annhig

louistraveller, I realise that what I [and afew others] have posted might seem a little harsh. it's not meant to be. we just want you to have a good a time as possible.

louistraveler5

I do feel that the postings have been harsh.

I'm very surprised that every one is quick to tell me not to stay in Kennington because it is too far or gritty but no one has an alternative. Also, 200 people did not have a problem staying in Kennington and getting to the sights! The neighborhood is described as a leafy, quiet residential neighborhood with convenience to the sights of London.

I guess every one that is saying not to stay feels that 15-20 min on the tube is too far? No one has answered that directly. With Kennington being on the northern line, which I don't know anything about, will there be a change before getting to sights? Can anyone tell me about this?

Also, what is so incredulous about my itinerary? I don't mind taking advice/suggestions but I actually was proud of my itinerary. I thought when arriving we could drive to Bath while taking in a couple of sights: Windsor/Stonehenge then arrive in Bath to stay at a b&b that does have parking. Next morning, eat breakfast and take in the Bath sights by foot. Late evening we can make the two hour or so drive back to LHR to return the car then tube to Kennington. We wanted to see Winchester as a day trip but perhaps I can talk to my dad about possibly taking it out. He is a history buff and I know that London is filled with history but he wanted to take more in of England rather than London if that makes sense. We thought that 3 days, very full days, would be enough to see some major, typical tourist sights.

This whirlwind week is a sampling. I don't know what is so incredulous about it! Please, pinpoint what is so incredulous! Janisj stated that arriving at 7am that we wouldn't be out of there until 10am. I went to Paris in 2008 and was out quickly from the airport. 3 hours, really? What is the big deal in thinking that we could tour Windsor Castle, eat lunch, then see Stonehenge before arriving in Bath for the night? Can this not be done in 12 hours? C'mon...I don't know why everyone is making so much out of this! You mean to tell me that a handful of tourist sights can be see in 3 full days! Of course, if I could I would stay longer but we have a week.

BigRuss

"I'm very surprised that every one is quick to tell me not to stay in Kennington because it is too far or gritty but no one has an alternative."

Alternatives:

Bloomsbury.
South Kens.
Pimlico.
South Bank.
Fitzrovia.

"I went to Paris in 2008 and was out quickly from the airport."

Dang, you got lucky.

Um, don't know what's so "incredulous" about your itinerary but to other posters it seems incredible. Personally, if you can hack it and know what you're getting into, do it. The fact that the old man isn't old means he won't slow you down.

With 5 nights in London, you could probably get a centrally located 2 BR flat closer to the main tourist sites for the same amount as the B&B rooms. Kennington is just a hike and the Tube is faster than the bus, but that's not to be confused with fast.

Bloomsbury would be good - near the British Museum, British Library (another place for the old man), quick access to other main sites (the various squares and circuses: Oxford, Piccadilly, Trafalgar, Leicester) and places there tend not to suck on the pricing scale.

<<Also, I just thought, if you add up train/bus tickets, well there is the gas money>>

Uh, the rental cars ain't cheap - check into what your CC will cover on insurance and what the Brits require. Janis probably knows this off top of her head after she's done doing donuts in the parking lots of Surrey.

louistraveler5

Thanks so much Big Russ!!

sofarsogood

This is a link to the Tube map. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...d-tube-map.pdf
Most sites are in zone 1, you'll see Kennington is in zone 2. You can get directly to areas such as The City and Charing Cross/Leicester Square on the Northern line.

This is the official London visitor site which has ideas for first time visitors www.visitlondon.com

You're not visiting until next May which is ample time to decide if Kennington is right for you. I'm sure others will suggest alternative areas/hotels/ b&bs should you want to change.

BigRuss

And if either the hubby or pops likes whisky - Royal Mile Whiskies' London shop is in Bloomsbury. More rarities than they'll find at the duty free (just pack it well in the suitcase).

rmmom

My daughters and I literally just got back from our trip to London and Scotland and I can tell you that all the advice I got from fodors was spot on. I'm still in a jetlag fog, which I will admit is worse coming back than going, but I will attest to the affects of jetlag no matter what your age. I am your dad's age and physically fit and my daughters are teenagers and the first day was exhausting. I would not have wanted to be driving on that day. It took us about 1.5 hrs to get through customs and immigration and get our bag. Then we had to get money, oyster cards and hike to the tube.The tube from LHR takes over an hour, more if you're in Kennington since you will have a change. This is a great site for travel in London, www.tfl.gov.uk. The journey planner is great for describing routes and times. Make note that some tube lines are often closed on the weekends for repairs, so if you are there on a weekend you need to check that a few days before. If you can arrange your trip to Bath for later in the week, I recommend it, or take the train if you must do it the day you arrive. Please trust me when I say that everything will take longer than you think. Staying as close to the sights you want to see will make a big difference. We had great luck with the "cities to go" app for our ipad and phones. Get the London map, type in all the places you want to see and you can put a "pin" on it. That way, you can see where sites are grouped together. Make a list for each day in London of the sites you want to see in order of importance. You will likely find that many of the sites will take longer than you think so just be prepared to miss some of the less important sites on your list. We had 3 full days in London and we got to see plenty. We were moving at a good clip though all day every day. We stayed in Soho. We had 3 day trips by train and it was an easy, fast way to travel and you can enjoy the countryside. Your dad may not mind driving, but he won't be able to enjoy the views. I drove for 9 days in Scotland and my kids saw the views, I saw the road and oncoming lorries/busses/sheep. You have time for planning still. Look at all the travel forums, tripadvisor has them too as well as lonely planet, etc. I took info from all of them, and,yes, I used tripadvisor for their reviews also. But, take reviews with a grain of sand and in context. You have experienced UK travellers and local residents here stating their opinions- which you requested. Don't poo poo them out of hand because you have conflicting info. The bnb you researched may very well be lovely, but if the reviews are from people who didn't have anything to compare it to (ie they never stayed anywhere else in London), the accuracy may be in question. Another thing to think about, everything opens later and closes earlier than you expect. Check those times before you go. If you want to return your rental car late, you may find they are only open until 6 that day. The devil is really in the details as they say! We LOVED London and I'm sure you will too��

annhig

Louis - to start with, you arrive at 7am at LHR. once you are through immigration and customs [say at least an hour] and collect your car [at least another 30 mins] this will have you leaving LHR in the middle of the rush hour right out onto one of the busiest roads in the world. not for nothing is the M25 known as the world's largest car park. [and yes I know that LHR to Windsor is mainly on the M4 but that is hardly immune from traffic problems at that time of day].

then you will be tired and possibly disorientated after your flight - not the best time to be dealing with that sort of traffic. Even though windsor isn't that far away, it's still quite an ask to drive there straight after getting off the flight, and then, after you finish looking at the castle, just when the jetlag is really starting to hit, for your dad to have to drive all the way to Bath. Driving in the UK just isn't like driving in the US - our roads are a lot more crowded and the traffic is faster, despite the 70mph limit on motorways.

after you've got to Bath, you'll probably find you''re fit for nothing the next day, but you're committed to more sightseeing and driving again. but that's just what you are planning, and you'll be arriving back at LHR just at the dreaded rush hour again.

it just doesn't sound like a great start to a holiday to me. slow down and smell the roses.

jamikins

I can't imagine choosing to stay in Kensington as a tourist as there are do many better places to stay...but it's up to you...

jamikins

By Kensington I meant kennington! Stupid auto correct!

jamikins

I live in in London and would the description on green and leafy would not be how I would describe it. It would not be where I as a Londoner wants to be at night...but again it's up to you. As a tourist I would choose west end, Kensington, bays water etc...

janisj

I assumed you wanted to stay in Kennington to save £££. Just shows one shouldn't assume things.

I just looked at the website and it runs £120-£150 double.

Mimar

Those 200 reviews of the B&B in Kennington are probably all from the proprietors and their relatives.

As a general rule it's good for first-time visitors to a city to stay in a central location. This is especially true if you want to maximize your sight-seeing in a short time.

Jamiekins, Bayswater. (Auto correct struck again.)

jamikins

ARGH - stupid autocorrect!

I would use the Circle Line on the tube as a guide - try to find a place inside the yellow circle line. If you have a budget of that amount you shouldnt have a problem finding a nice place to stay.

bilboburgler

louis, you are not imagining what we know occurs in south England, the place is pretty dense with a limited number of motorways so that they can easily be crowded,

1) if you flight comes in after a bunch of Jamacian ones there will be long queues
2) getting out of Heathrow M25 is "an experience"
3) Traveling on back roads to Stonehenge (and there is no motorway) will be slow
4)driving on narrow roads on the wrong side with stick shift and on coming traffic can be tiring and dangerous after a long jet lagging flight
5) Stonehenge to Bath similar roads

etc etc, so when you ask advice from people (who have bags of experience) either take it, or sack us.

That first day is not one I would do and I'm a Brit.

jamikins

Just as an example - we met my inlaws at Heathrow, picked up a rental car and drove to Cornwall and it took us 8 hours! Around Stonehenge the multi-lane roads converge to a two lane (one way each way) road and the bottlenecks are unbelievable. We spent an hour just sitting in traffic without moving at all.

louistraveler5

janisj: The room I am wanting to stay in at the Kennington B&B is 9/10 which is the top floor w/ a bedroom that has a connecting room which has a queen size sofa bed. Each guest has their own floor so dh & I will have the bedroom while my dad uses the sofa bed. This floor is 150 pounds which is $220.

Mimar: To post a review on tripadvisor you have to sign up for the website meaning your name/email/etc. All of the reviews have a user name/where they are from and some even have pictures. I don't think the proprietor/family members signed up for 200 accounts to post reviews!

jamikins: So traffic is like this always? On weekends?

Well all of your postings have given me a lot to think about. Thanks everyone! I know you all meant well and are trying to steer me in the right direction.

jamikins

Traffic is not always like that - but I have found that I usually spend way more time than I think when we drive somewhere. An accident can cause a standstill for hours, and with so many more people on the road it always takes longer than I expect. Even the time of day will impact it - rush hour in the morning and evening during the week can add a lot of time. If you use googlemaps to plan your route you should add at least 50% more time to give a good estimate.

I wouldnt want to drive immediately after an overseas flight.

bilboburgler

louis, traffic can be like that even early or late at night it depends on what is on, and having sat in queues without reason it can be a real pain

jamikins

I just looked at that B&B - it is on a very busy main road.

It is very close to Kennington station and there are lots of buses. It's basically a residential area.

I prefer to stay in areas with lots of pubs and restaurants and where I can pop back if I need to drop bags or freshen up to go out for dinner.

You will be relying on the Northern Line or buses to get around. The Northern Line is an absolutely nightmare between 8 - 9:30 in the mornings and 5 - 7:30ish in the evenings, and again after theatre and west-end close down around 9pm during the week. It is so bad that when I lived in Clapham (farther south) I would go even farther south and then change to the northern side so that I could even get on - and people squish on like you would not believe. It wont be an issue if you arent travelling outside the times above, so just keep that in mind.