Cotswold Eagle

Would have been my first thought, too, but using the tube from LHR seems a bit infra dig on this board these days 😀 But as you say, not an option this weekend.

Your enthusiasm for the Elizabeth Line is now rearranging the geography of central London 😀

If the OP is staying near Tower Hill, it might make sense to go one stop extra on the Elizabeth to Whitechapel and then back two stops on the District. With the huge caveat that I don’t know what the Whitechapel change is like to the District - it’s the route I use to get to the East London line - and I think there might be steps out at Tower Hill?

Can you be more specific about location? Which side of the river? And ‘best’ is subjective. Easiest and most convenient would be a car or taxi from the airport, but also by far the most expensive.

At Kentish Town? About 60 feet - it’s effectively the same place, but a separate entrance to the National Rail station is being used during the tube station closure.

Interesting, thanks, although there’s maybe a difference between an expectation and providing a way to give a tip. QR payment codes will link to a payment page or app, where card details can be entered or a device native method, such as Apple Pay, used. I wonder if they have preset suggested levels of tips.

And just to confirm, there is no form of check-in on the national rail network,. At the gate line, you either scan the bar or QR code on your ticket, or if travelling within the London travel zones, tap a contactless form of payment. You may need to press a button on the train door to open them. Doors will lock 1 minute or 40 seconds before departure.

I took a train from Waterloo at the weekend, for the first time in ages, and noticed that prior to a specific platform being indicated, for some (and maybe all) trains a range of possible platforms was shown, e.g. for my train 12-15. This allows folk to be in roughly the right area on the concourse to board their train. Southwest mainline services, including trains calling at Southampton, are most likely to leave from the middle block of platforms, 7-16. There are 24 in total since the old Eurostar terminal has been brought back fully into domestic use.

Your implacable opposition to the Heathrow Express is impressive, but it remains the quickest and most comfortable service to Heathrow, and the only one that has trains actually designed for travellers with luggage. With a bit of advance planning, which I realise the OP doesn’t have time for, it can also be the cheapest. Even that “painfully expensive” walk up fare is no more than the price of a couple of pints of beer more than the Elizabeth line. For this London and Cotswolds resident it remains first choice. OP, your plan of using a Paddington area hotel effectively as an airport hotel is sound. You have the choice of two direct services (HEX and Elizabeth line) to the airport, which provides a bit of resilience, although as they converge at Heathrow there are points of failure that would disrupt both.

I was at the Beaconsfield services on the M40 the other day, and noticed that the compressed air machines there now have contactless payment! OP (and others) I know the feeling of wanting some good old fashioned cash in hand, so have a little (and you will be able to spend it if you don’t want to take it home), but don’t overthink it. Incidentally, the internationally recognised code for pound sterling is GBP. (I know the £ symbol can be tricky on American layout keyboards). I was wondering about the relevance of boarding passes (BP) when I read this thread title and BSP defeated me for a while (British sterling pounds, maybe?) Or, you know, just say pounds 😀

This is a very important clarification required. I think @barbarapga said at one point near Heathrow, which might imply the one at Hatton Cross (which is simply called HGI London Heathrow Airport), and advice might change then. Previous suggestions are based on staying at the HGI London Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, which is on, rather than near, the airport.

There's a really good thread on here that will give you loads of ideas....oh, wait a minute 😂😂 Likewise, good to see you and bon voyage!

You are probably going to have to flesh this out a bit to get meaningful help! A key part of that plan will be how you intend to get from continental Europe to the United Kingdom - your options are flying, various ferry services or the Eurostar train from Brussels, Paris or Lille. Depending on what you want to see, you may be better sticking to trains and not renting cars (and there MAY be rover tickets that make sense, rather than individual tickets for each trip), but impossible to generalise.

That walk will take you past West Brompton underground station, so you could change at Earls Court and take a District line train heading to Wimbledon one stop to there, to shorten the walk if you have significant luggage.

Noooooooo!!! 🤣🤣

To add to the excellent advice from @gumshoe958, the line at St James’ Park is only just sub-surface, not deep. There are just two flights of stairs (about 30:steps in total) to ground level and they are relatively wide and shallow staircases compared to some on the network. So not horrendous with luggage, given no mobility issues.

Or stay at Paddington, book an advance purchase ticket for £5-50 and enjoy a cheaper, quicker and more comfortable journey on the Heathrow Express.

Which station? Those two hotels are in very different parts of London.

You should be able to know before you travel if you will have access, rather than hoping! An alternative might be a day room at one of the airport hotels, but that's probably an expensive way to get a shower....

Why would this be more authentic? Performances in Shakespeare's times would have generally been earlier than this, in the afternoon. The evening performances are lit as if during the daytime - the productions at the Globe Theatre do not use stage lighting as we know it today, but the house is lit to simulate daytime in the evening. I suppose that might be more reliable, but it is arguable that the afternoon would be be more authentic 😀

To be fair, the news articles are based on a D66 statement, which is a bit short of detail and nuance! https://d66.nl/amsterdam/nieuws/cruiseterminal-cruiseschepen-amsterdam-haven-klimaat-brug-co2/

I can think of no more convenient railway station at any airport I have been to. It is literally an extension of the terminal.

Wow, just, wow....

What?! This will come as as surprise to the train drivers on the Waterloo and City line, who only go 1.5 miles 😂 You can also use the Oyster on National Rail and Transport for London train services (as listed by m'learned colleague above) within the London travel zones. These are often trains that don't go particularly long distances....

There are two Clermont's - Victoria and Charing Cross. Both are attached to the railway station they are named after, so yes if you are staying at the Clermont Victoria, that's the station you need - the national rail station is on top of the Underground station, so multiple options (note that Victoria Coach Station is about half a mile down the road). Globaliser has given you the best directions for getting there by public transport from LHR.