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JohnJ, the 7day Travelcard costs roughly the same as 10 single tube journeys, and gives you one-third off boat services, so if your party is likely to want to go into central London every day, it will probably pay for itself.

However, if all your matches are in the same time period and you're using a coach, I'd just get Travelcards for the days you're going into town. You can get some reduction for travel after 9.30, and you can get them at lots of places like local newsagents - ask at the hotel.

As for routes to your matches, I think your best bet might be to get a cheap road atlas when you pick up the coach (the hire company probably has some, might even give it to you, otherwise any petrol station or bookshop will have them), and ask advice from your hotel and the hire company. Everyone has their favourite routes, and there are always unforeseen accidents, roadworks and so on to take account of.

For Dulwich College and Hampton, you're going to have to be (sadly) familiar with the South Circular, for Hambledon it'll be a toss-up as to whether you're better getting to the A3 via the South Circular or the M25; for Knebworth, you need to aim for the Blackwall Tunnel from Greenwich and aim towards Stevenage. But ask local advice nearer the time!!

Well, of <u>course</u> they have a coach! Do you think they just go out on the field and, uh....

What?

A bus?

Oh. That's different. Never mind.

Oh Robespierre, this is cricket we're talking about.

Mind, they are Australians, so they might be doing something sneaky like getting coaching. Tsk! - anyone would think it was all about winning.

Johnj - have you made sure there's enough room under the back seat for the beer?

Duh.

Do you really think I don't know that, or are you just being obtuse? If you didn't get the joke, move on.

Of course I did, that's why I tried, however lamely, to run with it.

Thanks

Given that not all our party will be playiing each fixture then its probably a toss up on the weekly or day tripper.

We will have two &quot;tourist&quot; days in London for the group...basically only a few of the group have been to London before..do you have suggestions on what I might do with them and still stay sane?

Whats cheapest way Blackheath-Heathrow for a group?

We have a coach/driver so I suppose he will ignore us and just take us his favoured route.

BTW if there any MCC members here who could get us into the Lord's ashes test on friday july 22 then......

Don't worry Patrick...all our fixtures have well stocked bars.What is the price of a pint in Blackheath these days?

If you're paying for a driver anyway.. why keep a dog and bark yourself? But the only real choice from Heathrow to Blackheath is at what point to come off the motorway to head south - somewhere west to aim for the South Circular, or stay on to Euston and aim round the ring road north of the centre to come through the Blackwall Tunnel. It would all depend on that day's traffic updates, I would imagine.

As for what to do with your party on non-match days. If they haven't been to London before, get on a hop-on hop-off bus tour so they can say they've at least seen the outside of everything their families will expect them to have seen (and to prove they haven't spent all their time in the pub). Take that river cruise to or from Greenwich (it will pass the few remaining buildings from the Deptford Naval Dockyard where Captain Cook sailed from). Or let them loose with a travelcard and the various maps from London Transport!

As for the price of a pint, well.. brace yourselves. Estimate around &pound;2.50 (ASU$6), and you might find some places cheaper: go for Fullers or Youngs draught bitters, and you probably will find it a bit cheaper.

Thanks patrick

So Cook left from Deptford...must have a look. If you are ever in Hawaii (big island) check out the bay where he came to grief...great snorkeling and a couple of monuments.Is there a good exhibit on Cook at the maritime museum in Greenwich?

Can you recomend a pub at Blackheath to adopt as our local? Hare and Billet?

what about a pub by the river in Greenwich after our tourist day in the city?

Interestingly enough the price of a pint is the same as what we pay at the Brookvale Hotel on the northern beaches of sydney.

Personally I prefer Youngs or Fullers (smaller breweries than the big chains), but they are predominantly in West London, and I don't know pubs in Blackheath, but there's a rather attractive village centre, so you should have some fun trying them out.

At Greenwich, the Trafalgar is the big pub with the river view, but there are one or two smaller ones further along that you might like to try.

I'm ashamed to say I haven't been in the Maritime Museum for a while, and I know it had a re-organisation some time ago - and this year the big thing will be the Trafalgar anniversary, so Cook may not get that much of a look-in. Try www.nmm.ac.uk