Searched all over for cheap European destinations, but most had hidden fees that bumped the price way up. A lot of Scandinavian Viking museums are closed for refurbishment at the moment, so we turned to London for a UK city break. Picked out a few museums and landmarks that I’ve not yet seen and travelled down on Sunday 7th by train.
Found The Fast Show’s Paul Whitehouse in Piccadilly train station.
Suit you, sir.
On the train on the way down, I looked through my London list – which is several years old and has been updated as time has gone on – and realised several things.
1) Avanti Wi-Fi is shit. But at least they had USB sockets.
2) The Gherkin tower and restaurant would be closed until Tuesday.
3) The Film Museum had permanently closed.
4) The Cinema Museum was only open on Saturdays.
5) The Museum of London – that holds certain Viking artefacts I really wanted to look at – has been closed since 2022 and won’t reopen until 2026.
6) There was a tube strike starting at 6pm.
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| Euston | |
Well, anyway, on arrival we managed to find Museum of London Docklands hosting a mudlarking exhibition. This curated display featured an array of artefacts – some centuries old – that had been preserved in the mud. Boots, clothes, work tools, ancient ritualistic masks, weaponry, statues and pottery had either been left there or had drifted the currents from Europe and found itself lodged in the estuary. Mudlarkers, people who trawl the coastline ,would routinely pull these things out for analysis.
Very interesting.
As was the planned government alert that went off on everyone’s phones while we were in the cafe.
We then got on the Docklands Light Railway – not striking – where a woman had her trousers on inside out. Hipster or dementia patient? Hard to tell in 2025.
Stopping at Canary Wharf, a mild 26ºC, we stopped at Brera cafe for a Vitamin C mocktail and American pancakes.
Looking at my list, it wasn’t difficult to get the bus (the driver waved me on with my Manchester bus pass, which I didn’t think he would) to the Olympic Park in Stratford, where Team GB dominated in 2012.
Zipworld London, not actually a zipline, is a 76m tall, 178m slide inside the ArcelorMittal Orbit. £17 on entry. Knee and elbow pads, and a sack, are all provided at the top of the slide. A clip-on camera will capture your descent for an extra £5, but it’s that dark in the tunnel that it wouldn’t be worth it. You need your hands to hold the sack, so I wouldn’t risk doing it on your own phone. Exhilarating, but over in a flash.
Headed over to YHA Thameside, budget but respectable hotel. Dropped off some stuff, then found Canada Water Cafe. I had the garlic bread starter and pappardelle with short rib ragu. Great but hugely filling.
Then it was time for a steady traverse via bus to Euston again. At least you see a bit more of the city this way, rather than the insides of a tube tunnel.
Would be great to get back there again when the strikes have been settled, and on days when attractions are open.
