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A husband and wife team of middle aged geocaching geezers from the state of Michigan in the U.S.A. will be in London in early September. We'd appreciate some advice on probable weather conditions and temperatures. We'll be arriving on September 1st around 11:15 AM and departing on Sept. 4 if I'm reading the itinerary correctly. Here's our profile if you're interested:

MiTuCats

 

Obviously, there are thousands of caches we could visit while we're there, but we only have a couple of days. We've made a starting bookmarked list of caches which are at this link:

 

MiTuCat's London List

 

These are ones which looked feasible and interesting to us, we know there are many more in the area and will keep updating the list as time goes on. However, the Best Half of the team insists on doing some shopping while we're there :) and we have limited time, so it's unclear how far we'll be able to travel and whether or not we'll be able to even hit all the ones we've got on the list.

 

We found the following link, which has been invaluable to us in looking for caches - many thanks to the folks who created and maintain it: Geocache UK

 

If anyone would be interested in meeting us, we'll probably do the 16th Century Pub cache one evening and that might be a place to get together. Or, you can e-mail us through GC.com and arrange alternate plans. We'd love to meet some London area cachers. We'll also be bringing along three or four MiGO (Michigan Geocaching Organization) coins if anyone is interested in trading for UK coins or other swag. Images of the MiGO coins are below.

 

Coin Face

 

Coin Back

 

In addition, we'll have some of our signature cards (limited edition for this trip) if people are interested in exchanging signature items. We'll also try to have a supply of our signature magnets (Kansas US route 66 magnets), depending upon availability. Since we can only get them in Kansas which is over 800 miles from home, our supply is a little sporadic.

 

Last, but not least, we're bringing along a travel bug that wants to get to Norway. We've been debating whether it would be better to leave it in a cache or hand it off in person to another cacher. Many of the caches on our list and in the area

we'll be able to reach are either virtuals or micros. This TB needs a fairly good sized cache. If anyone is interested in acquiring him in a handoff, let us know. Otherwise, we do have one cache on our list where we think he will fit.

 

The TB in question is Olaf the Red.

 

He's been around quite a bit already, and has over 11,600 miles on him. We're going to keep racking up caches and miles (with the owner's permsission)

until we come to London, then we thought (and they agreed) that would be a perfect place to part with him.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give us. :)

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The list looks good, but I would recommend you try and get out of the city for a day. Epping Forest is a good place to go for a day's caching.

 

As for the likely weather in early September - we have a variable climate so I would hesitate to say anything other than snow is unlikely! Be warned that most UK weather is now reported in Celsius instead of Farenheit. Average Max and Min temperatures for Southern England in September are 18C and 9.4C.

 

There is tons of weather data at the met office website - this page this page shows last years weather plus the variation from the norm.

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Or....

 

You're here three days, at some stage it's gonna rain, bring a brolly :)

 

Not done any London caches, so can't aid you there.

 

Hope you have a great time. Oh yesm and be VERY careful of the 'gappes' on the tube. You will know to be be ultra careful if you hear 'mind the gappe' on the tannoy. Generally they are OK, but have been know to atttack if provoked.

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The list looks good, but I would recommend you try and get out of the city for a day. Epping Forest is a good place to go for a day's caching.

 

As for the likely weather in early September - we have a variable climate so I would hesitate to say anything other than snow is unlikely! Be warned that most UK weather is now reported in Celsius instead of Farenheit. Average Max and Min temperatures for Southern England in September are 18C and 9.4C.

 

There is tons of weather data at the met office website - this page  this page shows last years weather plus the variation from the norm.

Thanks for the link to the weather site, I was trying to search a variety of ways to find that sort of thing and wasn't successful.

 

We, too have variable weather, so we're used to it. We just wanted to know how likely it was that we would need a parka versus a light jacket and so forth. The weather link should give us that data as well as it can be estimated.

 

We had considered going out of the city but were afraid we wouldn't be able to do justice to any place we visited. We won't have ready transportation if we leave the city unless there are modes we don't know about. In the city, we were planning to use the tubes and other public transit modes. Since I grew up in Bath, Michigan we were thinking about visiting Bath, but again didn't feel we would be able to spend the time it deserves. We already realize we couldn't do justice to London in a month, let alone a couple of days, but we thought if we concentrated there we could get the highlights and some ideas for our next trip.

 

It's also unclear as yet what time on the 4th we'll be leaving London, so we can't count on have any time available that day. We'll be on the plane all night Aug. 31, so may not have much energy on the 1st when we arrive in mid-day. That pretty much leaves us two days we can count on, we're thinking of doing the pub thing on Sept. 2.

Edited by MiTuCats
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Assuming a 16th Century socialising on the 2nd or 3rd, I will try and take part. 1st is also a possibility, but it is my birthday and others may have plans.

 

I am no expert on visiting Essex by public transport, but I know others have done some of Epping Forest by public transport from Central London.

 

BTW, one of the reasons why I am cautious about early September weather is I remember one day (5 september 1999) when I went on a five minute walk in South London to buy a pint of milk. The walk started in warm bright sunshine, I sheltered in the shop from the 2 inch+ hailstones as drivers of open topped vehicles tried to bail out their vehicles by the handful.

 

I then waded calf deep through a brand new river on the way home once the hail had ended, and then spent the next hour with a hose cleaning up after the flash flood had blown the local sewage system! Certainly the most dramatic weather I have seen in SW London since the 1987 "Hurricane".

 

To be honest, the first week of September is usually fairly typical of London Summer weather. Rain is always a possibility, but temperatures will be mild, and winds will be moderate at worst. daytime temeperatures are pleasant, with nightime temperatures dependant on cloud cover. Evenings will tend to be pleasant outside if dry.

 

Rain will tend to be warm and light, unless there are thunderstorms in which case sudden downpours (like my 1999 experience) are possible.

 

In London at that time of year I tend to rely on lightweight weather protection, with maybe a sweater for outdoor evening activities.

Edited by Learned Gerbil
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As already stated September weather could bring about anything. Usually get really hot just as the kids go back to school. But be prepared for rain and chilly evenings.

 

On the cache front, depends on your preference. There are loads of micros, smalls and virtuals around the city centre.

 

You could get some more countryside and forest caches done, even by public transport, about 30 -40 mins train journey out. But I feel you would be missing on the London experience if you did that.

 

Any idea where in London you are staying? It's a big place.

 

16th Century pub cache? Is this an excuse for another London /S.E. get together?

 

Last one was in December.

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16th Century pub cache?  Is this an excuse for another London /S.E. get together?

 

Last one was in December.

Strange - I was at this one in February! -

 

Happy Days are Beer Again

 

Even stranger, so were you! ;)

If this ends up as a double post then I'm sorry. I was sure I wrote a reply and hit send but nothing appeared. Blame it on the bottle of brandy I was finishing off.

 

Got my events mixed up, I knew I was in a pub in Decemeber. Must have been the Berko Bash I was remembering. Of course I was at the one in Feb. The famous book reading event by House of Boo.

 

Anyway, still been a long time since a London meet. Probably not much chance of getting one organised before September with the holiday season upon us. So perhaps Septmeber would be a good target?

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Obviously, there are thousands of caches we could visit while we're there, but we only have a couple of days. We've made a starting bookmarked list of caches which are at this link:

 

MiTuCat's London List

 

These are ones which looked feasible and interesting to us, we know there are many more in the area and will keep updating the list as time goes on.

The bookmark list looks like a great start, though you may want to note that the Jekyll and Hyde cache has been archived. I'll be in London next month and will try to find a few of those.

 

I also hope to find some of the Sherlock Holmes series of virutals and perhaps even obtain the signature keyring prize. The Jack the Ripper series might be fun but may be a bit morbid. Chris-n-Maria's Tube cache map is a wonderful tool.

 

Just in case you go for a walk through one of London's wonderful parks (and almost everyone does or should), you may also wish to download waypoints for numerous caches in Kensington, Hyde, and Regent's Parks, among others. Along the way you'll see famous statues (from Peter Pan to Queen Victoria), Princess Di's fountain, outdoor cafes, speakers at Marble Arch, cricket, tennis, open-air theater, colleges, and a great sunset view from Primrose Hill. ;)

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Assuming a 16th Century socialising on the 2nd or 3rd, I will try and take part. 1st is also a possibility, but it is my birthday and others may have plans.

 

BTW, one of the reasons why I am cautious about early September weather is I remember one day (5 september 1999) when I went on a five minute walk in South London to buy a pint of milk. The walk started in  warm bright sunshine, I sheltered in the shop from the 2 inch+ hailstones as drivers of open topped vehicles tried to bail out their vehicles by the handful.

 

I then waded calf deep through a brand new river on the way home once the hail had ended, and then spent the next hour with a hose cleaning up after the flash flood had blown the local sewage system! Certainly the most dramatic  weather I have seen in SW London since the 1987 "Hurricane".

We're pretty sure we won't be up for much of anything on the 1st, after spending the night of Aug. 31 and morning of Sept. 1 on a plane. :D

 

That's definintely some weather variability! We, too, get weather changes like this, but they're fairly rare. We'll take the rest of your advice and that of others into consideration and will hopefully at least know what to unpack at the hotel.

 

Our situation is that we have to stick to an overall itinerary established by a cruise line. We've purchased a cruise package which involves relocation of a new vessel from London to the east coast of the U.S. (can anyone say "Titanic"?). It even stops at the last port of call of the Titanic in Ireland. Because we'll be on the North Atlantic in the fall, we've got to plan on cool (maybe cold) weather at least part of the time and bring enough layers that we can stand to be out on the deck at least long enough to walk a few miles a day. We're also going to post on the Irish and Icelandic sites asking for weather advice there as we'll be stopping in both places for a few hours.

 

The cruise line is taking care of all transfers between airport and hotel, hotel and Dover for embarkation on the 4th, etc. They chose the hotel for our accomodations as well. I'll try to remember to post the hotel later, as kbootb asked about it. Nothing I have on hand at the moment gives me that, and I can't remember the name. I think it's near one of the big parks like Hyde Park or Regent Park. I remember checking for caches in the nearby park in February and finding a lot of virtuals and micros, nothing that seemed to be big enough for the TB we want to leave in England.

 

Regarding the concept of a get together, we'll leave that up to you local folks to decide. We wouldn't object, but don't want to put anyone to a lot of trouble. We're both pretty shy people, but have enjoyed the few event caches we've attended. The MiGO group is planning an event cache to meet a cacher from Australia who will be spending a day in Michigan, we're hoping to attend that if I'm not up to my eyebrows in work at the time. I sometimes end up working 16-19 hours a day for a couple weeks straight.

 

Of course, meeting us would just be an excuse for a party, right? :D

The main concern we would have would be if there was a huge demand for the Geocoins we mentioned in our initial post. We know there is a UK coin available, we'd love to trade for one or two of them to enhance our horde of collectible items. One of our MiGO coins has already been spoken for via e-mail, we currently have three more that are available. The source still had a few last week, but they were running low. If there is any indication that several more might be needed, please let us know ASAP so I can try to order more. Also, if you do turn this into an event, are there any avid signature item collectors among you? How many sig cards should we plan on bringing?

 

Teach2Learn, thanks for the tip on the Jekyll and Hyde cache. We do hope to spend some time in the London parks in addition to geocaching, sightseeing and shopping. I'll try to find time to double check all the caches before we come over, but may have to wait until we arrive. It will depend on when my business trip to Mexico is scheduled in August. That's still unclear. I'm hoping for a week or so delay after I return from that trip before we leave for London, but I doubt if I'll have that much time. :P

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There are few caches that take TBs in central London. Last Delivery is a popular drop for TBs but it is often full.

 

A meet would be a great way of swapping bugs though!

We had noticed a dearth of caches suitable for TBs, that's one reason our list contains so many virtuals. Of course, we also love learning about local history, and virtuals are great for that as well. Micros are ok, but can take a lot of time for two half-blind ;) old characters to spot.

 

Our original thought was that we would try to do a direct handoff if we were successful in meeting any local cachers rather than taking a chance on Last Delivery being full. Camley Street Gardens was another that we were eyeing as a possible place to leave the TB, but after checknig recent logs, it doesn't look like this TB will fit, if Mr. Scruffy filled the cache.

 

At this point, we're hoping that we'll be able to find someone to take him off our hands directly, since it sounds like we may be successful in finding someone to talk with. :blink:

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Any idea where in London you are staying?  It's a big place.

I've done some research amongst the tons of documents we've already acquired dealing with our trip and learned that we are staying at the Copthorne Tara Hotel in Kensington.

 

Here's a link Copthorne Tara

 

This isn't the type of place we would normally choose to stay, it's just where the cruise line put us. It's much more upper crust than we're used to.

Edited by MiTuCats
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I've done some research amongst the tons of documents we've already acquired dealing with our trip and learned that we are staying at the Copthorne Tara Hotel in Kensington.

 

Here's a link Copthorne Tara

 

This isn't the type of place we would normally choose to stay, it's just where the cruise line put us. It's much more upper crust than we're used to.

I've been to conferences there. Good food as I recall. Nice place, fierce air conditioning in the conference rooms.

 

www.streetmap.co.uk responds to post codes, but I've done the donkey work for you and that link will take you to a map with the hotel as centre.

 

geoaching.com also uses the post codes well. So enter W8 5SR in the 'search by zip code' and you will see about 20 caches within 2 miles of the hotel

 

Cara's college cache is one of the few that can take a small TB well so I'm told.... I have failed to find it twice. But loads of other people have found it. Great place to visit though.

 

Post codes in the UK are much 'tighter' than zip codes appear to be in the US. Something like 20 buildings covered by a single post code. So you can rely on the accuracy when you use them in searches.

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www.streetmap.co.uk responds to post codes, but I've done the donkey work for you and that link will take you to a map with the hotel as centre.

 

geoaching.com also uses the post codes well.  So enter W8 5SR in the 'search by zip code' and you will see about 20 caches within 2 miles of the hotel

 

Cara's college cache is one of the few that can take a small TB  well so I'm told.... I have failed to find it twice.  But loads of other people have found it.  Great place to visit though.

 

Post codes in the UK are much 'tighter' than zip codes appear to be in the US.  Something like 20 buildings covered by a single post code. So you can rely on the accuracy when you use them in searches.

Thanks for the map link. That was very thoughtful. I've bookmarked it already, and spent some time scrolling around the edges of it. We both love maps, that's one of the several things about geocaching that we find fascinating. With Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park so close, I can see where there would be a lot of potential for caches nearby.

 

Is this what is referred to in the British fiction as an "ordinance map" or "survey map"? I'm not sure if the two terms are interchangeable or if they refer to different things, like a topographic map versus a street map. We both read British detective fiction, so we sometimes see terms that we don't quite comprehend, although we get the basic idea.

 

Is there a "standard" size to a city block in London, or are they pretty random? Usually, over here the standard city block is 1/10 mile. Not all streets run on this pattern, and there are often alleys within the blocks.

 

The data pertaining to postal codes is interesting. That is much more precise than the basic zip code in the U.S. They've now added a four digit extension in the U.S. to pin things down more precisely. I'm not sure how it's calculated or how much precision it adds to the basic zip code.

 

We both feel some trepidation about searching for micro caches in public places in general, but especially in a foreign country in this day and age. For that reason, a lot of the ones we plan to do are virtuals because we don't know how busy the parks and gardens will be. We've never been really good at stealth in the city. We'd both feel badly if a cache that we visited was found and muggled soon after we visited it. We'd always wonder if we had been stealthy enough.

 

The gardens around Cara's College cache look very nice, but the TB we'll have isn't really small so we probably won't try to put it in there.

 

Thanks again, everyone for your helpfulness. We hope to meet at least some of you in September to thank you in person.

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I have also been to a conference at that hotel recently - very nice food!

 

As for the Ordinance Survey, they are responsible for the data on which almost all UK maps, whether street or topo are based. Cachers often use the 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 scale maps published by OS.

 

The squares on 1:50,000 maps are 1000 metres which is approx 5/8th of a mile.

 

As for city blocks - we just don't have them. Hundreds of years ago people just put a road where they wanted one. few places are set out in a grid, and if they are standard distances or plot sizes are rare.

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Is this what is referred to in the British fiction as an "ordinance map" or "survey map"? I'm not sure if the two terms are interchangeable or if they refer to different things, like a topographic map versus a street map. We both read British detective fiction, so we sometimes see terms that we don't quite comprehend, although we get the basic idea.

 

Is there a "standard" size to a city block in London, or are they pretty random? Usually, over here the standard city block is 1/10 mile. Not all streets run on this pattern, and there are often alleys within the blocks.

 

We both feel some trepidation about searching for micro caches in public places in general, but especially in a foreign country in this day and age. For that reason, a lot of the ones we plan to do are virtuals because we don't know how busy the parks and gardens will be. We've  never been really good at stealth in the city. We'd both feel badly if a cache that we visited was found and muggled soon after we visited it. We'd always wonder if we had been stealthy enough.

No, this is not an Ordnance Survey map (note spelling - google searches will be difficult)

 

To see an Ordnance Survey Map go to get-a-map

Agree to the terms and conditions, enter a post code and explore.

 

You will see that there are no road names etc. These maps are great in the countryside, contour lines, all major features marked, extremely accurate, but no good for in town navigation.

 

There are various scales and maps which specialise in tourist information etc. The OS provide most of the base data for other mapping companies. Town councils make use of digital OS data and create maps to, well I got some maps to 1 metre accuracy, they might even be able to do better.

 

The history is of course military. ordnance = bombs, bullets etc. The history can be found here.

 

Personal opinion, best map for getting around town is A-Z (of London) makes a great souvenier as well. I stress the London bit. I was stopped by a confused visitor recently who had as instructed bought an A-Z as soon as he arrived, but it was of Bristol.

 

Oh, the parks will be busy, unless you go really early, before 7.30 p.m. But don't worry about the stealth bit, with 2 of you, you should be able to cover each others backs, one keeping look out while the other feels around. The hardest bit is doing it on your own. Most of us have developed a certain 'madness' that makes others looks away or at least we seem to become invisible. City dwellers generally don't care too much about what their fellow human beings are up to. But as ever, use your own judgement.

Edited by kbootb
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we stayed in kensington and I spent an enjoyable afternoon doing the hyde park caches (although they were all magnetic micros) apart from the last one where I actually met another US cacher. Kensington is also fairly near the shops so that shouldn't be a problem either :-)

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We'll be out of town with limited e-mail access for the next few days, but when we get back, I've got some more questions to run by everyone since you're such a knowledgeable and helpful group.

 

By the way, I finally noticed that your UK geocoin isn't actually available yet, so I guess it won't work to trade MiGO coins for that one, but it doesn't mean the coins won't be traded for something. We're still willing to leave two or three in London when we leave. As I indicated earlier, one is already spoken for.

 

Thanks again for the info to date! You folks have been very helpful!

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If the coins are not done by September, I will be MOST unhappy!  :P  :D  :D

Ah, maybe there is hope for a trade or two. I ordered six more of the MiGO coins today just in case. I should have them next week. In case someone missed the link in the first post on the thread, I'll try to paste images here again. This is how I intended to put them in initially. :anibad:

 

26446ee8-e5ae-4e3c-a68c-66ae031878a9.jpg

 

b2df9283-8af6-44a9-a6fb-c4d9eeb6498e.jpg

Edited by MiTuCats
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Hmmm...I'll be in London, Oxford, and Edinburgh in late June and early July. If no geocaching coins are available for trade, I guess I'll just drop off a Kentucky Geocoin or two anyway, just for the fun of it. Not too many physical caches with trading available in London, or perhaps just not enough time for me to find them as I'll be chaperoning over 30 students. :lol:

 

Any recommended UK caches for dropping off a KY Geocoin? I think they might be too big for a film canister.

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I'll be in London, Oxford, and Edinburgh in late June and early July...

 

Any recommended UK caches for dropping off a KY Geocoin? I think they might be too big for a film canister.

You should be able to find one in any of those places big enough to squeeze a KY coin into. Some of the 'small' containers might be a tight fit though!

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As promised (or threatened?) here are some more questions. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. And, of course, feel free to laugh or poke fun at us in the process. I'm sure some of these will be quite amusing to the "natives". :blink:

 

Wifi availability? Any idea if it’s the same as in the U.S.? We have a Dell Axim Pocket PC we'll be bringing along with built in WiFi. Any chance we'll be able to use it to connect to the internet in a wireless hot spot? Are there any such places with free access or do they all require accounts and so forth?

 

How do locals carry their equipment? We use a small backpack, presumably that won’t be frowned on, or cause distress amongst the authorities?

 

Would a baseball cap be out of place in the city? I need some sort of sun shade and usually wear a cap, but I don't want to be the only one doing so. If caps are taboo, presumably a hat like Pharisee shows in his avatar is ok?

 

What is a “toasty”? This is of course the most important of all the questions since it has culinary overtones and falls in the province of the Best Half of the team.

 

Does the 16th Century Pub accept credit cards? Specifically VISA.

 

Will the late August Bank Holiday affect us on our arrival on Sept. 1, and if so in what way? We know there is such a holiday but are unsure if it covers the whole week or only until Aug. 31. We're also unsure which services are unavailable during such holidays. I'm sure just as here, there are plenty of folks who are stuck working all the holidays. :(

 

We’re planning to bring some local currency for immediate needs. Any suggestions as to amount? We’re not sure of prices, etc. and realize we'll be able to use credit cards in many places.

 

Does Ireland use the same currency as England?

 

How long should we allow for a decent visit to Greenwich? We really want to go there, probably by boat from the Kensington area. However, if it's going to eat an entire day, we may want to rethink our plans.

 

That's it for now, we've revised our bookmarked cache list a little (mostly removing caches) and will keep an eye on that as our departure gets closer. We're looking forward to meeting some of you folks while we're over there!

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Wifi availability?

Quite a few pub and McDonalds have free access (I think)

 

How do locals carry their equipment?

Backpack Fine

 

Would a baseball cap be out of place in the city?

As a tourist will be no probs

 

What is a “toasty”?

Two bit of bread normally sealed around filling and toasted – cheep (but very nice) pub food

 

Does the 16th Century Pub accept credit cards? Specifically VISA.

Prob yes it is in the city and most pubs do

I would ask before you order and not after

 

Will the late August Bank Holiday affect us

It will rain but not affect in any other way

 

We’re planning to bring some local currency

You will find london VERY VERY expensive – our cost of living is higher and your currency is weak – for eating out think NYC and then Double

just think we pay $10 per gallon for gas

 

Does Ireland use the same currency as England?

NO NO NO NO they use the euro in Ireland

 

Greenwich?

Go early by train (tube) and boat back at lunch time (quite a few caches near there too)

 

See you whn you come over

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OK, I'll bite...

 

Wifi availability?....Are there any such places with free access...

 

I've found you can get patchy free WiFi, it's pot luck. There are plenty of pay services in coffee shops - sometimes you pay a fee, sometimes you get an access code just by making a purchase. Try looking at hotspotted and maybe consume.net but this might be too technical, I'm not sure of your background.

 

In a nutshell, you might get free access, but if you can't, there's a good chance a pay service is within range.

 

How do locals carry their equipment? We use a small backpack, presumably that won’t be frowned on, or cause distress amongst the authorities?

 

London is pretty cosmopolitan, and one tourist looks pretty much like another, I wouldn't worry. A backpack would be fine :rolleyes:

 

Would a baseball cap be out of place in the city?

See above!

 

presumably a hat like Pharisee shows in his avatar is ok?

I believe Pharisee has a special licence for that hat.

 

What is a “toasty”?

Short for "toasted sandwich" - two slices of toast with something tasty between them.

 

Does the 16th Century Pub accept credit cards? Specifically VISA.

Most pubs do, but there's normally a minimum purchase. If you really must know, their telephone number is +44 20 7405 4751

 

Will the late August Bank Holiday affect us on our arrival on Sept. 1

I doubt it will affect you in any way at all. Anyway, August bank holiday is on 29th August, 2 days before you arrive.

 

We’re planning to bring some local currency for immediate needs. Any suggestions as to amount?

You can travel all day on the tube in zone 1-2 (that pretty much covers most things in central london) for £6 and pay by credit card. Many museums and galleries are free, those that aren't, check their websites. A drink (pint/glass of wine whatever) in a typical pub is £2.50-£3. Food can be cheap if you seek out backstreet restaurants (nice lunch for £5) or expensive if you fall into a tourist trap like an "Aberdeen Angus Steak House".

 

Does Ireland use the same currency as England?

Northern Ireland does, but the Republic of Ireland uses the Euro.

 

How long should we allow for a decent visit to Greenwich?

No idea, sorry!

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How long should we allow for a decent visit to Greenwich?

No idea, sorry!

Last time I visited Greenwich I used up an entire day. We travelled down the river to get there (from near to the Houses of Parliment) and then walked all round, visiting the Martime Museum, the Queens house and the Meridian. We also walked through the pedestrian tunnel beneath the Thames (subject of a virtual) and stopped off at a local second hand book market that was going on. We came back on the Docklands Light Railway, sitting at the front of the train and going "Whee!". In other words, there is plenty to keep you occupied.

Edited by Alibags
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Lots of questions...

 

WiFi..... someone will have a better answer but I'm sure that there are plenty of hotspots. I've sometimes picked up a connection from the hotel you are staying in, but I believe it costs money now.

 

www.mcdonalds.co.uk has a store locator and some of these have BT openzone. Again, don't know if it's free.

 

Packpacks no problem, baseball caps not a great problem, just don't wear them with a hooded sweatshirt (local joke... people have been banned from shoppping centres if they have a hooded top... big brother can't see their faces on teh CCTV)

 

Out in the street is no problem.

 

'Toasty' hmmm... could be street slang for just about anything... but could be a toasted sandwich... don't think the locals eat them often, particularly in summer.

 

The pub takes Visa... are you thinking of buying us all a drink? :rolleyes:

 

Bank holiday is 29th August. One day only. Banks closed but ATMs still work! Transport slightly reduced, most shops still open. Shouldn't affect your trip at all.

 

Local currency... UK pounds (sterling) how much to bring..... arrg. Depends on your tastes travel etc. Adult travel card bought after 9.30 in the morning will cost £6.40 about $11. This will give you unlimited travel in the London area on Underground (=tube=subway) buses and overground trains.

 

This website will give you all the details, including the map that will show how far you can go. Don't be tempted to buy bus tickets or tube tickets for each journey. Any length bus journey is £1.20. Doesn't take many to clock up the cost of a travelcard. Just go to any underground station and either use the ticket machine or the human in the window for a one day travel card. There are zones, check the map on the link I have given you. Most visitors get one that covers just zones 1 and 2 and would be a bit cheaper. But getting zone 3 as well would allow you to play on the DLR (I'll let you browse for that!) Without fear of straying into zone 3.

 

You could lunch for about £5 main meal for £25 (per head) (you could go cheaper... or more to the point more expensive but give me £25 for an evening meal and I would be happy)

 

have a look at london tours for ideas about river trips etc.

 

Ireland uses Euros, the same as most of Europe. England uses pounds. Euros not widely accepted, basically don't try it.

 

Trip to Greenwich including boat would be a full day if you wanted to go into observatory and museum. It's a fair way down the river from kensington. Unless you have a special reason to get to Greenwich I think there is enough to do within 5 miles of where you are staying, unless you have been to London before and seen all the central stuff.

 

I hope that's enough to go on

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Would a baseball cap be out of place in the city?

 

Only if you wear it back to front.... Then you'll probably be mistaken for one of our home-grown low-lives :blink:

 

presumably a hat like Pharisee shows in his avatar is ok?

 

Of course.... And contrary to popular belief, you DON'T need a license :rolleyes:

 

How long should we allow for a decent visit to Greenwich?

 

A nice way to visit Greenwich is to take a river cruise from Tower Bridge. It's about £6 for a return ticket with a reduction of 1/3 if you have a valid public transport 'Travel Card'. It takes about 1/2 an hour or so each way and there are easy virtual caches within 'spitting distance' of the river at each end. How long you spend there is up to you. The boats run about every 40 minutes.

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To give some idea of the attractions in Greenwich - just off the top of my head -

 

Royal Observatory

Meridian Line (can be visited at the same time as the Observatory)

Greenwich Park

National Maritime Museum

Queen's House

Greenwich Market (depending on it being a market day)

Flea Markets (weekends only I think)

Cutty Sark

Gypsy Moth

A genuine Pie and Mash shop

 

Plus the river - plus the foot tunnel to the other side - plus the DLR - plus - plus plus - there really is tons to see and do!

 

Last time I visited the Observatory there was a joint ticket for the Observatory, the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House.

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This note will not help with your geocaching quest but all my American pals have found it both amusing and useful.  Well, just amusing then!  It's an American's Guide to Speaking British - the link takes you straight to the food and drink section.  Sadly it overlooks toasties.

 

Enjoy your trip - I'm a bit far away to make it to the pub meet.

 

http://www.effingpot.com/food.shtml

Thanks for the link. It looks informative, interesting and amusing.

 

We've also found this one that we've enjoyed perusing in our spare moments:

 

English2American

 

It also overlooks toasties in the food department.

 

We're working on responses to the posts above this one, it will take a little time as we're sorting through what needs a reply and what is simply informative. Certain comments DEMAND a response just to keep the fun going a little longer. :D

 

Meanwhile, thanks to everyone for the information. Some of it we're already aware of, but much of it is new data that is very helpful in addressing our questions and will be a big help in planning our trip. :D

 

We realize that with the amount of time we have we won't be able to even scratch the surface of the available wonders in London, let alone England. At that it's much better than the original planning by the travel agent and cruise line who wanted us to arrive the morning of our cruise departure. We objected very strenuously to that!

 

We're hoping to use this trip as a learning tool for a more extensive trip in 4 or 5 years. It will be interesting to see what's happened with Geocaching as an activity by then.

 

Edited to correct position of comment about toasties not being in the food department. :D

Edited by MiTuCats
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