flaneurs | Entries tagged with locations: england: london

Hounslow is a place I think of more as somewhere to start an adventure (by getting a tube from there to Heathrow airport), as opposed to somewhere to have an adventure, but for a Flaneurs June challenge, I went to Hounslow. This perhaps isn’t the adventure you’ve been waiting 4 years to read about, but I will tell you about it anyway, and there are highwaymen.

My real motivation for going to Hounslow was because I wanted ice-cream, specifically unusual ice-cream flavours. I chose two fruit flavours - chickoo and custard apple, and ate them as I walked towards the start of the walk from Hounslow Station.

Hounslow has a heath! I found this out from the local council's website, as when I searched for walks, two appeared - Hounslow Heath history hike and Hounslow Heath wild walk. Hounslow Heath walks and trails.

( Read more... )

nou

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.

bob

On the 15th of June I did flaneurs challenge III. (d). I started at West Norwood station and ended up in Norbury.
I found an interesting manhole cover

bob

On June 1st I did challenge II(b).
I randomly ended up with page 154 column D of our A-Z. In fact I did pages 136 and page 166 as well.
I think there was one point where I went outside the column but only briefly.

squirmelia

My notebooks fell off my shelf and I started looking through them and there were journeys I'd been on by bus written in some of them, that I never got around to writing up. Here is one such journey:

I did June Challenge I.(c) Buses, but which June I did it in, I am unsure now. Maybe I have photos and tracks to accompany it somewhere. Anyway, for this challenge, I got on the first bus that came along, then got off after 9 stops.

( Read more... )

nou

Like we did in 2016, in 2014, in 2013, and in 2012, bob and I made simultaneous attempts at Theme I: Buses, subtheme (c) (get on the first bus that comes along, stay on for n stops, get off, repeat), starting from the same stop, with me taking n=5 and him taking n=6.

This year we did it from a different stop, since I was fed up of going up and down London Road on buses. We chose Poplar Walk, which is just around the corner from our old stop.

bob went on a very loopy journey which involved going to Purley twice (we coincided on the first visit, and broke for lunch at Cafe Blue) and through West Croydon bus station at least twice. My journey was rather less loopy, and ended up at a featureless roundabout just over the Surrey border.

So my London bus flânage actually extended outside London. It wasn’t enormously exciting, though — the only place it took me that I hadn’t been before was the roundabout at the end, which was quite boring. Hopefully next year will be better!

Here is my map.

bob

We did a bus flanage again this year and started from somewhere new but kept our numbers the same.

The map is very loopy

secretlondon

Every year I've done challenge 3a (2014, 2015, 2015b, 2016, 2017). I was worried flaneurs might not happen this year. What should I do? Should I do it anyway? What happens if I break the chain?

III. (a)

Travel to or from your workplace one day using a completely different route to any you've ever used before.

Working in zone 6 is only tolerable as it's 20 minutes by train from Vauxhall to Surbiton. Although I could probably get home by bus in several hours I just didn't have the energy. This was a bit boring so I may come up with something better later on in the month.

I considered the K1 bus to New Malden but felt bored. I walked to a main road and all the buses were boring too. Zzzz.

I ended up walking from Tolworth Hospital to Tolworth itself. It started out as suburbia and became a linear shopping street. Tolworth Tower happened and then a roundabout with underpasses, Elephant and Castle style. It's the 1960s! Walking further I got to the station - 1930s Art Deco like others round here. Unlike Surbiton Station the one in Tolworth needs some love and attention. There are only two trains an hour from here. Going the other way I'd end up at Chessington World of Adventures.
( Photos )

Current Mood: tired

secretlondon

Last year I did two challenges based on small London buses which have letter suffixes - Small buses with letters and The bus of St George. Looking back I've done a few flans with these local little buses which go off the beaten track. In 2013 I did 10 stops of the C10 and I went on the W19 in 2015.

Today was the turn of the K1 - a little bus going from Kingston to New Malden via Surbiton and Tolworth. It also goes past Tolworth Hospital, and in good little bus style it's the only bus that does.

1b is:

Get on the first bus that comes along (and that you're able to get onto).
Stay on the bus until you reach the 10th stop or the end of the route, whichever comes first.
Get off and navigate your way home by a method of your choice.

This was quite a disappointing flan. My current work route is Surbiton Station to Tolworth Hospital and that turns out to be 9 stops worth. Ten stops is just round the corner from Surbiton station. This is very boring.

The other way the bus goes to New Malden. I was going to wait 15 minutes for it when I realised it has a hail and ride section. How do i count stops with that?

Have some photos - Surbiton Station is a lovely Art Deco thing.
( Photos )

Current Mood: tired

bob

As is seemingly customary once again I have done the walking of a column in the A-Z aka II(b).

I did page 162 column A

This tuesday will be bus riding day.

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!

bob

Hello,
As is customary I did Flaneurs bus challenge I. (c) from the same stop as before with an unchanging n of 6.
In exciting news I managed to finally cross the river and in fact ended up at Tottenham Hale. I covered about 30 miles on buses on the hottest day of the year. The routemasters were hellish.

* Map
* Google Photos or Flick Photos depending on what you prefer. Includes lots of video.
* Twitter thread

I'm currently uploading the videos to youtube and may make a longer video of them.
Talking of which I often post videos of my bus journeys on my youtube channel

Current Mood: accomplished

secretlondon

Every year I attempt 3a - and this year is no exception! (2014, 2015, 2015b, 2016)

III. (a)

Travel to or from your workplace one day using a completely different route to any you've ever used before.

I've been thinking about how to do this for several weeks when it came to me. The little bus from work ends in an estate in Battersea. The little bus that goes nearest home starts in an estate in Battersea. I'll get one bus, walk between the termini and get the other!

( Ooh buses )

secretlondon

1b -Get on the first bus that comes along (and that you're able to get onto).
Stay on the bus until you reach the 10th stop or the end of the route, whichever comes first.
Get off and navigate your way home by a method of your choice.

Hospitals are often served by little buses and having worked in several hospitals I have previous little bus experience: the C10 from St Thomas’ in 2013, and the W19 from Whipps Cross to Ilford in 2015. 2014 was night buses instead, and 2016 was bus free. I’m currently lucky enough to be working in the beautiful grounds of an 1840 county pauper lunatic asylum. In the past such places were hidden away – now they have little buses, in this case the G1.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

nou

Londoners and those within reach of London may be interested to know that the Tube Walks community, formerly only on LiveJournal, now has a presence on Dreamwidth at tubewalks.

The aim of Tube Walking is “to visit every station on the underground network and Docklands Light Railway at least once, either as a starting point or as a destination. [...] The station which you walk to must be connected to the starting station by a tube, or DLR, line.” Walks are generally quite indirect, taking in points of interest in the area. We generally end up in a pub after (or, occasionally, during) the walk, and in the past there have also been post-walk curries, though it’s been a while since the last one of those.

The next walk is on Saturday 6 May, from Richmond to Kew Gardens. Meet at Richmond Station from 2pm for a prompt 2:30pm start.

secretlondon

I've done IIIa in 2014 and 2015 so I strongly felt I needed to do it in 2016 too.

III. (a)

Travel to or from your workplace one day using a completely different route to any you've ever used before.

I'm currently working in Tooting. My normal commute is Tooting Broadway to Oval using the Northern Line. I wasn't sure how to do it this year. I'll never top the cable car and river bus of 2014, but I'd like to do something more interesting than take the 155 bus, for example.

I had a plan I may still do which involved getting a bus to Wimbledon, tram to Birkbeck (because of the name) then train to Denmark Hill. I might still do it but I've run out of month and it's Wimbledon tennis fortnight.

Not wanting to just get a direct bus I came up with: half a mile walk to Tooting BR station, train from Tooting to Loughborough Junction station, bus from there to Camberwell and then walk home. I posted on Monday about railway bridge codes which made me want to fit these in somewhere, and it follows on from some of my thinking on IIIe which uses numbers on objects to give directions.

Numbering things makes working with them easier. Your house has a number so others can tell which is which. My office door has a code so facilities can identify exactly where I am. It's not the office past the double doors on the right it's three letter code for building, digit for floor (0 for ground), decimal point and two digits for room. Different places have different codes but they all need one. My last place had codes on each electrical socket, as well as a different pattern for office doors.
( pic spam )

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

nou

Like we did in 2014, in 2013, and in 2012, bob and I made simultaneous attempts at Theme I: Buses, subtheme (c) (get on the first bus that comes along, stay on for n stops, get off, repeat), starting from the same stop, with me taking n=5 and him taking n=6.

In 2012 I ended up in Cheam, which is a few miles southwest of Croydon out towards where London stops being London; in 2013 I ended up in Putney, which is several miles northwest of Croydon and very nearly on the other side of the Thames; and in 2014 I actually crossed the Thames into north London. Unfortunately 2016 was much less exciting.

It was so unexciting, in fact, that I can't actually bring myself to do a full writeup. My buses took me along a road that I'm thoroughly familiar with, out to a bland shopping mall, then (thanks to a one-way loop with a stop served by buses in both directions) all the way back along the same route to my starting point, then along residential streets to Crystal Palace (a 9-minute train ride from my house), then through Sydenham (a 12-minute train ride from my house, and a place where I spent an entire day the other week; indeed, one of my stops was directly opposite the cafe I had lunch in), and finally terminated at Elmers End, which is a place that has nothing in it aside from a direct tram back to my starting point. Four hours, to get basically nowhere.

Here's a map of my journey, and here's my photoset on Flickr.

secretlondon

Flan IIIe: This is designed for hospital/university campuses and similar, though would probably also work in parks, housing estates, and so on. Start after your appointment (whatever or wherever it may be). If you don't have an appointment, go to somewhere you might have one, or another scheduled activity. Begin to wander in any direction. Continue walking down the path/following the corridor. If you don't know where to go, there will be a sign; perhaps an arrow showing you the way, or a number (left for odds, right for evens). If you cannot find a sign and you need to choose a direction, choose whichever makes most sense to you. Continue for as long as you want.

( Flan )

( Flan Plan )

rydra_wong

But I believe it qualifies for psychogeographical bragging, at least.

This is where I spent part of yesterday:

http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/bascule-chamber-concert/ (Google image search "bascule chamber" for more pretty pictures)

You can all be jealous of me now.

This will probably be the only time in my life I listen to a John Cage aria with a 1000-tonne weight suspended over my head.