Val

Over and Out

Back in April, I decided to do the Steps Challenge, having heard about it at Noah’s Ark Charity Ball.

It was supposed to be 421000 steps, but I had decided that I would combine it with a desire to visit every tube station on the London Underground. I included the DLR but left out The Elizabeth Line.

On Saturday 12^th July, I made my final trip, walking and riding the DLR. I finished about 11.30am, having started counting steps on 7^th April. Generally, I have been into London once a week, walking, photographing unusual things I had either read about or saw on my route.

 It has been an amazing experience, I have met some wonderful, helpful and friendly people along the way, some of whom have suggested places to visit, others have provided me with coffee en route whilst others have given their support, via donations and otherwise.

Having finished late Saturday morning, the afternoon was relaxing, with a boat trip along the Thames, a cable car ride across parts of the Docklands and a delicious dinner. Sunday was supposed to be the icing on the cake, a long-awaited concert in Hyde Park, to watch Jeff Lynne’s ELO, in their final ever show of their “Over and Out Tour”, but sadly, due to illness, late on Saturday, it was announced the concert would not be going ahead.

So, an early return home was the order of the day, to tally up the final steps walked. In total, I have visited 309 stations and walked 1289382 steps, not too shabby for a coach potato.

A bit like Jeff Lynne’s tour, its over and out from me too. 

It’s a wrap!!!

The Final Push

Having begun on 7^th April, I hit 421000 steps on 16^th May, but, determined to finish my tube/London trek I still hoped to reach double the step challenge by the time I completed the task I had set myself. That too came and went on Saturday 14^th June by which time I had walked 850540! So, my next target was 1,000,000 – completed on 25^th June.

There is now just one tube line to complete Dockland Light Railway which I will complete on Friday 11^th & Saturday 12^th July. I am just over 50,000 steps short of 1250000, which I am sure I can complete. That will be followed by a trip to Hyde Park on the Sunday to see Jeff Lynne’s ELO Over and Out Tour, a fitting name I think…..  

 It has, as I have said before, been an absolute joy to take part in this challenge. So, with the weather set fair, my trusty Dora backpack and I will venture into the Docklands area tomorrow for the final leg.

Whoops – missed the big one!

Having begun on 7^th April, I hit 421000 steps on 16^th May, but, determined to finish my tube/London trek I still hoped to reach double the step challenge by the time I completed the task I had set myself. That too came and went on Saturday 14^th June by which time I had walked 850540! So, my next target was 1,000,000 – surely, I could complete this mammoth figure by the end of the Dockland Light Railway trip, couldn’t I?

On Wednesday 25^th June, I set off with my trusty backpack (named Dora!) round most of the remaining District Line, which essentially goes from Upminster in one direction out to Richmond, Ealing Broadway and Wimbledon in the others. It was an early start, 7am and I set off to park at Loughton. Obviously, I wasn’t walking all of this, but did walk, as I have done with all these tube lines, a lot of the “inner stations”, getting the tube back after the event. I cannot think how many stations I passed through, but I do know I took my last photos at 9.45 before jumping back onto the district Line to catch the central line back to Loughton. I arrived home that night at 10.45, shattered – but quietly pleased with myself for a good job done!

Because of other things going on, it was only today, Monday 30^th June that I actually sat down to record my steps from my trusty Garmin. I was speechless to see that my mega trek of 25^th June (47044 steps) had actually taken me over the 1,000,000 steps!

I still have the DLR to complete. Carl and I are going to stay in Stratford for a couple of nights so that he can walk the very last bit of my challenge with me, which will be good – then a well-earned day of R&R when we see Jeff Lynne’s ELO on the Sunday.

As I have said before, this has been such a fabulous journey, I have loved every moment of it (granted, some more than others), watch this space for the final leg mid July……. 

Time for a long overdue update

Back in April this year, I went to the Noah’s Ark Ball with one of the sponsors, Mooneerams Solicitors. At the ball they spoke about fundraising activities that were coming up including Cardiff Half in October. Some of the Mooneeram’s team will be running is. Running and I are not friends, in fact, it is fair to say we are positively sworn enemies!

Then they mentioned something that caught my attention. Steps Challenge. In essence, the distance between one end of Wales and the other is 187 miles, or the equivalent of 421000 steps. No time limit, no daily goal, sound like heaven, so I thought to myself I can do that!

Jut to give a bit of background to what comes next, I have long since had an inclination to visit every tube station on the London underground (including DLR but excluding Elizabeth line). Don’t ask why I just have, but I had put the project on the “back burner” probably never to come to fruition. But I thought I could actually combine the two. I could walk some of the routes, then get the tube back, photographing unusual things (anything from churches to old wooden cobblestones, from blue plaques to unusual memorials) on ay way, then at the end of the day I would return on the tube, so I had fulfilled my bizarre inclination and at the same time steps for a great cause. On the outlying stations, I would find an unusual fact about them but simply visit on the tube and come back.

So, on the 7^th April I began my step challenge and on Saturday 19^th April 2025, I made my initial London trip. That day I walked 35818 steps. I mapped out each journey trying to complete one tube line at a time and documenting everything I did and saw. On 16^th May, 3 days before my 63^rd birthday, I hit the 421000 challenge. However, having spoken to the Noah’s Ark team, I decided to carry on until I had completed the tube journey, thinking I may just hit double the challenge with 842000 steps. My thought was if I doubled the steps, some kind souls may up their donations too! However, on Saturday 14^th June, that milestone came and went.

I have still to complete the District Line and the DLR, and I aim to be finished by mid-July. I can almost guarantee that that will take me close to 1,000,000 steps.

Anyone who knows me, will tell you I am a bit of a couch potato, I walk the dog on the very odd occasion (my husband would say less than that), I will take the car rather than walk. I will carry armfuls of stuff upstairs or downstairs rather than make multiple journeys, saving my legs!

I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed doing this. I have discovered a love of walking I never thought I had. I have learned to look at my surroundings and am amazed at what is on show, if only we look properly. I have found a love of history I certainly never knew I had. Having been conditioned by tube journeys previously I thought Knightsbridge was a million miles (slight exaggeration I know) from Piccadilly and I certainly never thought it was within spitting distance of Marble Arch! In fact, everything is close to everything else!

I can only thank Noah’s Ark for coming up with their great idea which I am absolutely delighted to have been a small part of, which has in turn brought me such joy.