Londoners: wheelchair friendly route to Leicester Square?

[BlueyS3]

I've been Googling/using TFL journey planner but sometimes it's easier to sense check with a local!

On Saturday DD and I are heading to Leicester Square, need to be there for noon. DD is a (very small) wheelchair user. We are out of towners but pretty confident and used to London transport. If we didn't have DD/a wheelchair I would jump on our local train into London which would get us to Marylebone and get the tube from there to LS but none of those tubes are wheelchair friendly!

TFL recommends getting the 453 bus (20mins) to Piccadilly Circus and then walking (10mins) which is doable. I don't love getting the bus with the wheelchair but I've done it before so that's fine - but it'll be hot hot hot on Saturday and so I'm wondering if this is the best plan?

An alternative would be to drive; not into Leicester Square because that's a horrid place to drive but we have free congestion charge/ULEZ and a blue badge for parking so it's easy to drive to say Hyde Park where parking is free to blue badge holders; then walk to Bond Street and get the central line to Tottenham Court Road which is a ten min walk away. Is that crazy?

Any other ideas? Thanks!

Piccadilly circus really isn't a 10 minute walk to Leicester square, it's much closer. Definitely less of a push than walking from hyde park to bond street and Tottenham court road to Leicester square. I also think you'd be struggling to do Tottenham court to Leicester square in ten minutes.... especially with a wheelchair

I'd take the bus option

Download an app called CityMapper, put in your route, scroll down to step free 👍👍👍

Or, could you push from Charing cross, or Tottenham court road on the Elizabeth Line. Go to train times.org.uk and you may find it's easier to do rail.

But basically, I love CityMapper 👍

That can't be more than a couple of miles. I'd get a black cab

Have you checked Google maps on the wheelchair accessible option? Often I think it is better

If you are driving there's some parking in soho walking distance to Leicester Square, you used to be able to park on Charing Cross road even but I've not done it for a very long time. I presume you have a blue badge so any non red route should be ok. I've often parked in a ncp behind Marble Arch too.

Personally I found city mapper much more of a pain than google maps

You are probably right tbh. A big (lazy) part of me wanted the excuse to drive closer rather than get the train from our local station 😅

The bus option is likely the most efficient. Do you really want to be going on the tube on a super hot day, it'll just be hotter in the tube 🤦‍♀️.

And as the PP said Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square it probably quicker than 10 minutes but likely depends on number of the pedestrians and how much people dodging is required

I'd suggest a black cab if you want maximum ease and convenience and you won't get hot and sweaty from walking!

I will check out both city mapper and the Google maps accessible suggestions too - thanks.

Black cab probably is an option; I've never done that with a wheelchair and am normally a stickler obsessed with car seats so don't know how I feel about it. Do they have anchor points for the wheelchair? Do they all accept card payments?

I drove into town recently and parked in Chinatown and it was horrid which is why I was thinking of parking further out.

If it's a smaller, non motorised, wheelchair then I'd go with a black cab. They are all wheelchair accessible. It won't be the cheapest option, but i personally would do everything possible to avoid the bus.

If you don't want to use a taxi the other option is a tourist sight seeing bus. They are a lot less crammed and you won't be contending with people standing in the aisles and wheelchair area. The blue Toot Bus routine goes direct been the two, and you can use club card vouchers for tickets. Plus maybe do some sightseeing if you have the time.

Walking wise. It's not too far and I can't think of any stepped areas. But with the heat, tourists and the amount of roads you'll need to cross. It's probably not the best option.

The bus 453 is the easiest, its an easy walk to LSq

Personally I'd be tempted to walk from Marylebone into Leicester square (at 26 minutes according to google) and taxi back to the station after.

But then I used to regularly walk Victoria to GOSH with DS' thumping great big thing wheeled thing and sometimes walk back too just to avoid the need for busses etc. But I'm not sure that so good in this heat

Don't forget the Elizabeth line which is air conditioned and goes to TCR. I don't know what parking is like at Paddington but you probably do? Google is saying a 16 min walk between Marylebone & Pad which may be too much?

I wouldn't touch a tourist bus with a wheelchair. Expensive hot and not the easiest thing with a wheelchair

We have bussed all over London. Whilst taxi is undoubtedly easiest, buses are relatively cheap and totally doable

There is,train strike saturday. You might not get into london

tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes

Hey fellow Blue Badge (Londoner) here too.

By far your most stress free method would be black taxi, they're all very much geared up for it snd in my experience to date, unfailingly helpful.

Alternatively yes driving is definitely possible and there are many NCP or non red route parking options available to you.

In terms of walking/pushing to access Leicester Sq then Charing Cross is not a world away, has great wide pavement access at perimeter of Trafalgar Sq with walkways leading right into Leicester Square. It's not too bad a walk tbh. But I do understand how unnerving it can be at times , my last trip that way (with a wheelchair user) was good fun and no obstacles to navigate really. Leicester sq does get busy so do keep your wits about you- but most of all whichever route you take-have a great visit!

Yeah just spotted this on the National Rail app which I use. The tube is ok though right?

I don't know what parking is like near Paddington but I'm willing to bet it's fine. On a Saturday with a Blue Badge anywhere outside the very centre is usually find.

I had forgotten the Elizabeth line because it doesn't appear on the tube map app I use!! So thanks for that.

@DoubleShotEspresso in a black cab do you just use the wheelchair brakes? Or an anchor? DD is a very small 5 yo (size of a 3yo) so I'm a bit uncomfortable about the idea of her travelling in a 'car' without a car seat.

Yes brakes and seatbelt around . My obsessiveness usually also wedges one foot on the front frame (I sit opposite). Never had an issue.
Also traffic in the areas you refer to interns of speed these days is so restricted I'd highly doubt there's much risk of major impacts, you're basically travelling at 20mph or less most of the time between traffic lights. Even Park Lane these days!

Ah yes, because the seats fold up you can put the seatbelt around the wheelchair? That is really useful to know and makes me feel a lot better! And yes, I know you are right regarding the lower speeds too.

If you have concerns re size and may possibly need to travel further I wouldn't for 3 to size recommend this for anything other than a very short distance.
If you have all the relevant cat seats and wheelchair in your car that may be your absolute safest option.

3 year old *