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Epic journeys to compare with a tube strike commute

Mike Pollitt | Wednesday 3 November, 2010 11:39

How was this morning’s tube stricken journey for you then? Evil? Easy? An elegant variation? However bad it got, let’s try to accentuate the positives. Here are five trips from the past which might help lend a smidgeon of perspective.

Shackleton’s Antarctic folly
“MEN WANTED: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. Sir Ernest Shackleton.” Thus read the advert put out for men to sail on the Endurance. How did it go? Sample quote from a crew member: “We shall have to eat the one who dies first”. Yikes. Did it get that bad on this morning’s Overground?

Pregnant donkey trotting
Now, no version of the bible actually mentions a donkey being involved in this journey (c haow Look ignoors it heer). But the bible doesn’t mention a lot of things, and everyone knows deep in their heart that Mary and Joseph rode a donkey right up to the stable door, and Mary must have been 8 months pregnant for most of the way. Does that sound fun to you? And did I mention that the road was really, really dusty? Must have been hell. It’s surprising their relationship survived it, frankly.

Deserted for turkey
Great story from last Christmas of the couple separated when the wife popped out for a Christmas turkey, only to be snowed out for a whole month. On the plus side, they lived in a lighthouse which is ineffably cool. Relevant quote to apply to our own piffling discomforts today: “It’s just one of those things which happen. There’s not a lot we can do about it. We just need to sit it out.” Well quite. Stiff upper lip and a jolly good show.

Arctic Tern
This little critter migrates anually from Greenland to the Antarctic and back again, and goes in an S shape rather than the shortest route. Think of this bird as living in Barking and working in Ealing, and deliberately choosing the slowest conceivable commute, one that involves changing from the DLR at Bank. That’s how insane it is.

The 10 day traffic jam
A reminder that while tube strikes make us suffer, we do not suffer alone. Whereas nothing beats the exquisite, solitary misery of the traffic-snared driver. Stick together tubies, it could be so much worse.

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