The tree for Trafalgar Square, from Nordmarka (north of Oslo) has arrived at Immingham Docks, having been shipped from the port of Brevik.
The 62 foot high tree (the 76th year of the gift), the gift of Norway for help during WW2, will be installed on Monday 4 December and unveiled on Thursday 7 December. It was felled last week assisted by the Mayor of Oslo, the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the British Ambassador to Norway.
isn31c, thank you for this. On 2 previous trips to London, I have gone to Trafalgar Square to see the tree and listen to the carollers. It is a magical part of the Christmas season in London. My Norwegian father was one of those grateful souls having lived as a boy in a small town on the west coast of Norway occupied during WW2. (My Dutch mother and grandparents chose to come to Canada after WW2 because of their gratitude to the Canadian soldiers who liberated them).
I look forward to seeing photos once it's up. We really enjoyed seeing the tree years ago when we had a London Christmas holiday.
Thank you Stuart! That is always a lovely tree although I haven't seen it since the 80's, lol. I have to admit that I was completely ignorant of the whole Shetland Bus scenario until I read one of Mark Seymour's vignettes on his FB page about a sailor on one of the boats. Reading the book by David Howarth was one of my preparations for my visit. What an awesome endeavor. I understand and applaud Norway's continued show of gratitude to Great Britain.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/284251339675804/permalink/1001891087911822/
@Claire - That is amazing that your Dad lived on the coast! I think there were many secrets held.
For those who will be in London on the 7th, the lighting will take place between 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm.
The lighting of the tree is organised by St Martins in the Fields Church. Given that all their other services and other free music events are livestreamed on facebook and this page - https://stmartins.digital/ I wonder if this will also be streamed. It isn't clear on their website.
I will be there! 🎄
I am working on not being sad. I leave the 5th.
However I walked through Trafalgar Square tonight (Sat night) and it was pretty well wall-to-wall people. I walked through on my way to Charing Cross, because it was so crowded that Picadilly Circus station was closed. This is week 25 of travel this year to 14 countries and I finally found the crowds…….
A great shame that no one has broadcast this live. Typically there has been a lot of press negativity this week (as in previous years) about how allegedly scrawny the tree is, but no broadcast of the lighting. It is so apparently hard for the news media to report anything positive.
The Mayor of Oslo said: “It’s part of the tradition, isn’t it? That you should criticise the tree. We like to criticise, particularly if there’s something we’re really fond of. That’s really important to us.”
it was to be lit tonight (Thursday)
I've just been watching the BBC London Evening News and at minute 23 it gets pretty good coverage. Strands of energy saving white non-flickering LED bulbs. They showed the light-up. Crowds despite the rain.
Yes, I was there.
It was a little underwhelming .
Absolutely insane crowds of people and the volunteer crowd stewards shouting continuously at people to clear a path and keep moving.
Couldn’t really see much for all the eye poking umbrellas!
It was raining, and my bus I had planned to take back to my hotel never did come after about 50 of us all waited in the rain for it for over an hour.
I gave up and took two Tube trains instead which I should have done in the first place.
Just got settled in my cosy basement hotel room, when a large mouse ran across the floor.
I screamed blue murder, then the receptionist helped me move upstairs, but to a tiny single with bathroom in the hall.
Moving again tomorrow, hopefully above ground!
Mice are rife in cities, I’ve lived in the UK and had them in my student days in “dodgy” flats, but I had been more worried about bedbugs!!
Eek!
Tomorrow is another day!
I’m sure a refund will be in order!
And as TTmom said, there are huge crowds of people in London, it’s very busy.
It was raining, and my bus I had planned to take back to my hotel never did come after about 50 of us all waited in the rain for it for over an hour.
Which bus was it you waited an hour for, just out of curiosity?
@ S J are you sure it wasn’t a Christmas mouse?
Too bad with the rain et al that the lighting of the tree was underwhelming.
As Scarlett declared, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Hope you are able to enjoy it.
It was a 91 from Trafalgar Sq/Charing Cross.
The indicator board said it was coming, but no luck.
Citymapper, TFL and Google maps said not a word about any service disruption.
I’ll stick to the Tube while I’m here I think.
At least it’s warm and dry under there!
It could have been a Christmas mouse….it moved too fast to tell.🤨😉
It was a 91 from Trafalgar Sq/Charing Cross.
The indicator board said it was coming, but no luck.
Ah bad luck! I wonder if it was on diversion and wasn't passing the stop you were waiting at. I see from another thread the 139 was on diversion in central London.
As a general rule of thumb, I'd expect buses that serve central London routes would be on a 5-10 minute frequency in the evening after rush hour. If the board at the bus stop or my app was showing 15 minutes or more until due, I'd know something is up and be looking for another route. If it was an unplanned diversion, the electronics tracking and timing the buses get a little messed up. Arrival times get inaccurate when there's no service at all. You will never wait an hour for a bus in London. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes at the outside in the middle of the night.
This is all easy for me to say. I use buses for most of my journeys in London. Eleven routes serve the stop at the end of my street. Buses take more of a knack to use efficiently, maybe more so than the tube. Don't give up on the bus because of this one bad experience! :-)
Deja Vu there - as I had the same experience a few weeks ago at Trafalgar Square on the 29. All systems said services were due, but they just didn't turn up. And lots of other people also waiting.
I had to physically go to the other end of the route to find out what was happening, in far north London.
Current!y the 91 is on diversion in the Holloway area, but is coming down to Trafalgar Square. So what happened yesterday is anyone's guess.
I was seduced by this forum into using the TfL tracker and citymapper as well. When I found out the answer on the 29 I went back to the national bus tracker which I use- and that gave me the right answer that buses were turning way short at Warren Street that day on the 29.
What a total numpty I felt for not using my own tried and tested systems, but believing other people about what sites to use.
I can't track in the past but at 0655 this morning the 91 is serving Trafalgar Square.
After visiting the Churchill War Rooms (no line to get in) we skipped the tree lighting and walked up Regent St. to Carnaby St. to see those lights. We then went over to see the Churchill Arms pub annual tree decorations on its exterior. I am happy to see the new lights along Oxford St.
Update- I have gone back into the GPS history of individual vehicles on the 91 last night- it seems that the buses set off from Crouch End bound for Trafalgar Square, but that they were actually being turned back by controllers at Russell Square, for whatever reason, for a period of time.
Maybe there was just too much traffic congestion.
So sacrifice the small part of the route served by other routes for the sake of the majority of the rest of the route.
Russell Square is a very useful place to terminate short.
S J, OMG!!! That would have freaked me out, too! Glad you got another (hopefully mouse-free) room. And yes, I would say you definitely deserve a refund!
Mice trying to come indoors are the reason we have a cat at our house. Any place that gets cold temps will have that problem. Of course, the warmer places have other pesky invaders. 😊
Yes, I’ve just got organised in my third room in 24 hours!
I got a full refund for my room of last night with the mouse, so that was nice.
I didn’t even have to ask.
I’m now in a ground floor room, so I’m not sure it is immune…….
I should post on the Packing Forum that if you usually take weeks to pack before a big trip, that can all be resolved down to 6 minutes when you have a rodent hot on your heels!
Russell Square Tube station is closed today as the lifts are not working.
After I walked all the way there……
Back to buses, which seem better today.
S J, when you are out and about if you see a shop selling essential oils, stop and get a vial of Peppermint Oil (not extract like for cooking). Put some on a cotton ball, place on the floor and that will deter rodentia. I, too, would have freaked out with the mice. I am not sure why as they are fairly harmless but ick....
Perhaps this will need to be added to "winter" packing lists, lol!!
Yeah the bus was probably terminated early because of the congestion around the Christmas tree lighting festivities.
I live in a 19th century house but I've (touch wood) never seen a mouse in my flat or yard. I had a cat for many years, and one of the neighbours' cats seems to have adopted me at the moment since I've been lulled into buying cat food again.
Pam: thanks for the peppermint oil tip.
My husband sprays it under the hood of his car as the wires were chewed by rats a couple of years ago.
Newer cars have wiring with soy-based covering which rodents love!
My old 18 year old car has no soy wiring.
No mouse in my new room last night as far as I know!
Only two more nights in London, then off to Edinburgh to a house with a cat and a dog in residence to keep them at bay!
Gerry: I’ve been hopping on and off buses for the past two days, and so far so good.
Good about the buses, proves that the other day was just a one night glitch.
Hopefully there will be no weather related problems on the railway on Monday.
@S J - interesting about the soy covered wiring. I had no idea! My brother discovered a chipmunk nest in my car while I was in Scotland this last time. He managed to clean them out and so far it doesn't seem as if they have gotten in the wiring. The local farmers use the peppermint oil on the belts of their grain harvesters to deter rodents over the winter. Fingers crossed all goes well on your next transit!
S J- note this thread about LNER disruption- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/lner-all-trains-cancelled-peterborough-to-grantham
I had a very good idea last night this would happen, hence the subtle hint- but wasn't going to ring the alarm bell until I knew. Hopefully it will be resolved today.
Thanks, just saw that thread.
I don’t mind it taking longer to get there, as long as the train actually leaves tomorrow!
If not, well, the money I was refunded for the “mouse” room will be spent on another night in .London!
Fingers crossed it’s all going to work.
The LNER app says my train reservation is still there.
Wish me luck!
We all wish you luck. Through delay repay if you are delayed 30 minutes you get 50% of your money back, an hour or more 100%. You will get to Edinburgh somehow, by hook or crook.
This is a long overdue post. In case anyone is considering attending the Trafalgar Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in future, I wanted to put in a positive plug for this wonderful tradition of Norway gifting a beautiful tree to the UK in celebration of friendship and gratitude for help during WW2. It's a beautiful ceremony, and one I have enjoyed on a number of occasions with my mother who has Norwegian heritage. We find it quite meaningful that this tradition continues year after year. Don't miss it if you happen to be in London during the lighting in Trafalgar Square!
