My third successful completion, with improved time.

[Alan White]

Started Heathrow T4 05:02:57, finished Amersham at 23:26:50 for a time of 18:23:53, 31m21s faster than my previous best and only 35 seconds slower than the current best time listed here. As that places all three top scores at 18:23:ss it seems that the only variation is the timeliness of Met 411 to Amersham.

The weather was hot - we were in the middle of a heat wave but this may be the only week I can fit around other commitments before the leaf fall timetable. The heat didn't cause any problems for me or the trains.

I used the same route as my previous two successes, with only minor tweaks.

After a good run from Heathrow, at Olympia I caught the 06:10:30 thanks to the driver re-opening the just closing doors; I gave him a wave as thanks. As expected, catching this didn't make any difference to subsequent timings but one has to try as catching a late running train further on could help.

At Hammersmith I ran for a Richmond train I knew I was unlikely to catch and sure enough it had long gone. Then a voice behind me said "Are you doing the Tube Challenge?" I regret that I soon forgot the name of my fellow challenger - it might have begun with G - but it was good to discuss the challenge and to travel together for a short while until our routes diverged at Richmond. Like me, G? was trying to improve his personal best; I hope that, like me, he was successful.

At Turnham Green on return from Richmond, and as expected, I missed the Ealing Broadway train by seconds. G? had decided to run from Gunnersbury to Chiswick Park to catch that and was obviously successful because he wasn't on the platform at Chiswick Park when I passed.

At North Ealing I had a long wait for a w/b Pic. The Uxbridge branch of the Pic seems to be running very poorly at the moment. The day before, I waited ages at Rayners Lane for an e/b, during which two scheduled trains simply didn't run.

When the Pic did arrive it was going only to Rayners Lane so this gave me the reason to try a reverse at West Harrow - the only real change I made since my last success. This reverse took 16 minutes and wasn't as quick as I'd hoped because the n/b Met was, as often happens, delayed by a terminating Pic moving to the siding. The Met took 7 minutes to get from West Harrow to Rayners Lane, a journey timetabled for just 2.5 minutes. However, despite the delay this reverse didn't cost any time and did save the diversion and walk to North Harrow later in the day.

The reverse at Epping was a dream and dropped me right on a shuttle at Woodford. By Stratford I was 22 minutes behind schedule but had West Harrow in hand so all was looking good and a series of fortuitous connections - including a late running n/b to Mill Hill East - made me increasingly hopeful that today would be a good day.

I was on an Upminster train from Sloane Square and would have had to wait 12 minutes for a c2c from Fenchurch Street so I debated my policy of changing at Tower Hill but I didn't want to find myself in a gap of c2c up trains at Upminster and couldn't get a signal on my phone. I decided to stay on the District and later discovered that I had the information already in my notes; doh! And I had a quick reverse at Upminster.

By Regents Park I was 15 minutes ahead of schedule with the West Harrow reverse still in hand. The train from Regents Park was going only to Stonebridge Park but I knew a H&W was a few minutes behind. Even better, at Queens Park a LO train was waiting and it left first. I've never had such a good run up to H&W.

By Watford I was 30 minutes ahead of schedule and this is where the second delay of today occurred. Train 472 was missing and it wasn't there to take me straight out again. However, train 443 was late arriving so it's probable that I wouldn't have made 472 anyway. 443 left Watford on time at 22:08 and I caught all the expected trains to Chesham and Amersham.

Aside from a better Piccadilly line and an optimal reverse at Watford, I doubt this route can be improved either in planning or execution. If I do the challenge again then I'll try a different route.

[Bubble]

Excellent write-up, Alan, and congratulations on an excellent completion time. There’s no doubt that experience helps; I’d certainly make changes to my route if I go again. Two thoughts:
1. It seems likely that T4 (start) and Amersham/Chesham (finish) is the approach most likely to yield a good time. For many, alas, that means a costly hotel bill at LHR - a disappointment if a completion were impossible due to reasons beyond one’s control.
2. Gunnersbury to Chiswick Park is an easy run. Doing it made me feel better about having to backtrack along the Richmond branch and it probably saved a bit of time too.

[Alan White]

> Gunnersbury to Chiswick Park is an easy run.

It's an easy run for you

I know from many attempts that it takes me 8 minutes to walk/run the 800m from Gunnersbury to Chiswick Park. Train 065 is timetabled at Gunnersbury at 07:25:30; train 061 at Chiswick Park at 07:30. I can't do that run in 4m30s.

A big part of the challenge is knowing one's own abilities...

[Alan White]

And on the hotel, I can recommend the Premier Inn at T4. I can't say if you'd describe it as costly but it does tend to be the cheapest in the area, often by some margin. I paid £79.05 the other day, booking just the day before. That's just for the room as I take my own snacks for the evening & breakfast, having eaten a good meal at lunchtime.

For next Tuesday, the PI is currently offering £91 while the adjacent HI Express is quoting £203. That's a very expensive inclusive breakfast which a challenger would probably be away too early to eat anyway.

[GillagePeople]

Hard agree on the timeliness of the Met 411. Cost us 3 minutes on my go round, although we actually could have got a Chiltern into Amersham but that didn't feel right on the day. Kind of regret not using it and the Overground at the top of the Bakerloo now but at the time I just wanted to to tube only.

Congrats on a great run though and a top write up

[key_cauliflower3135]

Hey Alan, just came to say hi and introduce myself. My name is Derry (the tube challenger you met on the day). We were on the same route from Heathrow down to Gunnersbury. I did end up making that train to Ealing Broadway at Chiswick Park, it was a shame that you weren't able to do the same at Turnham Green. I did indeed beat my personal best that day and I'm glad that you did too.

I finished that day at 11:21pm in Epping for a time of 18:18:38. I will do a full write up of the route here too in case people want to use my route. I think it is possibly one of the most efficient that I have found which incorporates morning Olympia and while unconventional (by sole virtue of the fact it does not end in Chesham/Amersham), I still believe it to be quite efficient. (At the time of doing the challenge at least, I am unsure if the timetable had changed since since I made that particular attempt).