early 1980s when I used a Zones 3 & 4 pass to explore the Youngs and other pubs in Kingston.
Yes, the Capital Ring crosses Mitcham Lane near the railway bridge on its way between Tooting Bec Common and Streatham Common.
Ian Paton | 10.03.22 - 11:05 a.m. | #
|
YMCA (Come on, it's like the song) - typical parenting mistake, assuming that your children have inherited your memories.
Perhaps the song will have a birthday trip on the 44.
Still Anon | 10.03.22 - 11:27 a.m. | #
|
|
Well, it's my birthday today, so reading this was a real treat, especially the "hullabaloo" factor! The Poynders Road triangle was very much in my manor in my SW2 days, so that was a bonus - though I don't remember it being a bus interchange spot in the mid 1980s. The High Road in Streatham was known back then for its multiple Italian eateries, and Pratts department store; the latter now vanished.
cau1khead | 10.03.22 - 11:32 a.m. | #
|
|
Time really flies. Happy birthday DG.
Patrickov | 10.03.22 - 11:48 a.m. | #
|
|
Poor DG, being a grumpy old man is hard work
Caroline | 10.03.22 - 12:10 p.m. | #
|
It's interesting to see the range of opinions about your fellow passengers. I sometimes just get off the bus if others make me feel uncomfortable.
Two incidents spring to mind: firstly some years ago in Deritend in Birmingham, where the rear half of the upper deck was occupied on a rotating basis by 6 or 7 men of about 20 shouting detailed descriptions of what they would like to do with each others' mothers; the second was a few weeks ago at Stamford Hill where I was surrounded by teenage schoolboys again in loud discussion but very boring rather than offensive. In my haste to leave the second bus I unwittingly left my bag on the seat; I realised in time to go back upstairs and found the boys rifling through it and laughing at my box of creme eggs, which happily I recovered intact.
Ian | 10.03.22 - 12:12 p.m. | #
|
|
You've joined the grumpy old gits club and you haven't even reached bus pass age yet!
SAM | 10.03.22 - 1:03 p.m. | #
|
|
Fabulous, classic DG writing. Can you do half birthday rides too? Route 28.5?
Dan | 10.03.22 - 1:10 p.m. | #
|
|
as always a fountain of joy...
deruf | 10.03.22 - 4:32 p.m. | #
|
|
My local bus stations at Mortlake and Richmond make Wimbledon look palatial.
Sprout Eater | 10.03.22 - 7:10 p.m. | #
|
|
One of the funniest things I've read in ages.
MK | 10.03.22 - 11:11 p.m. | #
|
Hahaha! Definitely Grumpy Old Git age! I was on a very long drive with my brother recently (57 in a few weeks), and it was almost like he was auditioning to be the next Victor Meldrew!!
As for buses - headphones! I never leave home without them!!
I look forward to more of your Upper Deck Adventures
Cornish Cockney | 10.03.22 - 11:40 p.m. | #
|
|
57 is my local bus. I like your description of the Wimbledon bus station. I'm often there
Cornish Monkey | 11.03.22 - 9:25 a.m. | #
|
|
Thanks for sharing this trip, very enjoyable. It's my birthday this weekend and will follow your lead by going on the age relevant bus route. I am a little younger than you so my journey will begin in Walthamstow and take me all the way to Oxford Circus. I hope to have as much fun as you. "How do you spell curmudgeon Mummy?"
Johnny C | 11.03.22 - 12:37 p.m. | #
|
|
|
TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy
|