Stonehenge2

Stonehenge… I made it.

My plans to visit Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath started out as a fleeting thought over a week ago.

However, as I headed closer to my arrival in London today (Sunday) I grew very fond of the idea to the point where I had devised an elaborate plan on how I was going to land in Heathrow Airport at 7:45 am this morning and make it to Victoria Coach Station by 8:45 am. This was all so I could board an Evan Evans Tour for another 11 hour marathon (recall I had just finished a Saturday tour of Bruges, Ghent and Brussels).

I think the point of no return came when I sent an email to some of my UK colleagues that had the subject line, “Is it possible..”

Gentlemen, I land on Sunday in London at 7:45 am via British Airways at Heathrow. I need to be at Victoria Station by 8:45 am. Is this humanly possible via any form of transportation?

The responses I got were very well-meaning and friendly, but it basically amounted to, “Are you bloody crazy?” To which I responded:

Thank you both.

You know I can be pig-headed and will still attempt it.

A couple of things I will attempt to do to stack the odds in my favor:

  1. I don’t plan to check-in my baggage
  2. I am going to request a seat as close to the front as possible
  3. I will study the Heathrow map while on the plane so I know the exact route to run out to
  4. I will tell the taxi driver to step on it
  5. I will not stop by the hotel to drop by luggage so I can proceed directly to Victoria Coach Station
  6. And I will count on the fact that tour organizers are used to dealing with tourists and will not leave exactly at 8:45 am

If I don’t make it, it will not be because of lack of effort.

I think everything on the list saved me time except item 1. I ended up having to check in my roller carry-on as it was deemed too big by British Airways.

However, item 2-6 alone would not have gotten me to the tour pick-up point on time either as the plane ended up landing late at 7:50 am after circling Heathrow 3 times before the landing strip became available. On top of this, I didn’t factor in the passport check-point which took time as well.

What really made the difference was something that occured to me around 1 am this morning. I booked car service so that I had it waiting for me when I arrived instead of having to wait in a taxi line. It wasn’t any more expensive, just took a little planning.

That…and a little pig-headedness towards a single purpose.

Perhaps another time, it may not have worked out so nicely, but I’d rather fail trying than to always wonder about the possibilities.

Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, self-professed foodie, and adventure travel seeker who has a lifelong passion for technology’s impact on business and creativity. She collaborates with Clinton Stark on video projects for Atelier Stark Films. It’s been said her laugh can be heard from San Jose all the way up to the Golden Gate Bridge. She makes no claims to super powers, although sushi is definitely her Kryptonite.