Ascot
Established Member
Well I've never really done a report for a challenge and since I can't find any more this date I'll get the ball rolling. Unfortunately I had work commitments that day so could only join the meal afterwards but here's my spin on the day/evening.
My morning started off at 7am at Hyde Park Corner where I had to go to Canary Wharf via Green Park and the Jubilee Line to a nearby office space (Ivo, it was the 29th & 37th floors not the 5th). After finally getting out around 11am I made my way back to Kings Cross via London Bridge with the intention of spending a few hours of touching down before meeting everyone else at St Pancras. However this didn't go to plan as the room I was registered in had only one gentleman in who could bore you to death, so off back to Hyde Park Corner for a quiet drink.
On my way back I made contact with bb21, who I believe was equally bored, so we agreed to meet up in a bar for a drink near Hyde Park. We spent about 3 hours in the bar/lounge enjoying a selection of canapés and drinks while checking on the progress of the challenge before heading back to St Pancras in time to log the teams arrivals. Much to my pleasure the "meeting point" was located next to a pub which became the "official checkpoint" until half way through my pint, Mike395 came along to say bb21 had made a balls up of the statues and the actual meeting point was the same distance as 18 coaches along the concourse.
bb21 thankfully decided to wait at the actual meeting point with his clipboard and direct the teams to the pub where it was good to finally put faces to names with many new people and catch up with everyone else. After a drink each we totted up the scores and found a winner before heading down to a Pizza Express to eat. Now the fun started as after the meal someone suggested a pub crawl on the DLR for a bit starting with Shadwell, great I though, long day at work I deserve a drink.
So half of us trundled down to Bank (with the other half catching us up later due to table arrangements) and onto the DLR to Shadwell. Unfortunately the brightspark who suggested Shadwell forgot to mention it was a council estate so we hop back on the next DLR to Cutty Sark were finally we found a nice pub. Some of the other half had to split up to return home and a few others made there way along the DLR to North Woolwich where some of us met there before all returning "home" via Bank and the Drain.
Much to my amusement I was on an Oyster card and managed to touch in twice so had a lovely overcharge to deal with at Waterloo before making my way back to Hyde Park Corner for a well deserved sleep. Next morning I was up at 7am again to return to Canary Wharf until 10am when I was summoned back to Birmingham on the 11:03 EUS-BHM, which being half-term, was dead as a dodo at the back end, before returning to Victoria Square until 4pm.
All in all I am disappointed I couldn't take part in the challenge and catch up with people for longer but an enjoyable day nonetheless and made a change to the working evenings. Looking forward for the next one!
My morning started off at 7am at Hyde Park Corner where I had to go to Canary Wharf via Green Park and the Jubilee Line to a nearby office space (Ivo, it was the 29th & 37th floors not the 5th). After finally getting out around 11am I made my way back to Kings Cross via London Bridge with the intention of spending a few hours of touching down before meeting everyone else at St Pancras. However this didn't go to plan as the room I was registered in had only one gentleman in who could bore you to death, so off back to Hyde Park Corner for a quiet drink.
On my way back I made contact with bb21, who I believe was equally bored, so we agreed to meet up in a bar for a drink near Hyde Park. We spent about 3 hours in the bar/lounge enjoying a selection of canapés and drinks while checking on the progress of the challenge before heading back to St Pancras in time to log the teams arrivals. Much to my pleasure the "meeting point" was located next to a pub which became the "official checkpoint" until half way through my pint, Mike395 came along to say bb21 had made a balls up of the statues and the actual meeting point was the same distance as 18 coaches along the concourse.
bb21 thankfully decided to wait at the actual meeting point with his clipboard and direct the teams to the pub where it was good to finally put faces to names with many new people and catch up with everyone else. After a drink each we totted up the scores and found a winner before heading down to a Pizza Express to eat. Now the fun started as after the meal someone suggested a pub crawl on the DLR for a bit starting with Shadwell, great I though, long day at work I deserve a drink.
So half of us trundled down to Bank (with the other half catching us up later due to table arrangements) and onto the DLR to Shadwell. Unfortunately the brightspark who suggested Shadwell forgot to mention it was a council estate so we hop back on the next DLR to Cutty Sark were finally we found a nice pub. Some of the other half had to split up to return home and a few others made there way along the DLR to North Woolwich where some of us met there before all returning "home" via Bank and the Drain.
Much to my amusement I was on an Oyster card and managed to touch in twice so had a lovely overcharge to deal with at Waterloo before making my way back to Hyde Park Corner for a well deserved sleep. Next morning I was up at 7am again to return to Canary Wharf until 10am when I was summoned back to Birmingham on the 11:03 EUS-BHM, which being half-term, was dead as a dodo at the back end, before returning to Victoria Square until 4pm.
All in all I am disappointed I couldn't take part in the challenge and catch up with people for longer but an enjoyable day nonetheless and made a change to the working evenings. Looking forward for the next one!
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