Zone 1 Attempt 7, with Pub Shenanigans

[CrunchySaviour]

I just tried another Zone 1 attempt with a fellow Underground masker...

The savvy amongst you will know what I'm about to say!

Cannon Street is not open on Saturdays yet... it's next week. We didn't know that. Therefore, our time of 63 stations, (EDIT) *plus* a pass through at Cannon Street, was...

2h 51m 28s

Which would have been a personal best for me if I'd done them all. There weren't any major delays, apart from having to wait at Tower Hill for the "right" train, and wait for a Hammersmith train.

There was a bloke who approached us near Southwark, saying " Are you doing the Zone 1 Challenge? I read about that on the Web!" to which we replied "Yes!" with some glee, and told him to go to tubechallenge.com and come here to the forum. So, if you're reading this, good sir, welcome, and start posting, and come along to the Zone 1 Day on 20th May.

Finishing the challenge, knackered, we headed to the Horse and Groom, Great Portland Street, the "Zone 1 Challenge Pub".

Those who don't know this pub may benefit from this information:

To get there, exit Great Portland Street station and walk down Great Portland Street itself for some distance. It's on the left hand side of the road. It's not on a corner.

It's a Samuel Smith's pub. That means all the alcohol is Samuel Smiths own brand. That means all the alcohol is very cheap compared with well-known brands (I'm sure a pint of bitter is well under £2). On top of that, the alcohol is NICER than well-known brands. The Best Bitter, for example is fantastic.

Now, we hadn't decided to go to the pub when we left for the challenges, so I hadn't brought anything with me except my mask, Oyster card and keys. That includes my driver's licence.

I asked, "will we be ID'd?", to which my partner replied, "No, I thought you were over 18 when I met you" et cetera. I am nearly 20 years old. I had forgotten that Sam Smiths pubs always ask for ID if you look a day under 30.

Not only that, but I was wearing a bright orange A Clockwork Orange T-shirt, and jogging bottoms and trainers, so I looked like some sort of 12-year old, or something. I had forgotten to gel my hair, so it appeared that I had no sense of style, and was therefore under 18.

We arrived at the pub.

It is a nice pub, it appears to be very small, with 3 medium sized tables with chairs outside, all of which were empty, and I thought, "Mmm, sitting outside with a pint on a sunny Saturday afternoon", and looked forward to it.

We entered the pub. There were about 10 customers huddled around the bar, none of whom were under 50. I can't verify that, actually, since I didn't ask them for ID.

I approached the bar and said,"Hello, a pint of Best, please."

The barmaid looked at me and slowly said "Have you got ID?", making the shape of a card of some sort in the air with her fingers. I knew it! I sighed, exasperated.

"Look," I said, "we've just come from a tube challenge so all I have on me" (emptying my pockets) "is my Oyster card, this timing sheet and my keys. I am nearly 20. Take it or leave it."

She turned and looked at a gentleman who must have been the bar manager, and asked if she could serve us. He said "Not without ID."

I replied "May 20th, we'll be back, and you will feel very...very...silly."

Leaving the bar, my fellow challenger informed me that he had his ID (he is around my age) and I thought that he should have shown them it. Ah well. I might even go back within a week and prove to them, contrary to what they were doubtless discussing upon our exit, that I am indeed 19 and three-quarters. As I ask for my pint of BEST, I shal slam my driver's licence upon the bar with a split-second of fury, and I shall enjoy that pint with absolute elation, sitting outside on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Now, to get that Newcastle Brown out of the fridge....

[Senji]

Hmm, I've never been IDed in there.

Still it'll be fun if they do try it, so long as I've remembered my Passport...

[geofftech]

Actually, you'll need ID/passports on the day of the challenge, so that you can verify to me & Neil that you really are who you say you are.

If you don't have a passport, then a note from your mum will suffice instead.

[Yorkie]

I thought that TubeGuru was organising the challenge

[CrunchySaviour]

He is, along with Geoff and Neil. They're his sort-of henchmen.

[lazza747]

Actually, you'll need ID/passports on the day of the challenge, so that you can verify to me & Neil that you really are who you say you are.

If you don't have a passport, then a note from your mum will suffice instead.

Yeah - no passport, no entry. It's the rules which er, we just made up.

[tpfkar]

Getting scared of the competition?