80.Regent's Park

Saturday 14th February 6.40pm

I don't think I really even knew this station existed, for several reasons really: it's on the Bakerloo line, which I've never really got to grips with; it has no surface buildings so if I'd walked past I'd have assumed it was something to do with Great Portland Street station which is just up the road; and anyway, if I wanted to go to Regent's Park I'd walk from King's Cross. But no, there it is.

It's one of those stations with the name spelt out in tiles on the wall, which always looks great, although clearly they were put up before the apostrophe was invented:

Wikipedia entry here.

79. Kew Gardens

Saturday 14th February 5.00pm

This is one of those stations that seems to exist to serve just one purpose (unless of course you live there). I've only been to Kew Gardens once, and so I remembered the station and I especially remembered that the area outside it is ridiculously twee, with those ridiculous shops that sell lovely gorgeous but completely pointless things. It must be the only underground station with a garden centre outside it. It's also an Overground station, which causes me no end of confusion, despite them being completely different services.

Wikipedia entry here.

78. Royal Oak

Saturday 14th February 10.00am

This was another one of those one-stop-from-where-I-needed-to-be stations, and as I had time to kill and because it was a sunny day -which is why the top half of the sign is in the shade - I decided to take a detour.

There's not much to it - just an island platform with wooden stairs to a small ticket office, which was unmanned and so underused on a Saturday morning that the barriers were open. It's built onto a bridge and as you come out there's a big barrier stopping you wandering into the traffic, but also stopping you getting a good look at the station itself.

Disappointingly it's not named after a great big tree that was cut down to make way for the railway, but after a pub.

Wikipedia entry here.