London in Mid December, Charity Shops, No Tube, and Christmassy Suggestions
 

The "No Tube" is due to very specific mobility issues with escalators, plus a couple of other issues.

The travelers are myself, 56, and DS, 27. I use a cane, mostly for balance issues, and can climb normal stairs, walk quite far (at least a couple of miles) on level ground, and stand for a reasonable length of time. Surface trains and buses should be fine. I wouldn't climb to the upper level of a double decker without a good reason, but on and off is definitely okay. I cannot get on and off escalators easily (or sometimes at all), and I have trouble with uneven surfaces, steep stairs, etc.

We're flying out of Philadelphia through Dublin into Heathrow on the 14th, and back in on the 21st.

This is primarily a "shopping" trip, which is the main reason DH is staying at home. Department stores a week before Christmas are a specialized taste. We do intend to hit all the big West End stores, and do a fair amount of random wandering. Most of the actual buying will likely be at things like Tesco, M&S, and charity shops. Specific recommendations for charity shops are more than welcome.

I have the first two nights booked at the Montcalm at the Brewery. It's clearly a lovely hotel, and I got a huge bargain for twin club level, but I'm a little concerned about location for itinerary. The last night is going to be out at Heathrow, but I haven't booked that yet. I'm trying to figure out the other three nights. We generally want the best we can afford, even with a little location sacrifice, and would really like to be around $200 a night or a little less.

I have nothing booked for the 15th, since I don't know how functional we're going to be. DS is hot to trot on the Imperial War Museum, so that might be a thing if we have the energy.

I have the "Tea Bus" booked for the 16th at 12:15, which I figured would be very compatible with a shopping day, maybe around Covent Garden, which I understand has a Christmas Market.

I have nothing booked for the 17th, but I figured we would NOT want to go shopping that day, and was thinking London Zoo, V & A, or the Museum of the Home in Islington. We'll probably be moving hotels anyway.

On the 18th, we have a day trip to Canterbury Cathedral and its Christmas Market booked.

The 19th will be a shopping day.

At some point on the 20th we will remove ourselves to Heathrow, and possibly visit Tesco (there appears to be a large one in Hounslow, adjacent to "Hounslow Urban Farm", which we also might enjoy, depending).

I have not yet figured out how we are getting ourselves to and from Heathrow, but I'm leaning a little towards car service.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Search London underground with lifts. You'll find pdf maps that might help

Thanks, I know some stations have them, but if a lift is out of order, I'm probably stuck with the stairs (and that's a long climb).. I MIGHT be able to manage up with DS's help. especially if the station isn't too crowded. Down is probably impossible at this point, since I remember them as fast, steep, and long.

It's seemed easiest to just plan on mostly not using it and sticking with buses and taxis, along with walking.

Just quick re transport. First off - I never EVER rely on the lifts working. I did one trip in Dec when I was on a cane and could not use the tube at all except for the totally step free stations. And even some of those are unusable because while up escalators are pretty easy with a cane, down escalators are much more difficult.

Here is the trip report https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...a-gtg-1598467/

Hope it gives you some ideas . . .

Thanks, I'll take a look at that!

I remembered seeing somewhere that those lifts aren't necessarily that reliable, and even if they were, I'd rather not deal with having to restrict to certain stations, And most accessibility guides deal more with avoiding steps, which I can manage within reason, rather than the dreaded escalators,

There are a lot of good charity shops in Chiswick (and a lot of other good shopping) but that’s pretty far west. Also around Hammersmith if you make your way in that direction.

why stay at Heathrow the last night? Just book those last days close to the Elizabeth line, save yourself one move…

Early flight, relatively close connection in Dublin. Takes a lot of the anxiety out of the morning.

Just seems simplest, particularly since we're probably not going to do the train (fair amount of luggage and I must have a free cane hand, so what I can carry is limited). We could do a trip like that with carry-ons if we weren't planning on shopping, but we need to carry our loot home.

Thanks for the charity shop tips. We're definitely invested enough in them to trek a little bit, since thrifting is one of our favorite things ever, and I've heard London ones are really good.

"The last night is going to be out at Heathrow, but I haven't booked that yet. I'm trying to figure out the other three nights. We generally want the best we can afford, even with a little location sacrifice, and would really like to be around $200 a night or a little less."

Your budget will be more doable since it is projected the £ will fall to near parity to the $ by late November. Maybe lower even - who knows?? $200 is still fairly low though. Unless your flight out is before 9 or 10 AM I personally would not stay at LHR. The new Elizabeth line is flat easy and very mobility friendly.

I'd use Booking.com to look for hotels by price and review scores anywhere along the Elizabeth Line -- Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Rd, Bond Street, Paddington etc

OR . . . you could splurge for the three nights and then book a cheap room at LHR for the last night (though I'd personally prefer to stay in town all 4 nights)

OOPS -- didn't see your last post - - - OK staying at LHR makes sense. Which terminal??

If you don't want to use the Elizabeth Line -- then you can stay absolutely anywhere in central London those three nights. Use justairports (much cheaper than a black cab and very reliable)

https://www.justairports.com

Definitely think that makes sense, Thanks, that looks great.

We're thinking in town for the three, and we're still juggling price/location/luxury, We'll probably adopt a budget approach to that last night in Heathrow, but there are definitely bargains to be had.

There are a bunch of charity shops on Chiswick High Road, all pretty close together, then if you still have energy, go over to Richmond. Both areas have lots of posh people dropping off their unwanted stuff.

If Richmond is too far of a trek there is a little cluster of good shops on Kentish Town Road, and another cluster on Camden High Street. With a pub break in the middle, you can visit a lot of shops in one day!

Honestly, I think it can be faster to take the fast train to Heathrow from Paddington than one of those Hoppa buses from surrounding hotels. Maybe your splurge should be the Sofitel IN Heathrow if you are flying from Terminal 5.

Those Hoppa buses actually look like a bit of nuisance, and with two people, I think a cab might make more sense. Or make that Sofitel, which I can get under 200 a night, seem like a better idea, although I THINK we're in and out of T2 (no info yet, but that's what Aer Lingus seem to use).

We had been contemplating Kew, which would make Richmond make sense, but I'm not sure we can fit it in. We are highly in favor of the kind of shop where posh people send stuff.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park has been added to the itinerary, but it seems like an early evening kind of thing.

Thanks!

Sofitel only makes sense if you are using T-5. For T-2 there is the Hilton Garden Inn which is connected to the terminal by a pedestrian walkway.

Have you checked out Christmas at Kew? It might be sold out for your specific dates but I' am still receiving e-mail announcements so tickets must be available some evenings.

The Hyde Park thing runs until 10PM and the night-time hours are really the most crowded.

That looks wonderful, although we had really been thinking Kew in the daytime (DS likes gardens, and is intrigued by plantings/layouts in other countries). Makes me very sad my sister couldn't come with us, since she'd love that,

There does still seem to be some availability, so I'm trying to figure if we could make it work.

Originally I had been thinking about staying at Premier Inn in Richmond for the first night for Kew, but it was another move, and I was really afraid we won't be functional enough to do much, and we'd then be in a Premier Inn in Richmond for no very good reason..

RE Winter Wonderland, you can go at around 4 or 5 pm and it is not so crowded (but it will be dark, so it will feel like it is later.)

For Kew -- IF there are dinner reservations available at the Botanical Brasserie on-site restaurant, maybe consider a mid to late afternoon visit for the gardens then have dinner at 5 or 5:30 at the Botanical, then Christmas @ Kew. But all the pieces would have to fall into place -- with bookings available for the timed slots for both the restaurant and the festival.

If there aren't any openings at the Botanical try for the Coach & Horses or some other pub. There is also the cafe Kew Gardens gift shop.

RE: Chiswick
If you are interested in Chiswick/Richmond, in September, I just did the V&A in the morning, then the tube to Chiswick (Turnham Green station). However, Turnham Green is not step free, so will need a quick look at a trip that will work better. I think from South Kensington station, you can ride to Hammersmith, and then hop on a bus to Chiswick High Street.

If you find yourself on Turnham Green Terrace, I can recommend Chief Coffee, but it does have a short flight of 7 steps to the door (a pic on Google reviews shows them). Their restroom in the basement DOES have a door from street level, if I remember correctly.) Actually, if you're not feeling up to the steps, it's very likely the staff there would bring a coffee/plate down to you in their street-level room. Also, if your son is at all interested in vintage video games/Japanese culture, they have an arcade there. Will be quiet during the day, I expect. It's a nice option from a Costa or Starbucks.

I LOVE Chiswick House and Gardens for its garden history, but it's not as massive and important as Kew, and will not be showing to full advantage in December. Though the "goose foot" avenues do lead to some lovely eye-catchers, and there's statuary and follies through the grounds. I would actually be interested in seeing it in December. Chiswick House has their own Christmas offerings. Not sure if the house and garden is a worthwhile departure from the High Street as it is a walk, though not terribly far. I think a little under a mile through a residential street. Hogarth's House is right next door, if interested in 18th century art.

RE: Shopping (V&A and Heathrow)
I mention the V&A for the incredible shopping in their gift shop. Wonderful jewelry and prints for framing, and not all that expensive. If you do like the idea of prints, you might bring an empty paper tube to roll up your prints in the suitcase. They are shrink-wrapped on cardboard and too large for the suitcase sometimes. I just bought a couple of necklaces (just strands of wood beads) for £20 each, and received so many compliments on them. All the inexpensive jewelry I've bought there are always admired by my friends here in Chicago. The V&A will ship to the US for a flat fee of £35, I think they said, though, if you want to look online. but I don't think they have the full offering online.

At Heathrow, your son may want to make note of what the retail prices are for Ted Baker, Paul Smith and Kurt Geiger. I was looking at a Ted Baker purse that was £110 at the airport but was $225 on their website. BUT remember to leave enough time to get from the passenger waiting area/shopping center to your gate, as the walk from there can be long and you want to ensure you get there before they lock the plane doors--which is earlier than you sometimes expect. Just leave time for that.
Have fun planning!

Thanks!

Moderate steps are okay, escalators are the sticking point. We're probably going to do a lot of buses. Fortunately I can walk fairly long distances as well.

I love the V&A, hopefully we'll have time for it. Chiswick house sounds very cool.

I have wheelchair assist, so I don't know how that's going to go with duty free shopping, although I mostly requested it for Dublin, where I had some trouble when we went through in the spring. Their floors are EVIL, and I didn't feel like skidding on them again, especially since the distances are long. I didn't actually fall, but I was exhausted and in pain by the time we made it to the gate, and frustrated because I'm unused to having that much trouble.

Update!

I booked the second hotel. This was off Hotwire, as a blind bid, and I have the Royal Garden Kensington. Location seems excellent for our purposes, and it looks like a nice hotel. I was a little over that 200, but not by much.

The hotel is at the top end of Kensington High Street so good for bus routes. Plus the doorman can call cabs for you.

I've been noodling around on google maps, and it looks like not only is it a good location for tourism purposes, there's easy access to all kinds of shopping and restaurants, We're quite excited,

Update.

Our tour to Canterbury has been cancelled. I was quite annoyed, especially as we had made a Sunday lunch reservation we were quite looking forward to. We had considered just going by train, but decided not to. I'm probably going to make a reservation at someplace called the Builders Arms that will serve an entire platter of roast dinner for Sunday lunch.

Speaking of trains, our visit is coinciding with the proposed rail strike. We had just about decided on Heathrow Express, and while technically the day, 15th, we would be riding it isn't a strike day, it's sandwiched among them. I'm trying to decide if I should go back to the car service idea, but I'm assuming traffic is going to be extra horrific as a result..

My original reason for switching was concern about an unbreakfasted DS. If we get the upgrade I put a bid in for, they'll give him a bacon roll and a little fruit, which is probably enough to keep him from eating any of the fellow passengers. If we're in economy, it's juice and a nutri grain bar. We have a very tight connection in Dublin, and they may not have much on the plane to London (I obviously don't mind paying for it, but he may be stuck with a scone). In T2 arrivals there seems to be nothing but a Caffe Nero, and while I can schedule the pickup with enough theoretical time for DS to run in and grab a filled roll, at that point he may have been rolling without a real breakfast for about four hours. A twenty minute train ride, directly to a train station with pubs that will put a full English in front of him, seemed like a much better plan than an hour plus car ride. An hour's wait on a platform for a train, that's theoretically coming any minute, not so much. I may be hungry, but he's going to be predictably ravenous, possibly to the point of finding it difficult to function, if no substantial food has happened, although if we're on our own schedule, I can make sure he gets into that Caffe Nero before we try to get on the train. So I'm still undecided.

The last night we are staying at the T5 Hilton. I did make an early dinner reservation for the Toby Carvery in Slough Langley (more roast dinner), which seems to be reachable by bus, although we may get a cab.

If you are in the Royal Garden Hotel, there are some charity shops on Notting Hill Gate, several on Portobello Road and a good Oxfam on Westbourne Grove; it's a wealthy area, there are some good 2nd hand clothes there.
I see a mention of bacon roll; Dishoom, near your hotel, do a fabulous breakfast with bacon naan.
I wouldn't worry about breakfast on your departure day, pick something up near the hotel.

Sorry, I see you are worried about breakfast on arrival. You are really overthinking this. Airports are full of places where you can pick up something to eat, even with a tight connection time. And they sell food on planes. You will not starve if you do not have a full English breakfast.

Normally, I'd say yeah to the overthinking. We've had issues in the past with not planning access and assuming we'd run into something.

Unfed DS is AWFUL. He knows he gets awful, too. He has some relatively minor developmental delays, but at this point is essentially a functional adult. He gets very stressed out by hunger, very quickly, and he's a very large (tall and broad) man who eats a lot. A relatively stressful situation will make him hungrier, too. If he's hungry enough, he's suddenly no longer a functional adult, and halfway to a full autistic meltdown.

If he's able to grab something in Dublin it should be fine, but our connection is only about an hour and a half, and I have wheelchair assist, so it may not be easy for him to run into something on the way to the gate. One (or even two) of Aer Lingus' scones is not going to cut it for very long, and I don't know if they're going to have sandwiches that early in the morning.

It is completely true that he doesn't need a full English to function, much as he likes them, but he does need a reasonable amount of food with some kind of protein (fish, eggs, meat, cheese). A bacon roll at some point should be enough to keep him from falling apart, but he's still going to be hungry. No bacon roll or similar and he's going to be having a very hard time, possibly at a point when I really need him to be a functional adult.

This information is shared with his permission, and he is in agreement with it. He did add that I get extremely grumpy when I'm hungry, too, so he comes by it honestly.

And thanks so much for the charity shop updates! One of DS's superpowers is finding really good stuff in them.

Could you not pack some food in your hand luggage?

There are so many places to buy food at LHR, you can pre order if you think you'll be short of time. Some places like Pret a Manger have really long lines, so pre ordering can help, collection from a dedicated collection point.

https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airp...gory=Pre-order

I probably will, but there's not too much that we can take through from Philadelphia. Something like a sandwich isn't practical, I'm assuming fruit/vegetables are forbidden, I don't really want to bring nuts/peanuts into that kind of closed environment, so I'm probably limited to something like granola bars/pastry/cookies, which will help tide him over in an emergency for a few minutes, but are only sort of real food.

If we're upgraded, we should be okay, since it's more food anyway, and he might get the chance to run into the lounge in Dublin (I have a bid in), plus we'll both be less tired and stressed out. If we're in economy, he'll be more tired and stressed, and if there's nothing by the gate, or there's a line, it may be an issue, The Pret is not in Arrivals, although it does seem to be before security, so he could be sent up there if we have time, or I suppose we could both go in search of something to eat if we're on our own schedule. The pickings in Arrivals are slim, but I'm assuming we can get to the Departure hall as long as we're landside.

I've been torn between thinking car service might be easier, and worry about holding up a driver if we're having a food emergency. Train gives us more flexibility, but if the train is a nightmare, we'll be sorry, or if he seems okay, and we decide to hold out for Paddington and it's an hour, we'll be sorry.

I know this probably seems a little obsessive, but it's been an issue a few times, he hasn't outgrown it, it's clearly not something he can control, and he's not a diabetic (in case anyone was wondering, since the reaction is so extreme). He won't lash out at anyone, but he'll suddenly become very not neurotypical, clumsy/stumbly, and emotional/weepy/uncooperative. Once he's eaten, he'll be back to normal, and usually extremely apologetic and embarrassed. We'd both like to avoid that.

There was a pay to enter arrivals lounge in T2, and if it were open, I'd just pay for that and be on our way in a couple of hours, but they don't seem to have reopened yet.

I understand. I feel like I have hypoglycemia tho never tested and if I don’t eat I get confused and very irritable. I just am careful snd always take snacks and I’m fine.

It was a couple of years ago, but we had a short connection in Dublin. I ordered a wheelchair assist for my husband. It was awesome. They picked us up in a small van, while all other passengers were on a large bus, and took us straight to our next gate. It could not have been better (except for having to listen to the political views of the porter!!). Hope it works as well for you.

How about those little packages of cheese? I take them sometimes as I also get grumpy if not fed on time. technically they should live in the fridge, but I have never had problems travelling with them. They aren't too large, but it gives you instant protein!

I may try those. I think technically you're probably not supposed to, but since It would shortly be inside DS, I think we'd get away with it.

We are probably going to go with National Express, on the advice of a Facebook friend, booked with enough buffer to let DS run into the Caffe Nero, and then cab from Victoria, which obviously has food.

We did not book the Builder's Arms, for various reasons, and do have a booking for the Prince of Wales, Kensington, which is a Greene King, and cheaper and simpler if nothing else. Also willing to feed DS a roast. Afterwards we have tickets for the Natural History Museum.

I'm now trying to plan around the cold weather. We're used to it, but it means we need different coats than were planned, and I'm trying to decide if it would be odd to wear a fur (fur in question is vintage, and not terribly high end, but it is identifiably a full length fur coat).

Been away for a few days and didn't see all the food discussions.

Take some Keebler PB snack crackers and/or Baby Bells from home and pick a couple of sandwiches, after security at PHL??? Put everything in his carry on. Then no matter what the connection at DUB ends up he'll have real food.

Also -- World Market/Cost Plus and other shops carry a lot of shelf stable cheeses/cold cuts/salami/etc. which can be carried in a carryon.

Thanks!

I'll take a look. I used to carry Go Picnics, but they don't really seem to be around anymore. I think an actual sandwich would be pretty bedraggled by the time it hit London, but if I see something decent and we're in economy I may grab it with the idea that he might want it after that tiny airline dinner. We'll usually eat something before we get on as well, and that shouldn't be a problem time wise.

I don't want PB or nuts, because I don't think he should eat them on a plane, or even a bus.

I had been thinking Baby Bells probably wouldn't get us into trouble, and would help, so I may just do that, or something like string cheese.

I do have a small amount of Euro, so if he has any time at all in Dublin, he can just run in and buy something quickly, and not worry about using a card.

We are in and out of the same terminal in Dublin (T2), so we should be able to stay airside, but I have no idea how far apart the gates are. and getting anywhere in that terminal felt like a horrific slog when we went through in May (which is why I requested the assist).

And my final update!

I hope. We think we have our ducks in a row.

DS has discovered the existence of Camden Market. We're probably going to visit it on Saturday. I think he's planning on eating half the market.

I had kind of wanted to book some kind of theatre or ballet, but we couldn't make up our minds.

We do not seem to be upgraded. This is extremely frustrating, since we WON THE UPGRADE, and I had stupidly given a debit rather than a credit. My bank declined it twice, for security reasons, and I have not been able to get anyone at Aer Lingus who can do anything about it. I've also given the bank a piece of my mind, but it's not like they can force Aer Lingus to give me another chance to pay for it.

We got the upgrade!

I have no idea if any of the conversations I had yesterday with large unhelpful organizations did anything, but the upgrade company seems to have tried one more time, and my bank finally decided to cooperate.

I always feel guilty about spending the money, but we'll have a better first day or two, and it removes a lot of the anxiety about making sure DS has food. I'll probably still pack a snack, but I'm much happier.

If DS is a foodie then he will love Camden Market! It is one of our regular haunts. We often cycle there on a Saturday the range of food on those stalls is amazing. I doubt there is any area of the world not covered. Warning - Camden will be v busy on a Saturday be prepared for crowds!

DS LOVES to eat and is very adventurous.

He's very excited. We're going to try for fairly early, although I figure most of these places are going to be crowded.