Mind the gap...

The McDonalds at Notting Hill was pretty packed so once we found a spare table we stuffed our faces and head on again. This was the first proper opportunity to reflect on the journey so far as well as grabbing a rare moment to stay still. As we reflected we also realised just how far there was still to go and so resisted the temptation to get comfortable and press on round the Circle Line - a journey much quicker than I expected - and then on towards the west end of the Central line from Notting Hill Gate.

I love White City station - not just because it's a cute little place where the underground trains have to whistle upon arrival - but also because it holds great memories of my fleeting glimpse of life within the Beeb. From the White City platform you can see Television Centre and my all-too-brief experiences flood back... However, even this reassuring location wasn't enough to distract from the fact that the novelty had officially worn off. Who would have thought sitting down, standing up and wandering around could be so exhausting?!

We went on to Ealing, dodging a massive junior school outing - who stay on the train for a grand total of one stop, only to noisily exit as fast as they had arrived! Then we double-back round the bottom of the District Line, taking in the slow, stumbling branch line down to Richmond in time to meet another group of school children and the first hints at the evening rush-hour to come. Then it is back up the line again to the bustling hub that is Earls Court.

Earls Court used to be one of my favourite Tube stations... the high arches and old-fashioned train boards not to mention the hundreds of different trains whizzing in and out of the station. It was also my usual place to end up before and after one of the numerous video trade shows and exhibitions. However, today it was the site of commuter chaos, endless scaffolding as part of station renovations and the largest group of foreign students I've ever seen! Trains going on the one-stop journey to Kensington Olympia are few and far between but we eventually get there and then sit at Olympia waiting for the same train to take us back to Earls Court again.

After a quick stop in an even busier Earls Court, we're off again - this time down a different part of the District Line towards Wimbledon with loads of grumpy commuters and even more eager Chelsea fans heading for their Champions League tie against Cluj. At the end of the line we leg it with loads of suited business folks to our next form of transport - a brief trip on the Croydon tram-link to Morden Road. Then we leave the rail network briefly for a march up the road to the end of the Northern Line at Morden and possibly the most confusing tube station on the network. Loads of different platforms next to each other with all trains going north but each going on a slightly different route up the two Northern line branches. What's more, each train has doors open on both sides so you can access it from two different platforms. Liam and I end up up walking through one train to get to another before getting nervous and heading back to the original train. I think all this traveling is finally getting to us!

We're now really aware of how behind schedule we are but at least if we can complete the Northern Line in a couple of hours we should make some time back. We race back through the centre of London again via Charing Cross and then up to Camden before heading for Finchley Central. Then we catch another 'rare' train one stop up to Mill Hill East and back again. By the time we're heading up to another "end of the line" at High Barnet, the Northern Line is already getting pretty tiresome and Liam and I have a big decision to make... We've probably got about 5 hours of the day left, we've not managed to grab any dinner yet and we're not likely to complete the total number of stations. So, do we stick to the plan and keep going or do we look to recalculate our route to take in the most stops in the time left?