Recently hubby and I took our two boys, 3 and 5, to London during the Easter hols – I was hesitant, with the amount of walking involved and my 3 year old only just dropping the buggy so I hope the following comes in use for some!
Getting There
Easy peasy chocolate squeezy. We travelled by car about 2 hours (the train was quite expensive – but in hindsight it would’ve been a great option, as son No 1 was car sick all the way home) – anyway, our destination was the NCP car park in Richmond. We hopped on the train straight away with no fuss, about 10.00am, after buying an all day travel card for £5.60 per adult (children under 5 go free).
It was roughly 20 mins to take us straight to South Kensington with no changes; we arrived straight outside the Natural History Museum. We used the Cromwell Road entrance as the queue was shorter (only took about 5 mins). Next time I’d use the Exhibition Road entrance, as you get the ‘wow’ factor as you walk in and see the breath taking Diplodocus skeleton. The NHM’s Floor Plan is brill – see their website for a taste of what’s there.
Inside
We entered the Red Zone and the kids LOVED the Kobe Supermarket earthquake machine. We stopped for lunch early in the spacious Deli Cafe, which was pretty quiet. The staff were helpful and the food yum; London prices at around £10 for a quiche with 2 salads, but very enjoyable. The kids’ lunchboxes came with crayons & colouring sheet. There are three cafes altogether, along with a Picnic Area if you’ve bought your own. There are also plenty of places to crash throughout the museum for snack-stops.
On our not-to-be-missed list was the Dinosaur Gallery, for which we queued about 40 mins. Hint – take a snack / amusements whilst you’re queueing here! It was worth the wait, with fantastic skeletons and loads of educational stuff. However, when my youngest came face-to-face with the life size moving T-rex model with 15cm long teeth – it was meltdown time! It actually really frightened him – I wouldn’t recommend it for a 3 yr old! Also in this Zone was the amazing Blue Whale – “awesome” the kids said. Note – when you come out of this zone, you’re faced with the Gift Shop. My husband came out half an hour later and £30 poorer. But the cuddly Steggies are pretty fab..
The boys were getting pretty tired (and mummy, with the constant “But Why’s?”) so we didn’t see all the zones, but it was enough for one day. Instead of quitting whilst we were ahead, we then went to the London Eye..
Travelling by Tube
All I can say is, luckily the adrenaline kicked in, which kept the boys going. I have never known the boys walk so much, ever! We folded up the buggy on the tube (I totally admire London parents) but needed it when we got to the other end. The Tube was an experience for the boys in itself, with the noise, buskers, the wind whistling, they loved it – much to my surprise. You need to be really on the ball; as an example our fearless 3 yr old went through the ticket-barrier thing, whilst hubby got wedged in with the buggy, and we were all stuck one side with him alone on the other! The lovely Tube men whisked us through the special buggy / disabled barrier…noted for next time.
At the London Eye, it was drizzling and I’d had enough, the boys were whinging and wanting piggy backs. So we stopped for ice cream at the Aquarium. What made my day was the wonderful lady who served us; the eldest had a meltdown for not liking the choc chip, and she was very kind. A great place to stop and watch the world go by. So we tube’d it back to Richmond, by which time we’re all completely shattered. It really doesn’t sound like we did much but you have to remember the assault that London is on your senses, especially for the little ones. Just the museum on it’s own would have been plenty.
Anyway I would recommend it and do it again, perhaps next time to the Science Museum, which is apparently very ‘hands on’. (Any Mums been there? Feedback appreciated!) The whole trip cost us around £50 (not including petrol and the Steggies). Have a plan, wear comfy shoes, take snacks and a sense of humour! Oh, and quit while you’re ahead.
Tags: famous museums, history museums