Christmas Parks Challenge 2025 - Tuesday 30th December - Upton Part 2

[Lunaticonthegrass]

Just finished at Woodside Park. A rather slow time of 8:42:29. It was interesting experience doing a tube challenge after so long.

Have fun at the pub!

Well done! Please can you pm me your route.

[miklcct]

I finished in 8:10:15 at Wimbledon Park after the District line failed me for my 8-hour target which seemed achievable mid-way.

I am not going to the pub today as I am now playing bridge at Wimbledon Bridge Club.

[Lunaticonthegrass]

The results of the Christmas 2025 Parks Challenge

5 Challengers competed in this event, all of whom challenged solo. Their final times and finishing stations are as follows:

5th: Hassan Chagani - 8:42:29 at Woodside Park
4th: Milo Ogidel - 8:23:52 at Stonebridge Park
3rd: Michael Tsang - 8:10:15 at Wimbledon Park
2nd: Ava Karthaus - 8:02:52 at Wimbledon Park
1st: James Ramsbottom - 7:54:00 at Wimbledon Park

Ava and myself were the only challengers to make it to the pub afterwards, where we checked each others routes and I checked the routes of those who had messaged their routes to me. A special mention to Ava who did the entire challenge whilst wearing a TFL Christmas jumper. Welcome back to Tube Challenging, Hassan!

Thanks to all those who attended to make this event possible. I'll see if I can organise something similar next year - maybe Parks, maybe something else, I'm open to suggestions.

And a Happy New Year to you all!

[Lunaticonthegrass]

So, I'm sure you're all keen to now the details of the winning route. This is what I got up to yesterday:

Arrived at UPTON a little after half past 9, planning to start on the 09:57 to Upminster. At about 9:55 I saw a train approaching the station from the ticket hall, so ran outside, started the stopwatch, took the photo, ran back inside and caught the train. This then turned out to be the train before the one I wanted to catch. At first I thought that it would just get me to Elm a little bit earlier, but it was a H&C train so it terminated at Barking and I ended up on the train I planned to catch anyway.

A bit of a wait for a bus at ELM. I very nearly got on a 365, which goes a slightly longer route to Romford but is better than no bus at all, but then the desired 252 bus pulled in behind and I jumped on that. Across to Romford and make my planned Elizabeth line train. Then a few stops to Seven Kings and run to NEWBURY, and my planned train out of here. I ran between Leytonstone and Leytonstone High Road - not a run I've ever done before so I started by going the wrong way out of the station. Managed to make thigs right and reached the Sufragette line with about 5 minutes to spare (I'd allowed for some lag time in my schedule, as I didn't want to risk a 15 minute wait here.) Changed to the Victoria at Blackhorse Road and then exited at FINSBURY, still running to schedule.

It was here that things slowly started to unravel. A number 4 bus turned up almost imediately but it still took longer than expected to get to Tufnell. I could probably have outrun the bus, but looking back on this day it was best that I saved my running capacity for later. So, I missed the train I wanted out of TUFNELL, and missed the next one by a hair's breadth. Another train came along a minute later - for Mill Hill East! So up to Finchley Central and a 5 minute wait for the next High Barnet train, during which time I made use of the station facilities.

About 3 minutes for a doubleback at WOODSIDE. Pretty good connection at Camden Town, then a great turnaround at BELSIZE - straight into a lift, exited for photograph, made the same lift to go back down and then not long for a train back south. And it was a Charing Cross branch train, which was what I wanted as it negated a change to the Victoria line at Euston.

Ran Warren Street to REGENT'S. Straight into a lift here, but just missed a train and then had a 9 minute wait for the next one. The nexty train was full-on sardines but I managed to squeeze on. Unfortunately, I was stuck on the wrong side of the train to get out at Piccadilly Circus, and a lot of others in my carriage also wanted to get out, forcing me to wait for ages to get out. Really crowded platform, but I vaulted over the barrier in front of the platform exit and got through the crowds as best as I could to the Piccadilly line. What delight when I arrive to see a relatively empty train pulling in!

Thorough GREEN to HYDE CORNER, and exit for the run back past Green to St. James'. I'm not sure that I took the best route here - it certainly took longer than I allowed. My ticket didn't work in the barriers at ST. JAMES', and no members of staff could be seen. Seeing a train pulling in, I slipped through the wide gates as a mother and son were coming out and made the train. About 28 minutes behind schedule now.

Onto the Jubilee at Westminster then up to Finchley Road. There was a Met train the adjacent platform when I arrived, so ran across and comfortably made it inside before the doors closed. The train driver then gave a series of rather cryptic messages about standing away from the doors so he could open then and let people on. I'm not sure if this was aimed at me, or someone else who managed to force their way onto the train (I did not force the doors), or the people outside who couldn't hear the message. He eventually opened the doors. I think he was just rather grumpy.

Anyways...

Pulled into WEMBLEY to see a Jubilee train in the adjacent platform, so decided to do the photo when I returned and jumped straight on that. Didn't fall over at CANONS this year. I had a nigh-on perfect doubleback intstead. Managed to get down to 24 minutes behind here, but then things turned.

Back at Wembley I went outside to take the photo but in doing so missed an Amersham train by seconds. The next train, in 5 minutes, was to Uxbridge, so I caught that as for as HOTH then changed to the Watford train 2 minutes behind that. A southbound train was in the platform when I arrived at MOOR. I ran down the stairs for the photo, just in case it was being held for some reason, but then I heard it pull away. 8 minutes for the next southbound. Seeing live train times, I saw that I had 4 minutes to run NORTHWICK to Kenton for a Bakerloo, but despite my best effort I missed it by about 10 seconds. 10 minute wait for the next train, which was a Lionness train. About 48 minutes behind at this point.

Coming into QUEEN'S, a Bakerloo train was pulling a few seconds afterwards. I exited for the photo and ran back in but missed the train. Next train was 4 minutes away, so I reverted to my first plan of running to Kilburn. Arriving at KILBURN, 2 trains pulled in at the same time, the southbound one being the one I could have caught at Queen's. No way could I have exited, re-entered and caught that northbound train, so running was the correct decision.

In fact, this is where things turned again. Although getting tired, I exited at STONEBRIDGE and ran all the way to ROYAL in 17 minutes, making a train with about a minute wait, and avoiding the 13 minute wait which would have occured if I'd missed it. Down to Acton Town, and, buoyed by my running success, ran on the CHISWICK and made a train with about 30 seconds to spare! Down to about 40 minutes behind schedule. Barely time to recover before I needed to get out at RAVENSCOURT. I'd allowed 4 minutes for a run to Hammersmith H&C, but after getting lost early on, my legs decided that the'd had enough and I walked instead. I did do a bit of a modest jog at one point to make sure that I got the next train at least. 45 minutes behind schedule.

Arriving at WESTBOURNE I saw Google Maps telling me that I had a 3 minute wait for a 31 bus to Holland - brilliant! It was therefore quite a shock that, whilst I was taking the phot, a 31 rushed past behind me. Ran as best as I could, diving into traffic to cross the road, to make the bus. It then waited about 30 seconds before departing.

Getting of the bus outside Holland, I discovered 2 things:

1) I could no longer run
2) I could barely walk

Limped/staggered across the road and made it into HOLLAND station, and straight into a lift again. (The lifts were all in my favour today!) At platform level, the sound of a train entering the station gave my legs the motivation they needed to move at speed again, or at least speed of some sort. Just a shame that it was a westbound train. The eastbound train arrived a minute or two afterwards. Then one stop to NHG and 3 minutes for a Wimbleware down to WIMBLEDON, arriving about 55 minutes after my planned finishing time.

Upton Park Elm Park (252 bus) Romford (Elizabeth) Seven Kings (run) Newbury Park Leytonstone (run) Leytonstone High Road (Sufragette) Blackhorse Road Finsbury Park (4 bus) Tufnell Park Woodside Park Camden Town Belsize Park Warren Street (run) Regent's Park Piccadilly Circus Hyde Park Korner St. James' Park Westminster Finchley Road Wembley Park Canons Park Wembley Park Moor Park Northwick Park (run) Kenton (Lioness) Queen's Park (run) Kilburn Park Stonebridge Park (run) Park Royal Acton Town (run) Chiswick Park Ravenscourt Park (run) Hammersmith (H&C) Westbourne Park (31 bus) Holland Park NHG Wimbledon Park

All in all, a good but tiring day. Some horrendous connections but also some excellent ones I got a bit lost on runs occasionally but I didn't make any stupid mistakes. However, I feel that my route timings may have been a trifle optimistic!

I'm also surprised that no one finished at Moor Park.

[miklcct]

The results of the Christmas 2025 Parks Challenge

5 Challengers competed in this event, all of whom challenged solo. Their final times and finishing stations are as follows:

5th: Hassan Chagani - 8:42:29 at Woodside Park
4th: Milo Ogidel - 8:23:52 at Stonebridge Park
3rd: Michael Tsang - 8:10:15 at Wimbledon Park
2nd: Ava Karthaus - 8:02:52 at Wimbledon Park
1st: James Ramsbottom - 7:54:00 at Wimbledon Park

Ava and myself were the only challengers to make it to the pub afterwards, where we checked each others routes and I checked the routes of those who had messaged their routes to me. A special mention to Ava who did the entire challenge whilst wearing a TFL Christmas jumper. Welcome back to Tube Challenging, Hassan!

Thanks to all those who attended to make this event possible. I'll see if I can organise something similar next year - maybe Parks, maybe something else, I'm open to suggestions.

And a Happy New Year to you all!

It was so close that my whole race was ruined by the final Parsons Green terminator just 16 minutes from the winner

This was my first challenge which allowed me to pre-plan, as I had only done Random 15 in the past. There were 24 parks spread across the whole network that I had to visit by an LU train and take an exterior photo.

I flagged all 24 parks on my offline map. The starting park was Upton Park, which was at the east among all parks, with only Elm Park and Newbury Park further out. Therefore the only reasonable route was to do these two first.

For the finishing station, looking from the map, there were only two reasonable choices: Moor Park and Wimbledon Park. As I wanted to go to Wimbledon in the evening I focused my effort to make a good route for a Wimbledon Park finish, and adjusted my order for a few times involving the order of the 3 parks on the Northern line, whether to run from Belsize Park to South Hampstead, whether to take the 112 from Stonebridge Park to Hanger Lane or travel down the Bakerloo to Queen's Park, when to do Kilburn Park and Queen's Park and the tricky Holland Park and Westbourne Park which are perpendicular to the tube lines without bus connections, etc. Finally I planned an 8h17 route for Wimbledon Park finish and an 8h10 route for Moor Park finish. I am the lead developer of Aubin which is a very powerful journey planner that I can set my preferences and speed appropriate for a tube challenge, but unfortunately we are receiving poor quality data from BODS which have a lot of missing services in the timetable, affecting the quality of my plans.

However, as I decided to do the challenge literally the last evening and planned it so late, I wanted to get some more sleep so I decided to leave home to travel exactly at 09:30 for the off-peak cap, and head straight to Wimbledon afterwards to play bridge, therefore I executed my plan for Wimbledon Park. The details of the unused route can be found in an earlier post.

I started my challenge at 10:25:00 by taking a photo outside Upton Park, then did the obvious route to Elm Park, departing there 10:46, 2 minutes late then planned.

I then made my first deviation from my planned route. My plan was to travel back to Barking and take a 169 to Eastern Avenue, but there wasn't a 169 showing up on the departure board and the map on my phone when I got to the bus stop at Barking, so I took an EL1 to Ilford, another bus to Gants Hill, then Central to Newbury Park. I got there at 11:31, 3 minutes early at that point.

My next park was Finsbury Park. I made another deviation, my planned route was changing at Stratford for Stansted Express and Tottenham Hale for Victoria, but I got to Leytonstone at a good time for a Suffragette to Blackhorse Road instead, while likely to miss a Stansted Express at Stratford at that point. I got to Finsbury Park at 12:12, 4 minutes early.

I then made another deviation immediately. My planned route was down to Euston and back up to Tufnell Park as my journey planner told me to do that, but it looked foolish on a map so I took a bus to Holloway instead. The 4 didn't come and I ended running to Tufnell Park. I arrived there at 12:25, 7 minutes early.

My next park was Woodside Park. Unfortunately the first outgoing train was to Mill Hill East and I had to wait for another one. I reached there at 12:45, 11 minutes early.

Then I returned to Camden Town for the other branch to Belsize Park, arriving there 13:26, 13 minutes early.

I continued going north on an Edgware train, but got kicked out at Colindale. Fortunately after taking the next train, there was a bus waiting for us to go out at Edgware. I arrived Canons Park at 13:45, 12 minutes early.

I then travelled on the Jubilee to Wembley Park and took the grand photo at 13:56, 17 minutes early.

Upon returning, the first Metropolitan train going north was to Uxbridge and the second one was to Chesham, so I waited for the second one as I had to leave Northwick Park later anyway. I took the rural Hertfordshire Moor Park photo at 14:24, 18 minutes early.

I went back to Northwick Park at 14:45, 19 minutes early. An 8-hour finish now looked like a possibility.

I ran to Kenton for a train to Stonebridge Park, but it was stuck waiting for signal for 5 minutes just before I got off. I arrived at 15:04, 22 minutes early, but the delay already cost me a critical 112 bus.

I waited for the next bus and hoped for an express run along the A406, but this major arterial was so congested that the average speed of the journey was only 12 km/h, no faster than an urban bus. I got off at Hanger Lane and ran to Park Royal. I got there at 15:28, 18 minutes early, which meant I lost 4 minutes due to congestion.

I took a Piccadilly to Acton Town and changed for a District to Chiswick Park, but I encountered a 6-minute wait at Acton Town. Nonetheless I still gained time from my plan, arrived the park at 15:50, now 25 minutes early.

I got back in and another 8 minutes wait, and got to Ravenscourt Park at 16:06, 24 minutes early.

At this point I made another deviation from my plan, but this time it was costly. My original plan was to run to Shepherd's Bush for a Central to Holland Park, which would take 20 minutes, but journey planners told me that a 3-tube route via Earl's Court and Notting Hill Gate would also take 20 minutes. As I had two long runs afterwards, I decided to take the tube to save a long run, but things went seriously wrong at Earl's Court. An HSK train left as I arrived Earl's Court, and I waited for 10 minutes until another train went out on that track! I ended up arriving Holland Park at 16:39, just 13 minutes early, losing 11 minutes in the process. This was the first time I entered Zone 1 in the challenge.

I ran to Ladbroke Grove for one stop to Westbourne Park and arrived 16:49, now 22 minutes early, gaining 9 minutes back.

I then ran to Queen's Park and arrived 16:59, 26 minutes early.

Then it was one stop to Kilburn Park, 17:03, 25 minutes early.

Then it was a journey to Zone 1, the first time I entered it if I hadn't deviated from my plan earlier. I got out at Regent's Park at 17:20, 24 minutes early.

I got back in for Oxford Circus and Green Park, arriving 17:31, 22 minutes early.

Then things went massively wrong. I got back in for Hyde Park Corner but the escalator up was so crowded so I ran up the fixed stairs. However after the two previous long runs my physical fitness couldn't keep up and after I got out, I ran straight out of the subway at Exit 2 forgetting to take a photo! I only realised it after crossing the busy gyratory and had to cross it back for the photo, wasted many minutes crossing forth and back. The photo time was 17:58, now only 13 minutes early, so I wasted 9 minutes there.

After taking the photo I ran to St. James's Park, but my phone ran out of battery when doing the navigation! Fortunately I got my phone back on before I reached the station, and took the photo at 17:54, 19 minutes early.

I entered the station and the first westbound train was a Circle, totally useless for me. The next one was for Parsons Green so I travelled on it to the destination. However, it stood at the platform for 7 minutes waiting for the shunting signal to clear! And another 3 minutes before the next train came! I arrived Wimbledon Park at 18:35:15, only 7 minutes early, that terminating train cost me 12 minutes! I missed the 8-hour target just at this final leg.

In hindsight, I should have done Stonebridge Park - Queen's Park - Kilburn Park - Westbourne Park - Holland Park - Hanger Lane instead of doing these on my way back from the west, such that I can have an easy interchange later from Ravenscourt Park to Hyde Park Corner, run to Green Park, double back to Regents Park for St. James's Park and Wimbledon Park finish instead.

Also, I hope that by next year I can make Aubin show all the correct timetable (it did last year but then DfT swapped providers and ruined the data quality) and the exact platform numbers for all tubes and buses (so that an accurate time needed to run between connections can be calculated), and get good quality real time data matching the timetables as well showing exactly if each tube / bus in the timetable is delayed or running early.

[Oggm]

My route was thus (I preplanned something the night before, but, I kind of let it go how it wanted to):

1) Staring at Upton P being the first to start on the 0905 departure towards Elm P - irritating it was taking a good photo in time; I had to mount the railings to peer down for a train.
2) After almost forgetting to photograph Elm P I took the 252 over to Romford
3) I hoped to get the 66; but realised I was better off getting the Elizabeth and then,
4) Running from Seven Kings to Newbury P;
5) Where I took the central down to Gants Hill (I was thankfull for choosing to run as I had a 1 min connection followed by a train in 12)
6) I hoped to catch the SL2; but the 123 it was. A long time spent contemplating this 30 min decision (5 mins of it entailled the driver insisting the two prams on the bus were crammed into their designated space)
7) Blackhorse R to Finsbury P
It was meant to be the 4, but it ended up being the 29
9) Forcing me to run off to Tuffnell P
10) Up to Woodside P
11) Down to Camden Town
12) Up to Belsize Park (Lift up; Lift down)
13) Up again to Edgware (maybe it would have been better to go via the C11 and Jubilee)
14) 10 min wait for a bus (the 79 and 186 came simultaneously and I chose to get on the 186 - the one behind as I was convinced it would overtake - and it did - smug face)(I took my photo from my bus, I think this counts)
15) Down to Wembley P
16) Up to Northwick P (toilet break)
17) Up to HOTH (where Ava decided to show up and cheer me up)
18) Up to Moor P
19) Down to North Harrow
20) Run to Rayners Lane (Ava did inform me that the H9 exists but I chose to go for it and it turned out that not one bus overtook me on the way and I just made a train; yay!)
21) Down to P Royal (10 min wait)
22) Down to Acton Town; indicators showed 5 mins and then 15 mins for a District train so I chose to:
23) Run to Chiswick park incase I made the train in 5 mins (and I did infact make it)
24) To Ravenscourt P
25) Run to Hammersmith (I instinctively turned right out the station as I only ever before have used this station to go to the climbing centre so I took the long way around and probably missed a train)
26) Hammersnith to Westbourne P (Almost forgot to take a photo)
27) 31 to Holland P (5 min wait)
28) Holland P to NHG
29) Wimbleware to Wimbledon P (waited 10 mins and then had all sorts of delays on the way there)
30) Up to SJP
31) Run to HPC via mounting the fountain at GP to try and get a moderately clear shot of the entrance)
32) Picc to Piccadilly Circus
33) Up to Regents Park
34) Up to Kilburn P
35) Up to Queens P (chose not to run between the two; sun had set by now so the photos were getting terribly exposed)
36) Up to Stonebridge P (FINISH)

Probably not the most optimised route - but I was happy with optimising conditions (mostly). Thank you to James for organising.

[miklcct]

How do you think about the route from Elms Park to Newbury Park? My journey planner suggests that the fastest routes are District to Barking and 169, District SL2 Central, or two buses changing at Romford, taking about 43 minutes. Changing at Dagenham East for 364 is also presented as an option as well. Doing two runs with the Elizabeth line in between will take 10 minutes longer.

My actual time to travel between these two parks was 42 minutes.

Also, did anyone else used the 112 from Stonebridge Park to Hanger Lane as well?

For the other buses / runs, I never considered the 228 between Holland Park and Ladbroke Grove as an option because even without waiting it wouldn't be faster than a run, and the running route was not the same as the bus route.

Between Westbourne Park and Queen's Park, no buses were feasible at all since the run was along Fernhead Road, but I was surprised that some people did make use of a bus in this section.

From Westbourne Park to Holland Park, the bus 31 never appeared in my journey planner with running speeds because it was too bad unless I dissuade walking, because it was so slow. The timetable said it would take 15 minutes. The best way would be to tube a stop to Ladbroke Grove and run it, which would be faster by 5 minutes.

[penguin]

Finally getting round to my writeup!

Started at UPTON park just one train behind Milo, but i think i was the only person to change at Barking immediately. I had originally scheduled a 45 second changeover at Barking but I saw that my connecting train was 30s early out of Fenchurch, so I went for the district line early at Upton.

Good changeover at Barking for the c2c to Upminster - probably the only person to go that far east - and a good turnaround for the District to ELM.

Bus times were not helpful there, so I got on the next train, back to Barking, where I missed a Superloop and ended up on the Goblin to Leytonstone HR. Thence, a good connection to the
central for NEWBURY, and a horrible turnaround back to Leyton. The Goblin times were again unhelpful, so I took the 158 to Blackhorse, which got held excruciatingly for service regulation…

Victoria to FINSBURY, where I was so excited by a #4 bus at the bus stop that I forgot to take a photo! So I had to run back, which ended up costing me about ten minutes…

The next stretch was fairly conventional: TUFFNELL, WOODSIDE, Camden, BELSIZE, Edgware, CANONS. All with decent wait times, 2 minutes tops. At this point, in spite of many blunders and much poor luck, I was on track for a 7h40 finish, but it only kept throwing more poor waits: ten minutes at WEMBLEY 'til a Watford train (went to HotH to kill time, where I bumped into Milo, which scared me a little), five minute turnaround at MOOR, then back to NORTHWICK for an 11 minute wait at Kenton (no B'loo, obviously!).

More painful delays coming into STONEBRIDGE - perhaps stuck behind something coming out of the depot - whence I took the 112, same as Michael and probably others. North Circ was being the North Circ, so this took forever, but I did eventually get to Hangar Lane, with the least pleasant run of any challenge to PARK ROYAL.

Changing at Ealing Common with five minutes' wait then on to CHISWICK, whence I ran along the High St to Turnham (no buses!! grrr). District to RAVENSCOURT, whence I'd planned to head to Holland next; instead, no opportunity to head north arose so I ended up doing the remainder in reverse to my plan.

Continued to ST JAMES, an easy double-back to Victoria, bus (some of the way) to HPK, Picc to GPK (was I the only person to tap out and in here??) and Vic then B'loo to REGENT'S. Continued all the way to QUEEN'S then a second-perfect double-back to KILBURN for an ideal bus (328 I think?) to WESTBOURNE. There was no better route at the time, so I headed to Ladbroke Grove for a 52 to NHG, then the central to HOLLAND.

A bus was in the stop as I surfaced, but I had learnt my lesson and took a second to take an extremely blurry photo of the station from a distance before boarding! I don't even know what number it was, but it took me to NHG.

Then NHG to Gloucester Rd for a WIMBLEDON pk finish!

A lot of poor luck for most of us on this run, I think. I was very surprised to find that I came second with what I thought was a thoroughly unfortunate route! 'Twas very fun though - thanks to James for organising and it was good to see you at the pub I'll be back off to Glasgow this weekend - I'll be sorry to miss the R15 but I wonder if I can fit something else in this week.