A return trip to a favorite location - Ten days in London (May 2025)

PRE-PLANNING:

We decided on London initially for this year’s trip, since friends of ours had never been and asked if we could play tour guide for them. We were delighted to and began the planning process. A month in, however, issues came up on their end and they had to back out. Since we had only started to book things, all refundable (no plane tix yet), we could have opted out as well. But by this point, dh and I were getting excited to return to one of our favorite cities and decided to just switch to a smaller hotel and keep the rest of the trip, using it to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary.

Day 0: (Monday, May 5) Our travel day

We had booked an early evening business class flight out of Newark on United, when I saw a good deal come up, and were able to pick our seats right away. They never once changed, something I had an issue with when we last flew on British Airways. (I did check every Monday morning just in case, though!)

Not wanting to deal with parking at the airport, we asked our daughter to drop us off at one of the NJ Transit stations (Hamilton) and had a relaxing and stress-free ride to the airport station, then a quick 20-minute hop over on the AirTrain (included with the transit ticket.)

We were a bit nervous about Newark’s travel woes in the week leading up to our departure. All the news stations around were happy to run stories of Newark’s “issues” (air traffic blackouts, long delays, many cancellations) and it didn’t help that United kept pushing notifications that we could change our flight with no cost penalty. If you’re on the East Coast, you were probably aware of the situation. We decided to just ride it out, whatever came up, since we had no actual scheduled events on our first day in the UK anyway.

We had no checked luggage and had checked in the night before at home, so we ate an earlier supper in the lounge first, before heading to our gate. Neither of us sleep very well on planes, but I think we each managed to get about four hours sleep. Despite the rainy, somewhat foggy weather, our plane took off only about thirty minutes late, mostly due to waiting for a bit in a rather large departure queue. But we made up the time going over and landed at Heathrow early the next morning, right on time.

Day 1: (Tuesday, May 6): Lots of walking

Knowing we had to keep moving today to get over any jet lag, we first headed to the United arrivals lounge for a relaxing shower (no wait to get one!) and a small snack (breakfast on the plane was filling and actually very good) before leaving the airport. We were staying at the Locke at Broken Wharf, a new location for us, and I was a bit hesitant about the tube ride. In the past, we stayed in the Earl’s Court area, a straight shot on the Picadilly line. But no worries. We took the Picadilly line as usual, then easily switched to the District line at Barons Court; we rode another eleven stops and got off at Blackfriars.

Google maps suggested getting off at the Mansion House station, but others had suggested Blackfriars as it was near a lift down to Paul’s Walk, the path that led directly to the hotel’s entrance. We found out later that getting to the hotel from the Mansion House station involved walking down three flights of stairs, not so good with luggage.

Happily, our room was ready when we arrived, so we dropped off our bags, pulled out and added a few items to one of our string backpacks, and were on our way again. This time, we did leave from Mansion House, the station we would come to consider our “home” station this trip. From the hotel we did have to slog up those three flights of stairs in the morning, but we usually were well-rested and are able-bodied, so it was never an issue. Those with physical limitations will probably want to use Blackfriars.

Just a quick note: taking the tube from Heathrow to the hotel, we used our phones to tap in and out, but once at the Mansion House station we went ahead and added a 7-day travelcard to our old Oyster cards. We also were able to check our Oyster card balances (leftover from a past stay in London.) Around £40 each, used later in the trip.

I’ve seen questions come up many times as to using credit cards vs. Oyster cards, as well as whether adding the travelcards is worth it. But for us it was a good option:

-we did not have to pay £7 each for Oyster cards, since we had old ones already.

-we would have only gotten a six-day cap with cc (only good Mond – Sunday) and it was already Tuesday when we started out; but the travelcards extended that cap through the following Monday (seven day cap from the day you start, ie Tues – Monday).

-And it did provide small peace of mind as we weren’t taking our credit cards or phones in and out all the time. I bought lanyards with a plastic holder (like what people at business conferences wear) to carry our Oyster cards and they worked well. The signal went through the plastic no problem.

From Mansion House, we tubed (is that a word?) over to Tower Hill, one of the few concessions we made today, to save our legs the extra walking. Tower Hill is one of our favorite areas of London, and we just meandered a bit taking pictures and enjoying being back.

Suddenly, dh pointed out several military vehicles coming down the road right near the Tower. Very important looking, and they were pulling some rather large guns (modern cannons?) So, being ever the nosy people we are, we followed along until they went through a side gate into the Tower area and set up along the Thames.

Along with about fifty other equally curious souls, we found a gate nearby, offering excellent views of the event. Turns out, they were there for a 62-gun salute to celebrate the King’s coronation day (two years already!) It was exciting to watch – for the first twenty or so firings. After that, we gave up our places to others in the crowd.

A bit later as things wound down, we got more pictures from inside a nearby souvenir shop, as all the dignitaries lined up. Even though we spent more time in the area than we thought we would, we felt lucky stumbling upon such an event. We’d again be just as lucky later in the trip

This is a fun read! I hope there is more coming.

Yes looking forward to more!

Plenty more coming!

Day one, cont'd

By this time, morning clouds had given way to bright sunshine, but it was chilly with the wind coming off the water – mid-upper 50s F (about 10+C.) It was well past lunchtime, so we grabbed a few sandwiches and some hot drinks at the nearby Pret, before crossing over Tower Bridge, taking many more pictures along the way - it’s just such a picturesque area.

Next stop - Borough Market. A return visit for me, it was new to dh, so we took some time to really see the whole place. It was moderately crowded to walk through, but we never had an issue reaching vendors and only waited a few minutes at most to buy food.

Since we both love mushrooms, I suggested sharing a bowl from the mushroom risotto stand (yum!!) Dh agreed it was very good. We also picked up some fudge and a meat pie for later. After shopping, we got off our feet for a while at a nearby pub, with a Pimm’s cup for me (apparently made with ginger beer – delicious!) and a pint for dh. We also had a nice conversation with a gentleman on his own for the day, as his wife wasn’t feeling well and stayed back in their hotel room.

Now recharged, we visited the nearby Southwark Cathedral, something I had wanted to do on my last visit but ran out of time for. It was so peaceful and beautiful, and an organ was playing in the background as we wandered through. We made a small donation as we left the building.

Then it was back along the Queen’s Walk, heading toward supper at Doggett’s Coat and Badge pub, a favorite. We had wanted to stop along the way at the Tate Modern for the upper-level view of St. Paul’s, but the museum was closed. Probably a good thing, though, as our energy was quickly waning. Even though we had made a supper reservation, Doggett’s wasn’t very busy. We asked to be seated early, and they were happy to oblige.

When dh told me I had fallen asleep for a minute while pondering the dessert menu, we knew we needed to head back to the hotel. The walk to and across the Millenium Bridge, and then along Paul’s Walk, woke us up a bit, but it didn’t take long for us to collapse in bed. Total steps for the day: 21,262.

I have added photos from our trip to my personal website, through the link below. If you’re interested in viewing them, I would suggest reading each day’s trip report first then scroll to the photos for that day, for them to make the most sense. I will re-post the link at the end of each day’s report.

Photo link:
https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Can't wait for the rest of your report! We're spending a week in London in September, and like you, plan to revisit favorite sights, but add a few new ones. I'm definitely bookmarking, for the mushroom risotto, if nothing else!

You’re in one of my favorite cities! CN’t wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Thanks for following along, guys! Lots more to come.

Jane - dd and I went to London two years ago in September (2023) and I recently added my digital scrapbook from our trip to my website. If you're interested in looking at that, too, it might give you even more ideas/tips. Here's the link:
https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/our-motherdaughter-sept-2023-london-trip.html

And that mushroom risotto was awesome; if you linger near the stall long enough, they will probably give you a sample, too!

Claudette - London is special, isn't it? It's our family's favorite city as well!

Day 2 (Wednesday, May 7): St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Imperial War Museum

Not through any forethought on my part, but just by sheer luck I had scheduled our St. Paul’s visit for the one day of the week when the Cathedral didn’t open until 10a. A good thing, too, since after all the walking yesterday, we ended up sleeping very soundly through the night, a solid 10 ½ hours.

Now completely re-energized, we were out of the hotel in record time and on our way to a leisurely breakfast at a nearby Gail’s, on the way up the hill to the Cathedral. After staying near Earl’s Court in the past, it was a novelty to have so many of the attractions in London much closer to our hotel this time, something we will definitely consider for future visits.

After lingering over a yummy breakfast at Gail’s - a couple Americanos (dh) and cappuccinos (me), plus a few pastries - we completed the brief walk to the Cathedral entrance, where after a quick bag security check, we were let in. I had printed our tickets out, just in case, but the digital ones worked fine.

With our behind-the-scenes Triforium Tour scheduled for noon (and with now well-rested legs), we decided to make the climb to the top of the Dome first. I won’t ever call the climb easy but will just say that there are plenty of resting spots along the way. And in some of the trickier spots it’s a one-way hike up; no need to feel you are hindering others behind you or those wanting to come back down.

Just a warning though: the stairs start out very innocent looking, with only a small rise to each. After the first gallery, though, the rise gets taller and a bit harder to climb. At the top, stone stairs transition to a wrought iron (see-through) circular staircase. This see-through nature makes some people (like my dd, on a prior visit) very nervous. My suggestion: just take your time and go slow. There are plenty of handrails.

Sadly, no photos are allowed in the Whispering Gallery, but we got more great shots at the other two levels. Although it didn’t get very warm today – low 60s F by now (about 16C) – the breeze at the two top levels felt refreshing, as we did get a bit sweaty after climbing each set of stairs.

We had some annoying moments at the very top, when a small family of tourists insisted on having a complete photo shoot right at the outside entrance to the Golden Gallery (the last level). Twenty photos I can handle. A hundred-plus, no. We were on the verge of just pushing through (and we are usually very polite people) when they finally finished and slowly moved out of the way. Dh and I just shared an eye-roll with the others behind us who were as (polite but) stuck as we were.

We took our time getting our own photos, all the while mindful of others since the walkway around the outside of the Dome was rather narrow but did get caught in a bit of “traffic” at one point when a large tour group of German students arrived. We needed to suck in our stomachs a bit to get by each other, but they, at least, were all very polite.

Back on level ground, we found the meet-up spot for our Triforium Tour, and after waiting a few minutes for midday prayers (over the loudspeakers) to finish we were on our way. Limited to fifteen people, iirc, the tour starts with a climb up (sigh) about 150 stairs to the Triforium, or as I’ve heard it referred to, the church’s attic.

Our tour included: the wide open Triforium itself, with many displays (“important clutter”); a huge collection of broken stones - Cathedral remains from the Great London Fire in 1666 carefully arranged by architectural style; the beautiful old library, re-opened after renovations in 2023; the fantastic circular Dean’s (or geometric) Staircase; Sir Christopher Wren’s gigantic model of the Cathedral; and what has been called the “BBC view” of the nave, the prime camera spot for filming events, like royal weddings, at the Cathedral. It was my second time on the tour, dh’s first, and we both highly recommend it.

After the tour, we grabbed a bite at the café in the Cathedral’s crypt. It had not been open two years ago when dd and I visited, so it was nice to have this place to sit and get off our feet for a bit. And as we’ve found in the past, these public sites - whether castles, cathedrals or museums – all generally have very good food, usually better than what we would find in similar places here in the US.

Never ones to let valuable vacation time slip by, we next headed out to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Imperial War Museum. After consulting Citymapper, we saw that some buses were running behind schedule, so we took the City Thameslink (same cost as the tube) two stops to Elephant & Castle (not going to forget that stop, with a name like that!), and walked about ten minutes to the Museum.

Having seen the WWI section with dd on our last visit, I asked dh if we could concentrate on the Holocaust section. We spent over two hours here; it was a somber visit, and we couldn’t help but draw so many parallels with the state of things in our country currently.

A quick stop for a cup of tea and a shared pastry, plus a little time in the souvenir shop for dh (while I had a nice chat with the security guard at the main entrance), then we were again off. Supper was in Leadenhall Market tonight, and we wanted to get a few pictures beforehand.

We picked up a bus close to the Museum, heading toward Monument Station. It was a longer ride in traffic, about twenty minutes, but gave us time to chat with a fellow rider; an older woman, she was riding with her Lab dog, Bertie, and offered dh the seat next to her. Dh didn’t want to squish the dog, but she said Bertie wouldn’t mind. And, indeed, he was the quietest, friendliest, most well-behaved pup.

After a few moments, we started chatting, and learned she used to live in London, lives further north now, and still comes into the city for work two days a week. She asked about our trip and gave us some great tips. We had a wonderful conversation and before we knew it, we were at our stop.

Once at Leadenhall, we explored some of the nooks and crannies, taking a few pictures at the Market and of the nearby Gherkin. Even though the pubs here were teeming with the afterwork crowd in their business attire, most of the shops were closed for the night by now.

We picked Lamb Tavern for our evening meal and were not disappointed. Since the restaurant part is on the upper level, we requested a table by the window, to look out over the Market. The view – with the lights coming on as it got darker – was beautiful.

We went traditional tonight, with sausages and mash, delicious, cooked cabbage, and another Pimm’s for me (this one had prosecco in it so different taste); and fish and chips, and a glass of rose (which he said paired surprisingly well) for dh. We did indulge for dessert – sticky toffee pudding (my favorite) for me, with a glass of port; and an apple crumble and a glass of muscat for dh.

Sufficiently stuffed, we headed back to the hotel, stopping on the way at a small Sainsbury’s Local near Mansion House station for a few groceries, since our room came with a small kitchenette and fridge. Steps today: 14,341.

Photos link (scroll down to) Day Two: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

... gave us time to chat with a fellow rider; an older woman, she was riding with her Lab dog, Bertie, and offered dh the seat next to her. Dh didn’t want to squish the dog, but she said Bertie wouldn’t mind.

I'm enjoying your TR so much but this was the particular detail I especially delighted in and wanted to thank you for sharing!

Hannah - thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the details; I like to think they really give a sense of what the vacation was like. We had several longer conversations like this throughout our ten days and it really made it a much more satisfying trip. Dh says I can carry on a conversation with anyone, anywhere. I haven't quite lived up to that yet, but I'm trying! :)

Day 3 (Thursday, May 8): Spitalfields, the British Museum, a tour and a play

Today began early, as I wanted to get to Spitalfields Market first thing at opening (8 am.) The Market is specifically dedicated to antiques and vintage items on Thursdays, and after visiting on my last trip, I was eager to get back.

While I’m certainly not an expert, I have a weakness for silver and happily found a few small pieces I really liked, along with a box of paper memorabilia. It also gave me a chance to use up some of my cash, left over from a prior trip.

Dh isn’t fond of shopping, but he good naturedly offered to be my porter. I told him the lack of luggage space stopped me from buying anything too large – translation in his terms, expensive. He was happy to hear that.

I asked him if he could search through the area and scare us up some breakfast while he waited. He was happy to have something to do, and we soon were sitting at one of the tables provided by the Market enjoying pretty decent egg/bacon/pork/avocado sandwiches, and coffee.

Dh was good about keeping track of time for me (translation: he finished surfing on his phone and was getting antsy to move on) and after just shy of two hours I had seen every booth and was ready to go as well. Next - on to the British Museum.

The last time I went to the Museum (with dd) we accidentally stumbled onto the back entrance on Montague Place. This time, dh and I arrived at the Museum from the front, and after one look at the hordes waiting to enter, deliberately went around back.

To be fair, it was early still - only half an hour after the Museum opened - and the bulk of the crowd were various school groups, but we wanted to see our favorite Egyptian section and knew how crowded it could get. Of course, many people had the same idea. But true to our last visit, the Montague Place entrance was much less busy, and we made it through security in just under ten minutes.

First stop, as noted – the Egyptian section. Even though signs in the area prohibited tour groups from coming in, since the rooms were much smaller and narrower between the display cases, it didn’t stop the school groups from entering en masse. We gave it an hour, then moved on to quieter areas.

Having both visited the Museum in the past, we didn’t feel the need to re-visit too much, although I did want to see the Lewis Chess pieces (only got a glance last time) and especially the Sutton Hoo Hoard again – this exhibit especially, since I had recently started watching a Time Team show about ongoing excavations at the site.

We also touched on some of the Assyrian and Greek sections, and spent some time looking over all the timepieces – watches, clocks, etc. – for dh.

In place of lunch, we opted to have afternoon tea, somewhat of a tradition for us now, and I had made reservations for 12:30p. The restaurant got progressively busier as we sat there. While we enjoyed everything that was offered, dh did ask me if he could trade me his salmon sandwich for my ham one.

Out of all the food, we both enjoyed the scones (and clotted cream, yum!) the best, which I found funny later looking back at a picture I took of the menu. They were supposed to be rhubarb, but I never got that flavor while eating them. They were still delicious. We requested, and were charged for, another pot of tea. Not a problem, since we thoroughly enjoyed it, but just something to note for others who might want the same.

Afterwards, we had time to check out a few more areas of the Museum and stop quickly at the gift shop (one of our favorite places to get souvenirs; the quality and choice is great), then it was off to the Baker Street station to meet up with our afternoon tour (next to the Sherlock Holmes statue near the station entrance).

Offered through the London Underground Museum, our Hidden London Tour was called Baker Street: The World’s First Underground. As the title states, the station was the home to the beginning of the London metro system, which opened in 1863. We learned the history behind the original underground rail system, which was interesting, and did get to tour some closed-off portions of the station, but I think the online description was a bit more enthusiastic than what we actually experienced. Plus, the cost - £45 each – was a bit steep for what was offered.

The Underground Museum offers other tours too, but the ones we thought sounded more interesting weren’t offered when we were there. The guides were well informed and engaging, though, so I can’t fault them.

Once the tour was over, we headed to the West End (Covent Garden), for a snack before our evening play. We didn’t need much, since we had the larger afternoon tea, but wanted to check out the tiny little Champagne and Fromage, a few minutes’ walk from our show, “The Play That Goes Wrong.” It was just what we wanted, and both the drinks and cheese dishes were delicious, in a nice, relaxed setting.

We didn’t need to rush through our meal to make our curtain, but others had suggested getting to our seats a bit early, to see some of the “pre-play activity.” I won’t spoil it with details but suffice it to say that if you like moderate slapstick humor, you will enjoy this play. It kept us laughing the entire time.

We opted to take the bus back to the hotel and got off almost directly in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which made for some wonderful nighttime photos. We didn’t linger too long, since it would be another early wakeup the next day.

A lot of steps again today: 19,223

Photo link Day Three: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

I am enjoying your travelogue so much! Making notes for our October visit to London. The play sounds marvelous--hoping it may still be there during our trip.

I’m planning a week in London with my daughter in August, so I’m following your report with great interest.

k1jschultz and Barbara - thanks for following along!

k1jschultz - I can't say for certain if the play will still be running, but It's been going on for quite a long time. For example, when dd and I visited London in Sept 2023, we saw it then, same theater and everything.

Barbara - that's awesome! Mother/daughter trips are so special. Dd and I still reminisce about ours from two years ago.

Day 4 (Friday, May 9): Hampton Court Palace

We wanted to get an early start to Hampton Court Palace today, a place neither of us had visited before, so we were up and out of the hotel by 8am. Our tube travels this morning – Mansion House to Victoria to Vauxhall stations – went so smoothly we were at the rail station even before the platform for our desired train was listed on the boards.

The station doesn’t offer much seating unless you are waiting on a platform, but we found a small alcove off to the side where we were able to enjoy sausage rolls and sodas (we had coffee and yogurt earlier in our hotel room) while we waited for our train to be listed.

I had ordered train tickets from home and used Greater Anglia to do so, as that was what I was used to from prior trips. (I liked that with them you could get e-tickets immediately, along with versions to print at home.) I also created an account to purchase the tickets. Because of something that happened with a train ride on a prior trip (see below), I always purchased the most flexible tickets possible, even if it was a bit more cost-wise.

(Two years ago, dd and I took a rail trip out of London, using inexpensive, but limiting, advance tickets (a set time) only to find the site we went to visit was unexpectedly closed. Since we didn’t have an account, we couldn’t switch the advance train tickets to anything else, didn’t want to hang around until the return time we had chosen, and had to buy all new tickets to get back early, at an additional much higher cost.)

Not that I believed we would have issues going to the Palace today, or anywhere else we wanted to go this trip, but once burned, twice shy. It was interesting to note, though, the train ride to the Palace today was the one journey where selecting an anytime day return ticket (more flexible) was cheaper than getting single out/return tickets for a set time.

And, yes, I went ahead and printed out copies of the tickets even as I added the digital version to our phone wallets. I am getting more used to - and enjoy the ease of - digital travel but am still a bit nervous of “something” happening to such tickets. A paper copy backup just seemed to be a good idea, although when we got there our digital tickets worked fine.

The rail journey took just over half an hour, and we were surrounded in our train car by a large group of students from what I believe was a private girls’ school. Very talkative, but not too loud. It was fun to listen to them and remember our daughter at that age.

After arriving, we took a moment to use the train station restrooms, then walked a short distance from the station, over the bridge to the Palace gates.

Today was the first time on this trip we were using the Days’ Out 241 offers for admission to an attraction, and it worked fine. (Dd and I used it on our prior trip several times.) I had printed out the required voucher at home (one of the few times this trip we needed a real piece of paper and not a digital copy), and this time, the Palace staff actually wanted to see our (digital) train tickets too (they don't always care.) Amount saved: £28

We spent the next several hours roaming through the Palace, before heading outside to meet up for a noon garden tour. Listed as an hour-long tour, it covered only a small section of the vast Palace gardens – including the Privy Garden, the Pond Gardens, and the Great Vine – and turned into an almost hour and a half long walk. I was thrilled, dh not so much. But at least he wasn’t bored.

With the weather nearly perfect - temp mid 60s F (about 18C), a gentle breeze, no noticeable humidity whatsoever, and full sunshine - and having heard through others that the on-site café wasn’t the best, we opted to grab lunch from one of two lunch carts on the edge of the gardens. A pulled pork sandwich and slaw for dh, and brisket over fries for me made for a very tasty meal, and you couldn’t beat the scenery.

As we hadn’t seen everything inside the Palace before our garden tour, we took another two hours to finish up there. We visited the gift shop briefly, before again heading outside, this time for me to check out the massive kitchen garden. (Dh checked email on his phone while I wandered.)

The plots held an immense variety of plants, and as much as I like to think I am up on my plant knowledge, I found myself referring to the handy signage several times. Some of the vegetables were historic including sea kale, salad burnet and something called Good King Henry, apparently a “poor man’s spinach.”

As our supper reservations weren’t until 5:30p (17:30), we sat for a while on one of the nearby benches, charging up our phones (portable battery packs) and basking in the sun. Later, as we headed for the exit, we passed by huge beds of old-variety roses, sweetly perfuming the air. Heady smells, indeed.

We walked just across the street from the Palace entrance to where we would eat tonight – the Mute Swan. Amazing food, including a delicious, shared charcuterie tray to start, and a shared raspberry white chocolate crème Brule to end the meal.

We caught the 7:54p (19:54) train back to Vauxhall. It was a relaxing train ride, but once back at the station we were thrust into the hustle and bustle once more.

Our hotel came equipped with a washer/dryer combo, and we decided to throw in a small load before bed. The washing part was fine, but no matter how much we read over the dryer instructions, we just couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t a problem, but we quickly ran out of hangers and lived with damp clothes scattered throughout the room for the next day or so. It was still worth it for us to have clean clothes.

Total steps today: 16,021

Photo link again, Day Four: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Day 5 (Saturday, May 10): Bletchley Park, an evening at St. Paul’s Cathedral

Since dh had gone along with all my suggestions so far this trip, without complaint, I tried to make this day for him, a WWII history buff. His one specific request – to visit Bletchley Park. I was more than happy to indulge him.

Once again, we got an early start, tubing from a very empty Mansion House station to Euston rail station. We had enough time to grab coffee and snacks from the Pret there, before catching our train at Platform 13 (eek, but no bad luck today! Lol).

At home, I had purchased what were called off-peak day return train tickets. But others had noted that all rates on Saturdays were off-peak, and it appeared that was true, so no extra cost there. And these tickets allowed plenty of flexibility.

If I recall correctly, we got one of the faster trains and were pulling into Bletchley train station in about 40 minutes. By the time we made the short walk over to the park itself, the site had been open for about ten minutes and we only waited another five or so in line after that. Once again, we used our pre-printed vouchers for the 241 offer and again, they asked to see our tickets. Savings here: about £26

Our tickets came with free headsets, but after a while we stopped using them. It was too much to listen to while trying to read the (very detailed) placards in each building, too. Most of the block buildings on site were sparsely furnished, with only a few items to explain their purpose, but plenty of placards.

As a former research chemist, and current business operations manager, dh was in his element, both scientifically/mathematically and operationally. I, on the other hand, understood the gist of what was explained but got more enjoyment out of visiting the Mansion building - staged close to how it looked at the time - where the codebreakers were first based. It was also interesting to me to see Alan Turing’s re-created office, plus learn about how so many people were housed and fed at the height of the site’s operations.

Before checking out the Enigma machines and later the Bombe machine, we took a break for lunch at the on-site café (again, good food.) But even after this break, once we got to the Enigma machine and onward, my brain started to lose focus. I did learn two important things, though – I am most certainly not scientifically oriented, nor very good as solving complex puzzles!! Lol

At our final stop (Block A, I think it was) we saw more, different style, Enigma machines, as well as many of Turing’s writings. I knew I was far out of my league, after trying to read just one page of his PhD thesis – “Systems of logic based on ordinal.” Yeah. Nope. Didn’t get it. Not at all. I did take a picture of one of the pages, though, to show my son, who is getting his PhD in astrophysics. If anyone could even begin to explain it to me, he would be the person.

It was fascinating, though, to learn one of Turing’s papers from 1936 basically gave birth to the modern computer, since as the placard explained, all computers today are “versions of the Universal Turing Machine” introduced in that paper. Later we took a quick peek at another exhibit in the same building, showcasing modern AI and how it was all interrelated.

After a quick stop in the souvenir shop, we caught the 4:10p (16:10) train back to Euston. Just a note on timing for some of these trains – we almost got fooled into thinking an earlier train would be a better one. It was leaving five minutes earlier, at 4:05p (16:05), but after looking it up online we realized it arrived back at Euston much later, being a local one vs more of an express.

From Euston station, we took a bus over to the Ship Tavern, a very old pub/restaurant in Holburn, for an earlier supper. The pub on the bottom was hopping, but the upper-floor restaurant was quiet. It was just the old-English looking setting I was hoping for, and we got a nice booth by one of the windows.

We enjoyed our meals, especially the starter mushroom dish: puff pastry, plenty of mushrooms and a nice cream sauce (we both ordered that.) I then went with the brisket and mash, with a separate side of red cabbage, while dh went for the sole, with new potatoes and green beans. As good as the food was, we opted not to order dessert. We couldn’t linger too long as we had an evening event scheduled – St. Paul’s at Night – and needed to add in travel time.

I had reserved our St. Paul’s Cathedral evening (happily, no cost) before leaving home, without understanding exactly what all it entailed. But just the chance to enter the Cathedral after hours made it worthwhile for us. When making reservations, the website noted that it was a limited-person event, and we must get there on time to be allowed in.

As we came up to the Cathedral, right at 7pm (19:00), when the event started, we encountered a huge line. As in, encircling-the-entire-building huge. Very dismayed to see this, we asked at the door, hoping the line was for non-ticket holders. Nope. We needed to queue. And “oh, by the way” they informed us, some 3,000 people had tickets for the night.

But it was an exceedingly well-run operation, and we were showing our tickets at the door only fifteen minutes after joining the line. I’m still not sure if all 3,000 ticketed people showed up, but the Cathedral held everyone and didn’t feel the least bit crowded.

Basically, the event allowed admission to the Cathedral after hours, with the added benefit of having various craftspeople scattered around the Cathedral talking about their specialties – vestments/embroidery, stone masonry, etc. At the end of the night, we also were treated to a relaxing half hour, sung Compline service. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening and learned a lot.

As the sun finally set completely, we meandered back the short distance to our hotel and straightened up the room a bit before bed since our weekly cleaning was scheduled for the next day.

Today’s step count: 12,968

And our photos for today, Day Five: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Thanks for the report, joncatmantim1! I enjoyed reading it. Just curious, was your afternoon tea at the British Museum? I took my grandkids there for afternoon tea in late March, and was not overly enthralled with it. The scones were good, but the sandwiches were just okay and the service (that day at least) was just so-so. The kids ate everything, but I think next time I will go elsewhere for afternoon tea.

Mardee - thanks for reading along! Still another few days to go on the report!

Yes, we had our afternoon tea at the British Museum. We've done this a few times and have always had good food and good service. Plus, it gives us a nice break in the middle of the day, especially if we don't want to leave the museum only to have to return later. And I don't like when waiters hover, and ours didn't, yet when we needed him it was very easy to get his attention. He also briefly explained what each thing on the tray was.

As for the food, other than the fact that I couldn't taste the rhubarb that was supposedly in the scones, everything was tasty. I do have to admit their carrot (and quinoa) cake wasn't quite as good as the one we shared at the cafe in St. Paul's, though (only carrot, no quinoa there.)

If you find a better place in the future, please post it in the forum! I'm always willing to try different spots!

Day 6 (Sunday, May 11): St. James’s Park and a Harry Potter play

Today was our day to really relax, as the only thing we had booked was our two-part “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” play, at 1p (13:00) After sleeping in a bit, we decided to take the morning to wander all around the St. James’s Park area and see where our feet took us.

A quick tube ride and a short walk brought us first to the Victoria Embankment Gardens, and after a short walk through the Gardens, to Cleopatra’s Needle along the Thames. It was a rather imposing structure, so tall it was hard to capture in photos unless from a distance.

It was turning out to be another beautiful sunny, warmer day, and with plenty of time on our hands, we decided to walk the mile or so to our breakfast reservation at the Old Queen St. Café. Along the way we took a few pictures of the Eye across the river, and eventually the Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben. As we got closer to this area, foot traffic increased exponentially.

Part of our leisure morning out included indulging in one of only two full English this trip, with the added delight of a side of halloumi. (We both love this cheese and are happy it is so often available on menus in the UK.) Plus, more cappuccinos.

After we ate, it was on to St. James’s Park, and views from the famous Blue Bridge. Apparently, everyone else in London thought the views were as nice as we did. It was getting decidedly more crowded.

Before leaving home, we had deliberately made the decision not to see the Changing of the Guard. For us, fighting through massive crowds or arriving super early only to stand around hoping for a glimpse just wasn’t worth it. But as we meandered through the Park, not far from the Palace, and at a time when the ceremony should have been finished, we heard marching music coming from near the Mall. Darn it, if that wasn’t a siren call – inquiring minds want to know, right?

After skirting around lingering crowds lining the Mall, and crossing over the road to Green Park, we couldn’t help but crane our necks, trying to see what was making that music. After a few minutes, we caught a glimpse of a small group (regiment?) of musicians marching down the Mall playing music, then entering through the Palace gates. We never found out what it was for.

Not wanting to linger more, we walked first through the Canada Gates, and then uphill through Green Park to Picadilly (Road?) The paths through the park were crowded and the spring weather seemed to be kicking everyone’s allergies (including dh) into high gear. Dh only stopped sneezing once we were settled on the bus heading over to the Palace Theater.

Part one of our Harry Potter play (for those who are fans) picked up where the eighth movie left off. The stage effects were well done, and it was easy to become immersed in the story line. The play is staged in two parts. Each part had an intermission, and there was also a roughly two-hour break between the two. During the break, we had a few snacks and a couple of drinks at a nearby pub.

Although drinks were available for purchase in the lobbies, the theater also put out free water stations/plastic cups for those who were thirsty but didn’t want alcohol. Since the day had gotten a bit warmer, we very much appreciated this and feel that our own Broadway theaters could learn a lot from London theaters.

The second and final part of the play ended just after 8:15p (20:15), and we headed over close to Picadilly Circus for supper (some very good Indian food) at the Masala Zone. We relaxed into the pillow-lined seats and took our time, and although we were coming close to the restaurant’s closing time when ready for dessert, we were never made to feel rushed, a policy I wished more places would adopt.

It was dark when we left the restaurant, and we couldn’t help ourselves. We just had to take a few pictures of the Circus lights at night - even though it was not new to us. While not as big and bold as Times Square, we find it strangely fascinating, nonetheless. Despite the morning spent walking around, we ended up with a lower step count tonight, only 11,376 steps

More photos Day Six: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Day 7 (Monday, May 12): A Royal visit

As was more common than not on this trip, we got yet another early start to our day, this time heading to Windsor Castle. This would be a return visit for dh, but a whole new site for me. We again were out the door and on our way before 8a, tubing from Mansion House to Paddington Station.

This was my first visit to the Paddington train station, although it was not new to dh, and I was amazed at the size. With lots of trains, the Elizabeth line and several HEX lines coming in and going out, it was vast and bustling. It reminded me a bit of Kings Cross station, although with much more of an “open-air” feeling.

With again plenty of time to spare, we grabbed a (sadly very forgettable) breakfast from Upper Crust and people watched as we ate, sitting on one of the nearby benches. Our train left from Platform 12, just off the main area, almost right on time. Mass transit here is awesome.

We had a nice, albeit relatively short, ride to Slough. At the station, it was a quick walk up the stairs and over the tracks, then a short wait on the other platform for the local train to Windsor. We had just enough time on this part of the trip to log onto the Castle website and buy our tickets (no 241 offers here), which came through on dh’s phone as we were walking up to the main Castle gates.

Security was a bit tighter here – after all it is a royal residence – and required us to go through an airport style scanner. Since the Castle had opened almost an hour prior, the security line was short, and we were through in no time at all.

After taking plenty of pictures of the outside of the Castle, we decided to first tour through the Doll House area, then the State Apartments. As an avid photographer, I was sad to learn that we were not allowed to take pictures in either of these places. I guess I can believe part of it is for security reasons, but the bit more cynical part of me wonders, too, if the ban doesn’t greatly help the sale of postcards.

We managed to end our Apartments tour close to the café, in time for a later lunch. Once again, the food was very good, and we took this opportunity to rest our feet, talk about what we had seen so far and pick where to visit next. We decided to tour St. George’s Chapel next, after a quick stop in the gift shop

As we left the area around the State Apartments, we could see a crowd gathering facing the Quadrangle, where chairs and a dais had been set up on the grass. We had learned, from talking to a docent earlier, that a ceremony to swap out old regimental flags for new ones was planned for the afternoon, and there was a chance Princess Anne might be there. We decided to head over to the Chapel first, then swing back and maybe catch a glimpse of her afterwards.

However, as we walked toward the Chapel, dh caught sight of the flag flying over the Castle. What had been the national flag this morning was now replaced by . . . . the Royal Standard. You know, the one that flies only when the King is on site? We asked around and the consensus was that he was there for the flag ceremony. We couldn’t believe our luck. First, we stumbled into an unanticipated 62-gun salute at the Tower earlier in the trip, and now this? What a trip!

We made the snap decision to join the growing crowd near the Quadrangle for the next 45 minutes or so and hope for a glimpse of the King. We aren’t royal family fanatics, but seriously, how often do you get such a chance? Ironically, according to the docent we had talked to earlier, this flag swapping ceremony usually takes place at Buckingham Palace, not Windsor Castle. Go figure. She wasn’t sure why it had been moved here.

While we waited for the ceremony to start, we were fascinated to periodically see regiments arriving on the Quadrangle in front of the seated crowd: first the Royal Band (is that the right term?) then several well-armed regiments, and finally mounted Guards on their beautiful horses.

We also pondered the event’s dress code, after noting that many men were showing up in full tails and very tall top hats. The women weren’t dressed quite as formally, but there were a lot of long, flowing, summery dresses. The consensus was that if you must ask what the dress code is, you most likely weren’t invited. Lol.

We also made friends with others waiting with us, including two guys who had just arrived at the airport a few hours prior on a business trip. They had the rest of the day off before beginning work the next day, so decided on a whim to visit Windsor Castle. Another young woman told us this was her last day in the UK, after a semester of study abroad. The time passed quickly.

After several false starts, it was fascinating to see almost the entire crowd raise their cell phones in jagged unison, when the King at last showed up. Fortunately, dh had longer arms, at 6’2” was a bit taller than the rest of the crowd and was positioned just right for some decent (albeit zoomed in) photos. He did admit later that some of it was luck, as at times he simply pointed the phone camera in the general direction and clicked, but it worked. I managed to get a few of my own shots when his arms got tired. And we even got a few shots of the King and Princess Anne standing side by side (even though it was a back view.)

We never made it to St. George’s Chapel, couldn’t really hear much of the ceremony itself, and got a bit sunburned during our wait, but I have never had so much fun! I think dh did too, although he was a bit more noncommittal about the whole thing. I told him we just need a repeat visit to Windsor in the future to see the Chapel.

After leaving the Castle, we did a bit of shopping in town, before heading over to the Ivy restaurant just outside the Castle walls, for supper. We had made reservations, but as it was still a bit early, I’m not sure we really needed to. During our meal, we again saw our two business-trip friends a few tables down and waved to each other.

I decided to go for the fish and chips tonight, while dh went with a rabbit/shellfish/Spanish rice dish he said was delicious. We also both got a side of creamed spinach - we hadn’t eaten many greens on the trip so far and the spinach sounded good. It was. We rounded out the meal with two tiramisus.

Ever since we arrived in London, I had hoped to visit Fortnum and Mason at least once (having never been there), but we usually ended our evenings too late, and the store ended up being closed. Tonight was no different. After a slow, relaxing supper, we planned on catching the 7p (19:00) train back to town. By the time we arrived back in London, we knew we wouldn’t really have time to do the store justice. So, we decided instead to take a quick visit to Trafalgar Square.

The beautiful weather from earlier in the day continued into early evening, and we spent an enjoyable hour or so wandering around the area. We got some nice photos - a few of the National Gallery (closed for the evening), a couple of the fountains in the Square and of course, a few of us with one of the lion statues. It was a relaxing way to wind down from a very exciting day. Total steps today: 13,437

Link to our day’s photos, Day Seven: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

We had several longer conversations like this throughout our ten days
and it really made it a much more satisfying trip.

I'm nodding my head in agreement. These spontaneous conversations can be memorable.

I have a question regarding your hotel’s location. Did you find it convenient in the evening to find restaurants and maybe general walking around after a busy day?

Allan - yes, those little conversations here and there were something special, and a big part of why dh and I travel.

As for the location of our hotel re: restaurants - that was the one thing we struggled with a bit before we came. There were fewer nearby places for an evening meal than we would have liked. But after looking at our schedule, we realized we usually weren't going to be near our hotel when we wanted to eat supper anyway.

It was a bit easier to find breakfast near the hotel. We stopped at the Gail's, on Peter's Walk heading up to St. Paul's Cathedral once, and I remember seeing a Pret in that same area as well. Other times, we grabbed something on the way to our first stop of the day.

I had wanted to try and get to the Blackfriar pub, near (obviously) Blackfriar station, at least once for drinks, but even that ended up being further than we wanted to walk after long days of exploring elsewhere, probably a fifteen minute walk each way.

The hotel was well situated, though, for just general walking. Right outside our door, we had Paul's Walk, that runs along the Thames. It's a nice flat stretch and we often saw people running on it. And If you cross over the Millenium Bridge, just a short walk from the hotel, you can be on the Queen's Walk (also called Bankside, I think) within less than ten minutes. At that point, you're close to the Tate Modern and can walk either way along the Thames for quite a distance.

Day 8 (Tuesday, May 13) – (more) Harry Potter and a very old Ceremony

Once again, we were up and out of our hotel early this morning, heading back over to Euston train station, this time to catch a train to Watford Junction and the Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio tour. Or as I took to calling it: “Harry Potter Land.”

Our seven-day travelcards had ended the night before, so from here on out we used our Oyster cards whenever we could until the old balances on them were (almost) gone. With roughly £40 left on each, we figured we had enough for these last few days of our trip, even though our trip to Watford Junction would be £23 return (anytime day return tickets) each. If we hadn’t had any money left on them, we simply would have switched to using our contactless credit cards.

(To note: It was easy to catch a glimpse of our Oyster card balances on the machines each time we tapped out after completing a ride. We did use contactless to tube back to the airport Thursday, since by then our Oyster balances had dipped below the amount we would have needed for the trip.)

While we waited for our train track to be announced, we munched on “breakfast” we had again picked up at the station’s Pret. Not really in the mood for traditional breakfast food this morning, we bought two tuna and cucumber sandwiches which for some reason looked particularly appealing. Paired with cappuccinos to go, they actually made for a great meal and really hit the spot.

We made sure to use the restrooms in the station before boarding the train, and here again I was amazed by the efficiency. When I got close to the ladies’ room, I let out a sigh as there was a rather long line – at least 15 women or more. Two minutes later, no kidding, I was entering a stall. (If you live in the US or have ever visited, you know how unusual this is for a ladies’ restroom.)

Not only was there a sign on the wall outside the restroom letting you know what percentage of stalls were in use and how many were currently available (constantly updating, btw), but each open stall had a green light above it. The occupied ones were red. (Bet you didn’t expect a discussion on bathrooms in a trip report, huh?) But really, it puts most ladies’ restrooms here in the US to shame. And to be honest, I didn’t see this level of efficiency everywhere, but this one got a gold star, that’s for sure.

The train station this morning was hopping, with quite a crowd waiting in the central area watching the schedule boards. It was rather comical to see a large group of people suddenly rush out, as soon as their track was announced, but I can see why. Our train was on time this morning, but the track was announced only four minutes before scheduled departure, and it was a bit of a walk to get to. Plus, it left right on time. We, too, rushed out.

Our journey to Watford Junction was quick, only about 25 minutes. I had taken heed when others said to make sure WJ was one of the first few stops, as this means it’s more of an express train. It was the third stop for us.

On leaving the WJ station, it was easy to find bus stop 4, to board the shuttle to the Studio. We were numbers 15 and 16 in line, and only had to wait about ten minutes, but caught the first shuttle of the day, at 9:20. It was a short 15-20-minute shuttle ride.

Once on site, and even before we got into the building, we were geeking out (and we aren’t even hard-core Potter fans!) Inside, the foyer of the building was even better. And all this before the tour even started.

In all honesty, I think even if you aren’t much of a HP fan, it’s still a fascinating place to visit, simply to get a sense of how these movies were created – how the special effects worked, all the thought that went into wardrobing, the work it took to create characters like the goblins, all the animatronics, etc.

We had plenty of time before our 10a tour (first of the day) to use the bathrooms and pick up the headsets I had bought when originally buying our tickets. I had also pre-bought a souvenir guidebook but was told I could get that later so as not to have to carry it around all day. I picked it up when checking out in the gift shop later in the afternoon. (Yes, of course we had to visit the gift shop.)

If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask and I can PM you, but I don’t want to spoil it with too many details, for those who are planning to go and want to be surprised. I was one of them and was glad I didn’t know too much ahead of time. I was simply blown away. The most I did prior to visiting was study the layout of the studio, but the reality is much better.

(For those who want to know briefly how it all works, though, here’s just the basics: to start your visit, you are led into a waiting area, given a talk, then curtains open in front of you and the tour starts. And I use the word “tour” lightly. Aside from being ushered into and out of the first area relatively quickly, in order to keep pace and allow for the next group of visitors to enter, you are given free reign from then on and can go at your own pace. We backtracked several times to areas we had already seen, to get more pictures and read some of the informational signs again.)

We stopped for lunch roughly halfway through our visit, at the conveniently placed cafeteria. After seeing others describe meals here as mediocre at best, we opted to bring a few sandwiches, chips and drinks with us and have a mini picnic lunch. I did get a chance to try the butterbeer, though, complete with a surprisingly decent souvenir cup, and found it quite tasty. Just a note, though: if you want more souvenir cups, this café in the middle is the only place to get them. The small food stands in the lobby do not carry them. Ask me how I know, lol.

Going at a relaxed pace, we finished the whole studio in about six hours, including half an hour for lunch. Before catching the train back to London, we shared one of the huge ice cream float/cake concoctions offered at one of the lobby food stands. The chocolate and orange flavored cake was delicious, while the float itself was a bit watery, but it satisfied our sweet tooths (teeth?).

Since we were carrying souvenirs, dh and I decided to quickly go back to the hotel room before heading out for supper; I also took a few minutes to change clothes, as this had been a bit more humid day and I felt a bit sticky.

We slowly headed over to Cote St. Katharine Docks, which took us about 25 minutes, first on the tube to Tower Hill and then a short walk from there. I had wanted a nicer restaurant somewhat close to the Tower of London for tonight, since we had the Ceremony of the Keys (the ceremonial locking up of the Tower) reserved for later, and I didn’t want to have to cut the meal short. We also picked this as the night to celebrate our anniversary and were able to get a table that looked out on the water.

To start we each ordered a glass of sparkling rose and the chicken liver parfait. Very tasty. For our main dishes, I went with the Breton fish stew, and dh ordered the beef cheek bourguignon. We rounded out our meals with raspberry macrons and coffee with Grand Marnier for me; and a latte and an éclair for dh. Unfortunately, it took a while to get our coffee, so we had to eat dessert first, but the rest of the meal was very nice.

We were so enjoying ourselves that we ran a bit longer than anticipated, finishing up around 9p (21:00). Therefore, while we didn’t rush to get back to the Tower of London, we didn’t really stroll either. I knew they were strict about not letting latecomers into the Tower, wanting participants there no later than 9:30p (21:30). We made it with time to spare.

Having taken part in the Ceremony two years ago with my dd, I knew enough this time to hang back a bit and not be too close to the front of the line walking in. To view the evening’s events, our group was gathered with our backs to the Traitor’s Gate, with the initial action coming from the left. So, it was better to let others enter ahead of us, then remain as close to the front of the group as possible once we were all in place.

The actual Ceremony itself only took about 15 minutes or so, but the entire event was fascinating, especially when you remember it has been going on every night without fail for over 700 years. We weren’t allowed to talk or use our cameras at that point; however, once it was over and the participating guards were dismissed, we had about ten minutes or so to ask questions and take a few pictures. I welcomed the chance to take a few nighttime photos from inside the Tower, especially of those shut and locked inner gates.

Upon exiting the Tower, we got visual reinforcement for something we had just learned about on our visit. While we were gathered after the Ceremony, someone asked if the ravens were locked up at night, and we learned yes, they were - more for their safety than anything. Apparently, there are foxes in the area that would try to eat them. (Although, according to our Yeoman Warder (Barry), it’s a toss-up as to who would win that battle.)

So, imagine our surprise, when right outside the Tower gates as we left, we saw . . . a small fox. The poor thing tried to avoid those of us exiting, running first one way, then another, and finally finding a gap between tourists to scurry out of sight. But talk about fortuitous timing!

After a few more night shots of Tower Bridge, we headed back to our room for the night. By now, the coffee was wearing off and it had been a long day. We were happy to get back and settle in for the night. Total steps today: 16,966

For those who would prefer to be surprised and not see pictures of the Studio, photos without the Studio tour are under Day Eight. Pictures we took at the Studio itself are separate and at the very end of all the others.

Link: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Day 9 (Wednesday, May 14) – a mighty Tower, quiet ruins

We saved our last full day in London for visiting one of our favorites - the Tower of London. Even though it was a repeat visit for both of us, we knew we would be spending much of the day there.

To fortify ourselves, we started the morning by grabbing some yogurt and fruit from our fridge, then later ordering coffee at the Starbucks right next to the Tower. Yes, we finally caved to commercialism, lol. We had been enjoying cappuccinos the entire trip, but by this point, I longed for something closer to what I usually drink at home each morning, and Starbucks actually knew what half and half was.

Since we didn’t arrive at the Tower via train, we knew we would need to buy inexpensive train tickets in order to use the 241 offer today, and I had bought those (Queenstown Road to Vauxhall) before leaving home. But we still had to wait in line to buy our Tower tickets. As we stood there, waiting for the ticket window to open, we watched as those tourists who had pre-bought their tickets started streaming into the Tower.

While naturally a bit unsettling (fomo and all that), dd and I had done this same thing two years prior, so I knew dh and I weren’t really missing anything. That by the time we had our Tower tickets in hand, the line at the entrance would be gone. And indeed, that was the case. And in contrast to what dd and I encountered last time, the window where we bought our Tower tickets opened much sooner this time around. Accounting for the cost of the unused train tickets, we saved about £32.

Upon entering, we first made the recommended beeline to the Crown Jewels. As I noted in the trip report I did after my dd and I visited last time, the building holds much more than just the Jewels, though. We saw ceremonial robes, fanfare trumpets, swords of all kinds and many silver serving pieces, including the gigantic silver punchbowl (wine cistern to the more discerning) which can hold 144 bottles of wine. (What does it say about me that the punchbowl was the main thing I remember of this area from last time?)

Once we experienced all the glitter we could handle, we exited the building. Conveniently close to a gift shop, of course. I told dh I needed a few minutes inside . . . . to use up my leftover cash. Of course. He just sighed, gave me a wry smile and found a nearby bench to sit on.

I took time to pick out a nice piece of jewelry for dd, who was house- and dog-sitting for us while we were gone. (And dh did agree dd would like her gift, when I showed it to him later.) But I didn’t realize until I was paying, that mixed in with my other bills was a Scottish £10 note from our trip last year.

It was only when the cashier spent a very long time looking it over that I realized what I had paid with. At that point, I thought the best course of action would be to simply remain silent. She obviously wasn’t happy about taking it but luckily didn’t say anything; just tucked it under her register drawer, separate from the rest of the bills, and offered me the receipt. I gave her a big smile and a heartfelt thank you.

After this, we had just enough time to get to the moat area for the first Beefeater (yeoman warder) tour of the day. We again had a very funny gentleman leading our tour today. I know much of their talk is scripted, but a lot depends on delivery, too, and it really takes the right sort of personality to conduct these tours. We made sure to get a picture with him after the tour.

Even though it was a bit early for lunch, we decided to stop in the New Armouries Café first, before tackling the next spot we had planned – the White Tower. Again, we had a very enjoyable meal, even sharing one of the giant cookies for dessert.

Before entering the White Tower, we took a few photos of the vibrant display of red, ceramic poppies, on the lawn right next to and up the side of the building. The display, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, only opened at the beginning of May, so we were coming at the perfect time to see it.

Now it was time to visit the White Tower, something I had been looking forward to for a while. Dh and our son had been inside a few years ago, when they visited on a father/son trip, and dd had been inside when she and I came in 2023, but it was new to me.

And, according to dh, supposedly you can’t say you have actually “visited the Tower of London” until you’ve been inside the White Tower (I’m still questioning that one, though.) If that’s the case, I guess I can “officially” check that off the list now. We spent much of the afternoon exploring the various floors and taking yet more photos.

We also planned to re-visit the Medieval Palace part of the Tower, including walking the battlements,
(a favorite from last time) but sadly much of that area was closed for refurbishment. I had wanted to get a selfie of dh and I standing on the walls with Tower Bridge in the background, to match ones we had from prior visits. We did get one later from the walkway down along the Thames, though, with the Bridge in the background

As we had a bit of time before our dinner reservations, at the Hawksmoor near Borough Market, we decided to walk over and spend some time in the park surrounding the St. Dunstan in the East ruins. It was very peaceful and quiet, although occasionally a honking horn or the sound of a helicopter flying by would filter in. After getting some photos, and making friends with a very cute squirrel, we took a few minutes to check in online for our flight the next day, before just soaking in the surroundings.

I had been to Borough Market Hawksmoor with dd for Sunday roast, and both dh and I had tried the Sunday roast at Hawksmoor in New York City, so we were eager to go back, this time for a nice steak meal. And as it was our last night in town, we decided to splurge and order the chateaubriand for two, along with a couple of side dishes.

The steak came as a massive piece of meat, and while we tried, we simply could not finish it all. We ordered it medium, without any sauces. It was cooked perfectly but tasted a bit plain. We wondered if we should have gotten some additional seasoning or if our tastebuds were just not sophisticated enough to appreciate the meat. All in all, we later agreed dh cooks a tastier NY Strip on the grill at home. But we were glad to at least have gotten the chance to try it.

We shared a sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and our waitress surprised us with a free mixed drink, after finding out this was our anniversary vacation. At the end of the meal, we were so full it was all we could do to stagger out the door.

As we slowly made our way back to our hotel room, we passed by Southwark Cathedral as the bells were chiming out on the quarter-hour and stopped for a minute to listen. We ended the evening a bit earlier tonight, since we still had to pack for departure the next day.

Knowing - prior to starting our trip - we would buy plenty of souvenirs, we had packed an extra, small duffle in one of our carry-on bags on the way over. We piled half our dirty laundry and those toiletries we hadn’t used up into one of our two carry-ons and loaded the small duffle with our souvenirs. We then later checked the one carry-on and carried the duffle on in its place, along with the other carry-on. (We weren’t as concerned if the dirty laundry got delayed in arriving home or didn’t make it at all.)

Satisfied we were as packed as we could be, we turned in for the night. We were sad our vacation was coming to an end, but we still had a bit of time the next morning.

Day Nine pix link: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Day 10 (Thursday, May 15) – slowly saying goodbye to London

Having mostly packed the night before, we didn’t have to rush much this morning. Our flight home from Heathrow didn’t leave until 4p (16:00), so even with allowing for an hour or so tube ride back to the airport, we calculated we didn’t have to check out until close to noon. However, throughout the morning, we kept an eye on the tFL website to make sure the tube lines we would take later were still open and running.

Once our last-minute toiletries were packed - now in a single 311 bag as opposed to the two we came to the UK with - we were ready for breakfast. We had done some research the night before, looking for a well-rated, simple, quieter place for breakfast, not too far from our hotel. After finding a few places through a Google search, we settled on the Table Café, in the Southwark area. It took us about fifteen minutes to walk there, over the Millennium Bridge and behind the Tate Modern.

The weather seemed to mirror our mood this morning, with cloudier skies and a bit more of a chill in the air. Our jackets, which had hung mostly unused in our room the entire trip, were now welcome. Our mood brightened considerably upon entering the restaurant, though. It was a welcoming place, and the food and drinks were delicious.

For only the second time this trip, we both went for the full English, again with a side of halloumi. Apparently, the baked beans that came with the meal this time had ham-hock and chorizo added, which gave them an unusual, but tasty twist on the normal. We added fresh orange and pineapple juices, and cappuccinos to round out our breakfast. Afterwards, we agreed to add this place to our list of favorites should we be in the area for breakfast on a future visit.

We slowly made our way back to the hotel, taking final photos of the area that had become home this past week. With regret, we checked out of our hotel and made our way back to Heathrow, backtracking along the route we had eagerly traveled just nine days ago.

Although the tube journey was a bit monotonous, at least we didn’t encounter any problems. After arriving at the airport, we were able to quickly drop off our single checked bag. Getting through security wasn’t quite as quick this time around. Dh forgot to take off his belt ahead of time, and my gel deodorant set off some alarm apparently (even though I had put it in the 311 bag) entailing a separate wipe down and its own trip through a little mini scanner box. In the end, though, we made it through with only a minor delay.

After the long hike through the airport to our departure terminal, we made it to the United lounge in plenty of time for a few snacks and celebratory glasses of adult beverage. We toasted to how well our vacation had gone, the fact that we didn’t ever (ok, maybe just once or twice) get testy with each other, and the fact that we finished our anniversary trip still married. Lol.

Now it was time to fly back home, hug our wonderful daughter and our very excited puppy, and sort through our many photos. All 7000+ of them.

Thanks for reading along!

https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/2025-london-trip.html

Even though we spend a lot of time in London with family, I learned so much from your report and enjoyed your writing and lovely photos. Thanks for sharing and inspiring some thoughts for the next time we go over!

Acher - thank you for such a kind response and for reading! I think it's awesome that you enjoyed and got a lot out of my TR - that's exactly what I was hoping for when writing it! And I'm always on the lookout for tips or under the radar places to see in London, so if you have any you'd like to share, feel free.

I will! :) We explore a lot of the suburbs these days with National Trust houses/estates, but I will put my thinking cap on for other ideas/recs.

Another wonderful TR! Going to check out your photobook!

Hi, Tammy!

Well, I'm not the fastest scrapper. Just photos for this trip right now. I'm still working on our Scotland trip scrapbook from last year. (And now I need to add one for the beach last month.) Sigh. Just so little time to work on them right now! :0

(And glad you enjoyed the TR! Thanks!)

What a fun trip report to read, and it brought back many memories of the mother-daughter week-long trip we did last summer. We also stayed at the Locke at Broken Wharf, and like you, I had wondered if I would like its location compared to staying in Earl's Court/Gloucester Road area (where I stayed in the 1990s). The Locke at Broken Wharf sports a fabulous location right on the Thames, and like you mentioned, the walking paths on both sides of the river, the proximity to the Millenium Bridge & Southwark made walking London so easy to do. Thank you for sharing your trip report!

Kris - that's so interesting! That our trips were so similar in terms of hotel, location, reasoning. Dh and I loved our time at Locke and will probably go back again in the future. (Did you ever use the washer/dryer; it still gets to dh that he couldn't get the dryer to work! Lol) And aren't mother/daughter trips special?

Thanks for reading along!

Loved your report.
London will be the 4th quarter of our 37th wedding anniversary year of travel or that's what we've been calling it.
You are probably the perfect person to ask as so far the London train contact for has not yet responded.
We would like to take advantage of the 2 for 1 discounts using train vouchers
We arrive on a Thursday from Gatwick and will depart on Tuesday from Heathrow.
My understanding we are able to use the vouchers all the days in between.
Did you find that the case? I am going to do plays but my dh will not so hoping to use 1 voucher for the Big Bus 48 hop on hop off bus. Hoping he can do the evening tour while I'm at a play.

Ann - thanks! Glad you liked it! If London is the 4th quarter of your year of travel, what are the others? (I love that idea, btw!)

As for your train question, a bit involved but let me break it down. First, before anything else, I would look on the Days Out website, to make sure 241 offers are available for your attractions during the time you're visiting. Sometimes, the offers will be suspended during the summer, or vacation, holiday time (Easter), etc. so double check first. Here's the link:

https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/search-results

Next, if the places you want to see still offer 241 during your visit, then you need to make sure the Gatwick to London tickets you buy - for the first part of the offer - have the National Rail logo (the two horizontal parallel lines with the vertical wavy line through them) on them to qualify. (afaik, they should be acceptable. Maybe others could chime in here?) Once you buy them, just make sure to keep them after using (especially if there is a place that requires you to insert them or hand them in), so you have them for the subsequent week's attractions. Ask an attendant to help you get through any gate you might encounter.

Next, as far as I know, the trip from London to Heathrow at the end of your trip would not qualify, even if you took the HEX (Heathrow Express), which is a separate private train company operating that trip. So what you would need to do would be to buy inexpensive (sometimes called "decoy") train tickets leaving London, one for each person, that you wouldn't actually use for real travel, just for the 241 deals; the usual recommendation is Vauxhall station to Queenstown station. Make sure to get the order correct. Buy them for your last day in London. The cost would be £3.50 each ticket.

That's what we did for our last day (Tower of London), because we had no more actual trips where we used the train. As I said, when we bought these decoy tix, we just printed them out at home, to use for the 241 offers. Of course, you then would have to pay for your trip back to Heathrow some other way. (We used the tube, at a cost of roughly £5-6 each, and it was fine, especially if you don't have a lot of luggage.)

With those two sets of tickets (Gatwick to London as the "travel into London" part, and Vauxhall to Queenstown Rd tickets as the "travel out" part), you should be set to use all the available 241 offers in between.

We never used the hoho Big Bus, so I can't comment on that, but in general I've found such buses get mixed reviews on the travel forums. And you should definitely do a play while in London! They are quite the experience, especially if it's not something you would usually do! (And don't worry about dressing up or anything - it's very casual these days.)

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!!

If you travel on the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow Airport that is a National Rail Ticket and can be pre purchased, albeit at £15.80 rather than the £13.90 of contactless or Oyster.
Likewise Heathrow Express is National Rail, the same as any of the other 'private' companies like Lumo, Grand Central etc. Also Heathrow Express is jointly owned by Heathrow Airport and GWR.
If you buy a paper ticket for Gatwick to London you are paying well over the odds compared to paying by contactless/oyster.
And even on contactless/oyster the best (cheapest) fare is actually achieved by changing trains and swiping out and back in at East Croydon if really price sensitive.
If travelling on paper tickets from Gatwick Airport to London you can save £6 by splitting tickets on East Croydon, staying on the same train.
Both are well known and entirely legal money saving ruses.

In my earlier reply, I didn't mention taking the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow Airport when leaving London, since I couldn't find anything on the Days Out website that mentioned E Line train tickets were acceptable for the 241 offer, even being National Rail tickets. If they do have the required logo, then the decision comes down to:

£15.80 cost for a paper (or printed at home, digital) Elizabeth Line ticket vs.
£13.90 for contactless or Oyster, which is NOT accepted for the 241 offers vs
£8.50-9.50 which is a combination of £3.50 Vauxhall station to Queenstown station ticket (purchased online at home), plus
the added £5-6 cost to take the tube to the airport for your flight home

One thing to remember, though, when considering taking the Elizabeth line - does it stop at a convenient station near your hotel for your return airport trip? We never used it because our hotel was nowhere near any of the stations it arrived at/departed from.

Additionally, the Heathrow Express might be National Rail, but the Days Out website specifically lists it as a ticket that is NOT allowed for the 241 offers.

Finally, in regards to your Gatwick to London journey, I found paper (online, printable) train tickets for £15.10 (anytime day single). Again, assuming they have they required logo, you can use them for the 241 offers. If you use contactless (from Gatwick to a Zone 1 station), ticket prices are showing online as £19.20 peak and £10.70 off-peak, and they would NOT be acceptable for any 241 offers. So depending on when you plan on coming into London your first day, it could be either more costly or less expensive to use contactless, but regardless you couldn't use that trip for the 241.

I have heard of ticket splitting, but we opted not to try it, as it seemed too much extra work for not much more savings. Ymmv.

Hopefully I haven't confused you even more! And again, if you still have questions, feel free to ask here or PM me anytime.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this report and looking at the photos. We love London so much and like you hope to return multiple times in the future. It just pulls at my family! I’m noting where you stayed as well. Having a w/d is such a nice thing for a longish trip. We had one at the flat we stayed in several years back, but we couldn’t figure out the dryer either! Clothes hung everywhere- what a site lol.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

You are being given bad advice above about the train ticketing.

There is zero doubt that any non contactless/oyster 'paper' rail ticket from Gatwick to London will have the national rail logo on, likewise for the Elizabeth Line. The Elizabeth Line just is part of National Rail. Ful! stop.

The £15.10 Gatwick to 'London' any time single is for Thameslink trains only, to Thameslink stations only.
To Victoria, Waterloo or any other South London terminal station the fare is £21.30.
Ticket splitting is not extra work for £6 savings- you just use the Scotrail website/app which does it for you - £15.30 combined fare.
If you split the tickets It is still less to anywhere but a Thameslink station as the split ticket to any Zone 1 tube station is £18.20, which you can buy on Scotrail.
On the Elizabeth Line the £15.80 paper/£13.90 contactless fare is from any Zone 1 tube or National Rail station (such as Blackfriars), connecting into the Elizabeth Line, including the tube fare.
Also buy on the Scotrail website, or indeed Greater Anglia, using the origin station of London Underground Zone 1.
So there you are, entirely legal in and out tickets to qualify for the 2 4 1 offers.

If the Tower of London had checked the decoy rail tickets like Hampton Court did they would have been rejected by any competent clerk. This has been explained at great length in the past.

Mustlovedogs - thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the trip report and photos!

Yes, anymore we try to find places to stay with w/d. It makes packing so much easier! And dh is still annoyed that he wasn't mechanically inclined enough to get the dryer working. Lol.

Thanks for reading!

isn31c - After digging deep, I did find a post from as recent as just last year finally solving the question of whether Elizabeth Line tickets have the National Rail logo on them (they do). Ironically, it was you who finally confirmed this, in that post, having bought such tickets yourself.

And it was interesting to learn that Scotrail does all the calculation for you in finding the most cost-effective journey. When researching train tickets for our trip, as I mentioned in my report, I was using the Greater Anglia train website. For someone not used to London trains, I found it easy to input our to and from locations and get a figure, then immediately print out the tickets and also add the digital ones to our Google wallets.

Obvious to me now, Greater Anglia doesn't always show the cheapest tickets. That also relates to ticket splitting. When researching it, I was finding it very tough to try and figure out which stations to stop at to allow for the practice. I wish I had known Scotrail did it automatically for you. You are the first to mention it does so.

As for the Elizabeth Line train trip London to Heathrow, Scotrail seems to require you put in a specific station you want to depart from. If I were to use London Underground Zone one as the departing station, the site defaults to using the Hex line, at a cost of £28. While trying other stations (using Waterloo and Blackfriars just for the sake of testing) I got the cost of £15.80. BUT that's for off-peak travel. If travelling during peak travel, it's £18.50. And I can't tell - if I bought the off-peak tickets, do they include the tube ride to get to a station the E Line departs from or is that another added cost?

And getting to an Elizabeth Line station can sometimes amount to backtracking depending on where it is in relation to your hotel (if, say for example, your hotel was near Earl's Court), so that definitely could be a consideration. But, yes, it does offer the outbound train travel to satisfy the 241 offers.

I also trialed train tickets Gatwick to London on Scotrail. Interestingly, when I input from Gatwick to the generic London Underground zone one it was the £18.20 you mentioned. But when I put in specific stations, for example, both Gatwick to London Blackfriars (Thameslink direct) and Gatwick to London Waterloo (a change of trains, Southern and Southern Western), separately, the cost was within a few pence of each other. (£15.10 and 15.30). Why the discrepancy?

In reality, though, it really doesn't matter so much that the cost of a paper (online purchased digital or printed) ticket is a bit more expensive than using contactless, when talking in the context of using the Days Out 241 offers. Simply put, you can't use contactless or Oyster cards for the offers and in the long run, you can save MUCH more by buying paper train tickets (whether used or not) and using them for the 241 offers.

Again, this is assuming the Days Out program is operating at the time someone is visiting London, since as I mentioned earlier, it seems to pause during school breaks, holidays, etc. Definitely wise to check the website ahead of time.

As for using "decoy" rail tickets, I doubt they would have been rejected at the Tower of London, as I have read other forum posts to the contrary. But if suggesting buying such train tickets for the 1.6 mile/£3.50 Vauxhall to Queenstown journey breaches the Community Guidelines of this forum, would it satisfy you if I suggested buying (but not using) the £4.10 train tickets for the .2 mile trip from Blackfriars to City Thameslink? That wouldn't cause any raised eyebrows at the ticket window?

The basic reason why split ticketing, totalling £15.30 works for Gatwick to any terminal station but Thameslink stations is that Southern Rail charge a hidden premium to use Gatwick, just less of a premium than Gatwick Express. You can prove this by looking at Horley (the next station north, you can see it from Gatwick) to Victoria £13.40, Crawley (two stations south) to Victoria £17.70.

Thameslink have taken a commercial decision not to charge a premium.

So split ticketing you are avoiding the premium, essentially. Without it any terminal station would (should) be £15.10, same as Blackfriars or any other TL station.

As intimated originally, if I was working a ticket window at the Tower of London I wouldn't query a ticket from Queenstown Road to Waterloo, as that is a reasonable journey. You may have gone to Westminster Abbey first, then caught a bus or boat or tube to the Tower.
Personally I would be doing my job properly, and checking people's train tickets.
The basic concept is one of a reasonable route. There is no 2 4 1 place near Vauxhall, and it really isn't a reasonable route to anywhere very much in the 2 4 1 universe.
Likewise Blackfriars to City Thameslink is odd, but not that unreasonable. I think it would surprise me and cause an intake of breath, but you may have been to St Paul's first, then walked to the Tower. But you wanted to avoid the uphill walk first from Blackfriars to St Pauls.
For me my own integrity is very important, I wouldn't be buying decoy tickets, going against at least the spirit of the scheme.
In writing all that I too am sailing very, very close to breaching CG7.

Twice when difficult London fare questions have arisen I have gone out of my way to resolve them, once routeing from Euston to Victoria via Heathrow just to get a definitive answer.