Nice uber boat taxi from Battersea power station to westminster
Doc does London 2025 ( or wants to 🤔 ) - Thursday 13th March - A date for your diary
- Thread starter Doc
- Start date
I don’t use the river boat as often as I should, not least as I live (near enough) next to the Thames. Odd, as I tell others to use it. Familiarity breeds…. And all that.
Perhaps a brewery tour in Chiswick might change your mind ?
(When I worked for J&H Hall our engineers always enjoyed their visits.)
(When I worked for J&H Hall our engineers always enjoyed their visits.)
Tastes better on draught in my opinion
Haven’t seen ESB for a long time but indeed a very nice drop
Haven’t seen ESB for a long time but indeed a very nice drop
Borrowed B-I-L’s flat for the weekend. Lucky it’s free mostly so can indulge in the London vibe regularly 
Well.
Me & the boss have just tasted this. I'm hoping for something better when I visit.
I'll drink it as it was free.View attachment 372119
Don’t worry. We can sort a Babycham out for you
Get a hop on hop off ticket for about £11 if you've got a freedom pass or 60+ oyster card, spend all day going up and down the river, getting off at places of interest. This time of year it's good for the lights being darker early.
Thank you. The sort of thing I should know, but didn’t.
Is this just for one legged passengers?
Ohhhh, Doc does London???!!!! Now I want to see this. I am pretty sure that you’d rock up from t’Hull to Kings Cross station, which isn’t very far at all from a magnificent St. Pancrass (Eurostar) station and a namesake hotel within. Worth checking it out. It is also fairly close to anywhere you likely to want to visit. With Vicki and Northern (tube) lines running just bellow the statin/hotel.
Jan 15th is the next date (if I am not mistaken) for the southerners group to gather up again.
It be good to see you (pissed up) again (
) in London.
Jan 15th is the next date (if I am not mistaken) for the southerners group to gather up again.
It be good to see you (pissed up) again (
) in London.
Don't know about pissed up Ev.Ohhhh, Doc does London???!!!! Now I want to see this. I am pretty sure that you’d rock up from t’Hull to Kings Cross station, which isn’t very far at all from a magnificent St. Pancrass (Eurostar) station and a namesake hotel within. Worth checking it out. It is also fairly close to anywhere you likely to want to visit. With Vicki and Northern (tube) lines running just bellow the statin/hotel.
Jan 15th is the next date (if I am not mistaken) for the southerners group to gather up again.
It be good to see you (pissed up) again (
I can't do January. I thought maybe March or April giving everyone time to organise something and hopefully more people can come or not if they don't want to meet me.
Also give me time to organise a hotel.
This place is looking the best as I can walk from the train station and less chance of me getting lost.
Premier Inn London Kings Cross hotel · London
maps.app.goo.gl
Doc, great steak in its restaurant The Bar and Block. Stayed both here and the Hub just up the street 2/3 nights a week for about 2 years as it’s handy to most places.
Barry
Barry
Great thanks. Looked at the Hub but rooms looked very small and soom rooms with no windows from what I read.
March / April, try to avoid
Weather’wise, March / April will be what they will be.
Dates wise, it’s your gig but I can’t do the week of 17 March or very much at all in April.
It’ll take quite a lot to recce things out or very little. Quite a lot if you want to ‘see London’, which generally involves being up above ground. Less work if you just want to go from A to B to C by jumping on the tube, to emerge at ground level at or reasonably near the spot. That method involves nothing more than having a smart phone and asking Google to take you from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square or from Lloyd’s to Holborn. But, even so, time and distance still dictate everything.
Non-natives often don’t appreciate how large London is. The quickly bashed together ‘day out’ routes I put up in the thread are long and will take all day. They most definitely need to be recce’d, probably twice. They might well have to be considerably shortened. They most certainly won’t work if people want to start by leaving their hotel at 11, stop for beers at every pub and finish at 15:00.
To use an example, just to give you a scale of the place:
Going out to the Thames Barrier (quite a good place to start perhaps) requires taking the DLR * from Tower Gateway to Pontoon Dock, which about six road miles and a journey time of 30 minutes, as you may have to change trains at Canning Town. Getting to Tower Gateway from Kings Cross station (about three and half road miles) also takes 30 minutes. Then add a bit of walking and waiting time. That’s at least an hour of gone, just to arrive at the start point. Likewise, rather like motorbikes, a group of two or three, cracking on, takes a lot less time (covers a lot more distance) than a group of even five or six and a lot more than a group of 10.
Likewise, if we cross the river to go to Greenwich, do we then go right up the hill to see the view from General Wolf’s statue and stand on the brass meridian line at the Royal Observatory? If so, it’s at least half an hour walk up the hill and not much less coming down. Or do we drop the idea of Greenwich entirely (pretty likely) but instead, still do the Thames Barrier, then catch the river bus from Royal Wharf, past Greenwich (so you’ll still see it) and get off at Tower Pier (about 30 minutes journey time) for Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the City of London. That means missing pie, mash and liquor. That looks to me at least like a much better plan. You get to see the eastern most side of London, and ‘experience’ the DLR and the river bus. Greenwich will still be there in another 100 years, even if we won’t.
Everything you’d like to do Doc is possible. But, either it’s slung together on the back of a fag packet or something a bit better.
* Quite fun, in a public transport kind of a way, as you get to see the fully automatic (unmanned) train and bits of east London, as you trundle along. For instance, it passes by the ‘new Billingsgate’ fish market, which is scheduled for closure, ending several hundred years of London’s fish trade. When it’s gone, it’s gone, as they say. It also crosses the river Lee, which is very tidal. Depending on the tide, it might just be mud but you can see how deep the canalised river is, used when this part of London was the biggest docks in the world. The docks are long gone, but you’ll see the miles of modern tower block accommodation, still being built.
- Easter break: Monday, March 30, 2026 to Friday, April 10, 2026
Weather’wise, March / April will be what they will be.
Dates wise, it’s your gig but I can’t do the week of 17 March or very much at all in April.
It’ll take quite a lot to recce things out or very little. Quite a lot if you want to ‘see London’, which generally involves being up above ground. Less work if you just want to go from A to B to C by jumping on the tube, to emerge at ground level at or reasonably near the spot. That method involves nothing more than having a smart phone and asking Google to take you from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square or from Lloyd’s to Holborn. But, even so, time and distance still dictate everything.
Non-natives often don’t appreciate how large London is. The quickly bashed together ‘day out’ routes I put up in the thread are long and will take all day. They most definitely need to be recce’d, probably twice. They might well have to be considerably shortened. They most certainly won’t work if people want to start by leaving their hotel at 11, stop for beers at every pub and finish at 15:00.
To use an example, just to give you a scale of the place:
Going out to the Thames Barrier (quite a good place to start perhaps) requires taking the DLR * from Tower Gateway to Pontoon Dock, which about six road miles and a journey time of 30 minutes, as you may have to change trains at Canning Town. Getting to Tower Gateway from Kings Cross station (about three and half road miles) also takes 30 minutes. Then add a bit of walking and waiting time. That’s at least an hour of gone, just to arrive at the start point. Likewise, rather like motorbikes, a group of two or three, cracking on, takes a lot less time (covers a lot more distance) than a group of even five or six and a lot more than a group of 10.
Likewise, if we cross the river to go to Greenwich, do we then go right up the hill to see the view from General Wolf’s statue and stand on the brass meridian line at the Royal Observatory? If so, it’s at least half an hour walk up the hill and not much less coming down. Or do we drop the idea of Greenwich entirely (pretty likely) but instead, still do the Thames Barrier, then catch the river bus from Royal Wharf, past Greenwich (so you’ll still see it) and get off at Tower Pier (about 30 minutes journey time) for Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the City of London. That means missing pie, mash and liquor. That looks to me at least like a much better plan. You get to see the eastern most side of London, and ‘experience’ the DLR and the river bus. Greenwich will still be there in another 100 years, even if we won’t.
Everything you’d like to do Doc is possible. But, either it’s slung together on the back of a fag packet or something a bit better.
* Quite fun, in a public transport kind of a way, as you get to see the fully automatic (unmanned) train and bits of east London, as you trundle along. For instance, it passes by the ‘new Billingsgate’ fish market, which is scheduled for closure, ending several hundred years of London’s fish trade. When it’s gone, it’s gone, as they say. It also crosses the river Lee, which is very tidal. Depending on the tide, it might just be mud but you can see how deep the canalised river is, used when this part of London was the biggest docks in the world. The docks are long gone, but you’ll see the miles of modern tower block accommodation, still being built.
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Ok thanks,March / April, try to avoid
As most of the schools will be on holiday.
- Easter break: Monday, March 30, 2026 to Friday, April 10, 2026
Weather’wise, March / April will be what they will be.
Dates wise, it’s your gig but I can’t do the week of 17 March or very much at all in April.
It’ll take quite a lot to recce things out or very little. Quite a lot if you want to ‘see London’, which generally involves being up above ground. Less work if you just want to go from A to B to C by jumping on the tube, to emerge at ground level at or reasonably near the spot. That method involves nothing more than having a smart phone and asking Google to take you from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square or from Lloyd’s to Holborn. But, even so, time and distance still dictate everything.
Non-natives often don’t appreciate how large London is. The quickly bashed together ‘day out’ routes I put up in the thread are long and will take all day. They most definitely need to be recce’d, probably twice. They might well have to be considerably shortened. They most certainly won’t work if people want to start by leaving their hotel at 11, stop for beers at every pub and finish at 15:00.
To use an example, just to give you a scale of the place:
View attachment 372274
Going out to the Thames Barrier (quite a good place to start perhaps) requires taking the DLR * from Tower Gateway to Pontoon Dock, which about six road miles and a journey time of 30 minutes, as you may have to change trains at Canning Town. Getting to Tower Gateway from Kings Cross station (about three and half road miles) also takes 30 minutes. Then add a bit of walking and waiting time. That’s at least an hour of gone, just to arrive at the start point. Likewise, rather like motorbikes, a group of two or three, cracking on, takes a lot less time (covers a lot more distance) than a group of even five or six and a lot more than a group of 10.
Everything you’d like to do Doc is possible. But, either it’s slung together on the back of a fag packet or something a bit better.
* Quite fun, in a public transport kind of a way, as you get to see the fully automatic (unmanned) train and bits of east London, as you trundle along. For instance, it passes by the ‘new Billingsgate’ fish market, which is scheduled for closure, ending several hundred years of London’s fish trade. When it’s gone, it’s gone, as they say. It also crosses the river Lee, which is very tidal. It might just be mud but yiu can see how deep the canalised river is, used when this part of London was the biggest docks in the world. The docks are long gone, but you’ll see the miles of modern tower block accommodation, still being built.
Well we need the main man so I'll get a date together and let's see who else can come.
As Richard has said it's a lot quicker using public transport to nip about, down one hole and then pop up somewhere else interesting and no real worries about getting lost as most of the people who work there are very friendly and knowledgeable about the system they work on, that includes plod.
Yes you can do and see lots of the popular stuff but looking only, once you start stopping to look for more than about 10 minutes you'll run out of time so it's good to prioritise what you really want to see. For example you can walk from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square in about 10 minutes straight up Whitehall but if you stop and look at the Horse Guards, have a wander through to Horse Guards Parade, stop at the Cenotaph other statues and memorials, holler abuse down Downing Street, look at the beautiful architecture of the Government buildings you can easily do best part of a couple of hours.
As stated use your card/phone to dab in and out as if you're staying in zones 1-3 with the daily fare price cap it will work out cheaper than an equivalent travel card. If you register your card with TFL, I know Big Brother and all that, you will have a log of your trips to show other northerners of your deeds of derring do when you get back home.
Yes you can do and see lots of the popular stuff but looking only, once you start stopping to look for more than about 10 minutes you'll run out of time so it's good to prioritise what you really want to see. For example you can walk from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square in about 10 minutes straight up Whitehall but if you stop and look at the Horse Guards, have a wander through to Horse Guards Parade, stop at the Cenotaph other statues and memorials, holler abuse down Downing Street, look at the beautiful architecture of the Government buildings you can easily do best part of a couple of hours.
As stated use your card/phone to dab in and out as if you're staying in zones 1-3 with the daily fare price cap it will work out cheaper than an equivalent travel card. If you register your card with TFL, I know Big Brother and all that, you will have a log of your trips to show other northerners of your deeds of derring do when you get back home.
Attachments
Doc, Londoners are generally not as friendly as Northern folk. Remember not to make eye contact or greet them with 'Ow do, etc. You will be met with stoney silence and gruff looks
