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Have to agree with Ric, certainly one of best alternative challenges there has been...
You have to use logistics and route planning that simply wouldn't apply on any other alternative challenge and this is definitely added to by the fact you have to exit a "park" station each time and take a photo...

Where you would normally have just have to "visit" a station and maybe carry on down the same stretch of line and then possibly a tube interchange to your next destination, this is far more creative and involved strategic runs, the use of buses and national rail trains that you would never normally use....
You could have a 100 pepole planning this from a Wimbledon Park start
and I doubt very much that you would get 2 identical routes.

As Ric was running late we decided to team up and make it a "Cannons Park" start vs "Wimbledon Park" start challenge...

Cannon's park thumped Wimbledon Park by some distance as we finished at Moor Park in a time of 9hrs 43mins 10secs...
This had been going fairly well until some awful delays late on the District Line due to signalling problems at Mansion House..
Lengthy delay of 20 minutes for Rayners Lane service at Acton Town and then another 15mins to get back on this service again at Park Royal after getting off to take photo....

Our most bizzare picture being of a large pile of "scaffolding" that could have really been anything but was in fact at the site of Regents Park

Rather than waiting 15mins for the next Met Line from Rayners Lane we managed to jmup on an H12 to Pinner to complete the last piece of the park jigsaw......

I think with this challenge in particular having to exit the "park" station each time route planning is even more subject to change and thinking on you feet than any other challenge simply because ther are more options.....

Looking forward to the Xmas 2007 park challenge already

A few more details as promised:

Firstly, I realised a couple of hours in that given how my route ended, Canons Park was the ideal starting point, and certainly better than Wimbledon Park. We started separately as I was running late, however I still ended up starting half an hour before the others Not sure how that happened. By the way, I would have gone south from Wimbledon Park!

Beautiful frost in the forests beside the tracks heading up to Moor Park and back early on. This didn't take much time as I got a fast train direct from Harrow on the Hill on the way up.

One way I tried to jump a train was from Ravenscourt Park to Chiswick Park. Rather than just taking the next Ealing Broadway bound train to CP, getting out and taking a photo, then continuing on the next one, I took the first Richmond train to Turnham Green, and set out on foot to Chiswick Park, hoping to beat the first train there. Turns out there's a path through a park alongside the track; as a result I had the sad sight of the train going past when I was a couple of minutes short of the station. It meant I walked the rest, and the station guard had a go at me for taking a photo as I walked in! Then massive delays getting to Park Royal, however it's rare to have delays early on then a clear run, and it was a pleasant change!

Dumb moment of the day was when I decided it would be a good idea to run from Holland Park to Notting Hill Gate (then down to Wimbledon Park) I set off, and slowly gained on a bus ahead of me. I eventually caught it up at a stop, and feeling tired jumped on, not knowing how far I had to go. Turns out I was 50m short of the station, and the next bus stop was 400m down the road. So I had to backtrack 350m! Don't think it cost me a train though.

I couldn't find a 'normal' station sign at Hyde Park Corner. Did I miss it at a different exit? At several stations, I asked a passerby to take a photo of me under the sign, at one I was asked if the camera was a bomb before they took the photo!

I bought an extra camera from a shop in Holloway en route to Finsbury Park, and almost grabbed a sandwich while I was at it, but decided that I didn't have time in the end. The last couple of hours were frustrating as I'd saved the difficult ones till last, but I'd done my route prep and got lucky at both Stratford and Meads Lane - a quiet road near Newbury Park, and was on course to get 8 hours as I left Elm Park. However the last train was excruciatingly slow - the others also had trouble getting back into town on the District - and I took my final photo outside Upton Park 8 hours, 8 minutes and 36 seconds after taking a similar photo outside Canon's Park.

I'd been texting the others to keep in touch for most of the day, however we'd not been in contact for the last couple of hours as we raced to our finishes. I broke 'radio silence' at Marylebone, heading up to Amersham for the curry meetup, expecting to be well beaten as they had told me they were finishing at Moor Park. I was amazed to get a text back quickly saying that I would be first to Amersham. When I arrived in Amersham, they then texted back to say that they were leaving Eastcote
for Amersham. I guessed they must have finished early and gone back to Starkey's. How wrong I was.......

Soup dragon kept me entertained until the others arrived, then we discussed routes and ideas over food, before I got a lift back to Rickmansworth on the floor of Soup Dragon's car, only once having to duck when a police car passed. And work this morning!

Thanks to all the others for organising the event, having the idea, and for making my time look good

It's not a piece of cake, but one of the most interesting challenges I've attempted. Think it could be done in about 7 hours on a great day with a better thought-out route. Guess I'm the record holder for now though.

So, are we doing this again this year then?

I am 100% certain that Kevin is organising another Park Challenge this year, but unfortunately I won't be able to make it because it will be during the week and I dont' have any more holiday left to take.

Oh yes this is really the brainchild of the good Dr and we are certainly doing it again this year....

Exact details to follow but the date will be Friday 21st Dec so I if anyone that is interested they can keep that day free and I will post further info in a few days.........

scrxisi wrote:Working 9-6

Never fear young Matt, there will be a little something in the evening as well

scrxisi wrote:Last Friday evening before Christmas Tube Challenge? Is that as mental as it sounds?

Perhaps the challenge will be getting *anywhere* by tube. Heehee. Count me in (provisionally)

Oh yes absolute madness, we love it eh...........

What sort of time are we talking?

I think I have school til 12:30 that day.

jonny wrote:What sort of time are we talking?

I think I have school til 12:30 that day.

We are gonna need to start the park challenge at around 11am, and I reckon the evening challenge by 7pm...... So hopefully you can make the latter if not the first one

Count me out sadly, working till lunchtime then probably out catching drink drivers in the evening.

Fine by me, I may be hungover due to going out in London the day before and I won't be able to hang around much afterwards as I have to go out in Maidstone that night, but count in me, Jack, and possibly a few others to add to The Subways group too.

jamesthegill wrote:Fine by me, I may be hungover due to going out in London the day before and I won't be able to hang around much afterwards as I have to go out in Maidstone that night, but count in me, Jack, and possibly a few others to add to The Subways group too.

Maidstone, thats a non-league town isnt it? perhaps I will go out on drunk and disorderly patrol instead

editorsfoot wrote:

jamesthegill wrote:Fine by me, I may be hungover due to going out in London the day before and I won't be able to hang around much afterwards as I have to go out in Maidstone that night, but count in me, Jack, and possibly a few others to add to The Subways group too.

Maidstone, thats a non-league town isnt it?

Well, I say Maidstone, but it's either usually Dartford or Sittingbourne...bloody squatters!

Going Underground wrote:

jonny wrote:What sort of time are we talking?

I think I have school til 12:30 that day.

We are gonna need to start the park challenge at around 11am, and I reckon the evening challenge by 7pm...... So hopefully you can make the latter if not the first one

Ok, I might not be able to do that but we shall see...

jamesthegill wrote:Fine by me, I may be hungover due to going out in London the day before and I won't be able to hang around much afterwards as I have to go out in Maidstone that night, but count in me, Jack, and possibly a few others to add to The Subways group too.

Great news lads

I will start a new thread with all the details in the next couple of days, so keep a lookout........