peter1n

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, and trying to plan a 3-day weekend trip to London. I'll be there the weekend the Olympics start, but I'm actually not there to see the Olympics. Right now I have two options for lodging that are within my budget -- one is in South Woodford, Redbridge and the other is in Brockley, Lewisham.

I know neither of these places is very central, but I'm curious if someone with knowledge of London would suggest one over the other in terms of ease of getting around. This is my first time in London, so I'll probably stick to some basic touristy sights. Also, I'll be flying into Gatwick, and leaving out of Heathrow.

Thanks in advance!

mjdh1957

If you want to do the central London tourist sights, neither of these places is good really. It will be a bit of a trek in both cases going back and forth, so if you only have 3 days then you're going to waste a good part of it in needless travel.

Brockley is closer to Greenwich, if that is part of what you want to do, though still not that close. Of the two, that is the least worst, so I would choose Brockley if I had to.

jamikins

I cant comment on their safety/convenience etc but note that South Woodford is on the Central Line which is one of the lines expected to be VERY busy during that time. VERY busy.

You may want to check out this website to see how transit is being impacted: http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/

jamikins

Keep in mind transit to and from Greenwich is going to be very very busy and disrupted due to changes in the regular schedules for the Olympics.

I would really try to find something in western London.

Heathrow will also be a trek - especially if you plan to take your suitcase on the Central Line during this time.

peter1n

Hi again,

Thanks mjdh1957 and Jamikins for all your comments and suggestions.

I will search some more, and might have some questions later.

PatrickLondon

Brockley, like most of south London, is served by the suburban trains of the national rail companies rather than the tube. It's on a route from Victoria to London Bridge, and trains take about 10-15 minutes to London Bridge and about 40 minutes to Victoria - so it's not that bad for access to central London (and unlikely to be affected by people trying to get to Greenwich, which is a different line from London Bridge). It's a rather dull sort of suburb in itself.

peter1n

Hello again,

Patrick -- thanks for your comments on transportation from south London. It doesn't seem too bad.

From the above comments, I'll strike out the South Woodford place. I found another place in Chiswick Village, with the closest station being Gunnersbury station. Again, I know this isn't very central either (Zone 3), but comparing it to the Brockley neighbourhood, which one seems to be easier to travel to Central London?

PatrickLondon

Chiswick - if it's what most people other than estate agents would consider Chiswick - would be a more upmarket neighbourhood. The tube takes about 25-30 minutes from Gunnersbury to Victoria, but services are more frequent (about every 5-10 minutes). From Brockley to London Bridge is only a half-hourly service (last train from London Bridge is 2352).

I'd suggest checking out the exact addresses on Google Streetview, but Gunnersbury looks a better bet to me.

jamikins

Agree that is a better location for you. Plus you should be able to avoid more of the Olympic stuff if you arent interested in that as you will be on the other side of London.

Enjoy your trip!

peter1n

Thanks for the advice! You guys are a very helpful!

peter1n

*typo -- no "a"

mjdh1957

I agree, Chiswick is a much better location than either Brockley or South Woodford, and it's much easier to get into central London.