Trip to London with a child

[Peter_Morris]

It is not like that anymore. … now you can get quite close.

I stand corrected. Still, it’s going to take most of a day there and back from Walton, and probably not worth the trip.

Some folks just see a boring pile of rocks, some feel the energy of the universe light up their soul and some are in between.

And some people…

[RobDog]

Ooh, if you’re staying in Walton-on-Thames (don’t forget the hyphens, they’ll sacrifice you to their corn gods out there if you don’t use the hyphens ;)) then you’re literally down the road from Hampton Court Palace if you think might like a short trip somewhere.

[Peter_Morris]

Okay, speaking as someone who grew up in Molesey, right between Walton-on-Thames and Hampton Court Palace, I can confirm that everyone just says Walton. When you live nearby, there is no need to distinguish it from other towns called Walton. We don’t go in for corn gods, it’s a modern suburb, not a rural area, although there is a local farm. And "literally down the road " is several miles, easily reachable by car, but not something you can walk.

Oh, that reminds me, the local farm has an archery centre, you might spend a couple of hours there.

http://www.appscourtfarm.com/archery.htm

[RobDog]

@Peter_Morris

Okay, speaking as someone who grew up in Molesey, right between Walton-on-Thames and Hampton Court Palace, I can confirm that everyone just says Walton. When you live nearby, there is no need to distinguish it from other towns called Walton. We don’t go in for corn gods, it’s a modern suburb, not a rural area, although there is a local farm. And "literally down the road " is several miles, easily reachable by car, but not something you can walk.

Oh, that reminds me, the local farm has an archery centre, you might spend a couple of hours there.

http://www.appscourtfarm.com/archery.htm

Yeah I know (I grew up in Staines), I was just kidding.

…and it is just down the road - 4 miles down the A3050

[Hrududu]

I’d recommend going to a show in the west end. She might enjoy Matilda the Musical

[MarcusF]

@carlotta

It is not like that anymore. They were redoing the whole site (the visitors’ center, not the stones!) for a few years and everybody who visited during those years was disappointed, but now you can get quite close.

Actually if you make reservations in advance (like 6 months in advance, oh and pay more of course) you can go to a special before hours or after hours opening and be right up in the stones (though you are still supposed to not touch them).

It’s definitely a YMMV place. Some folks just see a boring pile of rocks, some feel the energy of the universe light up their soul and some are in between. Me, I was in between, but it was definitely worth the trip.

A bit off topic but I’d strongly recommend these before/after hours visits. We went a couple of years ago - booked about 3 months in advance and went early one morning. Much, much more atmospheric with only 25 other people and being able to walk right in amongst the stones. The normal visit only allows you to follow the path around the outside of the main stone circle moving slowly along with the crowd of other visitors.

[SciFiSam]

Definitely don’t bother with Stonehenge at that time of year. It’s only worth the long journey if you’re visiting the area around it too, but at that time of year that’ll be fairly barren and uninteresting and many things will be closed.

Don’t miss the shows at the Science Museum - the ones in the Launchpad (kids’ section), the bubble show, rocket show, etc. Go to the Natural History Museum on the same day and the V&A if your daughter likes arts and crafts.

Lots of tourist attractions in London have ice-skating at that time of year. The best one for you would be at Hampton Court Palace, since, like the others have said, it’s close to you and pretty awesome, especially at Christmas.

Peter Pan will be on in Bromley at the times you’re visiting, and it is one of the best and most traditional pantos too. That’s the one trip that might require a car - it’d be an easy, short trip in a car but a total arse by train or bus.

Bear in mind your daughter travels free on the tube and buses, but not the train (which you’ll need from Walton - lovely area, btw). However, child travelcards, at £3, are usually cheaper than the child return fare, so I recommend getting one of those for her.