To ask Londoners their advice on this commute?

[LumpenMonkee]

I am moving house soon and starting a new job too at the same time.

House is just over a mile away from Turnpike Lane tube station and just under a mile from Hornsey rail. Job is near Holborn Viaduct (Chancery Lane/Holborn/Farringdon all nearby).

This is my first time commuting in London... I am just wondering how realistic it sounds to walk over a mile to the tube every morning, take tube to Holborn then walk? So about 2 miles, 4 miles a day in total. Buses are available but I'm worried they'll be packed and I like fresh air in the morning anyway. I'm fairly fit and training for a 15k so the exercise will do me good.

Can you cycle the whole distance? It is a great way to start the day and as long as your work has showers it is easy to be fresh and ready for work.

Standard London commute! Might also be worth seeing if you can commute in from Hornsey to Moorgate? Holborn Viaduct is nearer to Chancery Lane and about 10 mins walk from Holborn so Moorgate may even be closer depending on exactly where you are working.

(My map says 16 minutes from Holborn tube to the viaduct and 18 minutes from Moorgate! Both nice walks!)

I agree with John - definitely cycleable. I did a similar distance and am very much not superfit person.

I would love to cycle more in London, but I think that particular ride won't feel amazingly safe. There have been a few accidents around that part of the City recently. If you are a confident cyclist then it would be a great idea, but not something I would do personally.

Get a kick scooter, they are amazing! I do 4 miles on mine each day and it's easy and much quicker than walking.

Completely doable and enjoyable!

I used to walk from Victoria train station to South Ken every day, a brisk 1.5 mile walk each way, LOVED it! Great way to get 2 half hour bursts of exercise and avoid the packed buses and horrendous tubes. In winter I'd grab a coffee on the way in, sooo many people walk rather than use tubes/buses.

Sadly not a confident cyclist at all! I would love too but far too scared to attempt right now - if only the route was a bit quieter!

Commutes like this are why Londoners are thinner than most of the country - it's much easier to involve walking in your daily life when there's good public transport.

Just cycle to the tube? I cycle about a mile to my train station and you'd be surprised at how infrequently you actually get properly wet - almost never. And it doesn't matter on the way home because you just get changed when you get in. I have waterproof trousers for showery days. For proper downpours (literally almost never in the 5-10 mins I'm on the bike) you can always walk with an umbrella. In the winter, I just wear a thin hat under my helmet, and gloves.

Or change at Kings Cross and go to Farringdon? Hard to say whether that's quicker as don't know exactly where you're working.

Definitely doable and you will be clocking up your 10k steps a day as well. And so much nicer than being crammed into someone's armpit on the bus.

Would it be quicker to go from Hornsey to Moorgate, then either bus or walk from there? Depends how close you are to Honsey I guess.

I agre with Inshock. You will quickly come to value the walking you get to do each day, really helps you wake up then wind down again.

I do exactly the same - I'm not far from you and walk about a mile to Finsbury Park and then get the tube. I just do it every day, rain or shine, helped by the fact that the alternative is a nearer but much busier train station. It's a great start to the day in my view, but then I've got quite a nice green route which helps!

Those Hornsey trains are PACKED at rush hour. Tubes are too, but there are more of them. Depends what time you start work of course.

Do it ! Walking better than a stinky bus

And what parka said - tube it

It's an easy commute. Apart from when the Piccadilly Line goes down or there's a strike and it all goes to pot. You won't get on a bus at Turnpike Lane, it will be full after it leaves Wood Green.

I do a similar commute. Hornsey to Moorgate and then circle line to Farringdon then walk. Or bus to FP, change Kings X to Farringdon. There are several routes - I'd try them all out.

Only thing I would say about Turnpike Lane is it is Zone 3 whereas if you get bus to FP it is zone 2 so cheaper if you get a weekly travel card. I abandoned oyster in favour of conctactless and it caps every week anyway without all those annoying top ups.

God I miss working in London

Walk, tube, walk. The fewer changes the better, less chances of being held up. Forget about buses, if it's raining you'll get wetter hanging around waiting for one with space to get on than if you walked. If there's a tube strike, the whole trip is also walk-able, about 1.5 hrs.

I second the scooter suggestion. I have one and it turns a 10 min walk into a 2 min scooter. Saves so much time and folds for the tube.

If your getting those times from google it always overestimates imo ( or based on very slow walkers). So 16 min walk on Google, is more like 10 mins in real life. So take 5 mins off both ends at least.

A mile is about 15 mins walking.

Take an umbrella when it rains , get a warm coat for winter, and some decent waterproof leather boots to walk in dry.

And get the BBC Radio app on your phone, to download hours and hours of fabulous drama, comedy and music.

I walk 2 or so miles to work and the same back every day. I love it! I wear sensible shoes, have a large sturdy umbrella, a comfy cross body bag and a selection of warm/waterproof coats so I am always prepared for the weather! And it means even if I fail to do my evening run I have still had an hour+ of exercise each day.