OFF: Heathrow/London help

[J Strobridge]

Frank Weil writes:

> Everyone,

> So basically, leaving ourselves plenty of time, we still have 2.5
> hours to clear customs and sightsee.  Whether or not that is worth it
> is a different question.  We figure that we'll need to walk around to
> wake up after our overnight flight and so that we can get back on the
> plane for another six or seven hours and stay awake.  We need to be
> able to go to sleep when we finally arrive in Cairo late that night.
>
> Assuming that we don't make it all the way into London, can anyone
> suggest some place closer to the airport where it would be worth
> spending a few hours?  If nothing else, we at least want to have lunch
> and walk around to enjoy the scenery a bit.

In that case you could always take the interlink bus to Reading (about
40 mins) and find a pub for lunch out there.  Unfortunately it's all
motorway not a particularly beautiful town so that doesn't really help
much.   But it's on the river and you are right out in the country and
the train trip from Reading to London is pleasant enough since its route
is down the Thames valley.

A better plan would be to allow, say, 30-40 mins to clear customs, then
get the tube straight to Covent Garden (allow an hour from station to
station in case of delays).   There's loads of pubs and odd shops there
and sandwich places and a chance to stroll round the backstreets.   Then
get the tube straight back to Heathrow in time to catch your plane
(again allow yourself the full hour from door to door which will give
you a bit of leeway in case you get lost!).

Enjoy.

Of course you could always miss the plane to Egypt and have to reclaim
your ticket costs through the insurance and have to spend your honeymoon
touring the UK instead.......


jill

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J.D.Strobridge at ed.ac.uk                         eset08 at holyrood.ed.ac.uk
                                                ELIJSA at srv0.arts.ed.ac.uk
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