Getting Around Greater London

at the moment the mayor's office are promoting cycling in london, and have produced a number of cycle maps which cover the whole of greater london. They are all free, just go onto the Transport for London website and follow the links to order them. I have lived in and around london for 5 years and they have helped me find loads of new places. The TFL website can also help plan journeys around the city by public transport.

Definitely book your ticket from here: www.southernrailway.com

Current offers - travel from London Victoria to Brighton for as little as £3.00 each way!!

To take advantage of this super deal you need to book your Advance ticket online before 30th April.

Select the time of travel, and a range of fares will pop up.

*** Use the same URL for your Gatwick to Victoria train, at similar prices. Journey time: 20 minutes.

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As long as you avoid the rush hours, travelling by Underground is not too bad. Admittedly passengers do not give up their seats to the elderly even if the seat is labelled as such. No-one wants to make eye contact, so the regular travellers hide behind newspapers and books.
Away from the centre of town the trains travel above ground which is more pleasant and less claustrophobic.
Nowadays the Oyster card is a time saver as you just touch the designated spot- you don't even need to remove it from its wallet- and go in , instead of fiddling with putting your ticket into slot. To top up the card when credit is getting low, just go to the screen and use your credit card, or go to the tcket window and pay as much as you want. Even if you leave the country and come back later, as long as you have the card, you just continue using it. It works out cheaper than buying tickets.

As most people agree the fastest , but not the cheapest, way to get around London is by Underground.
Buses are Ok but finding the right route can be confusing, and tickets should be purchased before boarding. The old cry' Any more Tickets,please.' and 'Move along , please' are long gone. Everything has become impersonal and cost effective.
Driving is a nightmare. Streets are congested; new cycle lanes [far too narrow for safety] and bus lanes have reduced the lanes for the cars. Congestion charges and emission free signs indicate that the motorist [especially large and 4-wheel drive owner] is having to pay more in these zones..and then when you do arrive , where do you park?
The beauty of central London is that in fine weather walking is so much easier and faster.

From London you can travel by Express Coach from Victoria Coach Station to Oxford. Coaches depart every 30 minutes.
You can also take the train from Paddington.

Bath can be reached by train from Paddington. (regular trains).

I prefer Oxford as there is more to do.
Both cities are easily reached.
Have a nice day!!

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Me and my hubby had been on a very uneventful trip to Greenwich one Sunday. We were going to get a look at and take some some photos of The Cutty Sark, and then look around the market there, but we couldn't find anywhere to park.
So once we had left there, we drove into Woolwich. Chris knows this area very well as he used to bring his kids here to see their mum, when she lived here with her girlfriend.

Anyway, the most fun thing here to do is; ride from one side of the Thames to the other on the Ferry, Which is exactly what we done. We queued up, got on, went from this side to that, took a couple of photos of the Tate and Lyle factory, and my very first sight of Canary Wharf as it is now, along with the Thames Barrier.

This was quite fun, and quite a laugh for us. There was some long haired bloke on there with an ancient Ford Anglia, and he actually got out of his car to take photos of the Thames barrier. I wondered if he was a member of VT?! It's only silly buggers like us on here that usually do things like that! hahahahaha ;)

Monday 6.10am to 8pm, two boats
(10-minute service)
Tuesday 6.10am to 8pm, two boats
(10-minute service)
Wednesday 6.10am to 8pm, two boats
(10-minute service)
Thursday 6.10am to 8pm, two boats
(10-minute service)
Friday 6.10am to 8pm, two boats
(10-minute service)
Saturday 6.10am to 8pm, one boat
(15-minute service)
Last trip South - North 7.45pm
Sunday 11.30am to 7.30pm, one boat
(15-minute service)
Last trip South - North 7.15pm

Restrictions
There is a maximum height restriction of 4.7 metres, or 15.5 feet, and a maximum width restriction of 3.5 metres, or 11.5 feet.

Abnormal loads
Those needing special arrangements for abnormal loads should contact the ferry manager on the telephone number listed on the right. Vehicles displaying Hazchem signs are prohibited.

World famous and trendy, the tubes is what the Brits call their subway system. The Underground consists of 12 lines of the 'tube' extending as far as Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Heathrow with over a half-dozen major tube stations at larger main-line train stations. The underground runs from roughly 5:30-midnight, though later in some areas. It's divided into 6 concentric zones - with basic fare for Zone 1 at 2 quid for adults, and 60p for kids; to cross all 6 zones, its about 3.80/1.50. Getting travelcards are the best budget. The tube is the world's oldest (1863) and most extensive (253 miles) and busiest (785 million journeys a year) underground transport system in the world. It is also the most unreliable yet most effective mode of transport around London. It's symbol and map has become a icon of London itself and was created by Henry Beck in 1931 who received 5 guineas (5.25 quids) for his design.

If you are in the Central London sigtseeing and plan to walk....carry a map with you and the note the nearest tube station.

You will find unnamed streets, very small streets, one street rounding up to another one.