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No

I have bad routes for some alternative challenges, I have slightly better routes for other alternative challenges (and a shedload of luck). The important thing to remember is just because your route is theoretically record breaking doesn't mean you're going to break a record!

I, personally, am not very protective of my alternative challenge routes, but some people are and we should respect that. At heart, it's about going out and trying things out yourself - whether that's things commonly suggested (e.g. Edgware to Stanmore on the 142 bus) or something entirely new (e.g. buses from King's Cross to Caledonian Road and Barnsbury). You may be able to improve on existing knowledge (e.g. Edgware to Canons Park then tube is faster than going direct to Stanmore) as well.

If you just use existing knowledge, as it is, you will be mediocre at best; the making of any tube challenger is the ideas they bring to the table. For example, in 2005 the North West Corner on a FNC was done in just one way (Amersham/Chesham visit the other, Watford doubleback, Preston Road doubleback thence to Northwick Park Kenton Harrow and Wealdstone doubleback then into town on the Bakerloo). By 2009 (I believe it was Andi's idea, but I may be wrong here so don't quote me on that) a new method of doing the NW Corner had come about (the reverse 4 method, which has been a resounding success). More ways of covering the NW Corner have been created since (I've put one together, Rhys B has put one together, I'm sure there are more), all of which were born from new ideas that have been thoroughly investigated. If you want to get a record, you need to earn it yourself by working things out!

If you just want to complete a FNC (perhaps for charity), it's different of course. I put together a slow-ish Full Network Route from Heathrow to Amersham/Chesham back in 2014, with very few connections. It's not competitive in any sense of the word, but should give you a decent shot at completion - and it's for charity, so that's all you need!

The Orange One wrote:
I, personally, am not very protective of my alternative challenge routes, but some people are and we should respect that. At heart, it's about going out and trying things out yourself - whether that's things commonly suggested (e.g. Edgware to Stanmore on the 142 bus) or something entirely new (e.g. buses from King's Cross to Caledonian Road and Barnsbury). You may be able to improve on existing knowledge (e.g. Edgware to Canons Park then tube is faster than going direct to Stanmore) as well.

I'd be protective if I got a record!

The Orange One wrote: If you just want to complete a FNC (perhaps for charity), it's different of course. I put together a slow-ish Full Network Route from Heathrow to Amersham/Chesham back in 2014, with very few connections. It's not competitive in any sense of the word, but should give you a decent shot at completion - and it's for charity, so that's all you need!

Same, I've only got a slowish route! I thought it was a record, but then realised Ken O knocked me back about 3/4 of an hour!

well there always the public labyrinth route to follow adapted you can still get a resonably good time of that.

But wasn't that before the K.O. changes?

That means it might still be a long wait for an Olympia train

Tube Geek wrote:But wasn't that before the K.O. changes?

That means it might still be a long wait for an Olympia train

key word is adapted

Oh yea, missed that

palkanetoijala31 wrote:well there always the public labyrinth route to follow adapted you can still get a resonably good time of that.

Indeed - I found a theory route which could in theory equal (and maybe even beat) the previous record of 16:14 just by re-jigging Labyrinth to take account of the changes to the Olympia 'service'.

As to being able to find out things nobody else has thought of - in my research I did find an alternative route from Stanmore to Edgware which at that particular time worked quicker than either waiting for a direct bus from Stanmore or going back to CP and taking a bus.

I also found a 'shortcut' which, whilst it doesn't make any difference to the theory time (if everything's on time), can gain you a train if the line you're about to change into is running a few minutes late.

Conversely, making site visits/recce runs and testing things is also useful to find out what doesn't work!

Especially when u have a good berlin route and need three days to test it out

Discovered a major new running link in the Central Area whilst playing around on Google Maps (and seeing pictures of part of it on the news), getting it down to 5 1/2 hours, which I'm happy with!

Interesting - what I would regard as the optimal route (though I haven't attempted to work out timings), doesn't involve going outside the network at all...

And, having worked out my theoretical timings, it's slightly quicker than the current fastest time, albeit with a couple of tight connections (which I think are cross-platform).

Tube Geek wrote:Discovered a major new running link in the Central Area whilst playing around on Google Maps (and seeing pictures of part of it on the news), getting it down to 5 1/2 hours, which I'm happy with!

I think I came up with this last year when I tried. Think it might be better getting the bus, which is also, as we all know, the easiest way to get from Embankment to Charing Cross!

A Challenge wrote:

Tube Geek wrote:Discovered a major new running link in the Central Area whilst playing around on Google Maps (and seeing pictures of part of it on the news), getting it down to 5 1/2 hours, which I'm happy with!

I think I came up with this last year when I tried. Think it might be better getting the bus, which is also, as we all know, the easiest way to get from Embankment to Charing Cross!

What was the running link? PM me if you want

I really can't see how running comes into it (I just tried the timings for a slight variation on my route by incorporating a run and it made the time longer!).

There are a limited number of sensible starting places, and with Dollis Hill being the most practical D, and only one I, E-H are pretty obvious. L-R seem obvious too, with only one practical Q, and V and W are pretty much fixed, so there isn't a lot of variation in routes that can be taken.