Walking for under ten minutes between some London tube stations can be a good idea, especially at busy rush hours – but to walk along all the tube routes can take many hours. Nonetheless, that’s what Alessandro (Aless) Bessy is doing – and for charity – although he’s also enjoying exploring parts of London rarely encountered over a regular day.
1000043833
“I’m walking each of the ten London tube lines, although not necessarily end to end, because some lines just go a bit funky and different,” he says. “I reached the middle of the challenge last week.”
So far (mid-February), Aless has already completed the Hammersmith & City, Circle, Bakerloo, Victoria, and the Northern lines.
“After doing the Northern, that leaves me with five more to do, including Central, District, Metropolitan, Waterloo & City, and Picadilly,” he says.
Most walks take Aless between six and seven hours to complete, although the Northern line took nine hours, and there’s an even longer challenge ahead.
“The Central line’s going to be the longest one, and that should take me about 17 hours,” he says, almost casually.
How long he takes for each Tube walk depends in part on who has come along with him for the challenge, as he explains: “When I’m on my own, I tend to just go for it, walking quite quickly. But I’ve got some friends join me on a few of the walks, and if they’re less used to walking these distances than me, then it can take a bit longer. But now we’re going to reach the very long one, it’s mostly going to be me on my own, but I will take more stops.”
Aless snacks as he walks the distances and updates his Instagram page (@alesswalksthetube) with the route as he goes along. He also uses GPS to make sure he’s on the right route as he’s walking in areas of London that he’s never been in, so doesn’t want to get lost. Sometimes, he’ll also stop to get a coffee and find a recharging point for his mobile. He’s even embracing some of the UK’s additional challenges, such as the weather.
1000041934
“The rain has been quite horrible at times, on just about every line. The main issue is when the Tube lines are closed. Other than that, it’s just been interesting to see a side of the city that I wouldn’t normally come across. For instance, I start on some walks quite early in the morning, so I meet other people just coming home after a night out!”
Aless has always been a walker, even in his native Toulouse, France. “It’s a really a big hobby, so I walk quite a lot. After the first Tube walk, I did get blisters, but I haven’t had that issue again. I’ve always wanted to walk the London Tube lines, so I decided to also raise money for Breast Cancer UK at the same time.”
Breast Cancer UK are a prevention charity dedicated to helping people to reduce their risk of breast cancer through research, education and policy change. It’s a cause that’s very close to Aless’s heart, as many women in his family are still dealing with breast cancer.
“My mother had it in the past, as did her sister, and now my twin sister has been battling it for quite a few years,” he says. “They’re all living in France, and my sister has four children all under ten years of age, so that’s adding to the pressure of going to chemo and still trying to be a mother to four children.”
Aless adds that he was feeling a bit guilty about not being in France with his family, and felt that he was not doing enough.
“So, I figured that I’m good at walking, and I’ve always wanted to walk the Tube lines, so it was a great way to raise money and show support in a different way. My initial target was £1000, but I crossed that target during the Bakerloo walk, so I extended it to £2000, and plan to keep extending the target until the very last Tube line. ”
