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!?

Christ don't get a black cab. The only people I know of who get them are business people who can expense it. For e.g a typical fare of £8 with a cab company or Uber, will be £24 with a black cab.

Wow, what a rigmarole! Give me London over a random insular small town any day.

I note the horrible comments. Yes, I know. I am acting like a child.

When you grow up in the welsh countryside and never visit large cities it is a little scary, and thankfully the world (and mumsnet) is full of friendly and helpful people who have made great suggestions.

Being mean isn't helpful and just not very nice. You could have just closed the thread and ignored it

In all my years in MN, this has to be one of the most decent, measured, assured, sesnsible, sane and downright nice riposte to wankers ever.

In case you weren't aware, all public transport in London takes contactless, so no need to bother with oyster cards etc.

I saw Fleetwood Mac at the O2 a few years back - fabulous!

I'd go by train instead of coach for such a long journey so you can walk around even upgrade to first class for not too much extra for added comfort get the railcard mentioned up thread, they last for 12 months and come quickly so you can order it closer to the time and then cheap train fares are released 12 weeks before the date of travel. You can also get 241 on lots of London attractions if you travel by train.

I often take DD to London in the summer I find it very easy to get around, everything is well signposted and there are maps outside most tube stations showing where you are. If we can't leave our bags at the hotel then we leave them at the left luggage kiosk at the train station (most of the big ones have this facility) it costs about £10 for 24hrs and then grab it before we get our train home. I'd recommend visiting the Tower of London if you have time.

Also search youtube because there are lots of videos aimed at travellers showing how to get around various cities.

When travelling by public transport avoid rush hour like the plague. Enjoy your breakfast and head out a little later and you may well find you have an entire carriage to yourselves. If the platform is a little busy if you walk to either end the carriages tend to be less full.

Great that you changed hotel, nothing against the crown but now you are in the right area for your gig, as others said getting back after a big gig is a pain (and Cricklewood is a shit hole, yes I have been there).

Don't use black cabs! Uber's are fine and a fraction of the price.

Good luck. Have an amazing time!

OP, do you not have Uber in Wales? I thought it was all over the world these days?

Anyway, just download the app on your phone.

When you order the Uber it tells you how much it will be before you confirm. It shows a map of where the nearest taxi is; time to get to you; type / reg / colour of car and drivers name and tel no; plus a map of where the car is in relation to you and the route to where you’re going.

Do you not have Uber where you are? Do you have a phone?

Do you not have Uber where you are? Do you have a phone?

I live in a City in the UK - we don't have Uber. We invented the telephone but we let you folks use it.

Apologies, I just presumed Uber was everywhere because drivers often tell me they get people wanting to go to places like Scotland (from London) and sometimes they have to turn trips down.

I live near a city in the uk. We don't have Uber

Londoners minds =blown

Good luck OP and have a fantastic time. I’m from Cardiff and have quite often wandered around Paddington a few times to make sure I’m going for the tube in the direction I actually want

You can use contactless debit cards to pay so no need to stress about tickets etc.

wanting to go to places like Scotland - there is nowhere like Scotland....:o

There are Uber places in Scotland and presumably non Uber place in RUK

We don't have Uber where I live. Nor do we have ticket barriers at the train station, tickets are also either brought from the conductor or a machine outside the station. Just about got contactless on some buses I think but that's very new.

A bus gets you from Cricklewood to Willesden Green station, then only a few stops on the Jubilee line. Even at night buses will be at least every 10 minutes.

Just beware of Ken Livingstone walking his dog as he lives near where you are staying, unless he has moved recently.

There are a lot worse areas than Cricklewood!!

I thought Uber had been banned in London?

I am not sure what parking is like at Paddington however we drive to Wembley stadium from Surrey, pay to park on someone's drive (literally about a 5/10 min walk from the stadium using the just park app for about £20 and although there is traffic it takes about 15 mins tops to get going onto the main motorway to get home! So much easier than the train/tube which can get very busy. I also suffer with anxiety and find driving makes me feel a lot more relaxed, we even drove to the 02 last time although the traffic there was quite bad getting out.

shes staying at the pi!

i personally wouldnt pay over a 100 to stay in that one always go to harrow pi and tube it in but im used to the tube

I just spent a week in the Welsh countryside and had to walk across a field with cows in it. I was bloody terrified. I've lived in London all my life and cows scare me! And it was getting dark and no street lights and I was really anxious about the cows. So I completely understand, OP, from the other perspective!

Walking around on my own in the countryside is unimaginable to me. I would be scared stiff.

Am quite happy to bus and walk around many parts of London 24/7.

It's what you're used to innit.

I wasn't on my own! That is a whole new level of cow/field terror. I was very glad to have DH with me who is experienced in the ways of the countryside. DD who is also a little Londoner was as frightened as I was if not more so. She was very brave, though.

And yes, I'm completely unworried in the vast majority of London on my own at any time of day or night.