More small buses came in to take the turn on Hertford bus duties: BN61 was headed south to Cuffley on the 308, a long ramble over the Hertfordshire hills, while LT Museum's other contribution to the day, GS64, was going out to tackle the narrow lanes to Tewin on the 388.
RF366 came onto the stand with an extra 350A service to Potters Bar. Good! This was another of the changes to this year's programme - the extension of the 350A on from Essendon to Potters Bar. I went and joined the crew, and settled in for the trip.
We set off from the bus station, and met RML2364 as we rounded the big roundabout to head west. We headed out of Hertford on the Hatfield Road, but soon pulled off the modern dual carriageaway to take the older, more circuitous road through Hertingfordbury. We dipped to cross the River Mimram, then wound our way up through the village. We passed through Staines Green, then pulled up at the stop in Birch Green to take pictures of RF366 in the ash tree!
We rolled on to Cole Green, where we turned sharp left to head down and under the old Hertford-Hatfield railway (now a footpath). We turned right, then left, in Letty Green, and came down to cross the River Lea and join the 341 route just east of Essendonbury. We followed the 341 route briefly to Essondonbury, then the 341 turned right and we turned left, up the long hill to Essendon. Today we did not turn in the village, but continued south along the winding and very rural B158 to Brookmans Park. There we joined the old Great North Road (now the A1000) to continue south into Potters Bar. The station lies well off the main road, and we had to chhoose carefully which minor road to turn off into. But Jim and his driver chose wisely, and soon we were pulling into the tight but busy bus turning circle beside the station.
We pulled in tight behind Arriva London's DAF /Wrightbus Cadet DWL24 on the 313 to Chingford, another long-established Country Area route, which has for some time been pulled into the red bus area.
A double-decker squeezed past us, then blocked us in, and Trustline's Lynx Mk11, No101, pulled in behind on Rail Replacement duty.
We escaped from the narrow confines of the bus turning circle, and headed off in a loop to reach Potters Bar Garage, on the Grat North Road. We pulled in to the bus-stop layby. Metroline's Dart/Marshall shortie DMS13 came in off service, and there were sundry Prsidents littering the yard.
We set off back to Hertford: north to Brookman's Park on the A1000, then by the country B-road to Essendon and down the hill into the Lea Valley. We wriggled across the valley to Letty Green, Cole Green and Birch Green, and on into Hertingfordbury. On the run in to Hertford we passed RF627 carrying a full load out towards Esssendon.
We negotiated a way through Hertford, meeting GS60 starting out for Bulls Green on the "shoppers short" 329 working. We approached the junction before the bus station as BN61 came in from the other direction, back from its 308 from Cuffley.
We turned in to the bus station, and I alighted, determined to find another cup of tea before the 333 to Chapmore End on GS62...
All photos by Ian Smith. Click on most of them for a larger picture.
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