It can be hard work holidaying with teens. Even more so when your destination is a soggy Lake District rather than the Instagram perfect beach of their dreams. Fear not, if you’re in the Lakes, and you’ve managed to lure them out of bed before noon, why not try one of the following:
Continue reading Five things to do with teens around Coniston, Cumbria
We recently completed another item on my UK bucket list and spent a week on Anglesey in North Wales.
Anglesey is the largest island in Wales and has plenty of tourist attractions for all ages. Read on to find out what we enjoyed most about the island.
Continue reading 10 things our family enjoyed on the Isle of Anglesey
My kids have been wanting to ride the new Emirates Air Line (cable car across the Thames, in plain speak) in London ever since they first heard about it. My difficulty was trying to work out what else to combine the trip with. It doesn’t really link up with much in the way of attractions, unless you happen to be visiting its next door neighbour, the O2 arena.
Taking the “it’s better to travel than arrive” approach I eventually decided we should do exactly that – spend a day travelling in London using as many different types of transport as possible. Whilst my 7 year old son was excited, it was a harder sell to my tween daughter, but the prospect of a hearty fried breakfast, a boat trip and a ride on a cable car won her round.
So, what did we do?
You can start near enough anywhere in London. Our arrival station was Paddington, so it should have been a relatively straightforward trip on the Bakerloo line to Embankment. However we made a detour to the Regency Cafe in Pimlico for the aforementioned fried breakfast. This added a fair amount of walking, and more than a few minutes trying to decipher Google maps, so whilst the cafe was first class I wouldn’t try to combine it with this trip again.
We boarded the Thames Clipper at the Embankment. The Clipper is a regular everyday commuting boat so there’s no tourist commentary, which from my perspective is no bad thing. It’s also a heck of a lot cheaper than a dedicated sightseeing cruise. You buy your tickets before you get on the boat, from a booth alongside the pier. Once on board there’s a snack bar and toilets.
We were the only passengers for most of the journey so the children had a front seat view. They were incredibly excited to begin with, pointing out the attractions they knew such as HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge, although this tailed off a little when we reached a long stretch of river with no obvious landmarks. Fortunately the pilot sped up and the trip took on a more exciting, James Bond-like, feel! At Greenwich you can see the restored Cutty Sark and then it’s just a short hop to the cable car.
Despite its glorified name the Air Line is a cable car built, as you’ll probably guess, with sponsorship from a major airline. Opened in 2012, the journey across the Thames takes about 10 minutes, although this is reduced to 5 minutes at peak travel times.
Even though it was half term there were no queues, and we were able to have an entire car to ourselves. Boarding is straightforward, and then you’re off into the sky. For the first minute or so the kids were a little nervous, unwilling to move in case they rocked the car. However they soon realised it was pretty solid and that the doors were unlikely to open mid-flight to deposit them into the Thames. The views over the O2 and back towards the City are fantastic and even though we visited on a gloomy day it’s well worth the money.
For those of you unfamiliar with the DLR, the trains travel above ground, often on elevated stretches. It is operated through a computer system so there are no drivers.
We’ve been on the DLR a few times now, and the plan is always to sit in the front seats in the front carriage. The kids liken the ride to a roller coaster, although it would be a pretty tame ride in my opinion! Regardless, they enjoy throwing their arms up in the air at the slightest hint of a slope or bend.
The number 15 heritage bus route uses the traditional Routemaster buses, with a conductor on board and an open back platform. The bus takes about 25 minutes to reach Trafalgar Square, passing the Monument and St Pauls Cathedral on the way. If I’m honest, the ride was rather bumpy and I’d probably opt for the modern buses in future, but it was a fun experience.
Back to Paddington for our mainline train home – standing room only for the entire journey!
Our travels lasted around 3.5 hours, although we were very lucky with almost immediate connections and an absence of any queues. You can really mix and match the transport options in any way you like – or even add in others, such as a London cab or a Boris bike (for the brave). Whilst all of the transport options above are well signposted and connect well with each other it’s probably best to bring a map too, in case you want to make any detours.
We liked the Clipper because it went fast, and the cable car because it was high.
Surprisingly affordable. We travelled to London on the train so our Travelcard included the underground, DLR and bus travel. It also entitled us to discounts on the Emirates Air Line and Thames Clipper.
If you don’t have a Travelcard (or Oyster Card) an adult single ticket for the Air Line costs £4.50, and £7.15 for a one way journey on the Clipper. Accompanied children under 10 travel free on the underground, DLR, and at a reduced rate on the Air Line and Thames Clipper.
