Ulysses wrote:
Can I ask if you had just gotten in when you posted? I managed to get the last train out of dodge (a Catford Bridge line) and then a precarious walk through the ice rinks of Catford home! All in all took about 3 hours. BUT I think I fared slightly better than yourself. Sorry to hear of your travails.
Thanks for the advice Sydeman and Ulysses - it certainly felt like an Odyssey last night!
I left my mum's in rainy Portsmouth at 1420 and arrived at Waterloo at 1630 just as the snow started, so figured I'd better rush home in case London's transport infrastructure couldn't cope...
I got to London Bridge at 1640 just as they started cancelling all trains on the Southern lines (no information that they were being cancelled of course, they just disappeared from the screens as the departure time approached). The 1705 was standing there jam-packed but I don't think it left the station as it appeared nothing was moving in or out. I tried platform 5 (which was showing a Catford/Ladywell/LowSyd train) and then heard the announcement that no Southern trains were running, only SEastern from platforms 2-6.
They then closed platform 5, with the tannoy advising everyone to go to platform 4 (which was nigh on impossible as 4 was crowded, as was the concourse). It was getting dangerously close to a crush situation and tempers were running high so I thought I'd try a bus home (just as they were locking the LB entrance doors)...
Got on a packed 40 at London Bridge (about 6pm by then) which crawled along at a snail's pace to Elephant and then completely stopped behind stuck traffic along Camberwell Rd. Luckily I was able to get a map up on my phone so realised it was a pretty much straight (very long) road all the way home from there.
So I started walking back. Most buses by that point had pulled over not able to get past Camberwell Green (because of Denmark Hill). I got a bit cold by Denmark Hill station and jumped on a 176 that appeared to be trying to move. After moving 5 feet in 30 minutes I had warmed up enough to get back on Shank's Pony. Most of the traffic was at a standstill going up the hill and going back downhill was treacherous - even more so for those of us on foot sliding down the hill!
Then came the long, long schlep up Lordship Lane (and more hills!) before the welcome sight of the Hornimans and the last stretch up Syd Hill to Kirkdale (and a very welcome hot chinese curry takeaway from Lin Hong!).
Finally got in just after 9, pretty well exhausted after walking some 5 miles up and down hills in the snow, sludge and ice! I certainly wouldn't want to do that walk again if I can help it regardless of the weather.
I think they may have reopened London Bridge station at one point, so perhaps I should have just hung around in a pub for a few hours (but then, there was of course no guarantee that any trains would be running).
Good points were the camaraderie shown and that most people were looking out for eachother (and that I now know the way home if I need to walk..!). I was also pretty lucky as I was well prepared for walking in the cold/wet and relatively fit enough to be able to trudge for a couple of hours in the snow. I'd hate to think what it was like for some others, lost and stranded and not able to get home as 'easily'.