Recommended reading?

[snudge27]

Hiya!
Could anyone help me create a list of "recommended reads" relating to the planning of a 274 Challenge?
I already have a copy of the A-Z and also the Way Out Map - which other maps/publications would you suggest?
I've heard "The Clever Tube Hopper" bandied about... but what exactly is it!?
Any other suggestions please?

Cheers!

[hwolge]

I've found "Google Earth" to be quite useful when planning (and measuring) runs in unchartered territory

[tubeguru]

This forum reminds me of the old "whatever did they do in the old days" debates.

When Geoff and I planned our world record run we didn't have this forum to ask questions on. We had to go and find everything out ourselves.

It all seems so easy these days ...

[snudge27]

OK... so what exactly is "The Clever Tube Hopper"?

[tubeguru]

It's a frog with an IQ of 165 which jumps about all over the underground.

[snudge27]

Tres Drole, TG
I don't see what the closely guarded secret is... I know that this book/map exists, so all I want to find out is what's in it before I decide whether or not I want to buy it. I've Googled it and looked on Amazon but there's bugger all to be found about it - anyone? please?

[snudge27]

Apparently, Amazon still have TCTH in stock - albeit with a 4-6 week delivery time and a sourcing fee... maybe it's not so dead!

[PFW]

I think many of us in the good old days read "Tunnel Vision" by Keith Lowe. It is a work of fiction (especially the route and travel times quoted) but it does give food for thought if nothing else.

[snudge27]

Yeah, read that too - forgot to mention it in my original post... I thought the root looked a little suspect... so I ran it through JP - only get as far as Acton Town!
There are a few good things though!

[tubeguru]

Clever Tube Hopper not in print anymore. You have to use the Way Out Map (complete with all its mistakes).

Of course, in the old days, my father use to wake us up half an hour before we went to bed, make us eat a bucket of gravel, thrash us to an inch away from death, AND make us go out and work out the door/carriage positions all by ourselves.

But try telling that to the kids nowadays....

They don't seem to be getting it, do they?

[editorsfoot]

I ordered a Clever Tube Hopper and a Way Out Map from Amazon about 6 weeks ago. The Way Out Map took about 5 weeks, the CTH has been delayed, should be another 4 to 6 weeks. However I have found in the past this actually means that someone will look after my money for about 3 or 4 months until they cant source it at all. Watch this space!

Apart from that I normally find going out and trying out routes to be the best way, its the only real way to find out which door to use etc.

[TheFatBuoy]

Google Earth's one option for looking up runs. Another resource is obviously the London A-Z, but even better than that (albeit a bit more expensive) is the Greater London A-Z on CD-ROM - goes out to the M25 and a bit beyond in certain places, and you can quickly and easily plot routes to work out distances of on-foot connections and stuff. It's £34.99 including VAT, possibly plus a bit for postage, and it's here:

http://www.a-zmaps.co.uk/asp/details.as ... stpostage=

Tell them I sent you.

They'll probably say "Who?"

Also, I find the Spider maps excellent for bus routes - I painstakingly compiled them all into a 90MB zip file which I reckon is quite handy. http://www.busmap.org is also brilliant for timetable information (and worth using in conjunction with the spider maps, which IMHO are much more user-friendly than the maps on there).

Also, the "realistic geographic" map is great as a quick guide for which walks are easy to do. Geoff did have it on his "sillymaps" page on his site but big bad evil people forced him to take it down, but I'm sure if you ask nicely he'll tell you where a mirror of that page can be found.

And yes, the way out map is good too. As is knowledge of where the cross-platform interchanges are.

[tubeguru]

There is no substitute for experience my friends.

Go out there and actually walk it in both directions first to get it in your head. No need for maps on the day if you do that.

[petermiller36]

i believe ive said this before... "do the research yourself you lazy bastards!!!". Thats the whole point!

[Going Underground]

I dont see any problem in asking about specificly written tube publications, as opposed to the question "how do I go out and do this, can anyone give me any tips?"