London for treatment have elderly father and 4 hours to kill

[KayT1]

Hello

just posting for ideas.

My father has an appointment in 2 weeks in London Hospital Macmillan Cancer which is 10 minute walk from Kings Cross. We are travelling from North and this is a special treatment only available here for bone mets. He is in pain still, walking but requiring rest. We could only
go on train but the return is very late as the cost to return between 4-7 was £280+ we cant afford this so we have 7.45 return for £26 and the appointment is at 2.

Any ideas how I can give my Dad some rest in between as he can’t keep walking and no sightseeing or tubes. Just any places you can recommend he can relax for a bit or even better snooze while we wait for train. Thank you x

The bar at the Renaissance hotel (by St Pancras) is lovely and would be a good place to people watch and recoup.

If he needs to sleep you can book a hotel for a few hours in the day on www.dayuse.co.uk - there are several in the King's Cross/ Euston area.
Otherwise I would head to the British Library or the Wellcome Collection, both on Euston Rd, which have cafes and public spaces to sit.
A hotel reception/ bar is another idea but I can't easily think of one apart from the St Pancras Grand (v swanky)- perhaps someone else will be along in a minute with a suggestion.
Just to say, if you're headed to University College Hospital it's more than 10 mins walk from King's Cross. More like 25 mins for an elderly person.
I hope the appointment goes well.

I was also going to suggest the British Library or the Wellcome collection. Does your train come into Kings Cross?

The British Library is right next to St Pancras. It's free and has a good cafe op

Thank you, thats a great idea. We were in London with work only a few weeks ago and know which bar you mean x

Thank you, I was looking at day use pods but there were mixed reviews re cleanliness etc. Do you know anyone who has used them? He would love to lie down and re the walk, our train should hopefully get in at 12 all being well, giving us plenty of time to take it easy with walking there. It is the University Hospital yes x

Yes our train from Leeds comes into Kings Cross. Library is great idea, he could grab a book and snooze behind it ☺️ Thank you x

Look for the SeatFrog app and put your journey into it. You can bid on first class seats very cheaply on the day for the train you've already booked. You set the max you're prepared to pay.

If you are successful, then that'll give you a more comfortable journey back with more space and refreshments provided but also access to the first class lounge at Kings Cross (check the times but I think up to two hours before your train goes). That has comfortable
seating, places he could probably recline a bit, free hot and cold drinks and snacks.

I work in that area. Is it the centre in Huntley Street? Definitely more than a 10 minute walk from Kings Cross.

I don't know what facilities there are at the centre but if you're early and want cafes, maybe go via Tottenham Court Road as there are none in Gower Street.

I know you don't want sightseeing but the Grant Museum of Zoology is just round the corner. Very small, just one gallery on the ground floor. Understandably he might not be in the mood for animal skeletons and things in jars but he might welcome a distraction. The skeleton of the tree python is impressive. It's open Tues-Fri 1-5pm.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/grant-museum-zoology

As PPs have said, along Euston Road there is the Wellcome Collection which has a cafe on the ground floor. Closed on Mondays. Open until 6pm on other days and 8pm Thursday. The reading room (not the library) is very cute and I have seen people snoozing in there. And there are books if you want to read. Also some galleries if you want to browse.

wellcomecollection.org/visit-us/the-reading-room

There are chain cafes along the road, eg Leon, Starbucks. Also two Travelodge hotels with cafes, which might be more conducive to spending a few hours in without feeling you're displacing customers.

The British Library is for researchers, not for browsing, but the cafe is open to the public and there's a Treasures of the Collection gallery. Open until 8pm on weekdays but 6pm Fridays. Check website for cafe times.

I'd expect the hospital to have a rest area. Even our local hospital has a McMillan area where you can put your feet up and have tea and biscuits. Useful if you have morning then afternoon treatment.

In fact, if it's like our McMillan area, he could arrange to have a massage or reflexology!

But you can become a "reader" at the British library free of charge and borrow or review books in it if you want. So it's not impossible.

You can become a reader at the BL but you have to remain within the reading rooms to do so and they aren't that relaxing!

Sorry your title made me chuckle have elderly father and ... to kill

I haven't used the day use website to book a hotel in the day ever but my understanding from the website is that they aren't pods...rather there are lots of different hotels to choose from. Quite a few in the Kings Cross/ Euston/ Bloomsbury area. Possibly still a bit £££ (the cheapest one I saw was £70) but good to know the option is there...

I am presuming tbh that the site is mainly frequented by people having affairs.

Oh my.. 🤣 that's actually very well spotted.

OP I hope his treatment and your journey all go well. Sounds like an exhausting day, take care.

I did a complete double take on reading the thread title as I initially thought you wanted ideas on how to kill your father in a particular hour time window. Perhaps I shouldn't have binge watched Black Doves this weekend!
Instead, you sound like a very caring daughter who is escorting her father to London and, with the support of MNers, is doing everything she can to make him comfortable. I hope the journey and the day passes smoothly.

Was about to say the exact same thing. Your dad may be interested to see it, if he knows anything of the changing fortunes of the building during his lifetime

Oh gosh! You are so right, the use of the word ‘kill’ just makes it look so brutal! My poor father! Ha! Just quickly wanted to post and literally wrote I was thinking .. how can I kill a few hours with Dad and find a place for him to nod off for free!

Aww thank you! I see my error now, made me chuckle! But my old man needs a rest, sorry this is not the treatment day, its just the first initial assessment. He will be tired though as the bone pain kicks in after walking too much thats all x

An alternative suggestion, could you contact Macmillan to ask if they have any grants available to help fund the transport to save you hanging around for so long?

The Wellcime Collection Reading Room has a selection of comfy seating.

wellcomecollection.org/visit-us/the-reading-room

I would never have thought of this but I rang MCC and they said they could reimburse if I provided tickets on the day! Thank you so much, I never knew we could do this.

Brilliant 😀. I worked on a project a few years ago alongside some Macmillan advisers and remembered them saying they help out financially with grants but a lot of people don't realiae as we tend to picture angelic looking Nurses when thinking about their charity.