Upon arrival at Heathrow at about 1330 Tuesday May 23 we took the easy-to-follow signage to immigration- passport control. There are two lines: one for EU, US plus a handful of other countries (it was an automated system); one for everyone else (manual system). There was no line; it took about ten seconds to get through- although we had about a 20-minute walk from our arrival gate.
We purchased rail tickets to Bath prior to our journey and had our printed tickets in hand to be scanned at the automated gate about ten minutes from immigration. Two train connections and we were on our way to Bath. While crowded with other arriving passengers, overall, it was easy.
Bath was a great place to acclimate to the new time zone. The old part of the city is easy to walk around in with more than enough to keep one busy for several days. We did take in a couple of self-guided museum tours. The Royal Crescent and Roman Baths both were worth the time and expense. We actually went back the Royal Crescent for a second look as the ticket is valid for a year.
We took a Mad-Max day tour to Stonehenge with stops in Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe. It was fantastic! Our driver, Richard, was knowledgeable and funny. We heartily recommend a Mad-Max tour.
Took the train back to London, Paddington Station. The place is huge and we found it difficult to navigate, maybe we missed a sign, but finally found our way out.
We went to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, which fell on a bank holiday. There were just too many people to take in the ceremony and we left before it finished. I don’t know if it was a regular crowd or super-sized due to the holiday. We would offer that one’s time would be better spent elsewhere. Afterward to the British Museum. Again, too crowded - we left after about two hours of sidestepping through the crowds.
Next time we go to England we will plan to avoid bank holidays.
The other highlights were Churchill War Rooms and Evensong at Westminster Abbey. We enjoyed both immensely. I would describe the War Rooms as busy but not crowded. They are loaded with the history and politics of Churchill. Evensong was an accident, we walked by the Abbey and found ourselves in the right place at the right time.
Our final tour sight was the Tower of London. We liked the Yeoman’s Warder tour but we were among about 60-80 people and I think there were a hundred in the group by the last stop. The Tower was a more crowded than we expected for a Wednesday. Worth seeing.
We didn’t get any cash for a few days and just used our credit card even for small purchases it is a widely accepted practice. We did get cash later for odds and ends plus filling our Oyster cards. Used Oyster to pay for Elizabeth Line from Paddington to Heathrow, both very easy and cost effective.
Restaurants were open and we didn’t need reservations as long as we were early to dine. We also went to grocery stores for supplies. Oddly food prices were often lower than here in California.
Thank you to all of you who answered our pre-journey questions and helped to get us on our way.