Senior with some difficulty walking. Will be staying in the Kensington/Lancaster Gate area in June and looking for the "best" part of the market. I can't walk the whole road but maybe a mid-point or cluster of shops like food, souvenirs, oddities, eclectic items, etc.? Not so much antiques or upscale clothiers. I know the bus and tube will get me near but i would take a taxi if I can pinpoint a certain area to minimize the extra walking. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7206 posts
The closest tube stop is Notting Hill Gate, two stops from the Lancaster Gate station, but it’s still a fair distance from the market. Most stalls are along Portobello Road (roughly) between roads Chepstow Villas and Westbourne Park Rd. Between those two streets are the bookstore used as the exterior of the bookstore in the Notting Hill movie, as well as the Blue door, also see in the movie. The exterior of antique store Alice's was used as Grubers toy store in the Paddington movies.
Edited: the Lancaster Gate station does have elevators, not Notting Hill Gate. If you needed a break from walking, we enjoyed tea/coffee and pastry at Maison Puget. It’s a couple doors from The Travel Bookstore. It is closed on Mondays.
Posted by
UK (London - Chelsea Harbour)
176 posts
Hi!
Quick question: if you have some difficulty walking, do you also have trouble with stairs? I ask because I am awaiting bilateral knee replacements and have the dickens of the time with the steps on the tube. It’s just death by a thousand cuts of a few steps up, then a few down, then more up, then a lot down… you get the idea. So I am a bus gal. :-)
Jamieelsabio has given you accurate information. If I were you and wanted to limit steps and walking, I’d take a cab: you can literally say “I’m going to the blue door from the Notting Hill movie” (you can embellish with “at Westbourne Park Road and Portobello Road” but that is probably not necessary) and be taken to that corner. Then the walk to Chepstow Villas will take you through a nice characteristic chunk of the market. It’s about half a mile, with a mild incline/decline (depending on which direction you are going).
You’ll love it - I hope you have a great time!