The Number 80 Route

Friday 24 January 2020

If I am to be honest, which I am, this was not the most enjoyable trip we have ever done.  It started badly with our inability to find Reynolds Close, which was where the 80 departs, to make its way to the clutch of prisons at Belmont and High Down.  Indeed, had it not been for the friendly people mending motorcycles at Stoppies, we might still be wandering vainly around Hackbridge.  But we arrived eventually at the bus stop in the dank weather, to discover that our bus was a single decker.  Salt was later rubbed into our wounds as we saw double decker 80s heading in the opposite direction.  Still, we were on board by 11.00 am, and travelling straight through residential areas, mostly with hardened front gardens.

The houses were of varying sizes and periods, though mostly, we thought, 20th century rather than earlier or later. We did see one repossessed house (boarded up and 'for sale by auction') but otherwise it all looked fairly prosperous.  Though we did agree that the bus would be essential for even minimal shopping.  The first shops we came to were in Green Wryther, where we noted a barbers called 'a Clip round the Ear'.  Otherwise, there was little to look at till we reached the shops and station of Morden.  The borough of Merton has a lot of (formerly?) social housing, known as the St Helier Estate.

As we came into Morden we did note a lot of newly built flats and offices, around the station and town hall, before heading out towards Sutton.

We turned left at the huge Asda to travel along Sutton Common Road, where there were again a few shops.  I noticed that 'Kebaby' was about fast food rather than infants, and we also came past Glenthorne High School.

Sutton Library is in a neat little building with a cafe as well, and then we were held up by road works as we continued through still residential roads.

















Sutton Bus Garage was a reminder of the previous project, though this is our first visit here  this time. Then we came into Sutton itself, with amazing amounts of newly built blocks of flats.  And there are due to be more:  Helena House, a former office block, is due for demolition once the planning us sorted out.













We saw that the borough still has its Christmas decorations up, though not lit up.  Perhaps they will be left all year as an economy measure.

Now the route takes you through the bit of Sutton where the bus stops are all lay-bys, past the old Court House.  We also spotted the Cock and Bull Pub, and Eagle House School, a branch of the autism specialists we have noted near Clapham.

The road works were enough to puzzle anyone, with a sign announcing 'diversion ends' immediately before a sign announcing that the road ahead was closed.  How baffling life can be.

As we came out of town, we passed Sutton Hospital, which looked pretty unloved to us and not nearly as smart as St Helier Hospital, but is clearly at the heart of some quite controversial plans.











 

Then we passed briefly through Belmont, which clearly was once a separate village from Sutton, and reached the prisons, though an area of bedraggled woodland with cars parked along the road. We weren't clear why, as there appeared to be no charge and a large car park at the facility. Still, we arrived after an hour on the bus, at 12.00.  There had not been a great deal to grab the attention as we travelled through these mainly commuter areas.

We don't think this will be one of our favourite routes when we finally answer the question posed to us on the 75 route post, and about which we are still brooding. But of course the dingy weather did not help our enjoyment.