Katharine wrote:Sounds fascinating Anita, although I'm not sure I could cope with 15 minutes in a tunnel.
Better not go from Camden Town to Clapham Common on the Northern line, then.
Don't think I've done that trip. The worst tube I've been on was I think the Jubilee line - it seemed to go on forever and was so deep that my eyes were constantly going 'pop'.
I want to visit my son in Bath, but that's a long tube journey from Liverpool St to Paddington so I'm going to try and see if there is a cross country route, if not I might try London buses. I recently went to Liverpool avoiding London, there may be an alternative to Bath too.
my mom hated tunnels, lifts, anything 'shut in' as she was claustrophobic. She would never ride on a lift, or go into a cave, or even the nocturnal house at a zoo. We went to Morewellham Quay in Devon but she would never have ridden on the train into the copper mines in a million years! She even disliked going on 'The Pirate Adventure' at Drayton Manor, as the queue was usually right into the tunnel entrance, so we had to go and check first to see how many were queuing!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
Rob Houghton wrote:my mom hated tunnels, lifts, anything 'shut in' as she was claustrophobic. She would never ride on a lift, or go into a cave, or even the nocturnal house at a zoo.
Rob, did your mom ever tell you why she was so scared of it?
Chrissie
Society Member
"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
No, she didn't - we just took it for granted as kids and I never knew what caused it. Maybe it was being down the air-raid shelter as a child in the war - not sure.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I sympathise with your mom Rob, I'm the same, I'd much rather walk up stairs than get into a lift. I've definitely not been in an air raid though. Not sure why I don't like feeling 'trapped', maybe it is a control thing? I have been on an underground ride in a Welsh mountain, but it was only for a few minutes and then we got out and walked about.
Katharine wrote:
I want to visit my son in Bath, but that's a long tube journey from Liverpool St to Paddington so I'm going to try and see if there is a cross country route, if not I might try London buses. I recently went to Liverpool avoiding London, there may be an alternative to Bath too.
You can catch a 205 bus to Paddington station from Liverpool Street station, Katharine, but it takes an hour. I've had a look to see if you can avoid London by rail, and it doesn't appear so.
I love travelling on the buses in London. Most of them are double-deckers so you get to see a lot.
Katharine wrote:Sounds fascinating Anita [i.e. the Mail Rail Ride at the Postal Museum], although I'm not sure I could cope with 15 minutes in a tunnel.
The following warning appears on the Mail Rail website but most of the tunnels are wider than 7 feet and you pass disused platforms and junctions at certain points:
Mail Rail train ride
Originally designed to carry post (not people) the size and design of the train mean that it is not suitable for all visitors. Please read the essential information below to ensure the ride is suitable for you before purchasing a ticket.
Essential Information
Evacuation requirements mean that access to the Mail Rail train ride is restricted to those who are able to walk unaided on uneven terrain, in a confined space for up to 100m before climbing 70 steps to the surface.
Please note that visitors must be able to enter and exit the carriages independently. The trains’ measurements are: floor to canopy (130cm); seat to top canopy (87cm); door to door width (80cm); and distance between seats (43cm). This is as a result of the tunnels that are 7-feet wide at their narrowest.
Due to the size of the train it is not suitable for those who struggle with confined spaces. Please note, there is no option to exit the train once the ride has begun and it will last 20 minutes.
The audio-visual experience delivered while on the train contains flashing lights and would not be suitable for someone with photo-sensitive epilepsy.
The ride experience overall is loud, highly visually stimulating and immersive, so would not be suitable for those who may find this distressing.
Mail Rail Film
For those who the ride experience is not suitable there is a Mail Rail Film available, which demonstrates the journey through the tunnel and the accompanying audio-visual presentation. The film can be located on the lower-ground floor of Mail Rail.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
That's useful Anita, obviously I'm not the only person who might not be keen on it. Maybe I could go and watch the film and make my mind up from there - I think I have seen a clip about the place on TV. Interesting to see that the measurements are given in centimetres which mean absolutely nothing to me, but then it says the tunnels are 7 ft wide. Perhaps the same person who updated some of Enid Blyton's books also updated the information board.
Just doing a final big spring (or winter) clean of my room and bathroom before I leave for my usually-annual trip to Australia! I tend to be awfully lax with housework (I do remind myself that if I did a little cleaning and tidying regularly, it wouldn't build up so much to maddening proportions ) and going overseas is a good excuse to get it all done. It'll be nice to come back to a room that's already clean and tidy, instead of getting in after that long flight and thinking "ooer, this place is a mess and I just can't be bothered..."
Did Enid ever write a short (or longer) story to encourage young readers to develop good housekeeping habits, by the way — or was she not so good at that sort of thing herself??
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Courtenay wrote:
Did Enid ever write a short (or longer) story to encourage young readers to develop good housekeeping habits, by the way — or was she not so good at that sort of thing herself??
Well...a few I think - but I just read one last night in 'The Blue Story Book' called Dame Twiddle's Magic Book, part of which can be read in the Sunny Stories section of The Cave -
Well, I'll have to look out for the rest of that one! Anyway, my room is now quite clean and tidy, so I won't need any goading — magical or otherwise — for now.
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Not sure why I don't like feeling 'trapped', maybe it is a control thing? I have been on an underground ride in a Welsh mountain, but it was only for a few minutes and then we got out and walked about.
I tend to be awfully lax with housework (I do remind myself that if I did a little cleaning and tidying regularly, it wouldn't build up so much to maddening proportions 
) and going overseas is a good excuse to get it all done. It'll be nice to come back to a room that's already clean and tidy, instead of getting in after that long flight and thinking "ooer, this place is a mess and I just can't be bothered..."
