Have nothing but good news about "surviving" the Tube strike in London last week--it forced me to get to know the bus system better, and I rode in a black cab for the first time. I also walked from Lancaster Gate to the river and back...lost track of how many miles that was, but I landed in some streets I'd never seen! Anyway, good report on a London stopover at No. 63 on Bayswater Road and the Byron Hotel en route to a bike& barge trip with Yub!ke aboard the Gandalf out of Amsterdam. Good, sunny cycling around Haarlem, Leiden and Lisse with well-informed guides. Spent one night in Delft at the Emauspoort (loved both Delft and the hotel). Also spent some time in York post-bike trip. Thumbs up for the Mont Clare Guesthouse, the Minster (one of the most impressive churches I've seen in Europe), and a lovely afternoon tea at Betty's. The Railway Museum is impressive but not as hot to trot as I thought it would be. To be honest, kinda wished I'd spent that hour doing something else. Rick's self-guided tours of the Minster and the town are both worthwhile. Did the Terror Trail ghost walk. Our guide was a fun presenter and for five pounds it's another way to see some of the buildings and monuments in the town. Plenty of shopping in York as well. And yes, as RS mentions, I stopped in the St. Crux parish hall for a cup of coffee. Great for a break and people watching.
Heathrow note: Flying out of the UK, they are very thorough about carry-ons, small liquids in baggies, etc. I had some small hotel size liquids in a cosmetic bag (but not in a ziploc) TSA hasn't batted an eye at in years. At Heathrow they were inspecting a lot of bags last week and I had to sort and consolidate. Be prepared.
All in all, a very enjoyable trip! :)