1/10/22 - Well, I guess someone had to do it! Mark Mason engaged in this nerd-fest, to walk (see ps) all (see ps) the London (see ps) tube lines above ground, not just to visit each station, but all the branches and repeated bits; just over 400 miles over 6 months on a series of 1, 2 or 3 day visits from his home in Suffolk (circa 2010/11?) Other than the initial idea, that it just 'had to be done', Mason wanted to understand and own the city that he’d lived and travelled in. But of course that it is impossible as there are an infinite number of ‘Londons’ changing every day (any big world city, but especially London). The odyssey involved lots of facts about the history and geography of the network and stuff on the surface. It cemented home to me (and him) how Metroland, where I was born, is a construct of the tube network and the important role of the containing green belt. When it wasn’t nerdy enough he bought in other blokes to help, including a well-established pub crawl around the Circle Line, strangely muted. I have a new respect and awe for the tube, but don’t feel like I ‘know’ London any better … you ultimately need to live in it to be part of your own personal city.

Addenda: (1) there was a bit of the network that he couldn’t walk, a road tunnel between Heathrow terminals, (2) Chesham and other Metropolitan stations in Herts/Bucks are outside London, (3) he didn’t do the DLR for no obvious reason, and the new Cross Rail/Elizabeth line, because it wasn’t there(!) opened in 2022 … but I’m sure someone will rise to this new challenge.