The Number 217 Route

Monday 15 November 2010

Waltham Cross Bus Garage provided conveniences, and somewhere to sit,  as well as a topic of conversation (was the green bus actually a ‘green’ bus? We were not sure)  Anyway, Linda and I did not wait long before our 217 arrived and we were off by 11.35.

We were pleased to see that the cycle track went under the heavy traffic on the roundabout as we turned left onto the A10 and then right.  We noted huge amounts of HGV traffic, presumably coming off the M25.

Lea Valley High School is a Specialist Sports College  though of course it might not be by the time you read this, depending on which ‘promises’ the coalition government holds to. 

Along the A 10, we came to signs for Turkey Street Station (we had seen signs from the other side on our 279 to Waltham Cross), and passed large green areas on both sides before coming to the substantial Enfield Retail Park and twiddling round to serve the back of Sainsbury’s before getting back out onto the main road.

More green areas, and attractive gardens showed what a pleasant area this must be to live in, and we again admired the sensible cycle track as we came down to the Great Cambridge Junction where the A10 crosses the North Circular.

At this stage, the automatic voice on the bus announced the next stop as Pasta Gardens, conjuring a vision of Italian delights, until the illuminated sign clarified it as ‘Pasteur Gardens’.  We know from previous trips that the bus companies have to decide between how the locals say it and how it looks, as with the bus’s pronunciation of Friern in Barnet. But I digress.

We passed a sad memorial on a fence, but I have been unable to discover who died and how.

We were interested to note a Polish hairdresser (delicatessen, I can see would be specialist, but haircutting? I suppose it might be for ease in those conversations about holiday plans)  She was called Oliwia.

After passing the now defunct poachers pub, we were pleased when we spotted the Westbury Pub still open for business; and I assume that the picture of a judge means that it was named for the Ist Baron. 

And so to Turnpike Lane and onto our last bus of the day, the 121, after a smooth journey only a little longer than the advertised time.