Help with travel inside London and luggage storage

...Or you could travel light and not have to leave any bags anywhere...

Terrorist acts in the past have, sadly, made the world more complicated for travelers. Different locations have instituted different policies to maintain safety. It used to be there was no place at English airports or train stations to stow luggage, and even trash receptacles were unavailable in English train stations, to prevent a criminal from planting a bomb.

On the other hand, luggage storage at the main train station in Brussels, Belgium, is easy and cheap.

Just checking - when returning from France and heading to Denmark, are you just passing thru London, in transit, or are you stopping off for another night? It sounded like possibly you would be heading to Gatwick from somewhere else in England, and if you're staying at (or passing near) your hotel going both directions, perhaps they could keep your bag(s) for you while you visit France. If you're just flying from France back to Gatwick so you can transfer onto the Denmark flight, that hotel storage might not be an option. As said earlier, traveling light and washing a few things as you go can free you in many ways, but you sometimes have to set aside time to do laundry, and you can often have underwear and socks hanging around the bathroom to dry!

One other option, which may not really save you any money or complications, might be to mail some of your items onward to Denmark, so you'll have them once you arrive.

Thanks folks. Your responses were exactly what I was looking for! We will each have a carry-on piece of luggage but were thinking we could repack into one for the side trip to Paris/Normandy! We will not be staying overnight in London on the way back. We plan to take the Brittany Ferry from Caen overnight and then go directly to Gatwick for the flight on Norwegian to Copenhagen. Now I have to find the best way from the ferry port in Portsmouth to Gatwick!

How much time do you have from when your ferry lands - if it is on time - and your flight?

It isn't the easiest connection, especially if you have to go all the way into London to retrieve these bags....

I might get my hand taken off for suggesting this, but if your airfare isn't all paid for 7 months out, is it possible that there are easier connections than what you are setting yourself up for?

It seems like an awful lot of money and hassle to - perhaps - save a couple of dollars....

Nigel, we are going from London Gatwick to Copenhagen, Denmark. Emma and Nigel, we are planning to stay in Bayeux, France for a couple of days and thought it would be something different to go via ferry over to Portsmouth/Southsea, UK. We have most of the day before our flight from Gatwick to Copenhagen. I found a train that goes from the port to Gatwick in less than two hours.

But if you go from the port to Gatwick, how will you pick up your bags stored at St Pancras?

I have to agree with Nigel, this seems like an awful lot of trouble and time spent in transit compared to time spent in a destination city/area.

Ann,

I have to agree with the others. Travelling from Normandy back to Gatwick to connect with a flight to Denmark sounds rather convoluted and inefficient, especially as it sounds like you'll have to make a trip back to London St. Pancras to collect your luggage. Each change of location will have a cost both in time and money so if you're comfortable with that, I suppose it's your trip. It's difficult to offer suggestions without more detail on all the places you'll be visiting.

I would mention that as far as getting from Portsmouth trains go straight to Gatwick so if you can avoid storing luggage in London, this would make the most sense.