Tidal Thames Trial
Posted: 14 Apr 2016, 00:33
I'm not entirely sure whether this should go in here or in Non-LU Challenges, as it's quite a bit more varied than the standard LU Challenge. If people feel this should be moved to Non-LU Challenges, leave a note for tubeguru to do so.
This challenge has cropped up before, in various variants, but I thought I should set out an entry for the whole thing. It's basically crossing the Thames at every crossing between Teddington Lock and the mouth of the river in the fastest time possible (any order, of course), but it would be better to make a comprehensive list. From Teddington to the mouth as follows, here are the 56 possible crossings:
- Teddington Lock Footbridge (free)
- Hammerton's Ferry (£1 cash, if boat is not on your side of the river, wave and they'll come and pick you up)
- Richmond Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 33, 490, H22, H37, R68, R70 and N22)
- Richmond Railway Bridge (South West Trains between Richmond and St. Margaret's)
- Twickenham Bridge (free)
- Richmond Lock Footbridge (free)
- Kew Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 65 and 391)
- Kew Railway Bridge (District Line and London Overground between Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens)
- Chiswick Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL bus 190)
- Barnes Railway Bridge (free on foot, also possible on South West Trains between Barnes Bridge and Chiswick)
- Hammersmith Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 33, 72, 209, 283, 419 and 485)
- Putney Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 14, 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220, 265, 270, 424, 430, N22 and N74)
- Fulham Railway Bridge (free on foot, also possible on District Line between Putney Bridge and East Putney)
- Wandsworth Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 28, 295, C3 and N28)
- Battersea Railway Bridge (London Overground and Southern between Imperial Wharf and Clapham Junction)
- Battersea Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 19, 49, 170, 319, 345, N19 and N31)
- Albert Bridge (free)
- Chelsea Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 44, 137, 452, N44 and N137)
- Grosvenor Railway Bridge (Southern, Southeastern and Gatwick Express between Victoria and the first stop out)
- Victoria Line (Victoria Line between Pimlico and Vauxhall)
- Vauxhall Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 2, 36, 87, 88, 185, 360, 436, N2, N87 and N136)
- Lambeth Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 3, 507, C10 and N3)
- Westminster Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 12, 53, 148, 159, 211, 453, N109, N155 and N381)
- Jubilee Line 1 (Jubilee Line between Westminster and Waterloo)
- Bakerloo Line (Bakerloo Line between Embankment and Waterloo)
- Golden Jubilee/Hungerford Bridges (free on foot, also possible on Southeastern between Charing Cross and Waterloo East)
- Northern Line 1 (Northern Line between Embankment and Waterloo)
- Waterloo Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 243, 341, 521, RV1, X68, N1, N68, N171 and N343)
- Waterloo and City Line (Waterloo and City Line between Bank and Waterloo)
- Blackfriars Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 45, 63, 100, N63 and N89)
- Blackfriars Railway Bridge (see instructions below)
- Millennium Bridge (free)
- Southwark Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL bus 344)
- Cannon Street Railway Bridge (Southeastern between Cannon Street and London Bridge)
- London Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 17, 21, 35, 40, 43, 47, 48, 133, 141, 149, 344, 521, N21, N35, N133 and N199)
- Northern Line 2 (Northern Line between Bank and London Bridge)
- Tower Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 42, 78 and RV1)
- Thames Tunnel (London Overground between Wapping and Rotherhithe)
- Rotherhithe Tunnel (free, must be done on foot while wearing appropriate safety gear - cloth over nose and mouth)
- Hilton Docklands Ferry (Thames Clippers East Zone - discounts available with Oyster PAYG and with TfL travelcard, but must be booked beforehand online for the latter discount. Paper tickets also available)
- Jubilee Line 2 (Jubilee Line between Canary Wharf and Canada Water)
- Docklands Light Railway 1 (Docklands Light Railway between Island Gardens and Cutty Sark)
- Greenwich Foot Tunnel (free)
- Jubilee Line 3 (Jubilee Line between Canary Wharf and North Greenwich)
- Blackwall Tunnel Northbound (TfL bus 108 towards Stratford)
- Blackwall Tunnel Southbound (TfL bus 108 towards Lewisham)
- Trinity Buoy Wharf Ferry (between Trinity Buoy Wharf and North Greenwich Pier, £2 cash, if boat is not on your side of the river phone 07947637925 and they'll pick you up)
- Jubilee Line 4 (Jubilee Line between Canning Town and North Greenwich)
- Boris Johnson's Dangleway (discounts available with Oyster PAYG, paper tickets also available)
- Woolwich Foot Tunnel (free)
- Woolwich Free Ferry (free, duh)
- Docklands Light Railway 2 (Docklands Light Railway between King George V and Woolwich Arsenal)
- Dartford Tunnels (Ensignbus X80 towards Chafford Hundred)
- Cross Bridge (if Crossrail is becoming the Elizabeth Line then the Elizabeth Bridge must become Cross Bridge, surely? Ensignbus X80 towards Bluewater)
- High Speed 1 (Southeastern between Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International or Eurostar services from St Pancras International - special fares apply)
- Tilbury to Gravesend Ferry (£3.50 cash)
I'm not entirely sure whether to keep the last 4 - each and every one of them is a pain in the neck and they're not in Greater London anyway! Anyway, that's 5 bridges to do on foot, 16 bridges to do either on foot or on a bus, 3 tunnels to be done by bus, 1 bridge to be done by bus, 3 tunnels to be done by foot, 8 rail bridges (2 of which can also be done on foot), 5 ferries, 13 rail tunnels, 1 cable car and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, where you must do one of the following:
- Enter Blackfriars Rail station at the southern entrance, exit at the northern (and vice versa)
- Travel on Thameslink or Southeastern from Elephant and Castle (or London Bridge or further south) to Blackfriars, exiting at the northern entrance (and vice versa)
- Travel on Thameslink from City Thameslink to Blackfriars, exiting at the southern entrance (and vice versa)
- Travel on Thameslink from City Thameslink to Elephant and Castle (or further south and vice versa)
Other rules include:
- If you are crossing a bridge on foot, you must clear the bridge on each side
- If you are traversing a tunnel on foot, you must ascend to the surface on each side
- You may not alight or board a bus halfway across a bridge (applies to London, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Westminster, Vauxhall and Putney Bridges)
- When using a ferry, in addition to crossing you must stand with both feet on the relevant pier/jetty/quay/wharf at each side of the river
These restrictions are simply here to sidestep making a cumbersome definition for each crossing.
Obviously, the challenge is about the length of a day, even without the easternmost four crossings (probably because of all the fiddling around in West London). Worth discussing anyway?
This challenge has cropped up before, in various variants, but I thought I should set out an entry for the whole thing. It's basically crossing the Thames at every crossing between Teddington Lock and the mouth of the river in the fastest time possible (any order, of course), but it would be better to make a comprehensive list. From Teddington to the mouth as follows, here are the 56 possible crossings:
- Teddington Lock Footbridge (free)
- Hammerton's Ferry (£1 cash, if boat is not on your side of the river, wave and they'll come and pick you up)
- Richmond Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 33, 490, H22, H37, R68, R70 and N22)
- Richmond Railway Bridge (South West Trains between Richmond and St. Margaret's)
- Twickenham Bridge (free)
- Richmond Lock Footbridge (free)
- Kew Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 65 and 391)
- Kew Railway Bridge (District Line and London Overground between Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens)
- Chiswick Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL bus 190)
- Barnes Railway Bridge (free on foot, also possible on South West Trains between Barnes Bridge and Chiswick)
- Hammersmith Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 33, 72, 209, 283, 419 and 485)
- Putney Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 14, 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220, 265, 270, 424, 430, N22 and N74)
- Fulham Railway Bridge (free on foot, also possible on District Line between Putney Bridge and East Putney)
- Wandsworth Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 28, 295, C3 and N28)
- Battersea Railway Bridge (London Overground and Southern between Imperial Wharf and Clapham Junction)
- Battersea Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 19, 49, 170, 319, 345, N19 and N31)
- Albert Bridge (free)
- Chelsea Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 44, 137, 452, N44 and N137)
- Grosvenor Railway Bridge (Southern, Southeastern and Gatwick Express between Victoria and the first stop out)
- Victoria Line (Victoria Line between Pimlico and Vauxhall)
- Vauxhall Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 2, 36, 87, 88, 185, 360, 436, N2, N87 and N136)
- Lambeth Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 3, 507, C10 and N3)
- Westminster Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 12, 53, 148, 159, 211, 453, N109, N155 and N381)
- Jubilee Line 1 (Jubilee Line between Westminster and Waterloo)
- Bakerloo Line (Bakerloo Line between Embankment and Waterloo)
- Golden Jubilee/Hungerford Bridges (free on foot, also possible on Southeastern between Charing Cross and Waterloo East)
- Northern Line 1 (Northern Line between Embankment and Waterloo)
- Waterloo Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 243, 341, 521, RV1, X68, N1, N68, N171 and N343)
- Waterloo and City Line (Waterloo and City Line between Bank and Waterloo)
- Blackfriars Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 45, 63, 100, N63 and N89)
- Blackfriars Railway Bridge (see instructions below)
- Millennium Bridge (free)
- Southwark Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL bus 344)
- Cannon Street Railway Bridge (Southeastern between Cannon Street and London Bridge)
- London Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 17, 21, 35, 40, 43, 47, 48, 133, 141, 149, 344, 521, N21, N35, N133 and N199)
- Northern Line 2 (Northern Line between Bank and London Bridge)
- Tower Bridge (free on foot, also possible on TfL buses 42, 78 and RV1)
- Thames Tunnel (London Overground between Wapping and Rotherhithe)
- Rotherhithe Tunnel (free, must be done on foot while wearing appropriate safety gear - cloth over nose and mouth)
- Hilton Docklands Ferry (Thames Clippers East Zone - discounts available with Oyster PAYG and with TfL travelcard, but must be booked beforehand online for the latter discount. Paper tickets also available)
- Jubilee Line 2 (Jubilee Line between Canary Wharf and Canada Water)
- Docklands Light Railway 1 (Docklands Light Railway between Island Gardens and Cutty Sark)
- Greenwich Foot Tunnel (free)
- Jubilee Line 3 (Jubilee Line between Canary Wharf and North Greenwich)
- Blackwall Tunnel Northbound (TfL bus 108 towards Stratford)
- Blackwall Tunnel Southbound (TfL bus 108 towards Lewisham)
- Trinity Buoy Wharf Ferry (between Trinity Buoy Wharf and North Greenwich Pier, £2 cash, if boat is not on your side of the river phone 07947637925 and they'll pick you up)
- Jubilee Line 4 (Jubilee Line between Canning Town and North Greenwich)
- Boris Johnson's Dangleway (discounts available with Oyster PAYG, paper tickets also available)
- Woolwich Foot Tunnel (free)
- Woolwich Free Ferry (free, duh)
- Docklands Light Railway 2 (Docklands Light Railway between King George V and Woolwich Arsenal)
- Dartford Tunnels (Ensignbus X80 towards Chafford Hundred)
- Cross Bridge (if Crossrail is becoming the Elizabeth Line then the Elizabeth Bridge must become Cross Bridge, surely? Ensignbus X80 towards Bluewater)
- High Speed 1 (Southeastern between Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International or Eurostar services from St Pancras International - special fares apply)
- Tilbury to Gravesend Ferry (£3.50 cash)
I'm not entirely sure whether to keep the last 4 - each and every one of them is a pain in the neck and they're not in Greater London anyway! Anyway, that's 5 bridges to do on foot, 16 bridges to do either on foot or on a bus, 3 tunnels to be done by bus, 1 bridge to be done by bus, 3 tunnels to be done by foot, 8 rail bridges (2 of which can also be done on foot), 5 ferries, 13 rail tunnels, 1 cable car and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, where you must do one of the following:
- Enter Blackfriars Rail station at the southern entrance, exit at the northern (and vice versa)
- Travel on Thameslink or Southeastern from Elephant and Castle (or London Bridge or further south) to Blackfriars, exiting at the northern entrance (and vice versa)
- Travel on Thameslink from City Thameslink to Blackfriars, exiting at the southern entrance (and vice versa)
- Travel on Thameslink from City Thameslink to Elephant and Castle (or further south and vice versa)
Other rules include:
- If you are crossing a bridge on foot, you must clear the bridge on each side
- If you are traversing a tunnel on foot, you must ascend to the surface on each side
- You may not alight or board a bus halfway across a bridge (applies to London, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Westminster, Vauxhall and Putney Bridges)
- When using a ferry, in addition to crossing you must stand with both feet on the relevant pier/jetty/quay/wharf at each side of the river
These restrictions are simply here to sidestep making a cumbersome definition for each crossing.
Obviously, the challenge is about the length of a day, even without the easternmost four crossings (probably because of all the fiddling around in West London). Worth discussing anyway?