Despite hailing from London, I rarely have the stomach for the smoke these days. It's me age and the pace of London life (I move at a more sedate, relaxed Peterborough speed these days). But there is nowhere I know that can come to close to matching London for a day out with the kids.
It's week four of my guide to surviving the six-week holiday as a single parent/part-time dad and no Rook summer is complete without a trip to the capital.
The last time I took my kids to the London Dungeon I was a married (cue gags about ball and chain) and my eldest threw a hissy fit and refused to go in when he saw the jobbing actors coated in fake blood performing at the entrance doors. A bit more resilient this time, he was even able to withstand the new attraction for 2008 – Jack the Ripper's Whitechapel.
You come face to face with Jack himself and his crimes are revealed in truly graphic detail. I guess it goes to show that the kids today are not as easily shocked as they once were.
Book online and save up to £10. Also go for an early time slot which, for one adult and two kids, costs £39.85.
A few stops on the tube and we were at The London Eye.
Perched alongside the Thames, the Eye was a must-see for my two boys. Tickets were adult (16 and over) £15.50, child (5 to 15 years) £7.75.
We got lucky with a beautiful clear, cloudless day affording us amazing views. However, be warned, queues can be long.
Head there after five to avoid a lengthy wait. While waiting for the queues to die down we boarded the London Eye River Cruise which leaves just behind the Eye (adult £12, child £6) and takes in the Houses of Parliament, St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London.
My youngest actually enjoyed this more than the Eye. The live commentary was refreshingly uncheesy, peppered with quirky facts and delivered with a colloquial wit that probably left some of the overseas visitors a bit bemused but appealed to my banal sense of humour.
The Eye website offers a 10 per cent saving.
Ordinarily I would have driven down to London and hopped on the tube from the edge of north London. But with the cost of petrol, parking and an all-zones tube travelcard it's no longer necessarily the cheaper option. So, to maximise our time, we used the National Express East Coast service from Peterborough.
Advanced purchase standard return fares, booked online cost £18 at
www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com for one adult and two kids the cost is £36.
As well as getting into the heart of London quicker, travelling by train also means that you can access hundreds of two-for-one vouchers for places like London Zoo, Madame Tussauds etc. Visit
www.daysoutguide.co.uk for details
The full article contains 510 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
