Christmas Park Challenge 2014 - Sat 13th Dec

[greatkingrat]

I did Stonebridge Park - Park Royal on foot once. That was the year the Bakerloo was closed for engineering work between Stonebridge Park and Queen's Park.

[tangy]

I will be attending... though I have seemed to have misplaced my camera. Hopefully I will find it before tomorrow

[palkanetoijala31]

quick Andrew tangy coming badger him to do a parkrun

[tractakid]

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/

[greatkingrat]

Not feeling 100% so will skip the parkrun. Not sure how much running I will manage on the challenge itself.

[Going Underground]

A beautiful crisp sunny day for the Christmas Extravaganza and here are the results

6th - Nick in 9hrs 02mins 16secs at Elm Park
5th - Tangy in 8hrs 49mins 26secs at Barkingside
4th - Hugo in 8hrs 03mins 59secs at Moor Park
3rd - Kev Nozza in 7hrs 58mins 12secs at Elm Park
2nd - Pete in 7hrs 50mins 23secs at Moor Park
1st - Andi in 7hrs 46 mins 14 secs at Elm Park

Well done to all for taking part, HPC was a pig having exited Green Park got photo run to HPC got photo and then getting down to entrance be told it was exit only due Winterwonderland So no option but to run back to Green Park and then double back HPC on the Picc...

See you all again for more parks fun in 2015

[palkanetoijala31]

well i firstly ran the park run took it relative easy for me and finished in a non official time of 24m 26s a nice course which would be better in summer most of us agree!

Starting off on the 10:18 from belsize park planned the start right this year 5 secs after nozza and kevin so if on same train they have to do something to get rid of me . so stayed with them up to edgware and ran out of the station was surprised to see the bus 79 suddenly turn up so thought i get that saw nozza and kevin just miss it but they ran on and i helpfully pushed the button for them so they could hop on at next stop.

Arriving at canons park a lovely straight out of station and back in at wembley park seeing as it was an uxbridge train then a chesham gave me time to take the photo at northwick park without worrying about it on way back from moor park.

Running into kenton and remembering not a proper challenge went to southbound with a sight of 12mins southbound absolutely bollocks the train planned came in in two minutes TFL sort it out.

Leaving kev and nozza behind at stonebridge park i merrily jogged all the way and for the first time didnt take a wrong turn or forget to take the bridge over to park royal i was quite chuffed did it from memory i had 5 mins spare to relax and prepare my door positions.

Running out of chiswick park i easily ran and easily got the turnham green departing from richmond train and spoke to someone who did challenge on a red rover ticket years ago didnt get much time though as out running at ravenscourt park towards hammersmith h&c.

Now making time i looked at the platform next to go out it said 1 when it was really 2 so again TFL sort it out ur ******* useless.

So making the planned train i had intended out of hammersmith i ran out of westbourne park towards queens park picked up a lucky bus i believe a 187 Tangy? from about 500m from the station should have got off 1 stop earlier but never mind i dont think cost a train and run in and out of kilburn park which i really thought was a deeper station from memory!.

easily doing paddington got held up a bit with chelsea fans and really should have db at holland park instead of taking overground but i dont know if helped as missed my planned hopefully train at west brompton never get lucky here.

But wasnt disheartened i planned for 14:33 into st james park perhaps i should have run but thought it be quicker to green park but it wasnt and db into hyde park corner now stupid TFL ******* who dont advertise that hyde park corner is exit only i had to run back to green park costing me the time of around 5-6 mins.

runngin out of regents park made a little time back but realised the train when i ran into warren street was the one i wanted into woodside without a tufnell park run in and out so couldnt risk it and db back to tufnell park instead.

Running out saw bus 4 due 2 mins so decided to wait and useless car drivers 2 of them blocking the bus lanes probably cost me an option of staying within a record time finsbury park didnt see an option to go north so went souuth and across at h&i to stratford the rest was simple db newbury park get out at stratford west ham fortunately here a barking h&c so good for upton park in and out and ran out at elm park to finish

[DrainBrain]

I'm going to come and make a leisurely attempt at this.

To explain my time, I refer everyone to my use of the word 'leisurely' above.

It does seem like I was the only one to walk into HPC unobstructed.

[The Orange One]

Well, this was a comedy of errors, in more ways than one . Also, I would like to submit a claim for most Park Stations visited with rules of Park Challenge (external visit with camera snapping at station), and a second claim for most bus routes used. No idea whether these hold, though.

Started at Belsize Park (snap) about 10 seconds after Nick and 10 minutes after Andi, Kev and Nozza. Seriously overestimated the time it would take me to run down 189 steps (left one and a half minutes, took about 30 seconds). First train to Camden Town limped into the platform - as you might expect, this was a portent of things to come. Went down to Camden Town with Nick and tractakid (who decided to do 4 park stations this time), where I missed my connection. Never mind - I built slack in for one missed connection. Train to Woodside Park, with a great 2 minute connection at Finchley Central for a Mill Hill East train! Not going there today, so on to Woodside Park (snap) to find a second missed connection, and hope for making the 4 to Finsbury Park pretty much straight out of the window. To add insult to injury, my travelcard stopped working (error 09, due to demagnetisation).

Got on a southbound train for a 2 minute connection at Finchley Central for a Mill Hill East train! Not going there, though, so onwards to Tufnell Park (snap), where again the travelcard did not work (as expected). This was where I left Nick and tractakid, who decided to wait the 8 minutes for a number 4 while I tried a 390/29 combination via the York Way/Camden Road junction. This was not very successful, mainly down to crowds of people attempting to board all the way up Seven Sisters Road. Straight on a train at Finsbury Park (snap) to Blackhorse Road, where I managed to get my travelcard replaced, though I had an unfortunate encounter with Error Code 42. Buses caught so far: 2.

Leytonstone High Road and a W14 appeared as I reached the high road to get me to Leytonstone, an epic 2 stop time-saving journey - but unfortunately not enough to make a Hainault via Newbury Park whose doors closed as I arrived on the platform. 5 minutes for a Woodford via Hainault (what else!) to Newbury Park (snap). Informed the people giving out stuff outside that there would be more of us taking pictures, then ran through the subway to board a waiting 66 bus for one stop to Ley Street - and there was a 169, waiting on the northern side of the A12! 6 minute wait at this stop for the bus to advance across Eastern Avenue, then onwards to Barking. Straight onto the District Line to Elm Park (snap), lovely doubleback to Upton Park (snap). Buses caught so far: 5.

On to West Ham, Jubilee to Westminster (where I stupidly got lost), on to St. James's Park (snap). Back onto the District, change for the Victoria at Victoria snappily up to Green Flipping Park (snap). Got out and on board a 22 to Hyde Park Korner (snap), where I ran around like a headless chicken cursing Winter Wonderland, then ran to Knightsbridge straight down the A4, dodging the stationary cars. Double-backed HPK, then Earl's Court and Wimbledon Park (snap), where I met Peter Smyth. Stayed together up to Earl's Court, Hammersmith (on the Picc), run to Ravenscourt Park (snap), District to Chiswick Park (snap), 440 bus down Bollo Lane over two level crossings, then run up the road to Mill Hill Park (snap). Piccadilly to Park Royal (snap), run to Hanger Lane, Central to Holland Park (snap), where Peter ran off to do the Ladbroke Grove run. Me? I had another station to tick off instead. Buses caught so far: 7.

Back on the Central Line to Oxford Circus, onto the Bakerloo to Regent's Park (snap). Run across to Great Portland Street & Regent's Park (snap), to catch a H&C to Westbourne Park (snap). Out of the station to find the bus stop out of action, so ran up to Harrow Road for the next one, where I got on board a 31. The driver was surely both suicidal and homicidal, with the way he charged through 3 red lights, almost ran over two people and a 36 bus was forced to reverse hurriedly out of his way, but he made the trip in 9 minutes to Kilburn Park (snap). Up to Queen's Park (snap) on a terminator, LO up to Stonebridge Park (snap). At Stonebridge Park, I went out to take the photo, back in towards the platform, then back out to buy a drink when confronted with a 4 minute wait from the newsagents outside, then back in again to catch the Bakerloo Line. This meant I triggered Error Code 41. Buses caught so far: 8.

Up to Kenton, run to Northwick Park (snap). Since Moor Park and Canons Park are about equally far off time-wise, I decide to take the next train. Cue, of course, Uxbridge service, which I therefore leave. Take train after to Wembley Park (snap), then run straight down stairs onto waiting Northbound Jubilee Line train. Success!! Except I barely jump off in time to avoid a trip to Wembley Park Siding (no snap, I'm afraid, so doesn't count). Wait for next train, which I take to Canons Park (snap), then back onto a train to Wembley Park for a 4 minute wait for a Chesham train which crawled up to Moor Park (snap) for a time of 08:03:59.

Buses caught during challenge: 8
Error Codes seen during challenge: 3 (codes 09 (twice), 41 and 42)
Park Stations Visited: 26
Stations missed: Carpenders Park, Drayton Park, Osterley Park and Spring Grove and Park Royal and Twyford Abbey.

[tangy]

Now making time i looked at the platform next to go out it said 1 when it was really 2 so again TFL sort it out ur f*****g useless.

I have had this a couple of times at Hamm H&C, especially when there has been a large gap in service. At Hammersmith the boards say board train on platform x, but another train from one of the other platforms departs first to pick up in crowds from Goldhawk Road and Shepherd's Bush.

Therefore the passengers at the latter stations have a better chance of getting on, thus clearing the platforms and spreading the load over two trains rather than everyone crammed on the first.

However it is annoying when you are at Hammersmith but the only way to tell is to look at which train gets the green signal first.