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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to delay trip to London?

38 replies

Charlotteremains · 28/05/2023 10:40

Typically we’ve booked to go Wednesday and come back Sunday.
How bad is it likely to be on Sunday?
We can’t get there Wednesday on the train but DH is suggesting we go Tuesday to Sunday (I’m not keen, I think five nights with two small kids is a lot in London) but even if so how bad will it be getting back on Sunday? The football match is on on Saturday night.
I’ve suggested Thursday to Sunday, two full days with young primary aged dc feels enough to me anyway, but again - the issue is the Sunday.
We can cancel / move the hotel. I’ve suggested we just move it to the summer holiday but DH is adamant and is now looking at driving on Wednesday. It would be three hours for us even under normal conditions.

anyone got any advice around how tricky this journey is likely to be?

OP posts:

Singleandproud · 28/05/2023 10:51

Extra days in London will be fine,
spread out what you were intending to do so it isn't so overwhelming for the DC. Why do you think they won't cope?

Lots of amazing parks in London, you could easily spend all day at the Olympic Park, there's a sand and water play park and a woodland ropes one further up as well as fountains to run in and normal play parks too and the Olympic swimming pool.

You could do a whole day at Greenwich, observatory, planetarium, cutty sark, walk under the Thames tunnel.

London zoo is a whole day event.

Comtesse · 28/05/2023 10:53

If you are staying in Wembley or nearby it will be busy, but that’s it….

LittleBearPad · 28/05/2023 10:54

It will be fine. Take a train later in the day when any strike related disruption is likely to have sorted itself out. Loads to do with children in London and some of it can be quite relaxing ie take a boat up the Thames. Or play in a playground.

Rampantukulele · 28/05/2023 10:54

I would probably aim for a middayish train back out on sunday and it'll be fine.

Original poster

Charlotteremains · 28/05/2023 10:54

Yeah, I didn’t really want to go and got bullied into it. I definitely don’t want to do an extra night.
We are looking at driving down now!
Wednesday trains are gone completely.

OP posts:

Callyem · 28/05/2023 10:55

You dont seem to want to go at all. London isn't for everyone I suppose but there is so much for your children to do, and presumably you agreed to the trip at one point. If you drive down, you could park at Oakwood or Cockfosters Station near junction 24 of M25 and on the picadilly line, or High Barnet on the northern line.

Saschka · 28/05/2023 10:56

The FA cup final won’t make any difference at all, unless you are staying in Wembley Park.

The strike will - not in London itself, which will have normal tubes/buses etc running, but you will not get a train to London on Wednesday. Thursday to Sunday should be fine - the trains will be in the wrong place at 5am, but by lunchtime it should be sorted out and running fairly normally.

BusMumsHoliday · 28/05/2023 10:57

Hard to say how bad Sunday will be. I live in outer London on a national rail route. On days after strikes, the trains usually start late (might not be until 10am on a Sunday) and the first few will be extra busy. I'd hope things would be more settled by early afternoon but because of overtime bans etc it may not.

Good news - if you're going to Wolverhampton, you've got more options because you could go indirect to Birmingham, and on from there on a local service. Not ideal, I know, with kids and trains, but possible.

Sceptre86 · 28/05/2023 10:57

Your issue is that you don't want to go. If you got 'bullied' into it then you've got bigger problems than this and need to deal with them. Driving 3 hours isn't a particularly long journey. You sound very overwhelmed with it all which makes sense as you don't want to go. It's London, not a foreign country, its busy yes but it's also a very big city and one event like the FA cup final won't bring the city to a standstill. They are used to holding big events.

Seeline · 28/05/2023 10:58

The day after a strike can be disrupted - especially early in the day. If you leave lunchtime or later you will probably be fine. If you've booked a specific train, there may be issues, but you will be able to get home.

SwayingInTime · 28/05/2023 10:58

I travelled on the day in between strikes last time and it was lovely, no idea if it was a fluke but people seemed to have taken on board advice not to try to travel and it was very quiet. Cancellations started on the way home so our train turned into a stopping service but still no problem other than duration. However I would not attempt with small children between Manchester and London on the day you have described.

Coasterfan · 28/05/2023 10:59

We park at Stanmore if that helps it’s the first stop on the jubilee line. I m not sure if you can leave the car there more than a day though! But it makes driving so much easier as it’s not been busy when we ve been multiple times in the summer holidays and the national league playoffs a couple of weeks ago. Just a tip to avoid driving in London, it’s about 5 mins from the M1.

LIZS · 28/05/2023 11:02

Sunday should be ok. Can you book seats on the train ?

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