21 June 2017

Avios redemptions on EI / BE

I wrote previously about the extortionate taxes/fees charged by Avios redemptions on Aer Lingus flights ... which included 41 gbp from Dublin to London Heathrow.

Since then, some prices have come down:

LHR - DUB  39 gbp  on EI
DUB - LHR  16 gbp  on EI


some have stayed more or less the same:

LGW - DUB  53 gbp  on EI
DUB - LGW  44 gbp  on EI


and some have gone up:

LGW - NOC  63 gbp  on EI
NOC - LGW  40 gbp  on EI  (plus airport 10 eur "development" fee)



Avios redemptions on Flybe mostly seem more reasonable - and the same price is available on both the BA website and Avios.com

SOU - DUB  25 gbp  on BE
DUB - SOU 12 gbp  on BE

EXE - DUB  35 gbp  on BE
DUB - EXE  12 gbp  on BE

CWL - DUB  34 gbp  on BE
DUB - CWL  12 gbp  on BE

DSA - DUB  27 gbp  on BE
DUB - DSA  12 gbp  on BE



BHX - NOC  26 gbp  on BE
NOC - BHX  15 gbp  on BE  (plus airport 10 eur "development" fee)

MAN - NOC  31 gbp  on BE
NOC - MAN  15 gbp  on BE  (plus airport 10 eur "development" fee)

EDI - NOC  30 gbp  on BE
NOC - EDI  15 gbp  on BE  (plus airport 10 eur "development" fee)


20 June 2017

Don't use Oyster from St Pancras to Stratford

I needed to attend a talk at one of the hotels adjoining Westfield Stratford, and having recently used a Javelin train from St Pancras to Kent (through Stratford), I thought it would be fun to do the one stop - since I'd seen the yellow Oyster/Contactless scanners.

Walking up to the barriers there was nothing to suggest that using Oyster/Contactless was anything other than a normal journey.

Imagine my surprise when I happened to check my statement, only to find that I had been charged 5.50 gbp for the journey, despite having reached my daily cap - wtf ?!

After extensive searching, I discovered that journeys on the Javelin trains are completely outside the travelcard or daily/weekly price caps.

So my one stop journey cost me 5.50 gbp in addition to my daily 6.60 gbp cap for Zone 1-2 travel.  For the saving of approximately 3 minutes, I paid almost 2 pounds a minute.

TfL really should make this clear on their journey planner website, and around the entrance to the platforms at St Pancras.  I can't believe I'm the first person to suffer this pain / outrage.  


19 June 2017

London things to do - Updated

It may not be quite travel ... but there's lots of things in the city that I want to do ...


museums or places that i've never been to:

The Charterhouse - London's newest museum, apparently

Bank of England Museum - weekdays - free

Sir John Soane's - first Tuesday of the month - evening by candlelight

Down House - the home of Charles Darwin

Freemasonry - book a tour to see the main hall

Wellcome Collection - closed Mondays - free
https://wellcomecollection.org/visit-us/opening-hours

Croydon Airport - open on first sunday every month

a part of Richmond Park - the Isabella plantation

2 Willow Road, Hampstead - free with ArtFund card

Carlyle House, Cheyne Walk - free with ArtFund card

Household Cavalry Museum - free with ArtFund card

Guards Museum - free with ArtFund card

Keats House - free with ArtFund card

Royal College of Physicians Museum - weekdays only - free

Handel and Hendrix Museum - free with ArtFund card

Museum of the Order of St John - free

Garden Museum - free with ArtFund card

Brunel Museum - free with ArtFund card

Kelmscott House, Hammersmith - open Thu & Sat afternoons - free

Fulham Palace - open Mon-Thu and Sun - free

Syon House
2 for 1 entry using national rail offer.  20% discount quoting BUS17 advert
http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/syon-house.html

Strawberry Hill House

Royal Academy Music Museum - part closed Thu and Fri (and fully closed Sun) - free

Marble Hill House, Richmond - from 31st March 2017 - free with ArtFund card

Red House, Bexleyheath - from 1st March 2017 - free with ArtFund card

London Glassblowing



and a couple of museums that i haven't been for a while:

Imperial War Museum Lambeth

Osterley House - free with ArtFund card



Updated - now done !

a cafe that i've been meaning to visit

Sky Garden - opening 5th January

Crossrail Roof Garden at Canary Wharf

Cabinet war rooms

Royal College of Surgeons museum

Eltham Palace

Leighton House - free with ArtFund card to monthly late opening


National Army Museum - reopens 30th March 2017

Wallace Collection - free