the objective: to go to the tube stations at the end of all the tube lines on London Underground.
the facts: on the day I did this there were 29 'ends' (it does change).
the facts: on the day I did this there were 29 'ends' (it does change).
London Bridge - So, I've started! Am on my first tube journey towards my first tube EOL. Only 2 stops, and the trains aren't that busy yet (it's after 7am), but I'm standing/sitting at the end of the carriage.
I've bought my first zone 1-9 travelcard I didn't even know they existed until a few weeks ago - they used to be zones A, B+C.
- Stuck in a tunnel outside Kennington - the minutes are ticking, but heh, chill! :)
- I can only see a couple of suits in the carriage, too early for the office workers (or just going in the wrong direction? (away from the city). Casually dressed, builders, Eastern European builders.
Stockwell - Train even emptier. Had to run across the platform to get on the Victoria Line to Brixton. Guy opposite has two greying white synthetic shirts hanging from the rail - security guard?
BRIXTON - I used to go through this station twice a day, but it doesn't feel that familiar. The walls have been replastered, the steps out of the station are staggered, and the tiny shops that used to sell GORGEOUS samosas, bhajis and patties is long gone. I did buy a bottle of water for 70p from a suitably abrupt Asian guy at the newsagent though ('Trederwen Essence' from Wales!). Interesting facade outside Brixton.
Stockwell - Got so absorbed in my writing I almost forgot to get off the train, and fortunately missed the next train when I ran across the platform (it was going North, I need to go South).
- Just gone through Clapham North - these platforms on the Northern Line have a central platform - it feels strange on the underground stations, more normal on the above ground ones and rail way platforms.
- Not all stations have it though (not Clapham South, not Balham). Just left Balham - there are 9 people in this carriage - and it's warm!
- been in zone 2, now in 3, about to go into 4...
- At South Wimbledon 3 men got out - and I am all alone in the carriage, except for the 17 copies of 'Metro' I can see strewn around (and one salmon pink Financial Times). There is one man in the next carriage, and I can't see anyone in the one beyond that. There are locked doors at the end of these 3 carriages, and it's warm. The quiet solitude before... rush hour in central London...
Stockwell - Got so absorbed in my writing I almost forgot to get off the train, and fortunately missed the next train when I ran across the platform (it was going North, I need to go South).
- Just gone through Clapham North - these platforms on the Northern Line have a central platform - it feels strange on the underground stations, more normal on the above ground ones and rail way platforms.
- Not all stations have it though (not Clapham South, not Balham). Just left Balham - there are 9 people in this carriage - and it's warm!
- been in zone 2, now in 3, about to go into 4...
- At South Wimbledon 3 men got out - and I am all alone in the carriage, except for the 17 copies of 'Metro' I can see strewn around (and one salmon pink Financial Times). There is one man in the next carriage, and I can't see anyone in the one beyond that. There are locked doors at the end of these 3 carriages, and it's warm. The quiet solitude before... rush hour in central London...
MORDEN - and as I wrote that the train pressed into the sunshine - I didn't realise Morden was overground. There was a steady flow of people going into Morden, and we're all heading into London together - hello people :). Can only see a couple of suits so far though. About 1/3 people in the carriage are reading newspapers - all Metro except one broadsheet! At Colliers Wood - there's now a few people standing. The woman next to me is reading 'Black Swan Green' by David Mitchell (she's on page 283, and marks the pages by turning the corners. A couple opposite (he's sitting, she's standing) are having a cinnamon swirl danish each.
Sloane Square (where!?) - by Colliers Wood, people were standing, and it was definitely busy. From Stockwell to Victoria - looked good (train virtually empty from Brixton) but lots of people piled in. I stood up next to a woman with a tiny purple handbag, and a designer paper carrier bag filled with everything else. On top she had a tin of deodorant, some M+S 'fresh fruit' in a plastic box, and some chocolate éclairs - the latter eyed enviously by a couple of female suits. At Victoria, I ran onto a district line train for Richmond, but realised I didn't want to go that far yet. I could change at Earls Court, but instead I got off at Sloane Square with a 6 minutes wait for a Wimbledon train. I have a seat, I'm outside and the station is pleasant (olive green and white tiles, and even some pot plants). There is a woman sat next to me on her mobile - the archetypal Sloane Square-ite. Everything/one is SO divine/fabulous/sweet/gorgeous, or even heaven, intense; she did get sleeping in the dining room and diarrohera (which I can never spell) into the conversation too.
- A man with a gorgeous Derry accent asked me if I knew anything about Putney (I don't). He was short, fat, balding and reading The Sun, but his voice was beautiful, and he had cool pointy shoes :) It's 9am (past), so I'm running an hour behind already ;-). Heh-ho. That's based on there being 29 EOLs, and if I do this from 7am to 9.30pm that's an average of 2 per hour (though I actually put 3 in my first hour by mistake!). It took a lot longer than I thought to get from Morden to Earl's Court. This part of the district line is all outside, going past leafy gardens and the backs of houses. It's sunny and still. There are blue skies and fluffy, cotton wool-strand clouds behind me, but in front is greyer and more ominous.
Sloane Square (where!?) - by Colliers Wood, people were standing, and it was definitely busy. From Stockwell to Victoria - looked good (train virtually empty from Brixton) but lots of people piled in. I stood up next to a woman with a tiny purple handbag, and a designer paper carrier bag filled with everything else. On top she had a tin of deodorant, some M+S 'fresh fruit' in a plastic box, and some chocolate éclairs - the latter eyed enviously by a couple of female suits. At Victoria, I ran onto a district line train for Richmond, but realised I didn't want to go that far yet. I could change at Earls Court, but instead I got off at Sloane Square with a 6 minutes wait for a Wimbledon train. I have a seat, I'm outside and the station is pleasant (olive green and white tiles, and even some pot plants). There is a woman sat next to me on her mobile - the archetypal Sloane Square-ite. Everything/one is SO divine/fabulous/sweet/gorgeous, or even heaven, intense; she did get sleeping in the dining room and diarrohera (which I can never spell) into the conversation too.
- A man with a gorgeous Derry accent asked me if I knew anything about Putney (I don't). He was short, fat, balding and reading The Sun, but his voice was beautiful, and he had cool pointy shoes :) It's 9am (past), so I'm running an hour behind already ;-). Heh-ho. That's based on there being 29 EOLs, and if I do this from 7am to 9.30pm that's an average of 2 per hour (though I actually put 3 in my first hour by mistake!). It took a lot longer than I thought to get from Morden to Earl's Court. This part of the district line is all outside, going past leafy gardens and the backs of houses. It's sunny and still. There are blue skies and fluffy, cotton wool-strand clouds behind me, but in front is greyer and more ominous.
WIMBLEDON - My saviour! A toilet (3 cubicles, 20p, clean) and an AMT - encouraging me along the platform - cappuccino and a croissant. Upstairs is a pasty shop, that is now selling pasties (the one at London Bridge only sold bacon rolls @ 7 in the morning), but that can wait for lunch. I missed a couple of trains queuing for coffee, but my new aim is to hit double figures ;-). The top of Wimbledon station had this weird bit of fencing cut into the shapes of people - not sure how well it will come out there - it wasn't very the 'Wimbledon' name. And against a bright sky - my pics will probably all be underexposed and M will despair. My ticket failed on the way back into the station. It's beautiful and sunny still. There are 2 women in this carriage eating - one has a 'Greggs' paper bag and is eating her pastry from it so I can't see what it is; the other has a Caffe Nero bag (distinctive blue and black) and has a tiny cup (espresso), and is taking bits of it out of the bag piece by piece so I can't see what that is either. It's probably practical, but it looks surreptitious. I ate mine out of my hand, straight into my mouth!
- My leg just vibrated, and I got all excited - a text from M? Nah, just my bank telling me my balance (at least it's in the black!).
- There's a man opposite reading 'The Outcast' by Sadie Jones, and a woman next to me doing Sudoko puzzles in a book.
Earl's Court - I like the destination indicators at Earl's Court - a list of names and an arrow pointing to the place. Off to Kensington (Olympia). Very few people on this train, but I seemed to pass through the rush hour and then it was gone - pouff!
- My leg just vibrated, and I got all excited - a text from M? Nah, just my bank telling me my balance (at least it's in the black!).
- There's a man opposite reading 'The Outcast' by Sadie Jones, and a woman next to me doing Sudoko puzzles in a book.
Earl's Court - I like the destination indicators at Earl's Court - a list of names and an arrow pointing to the place. Off to Kensington (Olympia). Very few people on this train, but I seemed to pass through the rush hour and then it was gone - pouff!
KENSINGTON (OLYMPIA) - Photo done, back on the same train. I got excited and thought I'd caught up with myself - but I'm still an hour behind (just not later :)). Due here by 9, it's just before 10 - though may have to wait 15 mins to leave here... Still waiting... Came out of Kensington (O) in glorious sunshine - almost put my sunglasses on. Now it's just started peeing it down! But the train is moving...
Earl's Court - There is torrential rain at West Ken. This could make for some very soggy photography :(. - At Kew Gardens there is a pretty archway (3 actually) painted brown with white flowers. Before that, at Gunnersby, is a strangely attractive car park overlooking the station platform.
Earl's Court - There is torrential rain at West Ken. This could make for some very soggy photography :(. - At Kew Gardens there is a pretty archway (3 actually) painted brown with white flowers. Before that, at Gunnersby, is a strangely attractive car park overlooking the station platform.
RICHMOND - It's stopped raining, but I still got dripped on by the low roof over the station entrance. Richmond station has a clock - I didn't notice if it was the right time. It also had three small rails/bars around the corner of the building, but they were too far from the name.
- Richmond also has an AMT, a pasty shop, and a toilet (20p, 4 cubicles, clean). I don't know what a 'Richmond-type' is, but I suspect it's the woman in the carriage with verbal diarrhoea. Her husband doesn't wear his wedding ring because he doesn't like jewellery, she doesn't wear hers because her fingers are too fat! She's debating the correct protocol for eternity rings (and is shocked the woman opposite her got hers 2 years after getting married). She's a writer, on her way to film with Twiggy for the beeb - and had done modelling - which turns out to be a charity thing (lots of women in their undies) "to promote breast cancer." And as she said to her DJ friend... Pressure of speech, grandiosity... And the woman she's talking to isn't even with her - she's just out with her family for the day (poor woman). Last thing - her 13 year old daughter (who was premature) is into Japanese Goth and had 13,000 hits on YouTube. We're back in Gunnersby - the car park. Two-storey, some bits are flat, but others are zig-zag with a 'distressed' white stucco, and plants/trees growing up it like vines.
- Richmond also has an AMT, a pasty shop, and a toilet (20p, 4 cubicles, clean). I don't know what a 'Richmond-type' is, but I suspect it's the woman in the carriage with verbal diarrhoea. Her husband doesn't wear his wedding ring because he doesn't like jewellery, she doesn't wear hers because her fingers are too fat! She's debating the correct protocol for eternity rings (and is shocked the woman opposite her got hers 2 years after getting married). She's a writer, on her way to film with Twiggy for the beeb - and had done modelling - which turns out to be a charity thing (lots of women in their undies) "to promote breast cancer." And as she said to her DJ friend... Pressure of speech, grandiosity... And the woman she's talking to isn't even with her - she's just out with her family for the day (poor woman). Last thing - her 13 year old daughter (who was premature) is into Japanese Goth and had 13,000 hits on YouTube. We're back in Gunnersby - the car park. Two-storey, some bits are flat, but others are zig-zag with a 'distressed' white stucco, and plants/trees growing up it like vines.
HAMMERSMITH - Lots of shops and cafes in and around the station. If it was lunchtime (11am is too early for lunch). I might have been tempted by crepes. This is the first station where I took more than one shot - some draping nudes underneath the sign in the main station, and then the barbers pole underneath the sign of the 'Hammersmith and City' station - I didn't actually come out of that station, but that is the EOL... (nerdy, pedantic...:)). My ticket worked getting back in here (and it said there were loos somewhere but I didn't use them - just so you know!).
Acton Town - A moment of indecision! Piccadilly line train came in from Heathrow 1,2,3, and Terminal 4 but not 5. I got on it but what to do - do trains go to terminal 5? I assumed they must. I decided to skip Heathrow altogether - 25 mins @ way, I'm not going to do them all, and it would put me on track with my timings. So, got off at Acton Town - and found out that there are trains that go to 1,2,3 and then to 5. That was the next train in, the Ealing train wasn't for 5 mins, so the decision was made. Purists and completists were satisfied, and the world breathed a sigh of relief and continued to spin on its axis :).
- There's an advert opposite me for flucamp.com 'helping conquer colds and flu' - you can earn up to £3k, but have to go for a screening visit, and if suitable, have to commit to staying in a "hotel or other comfortable facility" for up to 14 nights. Approaching H1,2,3 and can see a Canada Airlines plane (red maple leaf) very close up. Oops, was actually Hatton Cross, and we're underground which feels strange - have been outdoors most of the time.
- There's an advert opposite me for flucamp.com 'helping conquer colds and flu' - you can earn up to £3k, but have to go for a screening visit, and if suitable, have to commit to staying in a "hotel or other comfortable facility" for up to 14 nights. Approaching H1,2,3 and can see a Canada Airlines plane (red maple leaf) very close up. Oops, was actually Hatton Cross, and we're underground which feels strange - have been outdoors most of the time.
HEATHROW TERMINAL 5 - Bit of a tricky one this - the underground goes out onto the main concourse, and from there the only obvious way out is to departures or arrivals. So I took a photo of the Underground sign about the entrance - 2 shots as people were in the way (actually, there were in the shot, I wanted them in, then they walked off). There was no name sign though, so will have to take it on trust that I was here :). I did use the facilities though (;-)) - 18 cubicles, free, very clean, and classic rather than trendy.
- The strangest part about going through Heathrow though is vertigo! I attribute my new found vertigo from when I did a parachute jump last year. You'd think jumping out of an aeroplane at 12,000ft would have the opposite effect (especially as I'd do a jump again!). At Heathrow you have to go up a number of escalators (or use the lift) to get to the concourse. It's all open (in a Jubilee line kind of way) and that doesn't bother me (peering down the side of the escalator). What does bother me is the frosted glass that 'tiles' the approach to the escalator and the doors onto the concourse. I noticed it a bit coming out as I came off the escalator, but I moved away from it and my mind was focussed on finding a way out. But then I came to the exit doors and there was 10ft of glass between me and the doors. I stopped. My stomach lurched. I find this REALLY bizarre. I've never had a proper phobia before. The glass looked thick, was matt and very frosted. It's actually pretty opaque, and you can't really see anything through it - though it's obviously glass because of the light. I stopped. I told myself that they wouldn't build it if it wouldn't support weight, I know it's not going to break. The automatic doors looked impenetrable (I'm barely aware that I'm thinking 'what if I cross the glass, and the doors don't open, then I'm stuck on the glass - suspended in mid-air). Two things - a bloke behind me and the automatic door sensing my hesitation and opening - gave me a push, and I almost ran forwards onto the concourse. At the other side my heart was racing, and I felt exhilarated. Going back, I looked up and walked quickly across. By the escalators I went to the point where there was only a couple of feet of glass and stepped over it.
Acton Town - I stepped down into the piccadilly line trains (they're about a foot below the platform), and up to get on the district line train to Ealing Broadway. It's nearly 20 to 1 and I'm quite peckish, and I need to pee again (I have never felt like such a middle aged woman!).
- The strangest part about going through Heathrow though is vertigo! I attribute my new found vertigo from when I did a parachute jump last year. You'd think jumping out of an aeroplane at 12,000ft would have the opposite effect (especially as I'd do a jump again!). At Heathrow you have to go up a number of escalators (or use the lift) to get to the concourse. It's all open (in a Jubilee line kind of way) and that doesn't bother me (peering down the side of the escalator). What does bother me is the frosted glass that 'tiles' the approach to the escalator and the doors onto the concourse. I noticed it a bit coming out as I came off the escalator, but I moved away from it and my mind was focussed on finding a way out. But then I came to the exit doors and there was 10ft of glass between me and the doors. I stopped. My stomach lurched. I find this REALLY bizarre. I've never had a proper phobia before. The glass looked thick, was matt and very frosted. It's actually pretty opaque, and you can't really see anything through it - though it's obviously glass because of the light. I stopped. I told myself that they wouldn't build it if it wouldn't support weight, I know it's not going to break. The automatic doors looked impenetrable (I'm barely aware that I'm thinking 'what if I cross the glass, and the doors don't open, then I'm stuck on the glass - suspended in mid-air). Two things - a bloke behind me and the automatic door sensing my hesitation and opening - gave me a push, and I almost ran forwards onto the concourse. At the other side my heart was racing, and I felt exhilarated. Going back, I looked up and walked quickly across. By the escalators I went to the point where there was only a couple of feet of glass and stepped over it.
Acton Town - I stepped down into the piccadilly line trains (they're about a foot below the platform), and up to get on the district line train to Ealing Broadway. It's nearly 20 to 1 and I'm quite peckish, and I need to pee again (I have never felt like such a middle aged woman!).
(and it continues...)