What to do with kids for a morning before HP play?

[Jollyjoy]

Staying in Stratford, watching HP play tomorrow in 2 parts starting 2pm. What can we do that feels we’ve seen a few sights but not too exhausting? Plus it might be raining!

How old?

Ah yes - 6 and 9. Thanks. We’re wondering about a trip on the river but might be totally unrealistic?

Have my mum with me too who is active enough but couldn’t do anything too energetic!

Hopeful bump and tag of @Wibblywobblybobblyor anyone else who may have a great idea for me! I will return the favour if you are ever in Scotland!

If youre in Stratford and you want to take a boat and see things:

Take DLR towards Beckton, get off at Royal Victoria, take Cable Car across the river to North Greenwich, get the Uber boat to Milbank, you will see all major River sites.

From Millbank, go behind Tate Britain (you can access toilets here although there are some on the boat) and take the 88 bus for 15 mins, get off at Trafalgar Square and the theatre is less than a 10 minute walk. Lots of places to lunch around Covent Garden, again within 10 mins of the theatre.

Alternatively, skip cable car and just take DLR towards Lewisham and get off at Greenwich, you can pick the boat up there.

From Stratford you could get the DLR (potentially fun in and of itself?) to Canary Wharf or Woolwich Arsenal and get on the Thames Clipper down the river. Get off at Westminster and look at Big Ben and across the way to the London Eye and take some photos. At this point you’ve done a tonne of activities that have shown you London AND got you closer to Soho for HP, AND expended not too much energy. Stretch your legs around Parliament Square with an ice cream, then grab a black cab (if they’re unusual to the kids) and it’ll be about 12-15 mins to Wardour Street to the House of Mina Lima, who designed all the HP stuff for the films, the Black Family Tree and Marauders’ Map etc. nice walk from there through Soho to watch the play. Bosh!

You have a long interval between parts - what else do the children love to eat/do?

As above really. You'll also see the Thames Clipper referred to as Uber boats. But it's the same thing. You'll also get to go under Tower Bridge which my son likes.

Ah I told my mum Mn would sort this out for me, thanks so much, this is exactly what I was after!@EverybodyLTB, we have a meal booked in between but actually the gap is only 4.40-7 which is 2hrs really, not long to eat and have time to do much else. I had to google DLR but that sounds perfect, thanks so much all.

I’m so pleased if that’s been helpful! If you do find you need to fill a gap, I find that going for dessert somewhere different than the meal kills a bit of time, you might find service around there super quick at that time on a weds. If you still have time (and cash to burn 😩) before going back in, try Chin Chin ice cream behind the theatre on Greek Street, or over from the theatre China Town has the Taiyakiya ice creams shaped like fish. Would recommend for you to get back to Stratford taking the Elizabeth line from Tottenham Court Road station which is about a ten min walk up Charing Cross road from the theatre. I hope you all really enjoy yourselves, we loved the show and kids still talk about it years later.

Just coming back to say a big thank you again to all of you for commenting - we got the DLR which the kids loved, and the uber boat up the Thames, off at Big Ben which they also loved. Joined a mini protest while Starmer drove in to pmqs! Trafalgar Square was shut off for a formula 1 thing. And made it to the play in plenty of time which was just fantastic!