Third attempt - Friday 30th June

[Oxpeter]

Dear all,

Just to inform you, following on from last October's successful (if painfully slow) attempt, I am planning my third Tube Challenge attempt on Friday 30th June.

I've booked into a hotel in Romford for the Thursday night, and plan to start on the 04:53 District Line service out of Upminster. This will allow me to hopefully knock off Olympia with an early morning service. I still don't yet have the confidence to plan for an evening Olympia service, so it might be a while yet before I put together a plan involving an Amersham/Chesham start.

Two maneuvers I have not used on my previous two attempts but hope to use this time will include: getting from Richmond to Hatton Cross by using the train to Feltham then no.285 bus; and using the no.257 Leytonstone to Walthamstow Central bus.

If things go to the plan I've got, there will be much less re-covering of routes this time, and hopefully I shall be finishing at Canning Town. I might even jog some of the sections covered on foot this time!

I'll be incredibly pleased if I can finish within nineteen hours this time, so hopefully will finish before midnight.

Oxpeter

[andytube]

So much of your post sounds so familiar to me (except the finish point).
Good luck, look forward to reading the write up.

[Oxpeter]

So much of your post sounds so familiar to me (except the finish point).
Good luck, look forward to reading the write up.

Thanks for the good luck wishes, Andy.

What with some of the things that have happened in London over the past few weeks, not least the terribly sad tragedy at Grenfell Tower, I have been in two minds as to whether or not to bother with this particular challenge. When so many people have lost their lives, their friends, their family or their homes, to spend time running around on the Tube all day getting in the way of people going about their normal business can seem like quite a shallow and unconstructive thing to do.

However, after giving things a bit more thought, I realize that if everyone thought like that for ever, none of us would ever take up any hobby or past-time for fear of the disappointment we might feel towards it when outside events happen. Shortly after the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, I can remember seriously considering giving up going to football matches - maybe forcing myself into taking up rugby instead - but looking back now I'm glad I didn't.

So what with my days off work already booked, my Thursday night in the Romford Travelodge already paid for, and people like yourself wishing me luck, I've decided that I shall be Tube Challenging on Friday after all.

Over the past week, the Hammersmith & City/Circle line between Edgware Road and Wood Lane has been suspended because of the fire. Looking at the Tube website this morning (Sunday 25th), services seem to be running again. However, if I find that they are suspended again on Friday, then I shall simply tick off the five stations affected (Paddington H&C, Royal Oak, Westbourne Park, Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road) on foot, then cut through Westfield shopping centre to Wood Lane. That's a distance of about three miles, probably adding another hour to my time, but I will try and do a dry-run of it on Thursday to make sure I'm prepared. I'm also planning on a test-run of the Hammersmith-Richmond-Feltham-Hatton run, and will also experiment on how best to tuck Chiswick Park into it all (that's whether to take the District to Chiswick Park then on foot to Gunnersbury, or rather double-back when I arrive at Acton Town). So, plenty to keep me occupied!

Thanks again for the good luck wishes, Andy. Incidentally, your profile says you live "near Portsmouth". Where exactly? I live in Oxford now, but grew up in Bedhampton!

[RJSRdg]

You could always do it as a sponsored event to raise money for the Grenfell relief effort.

[Oxpeter]

You could always do it as a sponsored event to raise money for the Grenfell relief effort.

You must have read my mind, because I have already been asking a few people if they would like to sponsor me. I thought any money raised could go to either a Grenfell charity or a fire brigade benelovent charity.

Sponsoring 1p per station would mean £2.70 sponsorship per person. Thirty seven sponsorships would equal almost £100.

I shall let you know how I get on. Thanks.

[ITFCShirts]

Best of luck Oxpeter! I'm beginning to gear up for my own attempt in August, finally got a route that works, and starting to recce it. Look forward to hearing how it goes!

[andytube]

Peter, I tried sending you a PM, but looks like it is still in the Outbox. Let me know if you get it.

[dstock17]

all I ask for 2.70 donstion is if ur promoting get the facts of the record right it still annoying every oik thinks that Geoff is the only tube challenger in the world. even people asking about the labyrinth thinks that is Geoff route which it isn't there are other tube challengers apart from the revered Geoff Marshall.

[michael_churchill]

all I ask for 2.70 donstion is if ur promoting get the facts of the record right it still annoying every oik thinks that Geoff is the only tube challenger in the world. even people asking about the labyrinth thinks that is Geoff route which it isn't there are other tube challengers apart from the revered Geoff Marshall.

WTF?!?

I thought you'd left the forum, Andi!

[Steeevooo]

You must be about the only regular visitor on here that didn't realize that dstock was Andi then!

[Tube Geek]

You must be about the only regular visitor on here that didn't realize that dstock was Andi then!

Not the only......

[dstock17]

You must be about the only regular visitor on here that didn't realize that dstock was Andi then!

Not the only......

and your the one person exactly why I came off the forum in 1st place and all the uneducated oiks who worship Geoff Marshall no offence to Geoff Marshall here I kind of respect if not particulary are friends or enemy's. I don't mind being back on forum but i don't comment unless there is disinformation when there is i will make it right.

[Tube Geek]

You must be about the only regular visitor on here that didn't realize that dstock was Andi then!

Not the only......

and your the one person exactly why I came off the forum in 1st place and all the uneducated oiks who worship Geoff Marshall no offence to Geoff Marshall here I kind of respect if not particulary are friends or enemy's. I don't mind being back on forum but i don't comment unless there is disinformation when there is i will make it right.

I don't 'worship' him. I'm not one of those oiks!

[dstock17]

but you come across as one sometimes it was so funny acting as a complete novice. knowledge that I possess is being wasted you know by lots of people but eh never mind.

[RJSRdg]

As far as I'm concerned, I have the greatest of respect for anyone who has completed a FNC, never mind a GWR - and both Andi and Geoff are legends of the sport.

However I'm not quite sure how we got to discussing Geoff in the first place - this thread is about Oxpeter's planned FNC and I can't see any mention of Geoff in his posts. Let's not hijack Oxpeter's thread any further