If you live in London it must have happened to you. An important business colleague, or maybe a newly met or even lifelong friend, is passing through Heathrow and instead of catching the next convenient onward connection, thinks it might be an idea ”to do the town”. As if the world”s most popular destination can be seen in a day. Well it happened to your editor last week, the arrival due in T4 at 0730 with a firm outbound seat, same terminal 2235.
What to do? Where to go? That is the question (and more of Shakespeare later). In fact Windsor is the obvious choice and by public transport the 77 bus takes just 40 minutes. You can go by taxi or private car and that is available to the alternative, central London. But getting to London by road at rush hour time is not easy. Your editor decided that he needed the car in town regardless of the ”8 congestion charge. Walking was too slow and buses or expensive taxis not easy either. The answer was simple. Drive into London from home, park the car at Paddington (”7 on a meter for two hours), jump on the Heathrow Express with a meet and greet return ticket at ”16, collect the guest and return to one”s own transport at Paddington. Sounds convoluted but taking the car to Heathrow would have meant a drive down the early morning busy M25, parking and then more driving into town, plus a reverse journey.
And so the tour began. Straight into Hyde Park and past Marble Arch, down Park Lane and towards Buckingham Palace pointing out Speakers” Corner, the hotels and Apsley House. Along the Mall, out through the St James” entrance and up to Piccadilly, and towards Eros. Down Haymarket and through Trafalgar Square mentioning that the National Gallery was free. Into Whitehall, past Horse Guards Parade, No 10 and into Parliament Square. Across Westminster Bridge and park off-street just by the London Eye. The best tour of London is on the open top bus but our timescale did not allow for that. The London Eye does it in some ways better, and is definitely quicker. You can even see the new Wembley Stadium and the Crystal Palace TV mast to the south. A walk along the riverside past the Festival Hall site (under major renovation), the National Film Museum, National Theatre and Tate Modern to Shakespeare”s Globe. At this time of the year the players are ”resting” but the building itself and tour are still more than worth a visit. The guest was impressed.
Another quick drive and into the City of London explaining that Mayor Livingstone had no jurisdiction. The Gerkin and Mansion House. Contrasting styles. On a meter once again, the Square Mile at ”4 per hour, the most expensive of parking. Our visitor was Jewish and wanted to see the wonderful 300-year-old candlelit Bevis Marks Synagogue. No problem. It is open from 1100 to 1300 and next-door is a fine upmarket kosher restaurant. A walk around the city is a must after such a lunch and into Leadenhall Market the current cast iron structure dating from 1881 but the market having its routes in the 13th century.
Back to the car and a short journey to the Tower Bridge area and the large public car park at the bottom of Leman Street. At ”2 an hour it”s a bargain.
The Tower of London, Crown Jewels and all, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Don”t go during the school holidays. These days it is ”friendly”, if that is the right word for somewhere a Queen of England met her end one cold winter”s day in 1536. Whilst on the grisly theme you can visit the torture chamber too, with the rack, but that, so we are told, not a normal punishment in medieval times. From 28 June to 14 July The Moat will host a series of concerts including Pet Shop Boys, Dionne Warwick, James Brown and that ancient rocker Bill Wyman. HMS Belfast is tantalisingly close but the other side of the river, the ship theme continued by walking under the Tower Bridge roadway and through what is now the Guoman Tower Hotel, one of London”s largest with 800 guestrooms. St Kathleen”s Dock is a fine place to sit down and rest and have a drink. It is impressive and part of docklands” history. Plenty of luxury small craft to see.
More walking, past the old Royal Mint and to the car.
Next Canary Wharf and a quick drive around before finding the hole in the ground that leads to the parking area. ”3.50 for two hours. Into the shopping mall and up to Jubilee Green. London”s guest is suitably impressed. Find the car and into the two-lane underground tunnel only to flashed at 36 mph. It is another fine and points on the licence. Why don”t they put the speed limit on the yellow perils?
Nearly there. Any tour of London these days must confirm the cosmopolitan nature of the city. Brick Lane (left), once the home of the French Hugonoughts, later the Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and now Bangladeshis, is not too difficult to drive down late in the afternoon. Don”t try it on a Sunday morning!
Into The City once again, Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Marylebone Road and Paddington Station for our guest to make his own way back to T4. Then straight home!
The cost for two. ”135 excluding lunch (which came to ”50). You could of course save by meeting your guest in town off the Piccadilly line (”4 single but cheaper return options available) and use public transport, but would not see so much. One can organise a chauffer for the day, around ”400, or local minicab for ”150 (”200 Heathrow). Of course we have only scratched the surface of London. As the Olympic sites are developed huge new possibilities are just beginning. Add another day at least, plus a hotel, dinner out and a show. In fact make it a week. London deserves it!
Reflections ” A fine day out but not cheap. But there is an alternative. From Heathrow off-peak, that is 0930 onwards, a London Travel Card at ”6.30 will give you unlimited travel on the Tube and buses, plus DLR, and even the railway between Charing Cross and the remarkably redeveloped London Bridge area. Most of London”s museums are free including the Science Museum and National Gallery, both on the Piccadilly line. Buskers abound at Covent Garden (on the same Tube) and there are plenty of places advertising meals for less than ”10. London is a wonderful walking city with many fine open spaces including Hyde Park, Regents Park and St James Park. It need not be expensive.
A day in London. Our cost.
Parking Paddington ” 7.00
Meet & Greet ” 16.00
Heathrow Express Return ” 26.00
Congestion Charge ” 8.00
Parking London Eye ” 7.00
London Eye x 2 ” 26.00
Parking City ” 8.00
Parking Tower ” 4.00
Tower x 2 ” 30.00
Parking Canary Wharf ” 3.00
Total ”135.00
This does not include lunch, refreshments or the car.
Our thanks to the City of London Corporation in helping supply some of the photographs on the ABTN web site.