AIBU to be scared to go to London!

[LifesABeachCoaster]

I have only been to London once and that was with a city savvy friend who had planned everything.

I have just purchased Fleetwood Mac tickets for Wembley for my DP and now I have no clue what to do.

I will be staying in a hotel in NW2. So I need to get a train to Paddington Stop H? What is this Stop H? How many stops are in Paddington, is it not just one station?

I am worried because I have bad anxiety about things like this. Does anyone care to plan my trip!?

Try Kabbee as an taxi app it sets a price and that’s it,price won’t surge or hike up

It's a shame you are staying in Cricklewood. There are so many lovely parts of London where you could have walked everywhere.

Not all "country folk" get scared of travelling to a big city, FFS.

London is SO easy to get around by bus or tube and people even speak English to you if you ask!

@LifesABeachCoaster oh that's good! I was worried about that but you will have a much better time now!

My advice is use Googlemaps and try to walk as much as possible when you are in central London / seeing a show. Some visitors use the tube to go one or two stops - eg Piccadilly Circus to Covent Garden - which is silly. It involves way more stress and crowds, plus more expense and feeling lost. You will feel much more in control seeing where you are going, looking around and understanding how locations fit together.

I hope you have a great time xx

@PiperPublickOccurences

Would you mind linking or quoting where I said all country folk are scared of travelling to a big city because I cant find where I said that

Thanks x

Not piper but she was referring to another poster who said country folk can get scared when travelling to a big city, not that all country folk always do.

I lived in Ldn and it’s not “easy” to get around.the scale and numerous modes of transport are initially daunting, it took me a while
Stop giving LifesABeach a hard time,it’s quite sensible to ask for prior advice
most Londoners know their own bit and surrounding area but not all of it and certainly not all journeys

I was gonna say! Sure I didn't say that lol

* I feel much safer walking through a feild in the middle of nowhere in the dark then I do navigating myself across London! *
. DH is like this as he grew up in the country.

I on the other hand who grew up in london can't go for a country walk on my own as I get lost so easily in the countryside. I also loathe walking in the dark in the countryside and get really really anxious. DH sometimes suggests a walk inthe dark to look at the stars when we are holidaying somewhere in the countryside thinking he is being romantic, I pretty much always refuse as I don't find it romantic at all , just scary!! DH finds this most puzzling but he used to get very tense and unhappy travelling around London as I point out to him.

Op - glad you are feeling happier. Do spend some time sightseeing in Central London if you can fit it in on your break. It is easier to navigate public transport in London at your leisure rather than when you have a specific place to be and you might find it helps you be less anxious if you need /want to visit London again in the future.

Plus there is masses to see and do so worth the effort I think. It would be a pity to stay in Wembley and that be all you see of the capital.

Aw your OH is going to be so excited Christmas morning :)

I'm really pleased you've got a hotel right by the Stadium, you'll be so grateful to have done that after the show. I live in the suburbs so always have to get tube/train home from Wembley and it's a crowded ballache.

There's a huge shopping centre by Wembley now, so loads of great food options. Enjoy!

So glad you got the Premier Inn sorted OP and you sound lovely - what a fabulous and thoughtful gift!

You'll love London once you get there I'm sure and it will be great to just have a short walk back to the hotel after the concert.

If you buy a Two Together Railcard you will save 1/3 on rail travel and also get discounts on London attractions and travelcards

thetrainhacker.com/railcards/two-together-railcard/

If you have Tesco clubcard vouchers you can use them to pay for the railcard and also towards Uber

Can dp not take charge if you are anxious?

Thanks Snapped! (love the username, that was a great thread)

I will look into that.

I am going to get tickets for Wicked too!

@snog She is worse than me. I will be fine, especially after a few cocktails I'm sure

I live near to Cricklewood OP and the Crown is a lovely hotel with a great pool , bar and restaurant and Cricklewood is also perfectly nice and as safe as the rest of London. The hotel has a large underground car park, so I would suggest driving to the hotel, have a swim, dinner in the restaurant and then Uber to Wembley and back or a straight forward bus trip. The best day there is a gorgeous park v nearby (another Uber less than £5 or even shorted bus trip) called Gladstone Park where you can have an autumn walk and a sweet cafe and for cake and coffee. You will have a wonderful time. I honest wouldn't bother faffing with the train and underground, Cricklewood doesn't have much traffic and it is easily accessible from the A406.

Ah just saw you changed the hotel, in my view that's a mistake. The Crown is a really good hotel (great service and lovely rooms) and premier inns are always soulless and generally dull. Hope you enjoy your trip though

dont go to wembley central its further go to wembley park on jubilee or metropilaton line

like i said about food before the show just get some dinner early it will be very busy the last time i went to concert i waited hour and ahalf for a table and all the restaurants were the same round there

I always view a trip to London to be about being out and about doing stuff. All I want is a clean bed and a shower. Premier Inn are generally reliable on that front and a comfy bed to boot. If I want a lovely hotel experience I do that in the countryside where it's more relaxed and you are likely to spend time in your room. In London I'm up early, out and about, come back to get showered and changed then out for the evening. Come back, go to bed then repeat :). Obviously if I had endless cash then it might be different and we all value different things.

Practically, the Wembley hotel is going to be so much better. Yes, PI's are a little soulless, but you're sleeping there and having a spot of breakfast, that's all.

If your fiancee is a little anxious of crowds, etc, you are far better to be within walking distance of your hotel.

The crowds after a football match are bad (70,000 people all exiting at the same time), but after a concert are even worse (90,000!). Uber would have been a lot more expensive than it's suggesting now, and it would have taken hours with the Wembley traffic after a show. The tube would have then been your best option, then walking from Willesden Green, but again, the crowds getting to the station are overwhelming - think sardines - and that's just outside trying to get in!

Getting back in to London the next day for some sightseeing is easy peasy. Just hop on the tube at Wembley Park and head for Baker Street - lots of tube lines cross through there, so London is then your oyster(card)!

Should you chose to go anywhere by bus, Citymapper can not only plan the journey, but ALSO it can track your journey stop by stop and alerts you prior to the stop you have to get off. Also be aware you will need either an oyster or contactless card to use buses or underground, no cash is taken. Have fun !

Get a black cab not an Uber, it won't be much more and you'll be a lot safer plus they know LONDON

Jeez no don’t get a black cab too expensive Book a mini cab via Kabbee app see Kabbee website

Def lower cost than a black cab and not subject to surges unlike Uber

Is the hotel booked? If not I would google olaces to stay near Stanmore station. It's about 4 stops up from Wembley and would be easier to drive to from the M25 so you can drive to there then just train it very easily
To Wembley and back.

how about Megabus? super cheap
uk.megabus.com/journey-planner/journeys?days=1&concessionCount=0&departureDate=2019-01-09&destinationId=56&inboundDepartureDate=2019-01-11&inboundOtherDisabilityCount=0&inboundPcaCount=0&inboundWheelchairSeated=0&nusCount=0&originId=20&otherDisabilityCount=0&pcaCount=0&totalPassengers=1&wheelchairSeated=0