London Underground Challenge Help Needed

[Mountain Man]

This.

I'm planning an attempt for later in the year and this takes months of planning to get right - its not just what platform do I need to be on, its also things like what carriage do I need to be on for the appropriate exit or passage to the Northern Line/Jubilee/etc and then the do I take food/water with me or get someone to drop it off for me?

Also download the tfl toilet map as you will need to pee at some point during the day.

....and most importantly dont expect to complete first time out and have more than one route planned in case for example the Northern Line or the Metropolitan decide to play funny buggers with delays etc.

I agree, I'm on my 5th route, and 2nd fundamental re design. Even allowing some flexibility (I'm doing it on a Friday and finishing on lines open with Night Tube to give me a safety net) it's still feels a bit rushed.

I used the map you suggested for toilets plus C2C, and built in a couple of 15 min breaks to get food (there are a few stations with nearby Greggs for quick hot food)

I also tested a couple of the on foot transfers so I could realistically know my transfer time versus the advertised ones. I'm hardly going to do a Geoff Marshall run. There are a few ways to figure good on foot transfers that don't involve just copying others but I'll let you figure that out

Also, I've looked at some backup routes if there are problems, you can't plan every eventuality, but I do basically have an option for each planned venture out of zone 1 in case the line in question has issues.

I would say to try and figure your own route as it'll give a lot more satisfaction.

My Hounslow to Pimlico route won't be the fastest, but it'll be mine

 

[rebmcr]

there are a few stations with nearby Greggs for quick hot food

There's even one inside Westminster, just outside the gateline.

 

[ijmad]

What would count as National Rail?

Perhaps:
Any NR station on London Overground or TfL Rail - 133
Any NR station within Greater London - 330
Any NR station within Greater London or on a TfL run service - 346 (I think)
Any station shown on the TfL tube and railway services map - 660
Any station shown on the joint NR/TfL rail and tube map - 652

(if you're wondering what the difference between the last two is, it seems the NR version hasn't been updated yet to reflect the small Oyster/Contactless expansion in April that added Cuffey, Bayford, Hereford North, Epsom, Radlett and Potters Bar, it shows Waterloo & Waterloo East as one station, and doesn't yet show Meridian Water).

 

[Mountain Man]

I think one of the reasons the Tube Challenge is its neat enough in 1 day.

Adding extras is messy as you either need to stop and do a 2nd day, or use Night tube on a Friday.

I'm more a fan of the smaller ones, like zone 1 or DLR than the bigger than Underground ones

 

[Mountain Man]

How fixed is your hotel? Its a long way from Limehouse to Heathrow on a night bus. Bear in mind, even without running, it's a seriously long day so starting with a long bus ride doesn't sound great

 

[Mountain Man]

Perhaps:
Any NR station on London Overground or TfL Rail - 133
Any NR station within Greater London - 330
Any NR station within Greater London or on a TfL run service - 346 (I think)
Any station shown on the TfL tube and railway services map - 660
Any station shown on the joint NR/TfL rail and tube map - 652

(if you're wondering what the difference between the last two is, it seems the NR version hasn't been updated yet to reflect the small Oyster/Contactless expansion in April that added Cuffey, Bayford, Hereford North, Epsom, Radlett and Potters Bar, it shows Waterloo & Waterloo East as one station, and doesn't yet show Meridian Water).

How about an Overground only challenge? It's grown big enough so that in the North East corner at least you have a variety of routes.

 

[Mountain Man]

So it's this week? Any news?

 

[itznonbine]

I do appologise for not responding sooner. I only got 2/3 round and had to quit at aldgate which was 180/270 and that was i just couldn't move anymore and just felt sick and everything. it was on the hottest day of the year which didn't help

 

[yorkie]

I'd imagine you'd need to be reasonably physically fit and well to do this, given a lot of walking (or even jogging/running) would be involved. I agree it would be best to avoid Summer months unless you are confident that hot weather won't affect you. I'd also not do it without someone assisting you with food/drink at various points. Another good idea would be to check online for any delays occurring throughout the day; you could even post live updates on the forum and ask people if they foresee any delays on your upcoming legs.

You'd also want to research the out of station interchanges (OSIs); if relying on electronic maps then you need to ensure you don't run out of battery power.

I'm more a fan of the smaller ones, like zone 1 or DLR than the bigger than Underground ones

The forum will be organising one in the Spring; keep an eye on the forum meets section for details nearer the time

 

[ijmad]

I do appologise for not responding sooner. I only got 2/3 round and had to quit at aldgate which was 180/270 and that was i just couldn't move anymore and just felt sick and everything. it was on the hottest day of the year which didn't help

Not surprised. Sounds like a good effort given the conditions! Finish the rest next time

 

[Mountain Man]

Fair play, good effort, the temperatures on some of the deep tube lines can really climb and I've wondered if motion sickness becomes an issue as whilst I assume you're sat down a lot, it's normally moving sideways

 

[rebmcr]

Fair play, good effort, the temperatures on some of the deep tube lines can really climb and I've wondered if motion sickness becomes an issue as whilst I assume you're sat down a lot, it's normally moving sideways

I get really motion sick in road vehicles, whenever I get engrossed in a book or game and 'forget' about the outside. It's happened occasionally in transverse train seating too, but never longitudinal.

It also tends to be far more likely and severe if I'm hungry and/or too warm.

 

[Mountain Man]

I get really motion sick in road vehicles, whenever I get engrossed in a book or game and 'forget' about the outside. It's happened occasionally in transverse train seating too, but never longitudinal.

It also tends to be far more likely and severe if I'm hungry and/or too warm.

Yeah, I've pushed back my attempt to next autumn. I want to do a 3 or 4 hour test trip just get a feel for it. Maybe do the final chunk of my planned route to get a feel for it in the day so its less disorientating when I'm exhausted late at night

 

[bluegoblin7]

The challenge is going to become significant harder after January when the new Central line timetable is introduced; this reduces the Woodford-Hainault loop to a shuttle, which will knock a huge chunk of the challenge out of sync...