LONDON MONOPOLY RUNNING CHALLENGE |
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The original British Monopoly board game involves buying and renting certain London streets. So for a unique running challenge see how many London Monopoly streets and stations you can visit (a.k.a “buy”) in an hour, seeing how rich you can get.
RULES OF THE GAME Start anywhere in the city—choosing the best location is part of the strategy. Take any route you like (so long as it follows public roads and footpaths) to see and photograph (you need proof) the street signs belonging to original Monopoly streets, in any order you like. You don’t have to run down the streets themselves, just photograph one of the street’s signs (official street signs) and move on to whichever street you want to target next. The four train stations can be photographed just the same, but the photograph must be of a main entranceway showing the name of the station in large lettering. You have exactly 60 minutes to photograph as many street and station signs as possible; however, you can stop the watch in some instances. These instances are called Free Parking and are only in situations where you are either crossing at traffic lights (use the crossings rather than take on the traffic) or for taking a photograph. Free Parking does not apply for bathroom or drink stops (these are called landing on Waterworks) or for stopping to check a map or GPS (this is called landing on The Electric Company). You can carry a map or smartphone and you can also use the many information points on the footpaths. You cannot take any form of transport other than your two feet (no Tube trips or sneaky hiring of Boris Bikes). The 60 minutes begins when you reach your first street sign or station. When it finishes you need to stop photographing and jog for home (hopefully that isn’t too far now—if it is, it’s okay to grab a cab or the Tube). It’s also a good idea to record your route using GPS or an app like Mapmyrun or Strava. Share your results with friends and challenge them to better your score or try it as a group social run. HOW TO SCORE There are three different methods for scoring:
No. of Streets/Stations = 27 Street Value = £5390 Miles from "GO"= 34.1mi Give it a go and challenge your friends! * Distance from “GO” (Trafalgar Square). THINGS TO KNOW Mayfair: The richest street on the Monopoly board is not actually a street at all, but a suburb (just north of St James’s Park). So instead look for Mayfair Place, which, helpfully, is within the suburb of Mayfair. The Angel Islington: Again, this isn’t a street. However, this time, in true British fashion, it’s a pub. Rumour has it that the British designers of Monopoly rested here after scouting locations for the British version of the game. Address: 3-5 Islington High Street, Islington, N1 9LQ (open daily from 8am). Bond Street: Confusingly this is now called New Bond Street (the northern section) and Old Bond Street (the southern section)—either will do. Piccadilly: As one leads into the other, it is fine to photograph signs for either the street or the circus. |
MUST KNOW
Location: Central London Distance: Various (whatever you can do in one hour). Surface: Sealed & cobbles. Terrain: Flat. Weather Warnings: Footpaths and streets can become slippery when wet or icy. Traffic Warnings: Congested—take extreme care. Time Restrictions: None. MONOPOLY STREETS
CAUTION
Traffic: Remember cars travel on the left hand side of the road (also watch for one-way streets). Footpaths on this run will be very packed with tourists (particularly in the afternoon) so, if you can, run at the weekends before 9am to avoid the tourist squeeze. SUMMARY Thumbs Up: Fun challenge and great way to see the centre city. Thumbs Down: Dodging pedestrians, taxis, buses, lamp posts, and corgis (and their extendable leads). |
LONDON MONOPOLY STREETS MAP
Map showing the location of the British Monopoly streets and stations.
