Yesterday I went on a mystery tour round London.
I visited nine places in nine different boroughs.
I travelled between each location on one bus.
All you have to do, collectively, is identify them.
Clues
I've written nine not-necessarily-helpful descriptions of the nine locations.
I've added nine even-less-helpful photos.
I've told you how long each bus journey took.
Notes
The things you need to identify are marked by pink boxes.
At 7am all the pink boxes were answer-less. They may be filled in later.
I will not be answering questions.
Rules If you leave a comment, please wait 1 hour before leaving another one.
Your comment can include as many guesses as you like, but if any of those guesses are incorrect I'll just write 'No' underneath.
Additional clues
I started and finished at z3/4 stations.
All the boroughs are in Outer London.
I didn't use the Superloop.
Words hidden behind blue strips may be revealed later.
Hendon station(Barnet)
My starting location ticks many transportation boxes. The Hotel is closed. The ticket office is closed. A notice in the window says PLEASE NOT instead of PLEASE NOTE. Two new housing developments are signed in yellow on a lamppost. The parcel locker is green and says Hello. The odd-looking church was built in 1930. Cranes are visible nearby. The blossom's out. The most screamingly obvious thing has been here since the 1970s. The end is nigh. Airports get a mention on the street corner. I have never seen anybody meeting at the Meeting Point. Crossing the road is done by zebra. The digits of the 'A' Road add up to a multiple of 3. You can see a long way from the motorway bridge.
→ 183 (10 mins) →
Roe Green Park(Brent)
As parks go, it's a nice one. The willow trees are already in leaf. Daffodils are scattered all over. The garden won an award in 2018. A sign says Please do not feed the birds but dozens of pigeons are tucking in anyway. A curve in the path marks the point where there used to be a vehicular barrier. Someone's left four pints of milk beside a tree near the entrance. The borough arms have been placed atop a signpost. The manor's vanished, although its house number (288) is still displayed on a post. The Mediterranean restaurant has a sign saying WE ARE OPEN NOW even when they're not. If you drive too fast the THINK! sign lights up. The swimming pool is now tennis courts.
→ 324 (10 mins) →
Queensbury Circle(Harrow)
The shops are from the 1930s. The chippy's been a regional champion (but doesn't mention how long ago). One shop claims, over-reachingly, to be a Shopping Mall. A lone red poppy remains attached to a lamppost. The roundabout is watched over by CCTV, a phone mast and hanging baskets. One of the hanging baskets still urges locals to remember Hands Face Space. The daffodil count is fairly lacklustre. While I watched, a banner advertising an event on 7th April was attached to the safety barriers with cable ties. A cycle path has replaced a lot of previous pavement. You can be fined for drinking in public here. The service station didn't have a Tesco supermarket in the 1950s.
→ 114 (35 mins) →
South Ruislip (Brackenhill)(Hillingdon)
Oh look it's another roundabout. This roundabout is sponsored by a van rental company. For some reason it has a small brick shelter in the middle. The Gas Board (or modern equivalent) are digging up the road and some of the verges alongside. A lot of their barriers have blown over. A banner advertises a local funfair where, it seems, the minimum admission price is £20. Pedestrian crossings would be useful here, rather than further up each arm. The grass outside the retail park has already had its first mowing of the year. Some carpets are currently half price. Casualties on the main road are decreasing. The Post Office is actually in a different borough. The care home has a copper turret.
→ 282 (15 mins) →
Northolt Clocktower(Ealing)
If I mention the most obvious thing here, especially what's on top of it, someone'll guess the location much too quickly. It doesn't say 8. Building works are taking place. Again several of the barriers have fallen over, but only one of the important ones. Again there's a 1930s parade, again with a chippy. Eastern European dumplings are readily available. The spring bulbs are newly planted. The new boundary hedge has yet to be added. According to the official sign, the council are adding layby's and tree's. The board detailing a local walk is currently inaccessible. The sign for the cash and carry is wonderfully anachronistic. The village green is sponsored by an estate agent.
→ 120 (55 mins) →
Hounslow (behind the Treaty Centre)(Hounslow)
The busiest spot yet. What could be a drab traffic island is mainly grass. Only one end has pansies. Two other smaller traffic islands aid pedestrians crossing. The nearby pub is named after something you can see from here. Its chalkboard advertises HOME MADE PIZZA'S. To contact the religious community charity use the secretary's email address provided. The nearby shopping centre presents a wall of recessed brick. Within is a concession selling musk, a lot of snazzy flooring and an underwhelming food space. One homebound shopper is carrying a small mattress and a Wilco carrier bag. The intermittent aerial racket is readily explained. Two similarly-numbered 'A' roads meet here.
→ 281 (35 mins) →
Teddington (Ferry Road)(Richmond)
The nicest spot yet. It looks like there are two churches but only one still is. One's fundamentally Tudor, the other's blatantly Victorian. One has a lovely yard with leaning gravestones, the other's promoting two exhibitions. The hyacinths are pink. The Rubbish Taxi is not a rubbish taxi, it does waste collection. The sensory area has some wonderful tulips. Two police cars are queuing at the lights, followed shortly afterwards by a third. The area's perhaps best known for something that's now flats. Alternatively it's best known for something you could easily see from that bridge. The two pubs are lovely locals. At the road junction are signs for toilets, a cafe and a National Path.
→ 285 (15 mins) →
Kingston station(Kingston)
Busier than number 6. Very much a focal point and hasn't always been pedestrianised. Less about lingering, more about dispersal. The biggest sign on the front of the building has copious pigeon spikes, some diagonal. That tree may be in a planter but it's still in full blossom. The toilets are closed. Explore The Past and Taste World Cuisine. The easiest cuisines to sample nearby would be Turkish, Japanese and Portuguese. An 8-storey lattice of girders is still being constructed. The tallest building is named after its shape. Family Times Good Times (also Milkshakes). It's hard to tell if the dry cleaners are permanently closed or if it's just Sunday. Students live behind the orange clock.
→ 57 (30 mins) →
South Wimbledon(Merton)
One last road junction. Adverts for nights out at Glam and Musik In Motion are tied to a prominent lamppost. Bike racks are available. A girl is filming the yellow box junction using a camera on a big tripod, overseen by someone who looks like her Dad. The local chicken shop has a Texan theme. Sri Lankan and Vietnamese food options might be preferential. The former bank on the corner is now occupied, appropriately, by accountants. The bus lane doesn't operate on Sundays. Somewhere I recently blogged about is signposted 9 minutes walk away. Portland stone is very much in evidence. The upmarket grocery store has vacated Charles Holden's shop, whereas across the road Tesco (est 2013) is still going strong.
I've either made this much too hard or, collectively, much too easy.
