Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

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jamesthegill
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by jamesthegill »

EastActionWoman wrote: ↑01 Nov 2019, 13:54 I now have the added challenge of going to a panto at 18.00
Oh no you're not! :D :D :D

Annoyingly I'm not going to be able to attend as I'm going to be up in London drinking heavily with friends, however depending on the state that I'm in around 6pm I might pop my head round the door of the pub and have a catch up.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by Going Underground »

jamesthegill wrote: ↑06 Nov 2019, 16:49 depending on the state that I'm in around 6pm I might pop my head round the door of the pub and have a catch up.
That will be good if you can make it James :D
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by EastActionWoman »

You probably all know this already, but latest info from TfL:
Advice for regular Tube customers
Due to Winter Wonderland, the following stations will be exceptionally busy between Friday 22 November and Sunday 5 January
  • Marble Arch - Exit only from 19:00 until 23:00 on Fridays, and from 11:00 until 23:00 on weekends and bank holidays
  • Hyde Park Corner - Exit only from 19:00 until 23:00 on Fridays, and from 11:00 until 23:00 on weekends and bank holidays
  • Knightsbridge - Exit only at busy times on Friday evenings and on weekends and bank holidays
  • Green Park - The station will be exceptionally busy and there may be queues to use the lifts. You may be asked to move around the station differently. Allow extra time for your journey, especially when changing between lines
Please find alternative routes and allow extra time for your journey.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by tangy »

As mentioned to those in pub after Random 15, this date clashes with a planned visit (with the Branch Line Society) to the remote station of British Steel Redcar to board the very last train to stop there before the station is effectively "closed" as passenger trains would thereafter cease to call.

So no "Parks" for me this year.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by tractakid »

I should be up for this 😊
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by EastActionWoman »

EastActionWoman wrote: ↑03 Nov 2019, 19:02 My initial route would have finished at Elm Park. But now that I need to be at a 18.00 panto, that would mean finishing around 16.30 at Elm Park to have time to get back. Even starting at 9.00, I think that sort of pace is beyond me, so happy to take a bit longer and finish somewhere convenient for Hammersmith.

It's a good excuse to play with maps a bit longer too :D
I've managed to work out a route which that a) goes through Hyde Park Corner before all the one-way shenanigans start and b) finishes at Ravenscourt Park in time for me to get to the theatre. With luck and no suspensions on the Central line should be done in around 8h30m. Not too much running between stations, so will give it a go even if it is raining.

Have also dug out my old camera - smaller and lighter than my "proper" camera, and way more responsive that the crappy camera on my phone.

Good luck everyone!
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by dstock17 »

tangy wrote: ↑24 Nov 2019, 16:59 As mentioned to those in pub after Random 15, this date clashes with a planned visit (with the Branch Line Society) to the remote station of British Steel Redcar to board the very last train to stop there before the station is effectively "closed" as passenger trains would thereafter cease to call.

So no "Parks" for me this year.
OK Is it being unaccessible to public if so a station sign picture please tangy and pm me it
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by RJSRdg »

Sorry, can't make it as I'm helping the big man with the beard and the red suit that day.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by tractakid »

After the sequence of events in the last 24 hours I find myself really not thinking straight. I'm struggling to even plan how to get to parkrun and tackling the Parks tomorrow when I haven't done any planning or even decided if the route I came up with is is vaguely good, is a bit intimidating. I might have to give tomorrow a miss. I'm just not ready or in the right place mentally for a logistics heavy day.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by EastActionWoman »

Hope you do make it Tractakid. If you don't, look after yourself and see you in January.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by EastActionWoman »

My first Parks challenge and I knew it was never going to be a good time cos of needing to be in Hammersmith by 17.30. In the end managed 22 stations in 8 hours 3 mins (missing out Park Royal and Ravenscourt Park). I saw Rob at Chiswick Park at 9.00, but surprised that I didn't see anyone heading in the opposite direction to me during the day.

My route: Chiswick Park -> Hyde Park Corner -> Green Park -> St James's Park -> Newbury Park -> Upton Park -> Elm Park -> Finsbury Park -> Belsize Park -> Woodside Park -> Tufnell Park -> Canons Park -> Wembley Park -> Moor Park -> Northwick Park -> Stonebridge Park -> Queen's Park -> Kilburn Park -> Regent's Park -> Westbourne Park -> Holland Park ( -> Park Royal) -> Wimbledon Park ( -> Ravenscourt Park)

Hopefully next year, I won't have any evening plans and I'll be able to do something more sensible.

Good things
1. Flung myself through closing lift doors at Belsize Park. There was only one member of staff on duty, so entrance and exit was at same point. Only 2 minutes from getting off the train to getting back on.
2. Photo at Wembley Park and interchange onto Watford train done in two minutes.
3. The ladies loos at Northwick Park are very nice.
4. At Kilburn Park looked like a long gap until the next train, so started sauntering up the escalator. Changed my mind half way up and ran for photo and back to platform. My arrival train had been held to regulate the service and I managed to squeeze back on as the doors were closing.
5. Only five minutes from getting off the train at Regent's Park to getting on one at Great Portland Street.

Bad things
1. Getting stuck behind people with wheelie suitcases at Victoria.
2. Only one lift in action at Tufnell Park, meant I missed my connection with Thameslink between Kentish Town and West Hampstead. Headed to King's Cross to get Met line - and was waiting there for 10 minutes instead.
3. Seven minute waits at both Kenton and Stonebridge Park.
4. Getting stuck amongst a shedload of unhappy Chelsea fans at Wimbledon Park so that I missed the return northbound train by a few seconds.

Lessons learnt
1. Dates are brilliant as energy snack food
2. Keep running, you never know what might turn up
3. Stay by the exit door in case the train gets busy later
4. On a planned route, allow more time for connections to infrequent trains
5. Stay hydrated
6. Go back to the gym!!

Panto was excellent - included a long section where the fairy godmother was doing lots of underground station related puns, e.g. "I even made a veil". Looking forward to hearing how others got on.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by xcooler123 »

EastActionWoman wrote: ↑15 Dec 2019, 10:47 My first Parks challenge and I knew it was never going to be a good time cos of needing to be in Hammersmith by 17.30. In the end managed 22 stations in 8 hours 3 mins (missing out Park Royal and Ravenscourt Park). I saw Rob at Chiswick Park at 9.00, but surprised that I didn't see anyone heading in the opposite direction to me during the day.

My route: Chiswick Park -> Hyde Park Corner -> Green Park -> St James's Park -> Newbury Park -> Upton Park -> Elm Park -> Finsbury Park -> Belsize Park -> Woodside Park -> Tufnell Park -> Canons Park -> Wembley Park -> Moor Park -> Northwick Park -> Stonebridge Park -> Queen's Park -> Kilburn Park -> Regent's Park -> Westbourne Park -> Holland Park ( -> Park Royal) -> Wimbledon Park ( -> Ravenscourt Park)

Hopefully next year, I won't have any evening plans and I'll be able to do something more sensible.

Good things
1. Flung myself through closing lift doors at Belsize Park. There was only one member of staff on duty, so entrance and exit was at same point. Only 2 minutes from getting off the train to getting back on.
2. Photo at Wembley Park and interchange onto Watford train done in two minutes.
3. The ladies loos at Northwick Park are very nice.
4. At Kilburn Park looked like a long gap until the next train, so started sauntering up the escalator. Changed my mind half way up and ran for photo and back to platform. My arrival train had been held to regulate the service and I managed to squeeze back on as the doors were closing.
5. Only five minutes from getting off the train at Regent's Park to getting on one at Great Portland Street.

Bad things
1. Getting stuck behind people with wheelie suitcases at Victoria.
2. Only one lift in action at Tufnell Park, meant I missed my connection with Thameslink between Kentish Town and West Hampstead. Headed to King's Cross to get Met line - and was waiting there for 10 minutes instead.
3. Seven minute waits at both Kenton and Stonebridge Park.
4. Getting stuck amongst a shedload of unhappy Chelsea fans at Wimbledon Park so that I missed the return northbound train by a few seconds.

Lessons learnt
1. Dates are brilliant as energy snack food
2. Keep running, you never know what might turn up
3. Stay by the exit door in case the train gets busy later
4. On a planned route, allow more time for connections to infrequent trains
5. Stay hydrated
6. Go back to the gym!!

Panto was excellent - included a long section where the fairy godmother was doing lots of underground station related puns, e.g. "I even made a veil". Looking forward to hearing how others got on.
Sounds like a great first effort. Last time I flung myself at the lift doors at Belsize Park I broke them... leading to some very unhappy looking customers. Cue a very swift run up the staircase! I tend to pack Soreen loaf for long challenges like Parks as its great energy and not too heavy or bulky to carry around :D
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by xcooler123 »

My Parks Challenge went much better than last year (mind you doing it blindfolded hopping on one leg would have been more successful than last year!) but I still had my usual dose of bad luck going round. There were some positives this year including much better weather (bit windy but predominantly dry and sunny), much less awful Winter Wonderland scenario (its still a truly terrible event though!) and some route changes along the way doing stuff I have never done before!

Starting at Chiswick Park, I headed out to knock off Ravenscourt Park and doubled back to head out to Park Royal. Ran to Hanger Lane and headed towards Holland Park. No 228 bus in sight so ran to Ladbroke Grove to catch a H&C train to Westbourne Park. My bad luck with buses here finally came to and end when I caught a 328 bus to Kilburn Park. Worked my way up the Bakerloo line to tick off Queen's Park and Stonebridge Park. The trains were out of sequence so I lost a bit of time but eventually made it to Kenton. Ran to Northwick Park and found a train at the platform. Great I thought, until I realised everyone who was on that train was now standing on the platform thanks to a signal failure at Harrow-on-the-Hill :( Some quick re-planning meant me going south towards Wembley Park and then to Canons Park. Back to Wembley Park where there were finally trains heading towards Moor Park, did that and headed further south. Got off at Finchley Road and ran to Belsize Park where I headed down to Camden Town and back up to Woodside Park. A swift photo, toilet stop and change before heading south again to Tufnell Park. Ran out of there to find the rarest thing for me on Parks - a 4 bus! It whisked me away to Finsbury Park where a Victoria line train took me down to Warren Street. Ran to Regent's Park and headed down to Piccadilly Circus. Managed to get my correct door position ready for the horror shows of Hyde Park Corner... which was empty on arrival! So a nice clean exit and run to Green Park followed by St. James's Park. Hopped on a District line train to Earl's Court to change for a Wimbledon service. Headed down to Wimbledon Park where I double backed and headed to Westminster. Changed for the Jubilee line to head out for Stratford - whilst on my way there we were being informed that West Ham had been evacuated due to a fire alert. This announcement would help a decision shortly after when I caught my train at Stratford to Newbury Park. I arrived at Newbury Park to an 8 minute wait for the next southbound train and combined with potentially having to sort out West Ham, I elected to the thing I'd never done before and catch the 66 bus which had just arrived to Romford. Arrived there to pick up a 365 bus to take me to Elm Park and finally made it to Upton Park to finish in a time of 07:59:50.
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by Going Underground »

A gorgeous day for the Christmas Parks challenge even if the wind was a little chilly at times (especially when you are stuck at Stonebridge Park station with no trains for around 15 minutes :( )
Anyway overall much better than the conditions last year (except when it came to going home time after the pub in torrential rain)

We had 5 teams and thanks to those that took part and here are the results...

5th - Jenny 22 stations in 8 hours and 3 minutes
4th - Das - Moor Park 9 hours 44 minutes
3rd - Roblo - Elm Park 9 hours 5 minues 33 seconds
2nd - A2 + Kev - Elm Park 8 hours 7 minutes 28 seconds
1st - David - Upton Park 7 hours 59 minutes 50 seconds (just breaking that 8 hour barrier!)

Winter Wonderland caused no real issues so no problem having this on a similar date in 2020
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Re: Christmas Park Challenge 2019 - 14th December - Chiswick Park

Post by Going Underground »

EastActionWoman wrote: ↑15 Dec 2019, 10:47 My route: Chiswick Park -> Hyde Park Corner ->
Wow we really did scare you with the tales of woe caused by Winter Wonderland :shock:

Great write up really enjoyed reading that :D Hope you enjoyed it + the photo taking aspect

What cost us a win was down to 2 things - Leaving Queens Park on an H & W Bakerloo with and Overground 1 minute behind, departing just as the Overground pulled in then stopping in the terminating shed whilst the LO got ahead of us and then getting stuck at Stonebridge to see 2 x H & W Bakerloo trains disapear of the boards :( Then on an Upminster district from West Ham having to get of at Upton Park and the next 2 trains being H & C for Barking...
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