flaneurs | Entries tagged with challenges: june challenge: ii (a)

Challenge II.(a) asks you to walk outwards from a railway terminus for a specific length of time, following the railway line as closely as possible. I’ve been doing a modified version of this in stages for a few years, walking from West Croydon to London Bridge.

Two years ago I reported on an earlier stage of this, and now I have finally finished it. Here’s my map. I find it quite interesting to see how closely I could stick to the line in some places, and how much I had to detour in others.

( A few photos below the cut. )

I also took many many photos of railway bridge identifiers, which I seem to be collecting.

nou

I only managed one attempt at the June challenge this year: a modified version of Theme II.(a): Lines.

The full version of this challenge involves starting at a railway terminal and walking outwards from the terminus, following one of the railway lines as closely as possible. I’ve been doing this in stages from West Croydon Station to London Bridge Station, and this month I did a new stage.

I was originally going to walk from Tulse Hill to East Dulwich, but my lungs were playing up so I stopped at North Dulwich; i.e. I only walked one stop. Here’s a map showing my route so far (plus the bit I intended to but didn’t walk, which will be done next time), and here’s a photoset including all stages so far.

I photographed quite a lot of railway bridge identifiers on this one, since secretlondon and I are collecting them, and railway line walks are a very good source. My favourite photo is the one below, showing the premises of a “Fibrous Plaster Specialists”.

A view through a square brick-lined tunnel to an open passageway and buildings at the far end. A dilapidated sign on the left wall reads “19a / E J Harman & Co Ltd / Fibrous Plaster Specialists / 19a Birkbeck Hill SE21 8JS”.

Someone came out just after I took it and asked me why I was taking photos. They seemed a bit offended by my use of the phrase “old sign”, oops. They were very keen to make it clear that the business is still going!

spiralsheep

I completed challenge III. (c) random pub to the Gunmakers Arms in Birmingham's Gun Quarter. Post including a one paragraph report with one photo inside the Two Towers brewery.

I did a second III. (c) random cafe to Wolverhampton Art Gallery cafe. Post including a one paragraph report with one photo of art in the cafe.

I completed challenge I. (a) and investigated an interesting thing seen from a tram window in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. Post including a one paragraph report with one photo of Key Hill Cemetery.

I did II. (a) following a tram line in Birmingham city centre. One paragraph with five photos, from Grand Central to Snow Hill.

I also did a semi-failed II. (c) Local council walk in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Full report with a dozen photos, circular walk along the River Avon.

secretlondon

It's now the 27th and I haven't done any of the walks I'd intended to. I think I'll have to run into July.

I went to have a blood test and on the way back sat in a quiet pub having a half. I thought - why don't I do a flan home? The pub I was in, the Bear, is on Camberwell Station Road, and has a railway viaduct passing outside. However there is no station - weird! It was also previously called the station tavern.

There was a station of course, it closed in 1916, or 1964 if you consider goods traffic. Thameslink trains now go past, but they don't stop.

I decided my flan would be to walk the route between two stations, neither of which are there any more. Camberwell station (1862-1916) to Walworth Road station (1863-1916).

( pics )

Current Mood: depressed

spiralsheep

I completed June challenge Lines IIa, follow that railway, in Cheltenham.

There's a report with 10 small images at my journal.

04 Winchcombe signal box and works, GWR 05-15

spiralsheep

I completed June challenge Lines IIa, follow that railway, in Birmingham.

Quest for the Lost Viaduct of Bordesley (Moor Street to Bordesley), report with 14 small images at my journal.

spiralsheep

I attempted June challenge IIId, take the first turning left then the second turning right, four times from the same point, although two of those involved reversing the instructions and taking the first turning right and the second turning left. I also incidentally did two different short versions of IIIc, navigate to a random cafe, and a IIa, follow the railway.

Report with a map and four small images at my journal.

spiralsheep

flaneurs June Challenge, Doing something different III. (c), random cafe, and unintentionally also Lines II.(a), follow railway. There's a report with 14 images at my journal.

I hope all your June challenges are going well so far, either in planning or walking.

spiralsheep

My second

flaneurs June challenge II.(a), walking alongside the railway line, from Leamington Spa to Warwick wasn't an unmitigated success or it would have continued to Warwick Parkway. Also, the com now needs "themes: y halo thar Mr Plod" and "themes: unexpected satanism" tags. ;-) Report at my journal:

http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/440628.html

Enjoy!

spiralsheep

June challenge II.(a), walking alongside a railway line, report at my journal:

http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/440023.html

Enjoy!

secretlondon

Nothing like some nice flannage to start the weekend!

I work near two large railway termini and I've considered doing flan from either Waterloo or London Bridge. As we know the instructions state: Choose a railway terminus that lies within the bounds of your chosen city/town, and then choose a railway line that terminates there. Now travel outwards from the terminus, following the route of your line as closely as you can while sticking to public footpaths, streets, etc (i.e. I'm not asking you to trespass on the line itself). Continue travelling for an integer number of hours (1, 2, 3, etc) and then stop (if 1 hour is too much for you, then stop when you've had enough).

Work is close to Waterloo so I cheated (slightly) and started walking from the nearest railway bridge (junction Carlisle Lane/Royal Street) and decided to walk for whichever was shortest - 1 hour, or until I ran out of battery.
( Map )

This was a walk of railway arches and bridges. All the arches were either for rent or being used as industrial units. Two large developments closed off my best routes causing me to detour. I started with 23% battery and ended with 8% after 1 hour. I used my phone to make notes and take photos, but not for maps or GPS.

( Route )

( Photos )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: London

spiralsheep

I went for a second walk in Worcester as another II(a) for the June challenge. This time I began on the west or "Welsh" side of the River Severn in St John's (aka Bedwardine), south of the railway, with the intention of walking west along the south side of the railway to the point where the main road, aka A44 the Bromyard Road, crosses north under the railway at more or less the outer edge of the city then crossing to the north side of the railway and walking back to my starting point. It'd be about 3km as the crow flies but city streets and flaneurs tend to wander much more than figurative crows.

Report at my journal with 15 small images.

spiralsheep

I went for a walk in Worcester as II(a) of the June challenge. I began on the east side of the River Severn, south of the Worcester viaduct, with the intention of walking east along the south side of the railway until after the lines split then walking north crossing to the north side and walking back to my starting point. I chose to attempt the longest track-side variation of this route because I also wanted to visit both of the city's stations. It'd be about 4km as the crow flies but city streets and flaneurs tend to wander much more than figurative crows. My route also included height variation of 50m between the lowest point by the river and the highest point of Rose Avenue in Tolladine.

Report with 17 small images (at my journal). As ever, feel free to ignore the commentary and enjoy the pictures. :-)

mummimamma

This is my June challenge, posted a day late - I needed to buy a new computer to upload the pictures first! So I did the challenge of starting from a railway terminus. I did a small change to it, since the railway goes straight into a 700 metres high mountain (and it's not a "hikers" community after all), so I followed the light rail tracks instead. And then I could go the whole distance, from terminus to terminus. Almost 12 kilometres on foot. The light rail is just two years old, and everybody here in Bergen is very proud of it. When it came everybody I mean everybody - had to take it to the terminus and back again. And a lot of my friends with little children still do, as a part of a Sunday outing.

Here is the map of the light rail route
And here is the map of my walk

And here we start at the terminus:
P1000692

( Lots of pictures and occasional some words )

Current Mood: cheerful

squirmelia

June Challenge II.(a) led me from Richmond station to a Snail Reserve!

( Description and photos )

bob

Today I did a modified II. (a) challenge. Instead of a rail terminus I did a tram terminus. I choose 2 as my integer number of hours.

My terminus was New Addington and after 2 hours I ended up at Sandilands which is where the tram diverges.

Flickr Photoset of my wanderings.

tim

For theme II (lines), I picked (a), where you choose a railway terminus and walk along the line that terminates there, or as close to it as possible. Since I started my walk at 8:30 PM, I went for the minimum of one hour.
( It didn't go all that well )