We were off. We turned right at the roundabout, and down the Hatfield Road. Across the railway another right turn took us down to the City station.
We paused, then went on, right out of the station, then left to take a road back to join the Hatfield Road. In Fleetville we took a left turn into the narrow urban back-streets. It was obvious why this was a route for narrow buses. We wriggled through Fleetville, right, left, right again, emerging onto the quiet unclassified road towards Welwyn.
We rolled on over the countryside to Cooper's Green and Astwick Manor. At a roundabout in the middle of nowhere we turned north for Lemsford, where we zig-zagged across the B-road to pass by Lemsford Church.
We wriggled round over the River Lee, past the attractive pubs, and passed under the thundering traffic on the A1(M) flyover. We turned north, for Welwyn, bypassing the Garden City on the old Great North Road. This climbed up beside the motorway into Sherrardspark Wood, passing the bridge over to Ayot Green. Then it began the wind down through the woods, looping across the motorway into Welwyn. We passed The Steamer public house at the top of the bank down into the village.
I was watching out for GS13 and BN61 coming the other way - which they did, in the village.
We turned right at Welwyn Church, and climbed the hill. A left turn onto the northern by-pass link took us back down the hill, and we continued along the straggly, almost suburban road to Codicote. We pulled up at the stop - an old London-style wooden shelter - and were asked to alight while the bus was turned.
GS17 went off up the road to turn, and came back a few minutes later, to pull up a little short of the stop, so that the 'phone box was in shot for the crowd of photographers.
We climbed back aboard, and set off south for the return journey, into the sunshine. We wound our way back through Welwyn, and up over the heath towards Lemsford. We recrossed the old 366 route, and began the wiggle past Astwick Manor to reach Fleetville.
We squeezed back through Fleetvile, and headed for St.Albans City Station. We pirouetted through the bus station, and climbed into the city up Victoria Street, meeting descending RP21 on the S1 as we went. Back up in St. Peters Street we made our way past the queue for the traffic lights, where one of Sullivan Buses' Dart SLFs was waiting on a 656 to Borehamwood, with RMC1513 behind.
We pulled in at the stop, behind BN61. RF308 went past on a 338 working. Across the road another Sullivan Buses Dart headed for Hatfield on the 656. Seeing that Sullivan Buses have been running this Sunday service for some months I would have expected a better destination display than a piece of paper in the window.
My original gameplan for the day had been for me to go on the earlier GS run to Codicote, followed by a run to Garston on the 321. I was just too late for that. RT3254 was just pulling away. I turned to see GS13 coming up towards the stop for its next foray on the 382, to Lemsford. It occurred to me that this - two GSs together in St.Peter's Street - was a sight probably never seen in LT days, when from 1965 to 1967 GS54 and then GS21 were the sole Guys on the Street - and consecutively, not concurrently.
Metrobus M394, now with Bryan's of Enfield, came to rest after a short trip on the 84. BN61 headed off with another full load on the 382.
I took another look at the Metrobus, and at MB641 pulled up behind. I would have to have a go on that later in the day.
But now it was time for lunch, before my excursion of RF633 on the 304...
Part Five: 304 to Whitwell: RF633
Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.
Back to Ian's Bus-stop
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Part Three
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