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)

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.  

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

http://www.thecharterhouse.org/visit-us/

Bank of England Museum - weekdays - free

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/Pages/museum/visiting/default.aspx

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

http://www.soane.org

Down House - the home of Charles Darwin

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/

Freemasonry - book a tour to see the main hall

http://www.freemasonry.london.museum

Wellcome Collection - closed Mondays - free

https://wellcomecollection.org/visit-us/opening-hours

Croydon Airport - open on first sunday every month

http://www.croydonairport.org.uk/Visitor-Centre

a part of Richmond Park - the Isabella plantation

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-attractions/isabella-plantation

2 Willow Road, Hampstead - free with ArtFund card

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/2-willow-road

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/2-willow-road

Carlyle House, Cheyne Walk - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/carlyles-house

Household Cavalry Museum - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/household-cavalry-museum

Guards Museum - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/guards-museum

Keats House - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/keats-house

Royal College of Physicians Museum - weekdays only - free

https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/visiting

Handel and Hendrix Museum - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/handel-and-hendrix-in-london

Museum of the Order of St John - free

http://museumstjohn.org.uk/planning-your-visit/

Garden Museum - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/garden-museum

Brunel Museum - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/brunel-museum

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

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/kelmscott-house

Fulham Palace - open Mon-Thu and Sun - free

http://www.fulhampalace.org/visiting/visiting-fulham-palace/

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

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/strawberry-hill-house

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

http://www.ram.ac.uk/museum

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

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/marble-hill-house

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

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/red-house

London Glassblowing

http://londonglassblowing.co.uk/plan-your-visit/

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

Imperial War Museum Lambeth

http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london

Osterley House - free with ArtFund card

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/osterley-park-house

Updated - now done !

a cafe that i've been meaning to visit

http://www.the-attendant.com

Sky Garden - opening 5th January

http://www.20fenchurchstreet.co.uk/sky-garden.html

Crossrail Roof Garden at Canary Wharf

http://group.canarywharf.com/media/press-releases/a-glimpse-of-the-station-of-the-future-as-crossrail-place-opens-at-canary-wharf-300415/

Cabinet war rooms

http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

Royal College of Surgeons museum

http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian

Eltham Palace

http://www.elthampalace.org.uk

Leighton House - free with ArtFund card to monthly late opening

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/subsites/museums/leightonhousemuseum1.aspx

Apsley House - reopens 1st April - free with ArtFund card

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/apsley-house/

https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/apsley-house

National Army Museum - reopens 30th March 2017

http://www.nam.ac.uk/

Wallace Collection - free

http://www.wallacecollection.org