How do I get the tube in London?

[sunshineandstarsgirl]

My family friend lives nearly 90 minutes from London. I want to visit her this month. I live near Manchester. I need to catch a tube from London Euston to London St Pancras International. And then a train to her place. To be honest, I have no idea what a tube is. How do I catch a tube from London Euston to London St Pancras International? I haven't travelled much in my life.
I will be going alone on this trip.

Don’t be so bloody ridiculous. There are armed police all over the UK and they certainly aren’t there to make French travellers feel at home. Hilarious you think that actually

I go to St Pancras all the time and travel regularly on the Eurostar for work. I’ve never seen armed police at the station. They were more frequent on the actual train on the way to Paris when the terrorism threat was higher.

There are armed police all over the UK

I've seen them at Bluewater and in the centre of Canterbury.

(The Canterbury ones might have been there to defend the cathedral against rampaging parties of French schoolchildren 😁)

ETA I have seen them at St P, I suppose in response to a specific threat, as with the Bluewater and Canterbury instances.

Why Bluewater? Were they going to shoot anyone wearing a hoodie, as Bluewater famously banned them some years ago?

I hope the OP has been helped and reassured, but this thread does make me wonder how many of us have never been to London?

Why Bluewater? Were they going to shoot anyone wearing a hoodie, as Bluewater famously banned them some years ago?

I don't know😀

I only saw them that one time, and that was a good many years ago. I vaguely recall that it was not long before Christmas, so I suppose there was an increased threat level at the time.

(How many other countries are there where seeing armed police is so unusual that it's something you notice and remember years later?)

Agree. Armed police pop up regularly at major London stations.

None the less I have never seen them so my original statement is correct!

Is “It’s quicker to walk” the new “cancel the cheque”? 🤔

You think that you are correct in saying we pay for armed police to greet French tourists so they will “feel at home”? Bizarre

There are armed response units all over the UK, as well as armed police at airports, ferry ports, power stations so no, your statement is incorrect

You think that you are correct in saying we pay for armed police to greet French tourists so they will “feel at home”? Bizarre

Surely it was just tongue in cheek?

If you are a lazy arse like me you could get the number 30 or 73 bus between stations.

Have a lovely visit and I hope your friend can show you around the lovely parts of the Kent countryside.

Fellow Kentish person? I think the armed police at Bluewater was when they’d had a bombing threat or plot that was foiled, if I remember correctly.

I grew up using the Tube (I didn't live in London, but we visited a lot and I like maps and solving puzzles). But as an adult, occasionally showing people around London, I have realised how confusing it is.

You have about 12 lines, with colours that are often sort of similar to each other, and all they have is a name. You need to know if you are going to a station that is north or south of where you currently are. Then you get the Overground (sometimes) and the other BR lines (slightly less often) overlaid on the map.

If you are on a platform at somewhere like Farringdon a train can come along and it could be the Metropolitan, Circle, or Hammersmith & City line. But the train often doesn't indicate the name of the line on the front - it only says the terminus station (ditto the information boards). And that could often be one of three stations for the same line depending on the time of day. Quick, this train signed to West Ham (short of Barking at the end of the H&C line), does it also go to Mile End?

This is nobody's fault. All large public transport networks are built for the regular users and the Tube, in particular, suffers from all kinds of "Why did they do that??" moments, to which the answer is "Two companies were competing back in 1910". But it really isn't easy for a first-timer.

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