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Site designed and built by Paul & Susy Wilson

 

Updated: 22 February 2012

 

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Smart Tips for England Travellers

 

Many of you choose to combine a Church House stay with a visit to London or other regions of the country. Use these Travel Tips to save you time and money.

 

You can  save money on train tickets when you buy in advance. Tickets are available from a number of different sources - we get on well with  thetrainline.com Its not essential to buy a ticket in advance to travel on the train in the UK but it can save you some money if you do. You must have a ticket before you board a train though. You can buy tickets about three months in advance of your journey. Work out which ticket you want and pay by credit card. You can then collect the ticket from the machine at the station using the card with which you paid. These

machines are available at most but not all stations - so no problem at London Waterloo but not available at some country stations - including our own Gillingham Dorset. What's the downside of booking in advance? You must travel on the train booked - the ticket is not transferable. We have found that you are more likely to make a saving when travelling away from London than towards it! If you plan to

travel long distances or make several journeys by train consider buying a  Britrail Pass.

 

There are lots of different ways to travel from Heathrow to Central London. The Underground (Tube) is slow and boring (you are underground for about an hour!). The train link is fast - but expensive. Also consider a pre-bookable luxury shared shuttle service . Other travellers report that this kind of services is good for singles or couples while larger groups might find a private car cheaper. Don't forget to check what your London hotel can offer. Information for other airports is here.

 

You may be able to save on entrance fees to National Trust properties by purchasing a National Trust Touring Pass. There is more information about the qualifying properties that we visit here. The London Pass might be good value if you are in London for several days.

 

You may have heard of the Great British Heritage Pass - this collective ticket gave access to National Trust, English Heritage and Historic House properties. Its was however withdrawn at the end of 2011 and there is no comparable replacement

 

Buy a pass for London buses and Tube when you're in London. If you want to travel by bus you must purchase a ticket/pass before you travel. A pass will save you stopping to buy a ticket for each journey and gives you access to the best possible fares. You can choose either a Travelcard or a Visitor Oyster Card. It's a bit

technical so you can see the pros and cons - here. The coolest option is the Oyster - you'll look like a Londoner! To board a Tube train using Oyster you touch the card to the yellow disks on the entry barriers at the beginning and end of each journey. To board a bus - you touch the card to the yellow disc on entry only. We also found that the Oyster card earns a discount on some of the river services. You can research how to get around London at the Transport for London - website. We enjoy travelling on the buses and always work out the routes beforehand

using this site!

 

Consider using the river boat services  to get around. There are river bus services to get from A to B and also tours where you'll go at a more leisurely pace and perhaps get a coffee and commentary too. The river is a great way to get to

Greenwich for the National Maritime Museum or up to Kew for the Gardens. One our recent trip to London we travelled to the Tower of London from Embankment Pier on the Thames Clipper - it was fast, fun and more scenic than the Tube!

 

When planning to use the Tube at weekends, do check what engineering

works are planned. Line closures can occur at weekends and may affect your journey.

 

Save your legs and use a black cab once in a while! This essential London experience is surprisingly good value and is the perfect choice when you find you are tired of walking. If you don't fancy flagging one down, try outside one of the big hotels.

 

When you're in London try the hop-on hop-off bus tours. The buses usually have two or three set routes and you can travel from one major landmark to another and see the interesting places in between too - usually with open top bus and commentary. A number of different operators offer this service:  -  Big Bus Tours and  -  The Original Tour.

 

You will probably want to go to the theatre when you are in London and while there is no shortage of places/websites where you can buy tickets, its sometimes hard to know which is the best place. I liked this summary.

 

If you find yourself on the Strand near Somerset House do visit the Fountain Court -  its lovely. Somerset House used to be the store of the National Records Office. They are now on a computer somewhere and Somerset House is a beautiful art gallery.

 

Bring lots of light clothing that you can layer. The British climate is notoriously variable and you can get big swings in temperature - sometimes in the same day! A light waterproof coat is required and maybe a small folding umbrella.

 

Look out for a credit card provider that does not charge extra for foreign currency transactions - there are one or two who offer this and this could save you a 2-3% surcharge on each transaction. You will find that credit cards are widely accepted and that ATM's are plentiful.

 

Try out  -  Martha Ainsworth's tips - the prices are a bit out of date but there is lots

of good sense expressed here!

 

Most important tip! Have a great time in England - we are really pleased that you want to visit our country and trust that you will be welcomed wherever you go. We hope that you will include Church House in your itinerary - in fact you'll probably need a few relaxing days in the country after the rigours of a London visit!!