Xmas Park Challenge 2011 - Friday 23rd Dec

[hopeful traveller]

Is there a hashtag going for this? If not I might start one.

Still a bit iffy but looking increasingly unlikely.

Scheduling though just in case.

[palkanetoijala31]

Im even going to publish my route for this

moor park 11.04
northwick park 11.21 take photo and hopefully get back on same train if not 11.25
wembley park 11.31 take photo if time 11.35
canons park 11.43 take photo if lucky 11.44 if not 11.48
wembley park 11.57 run or bus to
stonebridge park 12.19
queens park 12.30 take photo 12.33
kilburn park 12.35 run or bus to
westbourne park 12.49
ladbrook grove 12.50 run to
holland park 13.01
hanger lane 13.14 run to
park royal 13.22
acton town 13.30/13.34
chiswick park 13.36 possible run to turnham green 7 mins if not then wait 10m or make in 12m
ravenscourt park 13.51/13.56
earls court 14.05/14.07
wimbledon park 14.21/14.25
st james park 14.53 run to green park then hyde park corner
hyde park corner 15.09
piccadily circus 15.13/15.16
regents park 15.20 run to
warren street 15.28
belsize park 15.36/15.40 if 15.43 ok
camden town 15.47/15.48
woodside park 16.09/16.13
tuffnell park 16.31 run or bus to
finsbury park 16.53
blackhorse road 17.02/17.06
leytonstone high road 17.15 run to
leytonstone 17.22
newbury park 17.31/17.35
stratford 17.51/17.53
west ham 17.56/17.59
upton park 18.02/18.06
elm park 18.25

[Going Underground]

Don't be late then would be good if we can get that 11:04

[palkanetoijala31]

Don't be late then would be good if we can get that 11:04

depends on the breakfast at northwood hills spoons doesnt it fancy joining me and steveo at 10am

[Going Underground]

Don't be late then would be good if we can get that 11:04

depends on the breakfast at northwood hills spoons doesnt it fancy joining me and steveo at 10am

Wont be there in time for brekkie, just get your arses to Moor Park by 1100

[palkanetoijala31]

Don't be late then would be good if we can get that 11:04

depends on the breakfast at northwood hills spoons doesnt it fancy joining me and steveo at 10am

Wont be there in time for brekkie, just get your arses to Moor Park by 1100

we be there as a matter of fact looking at what im doing tomorrow i be in pub at precisely 09.34am and the route is 4 mins inside the record time so im now looking at what time back at h&g possibly 19.30pm

[hopeful traveller]

Just to state my position:

I have been ruled out due to something trivial.
Can't even come and meet you at Moor Park due to this.

[hopeful traveller]

How did people do?

[Going Underground]

How did people do?

Very, very badly unless your name is lucky bollocks..... That could well be the end of TT for me

[palkanetoijala31]

As per kevin I am lucky bollocks the runner got so lucky with buses really Kilburn park to westbourne park bus right there and ladbroook grove to holland park right there got some of from wembley park to stonebridge park only 2 stops and even some from tuffnell park to finsbury park,

The route published even went exactly to plan 2 mins late from moor park 11.06 took photo at northwick park and proceeded to wembley park where i could have got a photo but saw a jubilee northbound come in pelted onto it and guess what it was a terminator so dashed out got the photo had 3 mins wait.

Canons Park perfect ran outside and back up to the 11.44 1 train ahead i knew it was possible but didnt think i make it back down to wembley park,running down the road past wembley stadium my first real nice look at it got to about 4 min away from stonebridge park and saw bus 18 behind so hopped on to it even got lucky here with an overground with a terminator train waiting to come out.

so after waiting at queens park the kilburn park run came and i saw the bus and didnt know where it went but got it and straight to westbourne park i think i was 9 mins up at this point a little wait there only 4mins though.One stop only to Ladbrook grove and again such luck the bus right there when i needed it so at holland park thinking what should i take West Ruislip or Ealing broadway branch the ealing broadway came 1st so took that and a driver change at white city held me up badly and i couldnt make a train up at Park Royal.

Acton Town changing to Chiswick park and low and behold a Kevin Brown on the platform couldnt catch him up though but a dashing run to Turnham Green meant again at ravenscourt Park we met he had better connection at Wimbledon Park so i never saw him again a little wait there i didnt know what to do go to wimbledon and across or back in i thought so the edgware road came in took that and nifty switch at earls got me on train i wanted.

St james park and running to Green Park then Hyde Park corner which i overestimated i was about 10mins up again
so using the sneaky stairs at picc circus changed for regents park and ran down to warren street for 15.18 train again 10m up using belsize park in and outside and back down worked a reasonable camden town switch to woodside park really annoyed here as i never had a good switch last time here either but 5 mins was the most i waited.

Tuffnell Park and my only real run i had to do left ran all way down to the main road now my map has a slight flaw here as it says left for finsbury park but its right i took about 2 minutes just sorting it out getting into finsbury park i lost about 5 mins so was still well ahead even had the chance of a quick fish and chips at blackhorse road before the overground down to leytonstone high road.

Making a good run running down onto a central train waiting there didnt know what it was and only quickly got off to perserve making a cock up and low and behold the next train was woodford via hainault newbury park done dont like the station very cold and back into stratford making switches at west ham on time.

Upton Park done and having to make 2 switches in order for a train that wasnt terminating before elm park i eventually rolled in at 7.19.31 and just ran up in 27s in order to get under 17h 20m barrier returning to horse and groom and some really nice looking women and darts i was on fire getting many doubles out.

Falling asleep at T5 nearly missed my coach home.

[Steeevooo]

In contrast to Mr. Lucky Bollocks above, I was more in line with Kev with the not-so-lucky bollocks - ending up catching buses when it would have been quicker to run. I was however, still on schedule with three quarters of the stations out of the way before I got to Notting Hill Gate to get a Wimbleware to Wimbledon Park. Waited there for 10 minutes before the announcement has come through that due to staff shortages, the next Circle line would be in 25 minutes, and the next District to Wimbledon in 35 minutes. Therefore I decided to run from NHG to Earl's Court, got rather lost, got incredibly soaked by the monsoon rain at the time and decided to give up, grab a KFC and go to the pub before I caught pnumonia.

[Going Underground]

It started OK but my achilles was sore just jogging over the bridge at Acton Town on the way to Moor Park

I left on the 11:12 and things started to go wrong when I tried to get a bus from Kilburn to Westbourne a near 10 minute wait before a rammed route 31 turned up which then called at every stop on the way taking ages as at least 8 to 10 people were queuing to get on at all of these.......

After waiting at Westbourne for several minutes the announcement came through that the next westbound was due at Paddington in 4 minutes......

No buses at Ladbroke Grove for me and a long and painful run (jog limp) to Holland Park........

I knew that Andi was catching me fast as he kept texting me as to how well he was doing and it was no surpise to see him disembark at Chiswick Park as I boarded and then again at Ravenscourt..... A superb Earls Court - Wimbledon Park kept my spirits up........ As usual I then had to try and jog from Green Park to HPK as now buses around

The final straw was catching the bus from Canons Park to Edgware, we turned a couple of corners and then bang right into non-moving trafiic and it was only 3.30pm and not a school day...... The bus took ages to reach the stop I could see 200 yards ahead on the outskirts of Edgware... I got out it was pissing down with rain my achilles was screaming at me and enough was enough.. I walked into Coral to get out of the rain.....

The darts was great fun at the pub we met a group of people had some random games and also Steeevooo and Kev took on Jonny (some will know him an H & G regular) and the governor in some 501 pairs which was very high quality.... Steeevooo got his highest ever check out (67 I think)...... and later on we played some around the board darts with the party group.......

[Steeevooo]

Indeed it was a 67 checkout Kev, there were some great darts played that night, very good quality indeed.