Routine Sparkles Pokémon Go

Hi everyone, reinstalled the game after an extended hiatus (2 years ish!) where real life got in the way. Previously got to level 40, largely thanks to the MN POGO discord! Is this still active?

There's a short Waterloo Bridge to Waterloo Station route which would be less exposed to the weather than going over London Bridge and you could grab a coffee at the Royal Festival Hall and do raids while you're there.

I went yesterday, I was busy trying to juggle kids and everything so didn't get to do nearly as much as I would have liked. I got kicked out at London Bridge on a raid for a shiny Rayquaza which was sooooooo annoying!! I have one last task which is raid with a buddy. I did a raid with my husband last night but it didn't finish the task so am guessing it either needs to be a London based raid or a Rayquaza raid. Does anyone know? I may have to go back into London tomorrow

Yes, the weather is looking fairly crappy - I'm still playing from my sofa while I decide where to go. I want to get four routes in to take me to the end of the Zygarde research, but I think the long South Bank one I'd planned might be sacked off in favour of just going back and forth across London Bridge a few times 😁

Thankfully there are lots of raids on within a few minutes' walk and I already have a shiny Ferroseed which is new for me. I might also extend to tomorrow but I'm going to see how tired I am by the end of today first.

The rain looks terrible today. I'm hoping to get away with it tomorrow.

I think a lot of players are aiming for Covent Garden or Canary Wharf as weather-proof places to raid. The bus is good for catching but not for raiding of course. (Though if there were a group of you on the same bus you could probably use the Ready button to do some raids if you were really well-coordinated).

I've got an errand to run at St Pancras this morning, so I might see how that area is for raids.

The South Bank is always good for people joining in raids, and has a fair few Routes. The City now has a lot of Routes, eg Liverpool Street for Moorgate which is only 15 minutes, and Leadenhall Market and Liverpool Street Station are nice and dry, but I don't think many other players will be heading that way. The Royal Parks have lots of Routes but they'll be wet.

Our tickets were yesterday and extended tickets today. Best go fest I’ve been too in terms of connections and no bugs and I’ve been to a fair few.

If you preordered T-shirts there is a shorter queue at the side of the merchandise tent. Go early or mid ticket, my ds had a 5 min wait at noon, I had a 30min wait at 2pm

There are two sets of tasks. One for your ticket time in the park and a separate one for outside it. Rayquaza raids only seem to be outside the park so don’t expect to pop off early and only do the park but.
Maldon don’t mega evolve your rayquaza until you get to that in the special research. I jumped the gun a bit and gave to go raiding again today.

The today golden task include a follow a route. I’ve only found one that starts near Brixton station and is est 39 mins. If you know of any shorter ones or spot any on your way keep them in mind.

Good luck and happy shiny hunting to those attending today and tomorrow. Hope the rain holds off for you!

I think that's a lovely idea @ISaySteadyOn .

My first best buddy was a Happiny (now a Blissey), but the one who was for the longest is my Melmetal (156 days), so I think she ought to come with me tomorrow 😍

Have any of you got the ability to make routes yet? I was already planning to go out to make some but then realized I can't yet.

For anyone who lives in outer London and hasn't bought a pass it's possibly worth taking the train/tube in and hanging out at the big hot spots (Hyde Park, Regents Park, South Bank) just to do the raids.

Yes it's great being able to walk into so many raids full of level 50 players. It's such a fun way to play.

I'm going tomorrow, but there are so many people out playing here in the City I took the afternoon off to get my raiding pants on, and it's been fantastic seeing them fill up over and over again. I have a lot of new friends to go through now 😊

I've got another shiny Rayquaza and shiny Yveltal and a 100% Xerneas, which isn't anything new in terms of pokedex but it's all nice to have. I've just been shopping for tomorrows park food and hatched a shiny 98% Larvitar too 😀

Is anyone at GoFest today ? How is it? My son and I are beginning to get excited for it. Thankfully weather seems OK for Sunday

Woohoo. More storage available at last!

I don't understand what the deal is with the North Gate and East Gate thing. Brockwell Park has about ten entrances and they'll all be open to the general public. Do we need to be checked in or something?

That link isn't completely accurate - Herne Hill, Tulse Hill and North Dulwich are Overground stations not Underground. Herne Hill is by far the closest station. Brixton tube station and then a few stops on the bus is also a good option.

For food there are too many good options in Brixton to list - but my top casual dining picks are Other Side Fried chicken burgers, Koi Ramen, Honest Burgers, Kaosarn (Thai) and Okan - the latter three are in Brixton Village which takes a bit if finding but is worth looking for. https://brixtonvillage.com/eat-drink/

In Herne Hill I'd recommend Sesami delicatessen and Blackbird Bakery for light bites, or Utter Waffle for something more substantial (normally packed out though). There's a very good market in Herne Hill on Sunday lunchtime with some good streetfood options - personal faves are the Ethiopian curry and the raclette - Moroccan-style wraps are great but sell out quickly. Artisan ice cream place in the station is good, but I personally can never be arsed with the huge queue.

There's a Sainsbury's Local just the other side of Herne Hill train station, on the road called Herne Hill, for water and snacks, and there's a biggish Sainsbury's at Brixton Water Lane very near the North entrance to the park.

@ISaySteadyOn You should have a medal in your ‘me’ section. It’ll be near the top. Also if you select the events section (below settings and news) and scroll to London it should say ‘attending’ and if you click on that it’ll show the details of your ticket.

@Purpletoes im struggling to cull. Have so many regionals I’d love to trade including pachirisu that we went to Canada especially to get.

Randomly gave 2 regionals away to a lad who appeared at a gym I was at this week. I had stopped at a gym I pass on my way home as I needed to pick up some tasks. He saw me add to the gym and rushed out from his house nearby. He put a lure on it and sat on a bench next to where I was parked. After a few mins I plucked up the courage to ask if he was playing Pokemon and he was thrilled. Apparently he didn’t know anyone who plays in his village but knew some from mine.
i managed to friend him up with 2 players I know who live near to him and gave him 2 regionals he needed to complete his dex in those regions. Plus a seel that he needed to evolve for a task. Random meets like this is why I’m so loathed to cull. But if we don’t get extra storage soon I’ll have no choice as I only have 25 spaces.
i can get rid of one or two scatterbugs from each region for 18/36 more spaces but would prefer to trade them. I’ve already culled loads of shinies and costumes. It’s getting painful!

Info here for attendees of the London event this weekend. North gate tickets are the Brixton water hill gate and east gate tickets are the Hearn hill gate

https://pokemongohub.net/post/event/go-fest-london-2023-irl-gameplay/

@ISaySteadyOn @KevinAndHerKits my son and I have tickets for Sunday afternoon as well. We are looking forward to it trying to cull my pokelon storage this week so loads free for Sunday

It really is. I ended up taking over our local FB group after one admin left and we had to remove the other one after some issues and that's where the messenger group came from originally. It had gone really quiet but with people needing to plan raids again and with the routes it's started to become a bit more active again.

Well done on the shiny!

Also, glad to have this thread because multiple people will understand my happiness at catching a shiny Shieldon yesterday.

Yay! Well done.

@Tarkan ooh that sounds lovely.