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Can someone with more London expertise than me please have a look at my plan and comment if it’s feasible or daft?
Just myself and my 4yo – UK passports, hand luggage only, he’s a good experienced traveller (loves planes, trains, and city adventure)
Wednesday 23 July
– BA673 LCA – LHR arrive 10:30am T5
– Piccadilly line from T5 to South Kensington (about 50 minutes)
– 13:30 Jurassic Afternoon Tea at Apero (Ampersand Hotel)
– Circle/District line to Victoria then Victoria line to Euston (about 25 minutes)
– store bags near Euston then 20 minute walk
– 16:30 Prehistoric Planet at Lightroom
– Euston lounge opens at 18:00 for the Caledonian Sleeper (I’ve booked us a Double, I don’t know who is more excited haha the kid or me)Is it a bit too ambitious? Have I overlooked any London pitfalls? Or will we have a great day and he’ll be tired enough to sleep well on the train? 😀
What time does the train depart Euston?
What time does the train actually leave Euston?
Sleeper train boarding from 20:30 and departs 21:15
(Sorry I meant to include that detail)I think it is doable but risky.
The only issue would be if the kid was tired arriving at T5 in the morning.
3hr jetlag can also be an issue for a 8pm boarding to the train.
It seems like the kid will be awake from 4-5am to 8pm London time. So try to allow him to have some naps during the day.
Mine would be extremely cranky from 5-6pm on in this scenario.Agree with can2. You know your own child best obviously, but it sounds very risky.
They won’t be awake 4am to 8pm. It would be longer.
Flight leaves at 0720 so you want to be at the airport before 0600, a child can’t get up and jump into a taxi in 5 minutes so he would have to be up before 3am London time.
He’s excited about the sleeper train so he won’t want to go to sleep straight away. Boarding doesn’t always start at 2030, and if you want to board first you need to go and queue up before everyone else who wants to board first. Standing in a queue for 15 minutes just before bedtime doesn’t sound nice.
As an adult you can force yourself to sleep/rest on the early morning flight. My child at age 4 would not be able to sleep on this flight as he has just woken up and been dragged through airport procedures, and is excited for the afternoon activities.
If you think your child can sleep for a full 3-4 hours on the flight, maybe it will be fine. I would not have planned a day like this for my child at age 4. If the flight and sleeper train were unavoidably fixed, I would have to get a car to drive around for 90 minutes (maybe a taxi from SKen to Euston but taking a longer route). At that age, he was only able to have a daytime nap in a car seat.
I think the plan is basically sound, just a couple of small suggestions:
1. It’s entirely possible that you’ll have a lot of time to kill in South Kensington before your afternoon tea. If so, the Natural History or Science Museums are nearby. Only thing is that there’s a bag check, so perhaps you could try to leave your hand luggage at your afternoon tea hotel beforehand, if you go this route.
2. I see that the Lightroom is in the development behind Kings Cross station. It might be easier to stay on the tube to the next station (Kings Cross) and find somewhere near there that will keep your luggage – this way you only have to do one 20 minute walk to Euston. And, just in case the little legs won’t go any further, keep in mind that the 390 bus (or a taxi) from York Way will also take you to Euston.
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