As a Christmas present to each other our trip to London was fabulous. We travelled by train, first class, from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston, a journey of two hours and ten minutes in complete comfort, with complimentery food and drinks - all for £61.00 each return which we thought was very reasonable. We booked with Virgin Trains on a value advance ticket which can only be used on the day and time it is booked for, but these are really good value as First Class tickets can cost up to £337, though these are fully flexible - see here.
Then we hopped on the tube changing at Victoria to Kew Gardens. Our accommodation was only a ten minute walk from Kew Gardens station.
Our agenda for the visit was The National Archives, Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kew Gardens and see a show and the only thing we didn't manage to see was Kew Gardens which, considering we were actually staying in Kew, was disappointing but we just didn't have time.
We arrived at our accommodation at 2.45 p.m. on Monday and just dumped our belongings so 
we could go straight to the National Archives to do some research before they closed at 5 p.m. You have to register and have a photo identity card made before you can go and start your research but it was quiet so it didn't take very long. It is absolutely free and the cards last three years, so we can go back if ever we need to do more research without having to re-register. The staff are very helpful and explained what records we needed to look at and how to order them for viewing. We stayed until closing time searching through the records that were available but had to reserve some records for the following day. Luckily the NA was just around the corner from where we were staying, which is why we chose it.
we could go straight to the National Archives to do some research before they closed at 5 p.m. You have to register and have a photo identity card made before you can go and start your research but it was quiet so it didn't take very long. It is absolutely free and the cards last three years, so we can go back if ever we need to do more research without having to re-register. The staff are very helpful and explained what records we needed to look at and how to order them for viewing. We stayed until closing time searching through the records that were available but had to reserve some records for the following day. Luckily the NA was just around the corner from where we were staying, which is why we chose it. We headed back to our accommodation to unpack and freshen up before we went looking for somewhere to eat. Kew Green was only a 10-15 minute walk from where we were staying and there were
some lovely restauarants and pubs encircling the green, we settled on the Greyhound Hotel. After a meal and a few drinks we set off back for a good night's sleep in readiness for our next attempt at research the following morning and a full afternoon of sightseeing (Tower of London), and the show (We Will Rock You) the following evening.
some lovely restauarants and pubs encircling the green, we settled on the Greyhound Hotel. After a meal and a few drinks we set off back for a good night's sleep in readiness for our next attempt at research the following morning and a full afternoon of sightseeing (Tower of London), and the show (We Will Rock You) the following evening.Tune in for Day 2 - The Tower of London
Welcome back! Day 1 sounds great - I'm so jealous!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had fun! I hope you went ot hte War Museum...great great museaum!
ReplyDeleteSounds like lots of fun. Am looking forward to Day 2.
ReplyDeleteA great start, looking forward to day two. It is nearly a year since I was last in London, and I can't wait to go back again. Funnily enough, I am going mid September, as an anniversary outing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you bagged a bargain with the train fare!
ReplyDeleteAre the archives computerised?
Well that all sounds so lovely....and I love the pub....I used to love going to the pubs in England..they are so different than here in Canada...there generally is a lot of history related to most pubs your way.....hope your research went well....cheers...
ReplyDeleteDay 1 was a great start Rotten Correspondent :)
ReplyDeleteNo we didn't get there Jenny but that's a good excuse to go back!
ReplyDeleteDay 2 and 3 were even more fun cg, stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteOh lucky you Ali, I suppose living so close you can get up to London quite frequently? What you doing for your anniversary a show?
ReplyDeleteWe thought the train fare was a bargain Cream. Ordering the records is all computerised at the archives, then they're delivered to large pigeonholes with your seat number on (which you've already booked). It's a fascinating place.
ReplyDeleteWe love our pubs too (much!)smalltown rn.
ReplyDeleteThe drinks in London were MEGA expensive compared to up north - MWM almost fainted!
excellent so far! i am so glad you are going on these trips!
ReplyDeletesmiles, bee
What a luxury the train journey sounds and a bargain! I know a few years ago I had to get to Scotland urgently and it ended up cheaper by plane than by train! Really hoping for a day in London this year; the big problem with just a day trip is to catch our last connection to Sudbury we'd have to leave at 7pm but would love to experience some of London in the evening.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading Day 2 :o)
Rx
Looks like you had fun, I'm glad you enjoyed your Christmas present.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! Glad the trip was a success. The Greyhound Hotel looks like my sort of pub. But then most of them do!
ReplyDeleteSigh... You have it all. Travel, good looks, drinks and fine food and to top it all off you are English too! Lucky gal ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you back...looks (and sounds) like so much fun so far! Can't wait to hear more!!
ReplyDeleteLondon is probably my favorite European city!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back sweetie! What a fantastic trip you had - and the photos too. The way you wrote this, makes me feel like I was on the trip with you too! :-)
ReplyDeleteI love London. In fact, I'll be there myself in a few weeks and I can't wait! Looking forward to hearing about the show :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Bee so am I! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you manage to get to London Ruth, perhaps you could stay for the night? If you want any more info on the things I booked online just let me know.
ReplyDeleteWe did Pauline. It's strange having your Christmas present in August but we've decided to do the same next year!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely would have liked the Greyhound drunk mummy!
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you har, I do consider myself to be very lucky with all the travelling we do. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun crazy working mom.
ReplyDeleteYou have probably seen all the sights I'm talking about Dan, I think you lived in London at one point didn't you?
ReplyDeleteThanks Bella, I'm so glad you're enjoying our trip too. :)
ReplyDeleteAre you going to see a show MissU? I can recommend We Will Rock You if you like Queen.
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