Hertford Running DaysSaturday 7th, Sunday 8th June 2014Prepared by Ian Smith, 3rd July 2014.393: Hertford to Welwyn Garden City: GS32I went to chat with Alan Charman and John Clarke on GS32. It turned out that they were about to work to Welwyn Garden City as a 393. This fitted in with my plans to go to W.G.C. and thence to Hitchin on the 303, so I immediately said yes to an invitation to join them. The GS had no 393 blinds, so we used 388 Welwyn blinds.Alan swung the GS round onto the stop, and loaded up.
We exited the bus station, twisting our way out to the roundabout. As we entered it, T792 swung round towards the bus station an an inbound 393. We swept along the inner by-pass, then through the town towards Hertford North, then out to pass under the railway viaduct on the main road to Hatfield. We soon turned off, diving down to cross the River Lee and twist up through Hertingfordbury.
We paused at Birch Green, nestling under the over-shadowing tree by the bus shelter.
We passed through Cole Green and crossed over the Hatfield road. Welwyn Garden City lived up to its name, with long leafy boulevards. Only the approach to the centre, over the main line railway, was a bit bleak. We turned the corner into the brick and concrete chasm of the bus and train station.
388: Welwyn Garden City to Hertford: GS32I had intended to join connecting RT3148 for a 303 trip north. But the RT did not appear (Supermarket car traffic in Stevenage was the problem, I think, totally clogging up the Knebworth Road). So I rejoined GS32 for a return journey to Hertford, this time over the 388.From the bus station we turned back over the railway, the way we had come, but then turned off through the light industrial zone beside the line. Leaving the town behind, we curved round under the south end of Digswell Viaduct to the roundabout east of old Welwyn, where we turned towards Hertford. With the viaduct towering ahead of us we turned up Station Approach to reach Welwyn North Station.
From Welwyn North Station we dropped down the leafy Adele Avenue to New Road, where we turned left to climb up to Harmer Green. There was a group of photographers on the green there, filming us complete the semicircle round the green. We went on, to Bircherley Green, where we pulled up next to the telephone box on the spacious green.
It was not far thence to Tewin, where Alan again pulled up to allow photos. Then it was on along very narrow Hertford Rd, where buses were timetabled NOT to coincide.
We turned out onto the Welwyn Road, and ran along to Hertford North, from where we wriggled down past the town to Bircherley Green. 393: Hertford to Welwyn Garden City: T792At Hertford I found T792 ready to depart on the 393 to Welwyn Garden City. A quick check on the timetable showed that this should meet up with a 716 at Welwyn. I checked and there was a seat available on the Regal, albeit towards the back. I climbed aboard and we set off on the by-now-familiar 393 routing.
This time we paused for photos not at Birch Green but at Cole Green, the next stop along.
We continued on into Welwyn Garden City, where I alighted. No sign of RT3254, but this time I was going to wait anyway. T792 set off again for Hertford and Hertford Heath.
I went and bought a drink from the brasserie, and waited for an RT... Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
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Hitchin and Stevenage
Ian's Bus-stop
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