After stopping at Bangkok to pick up passengers, then spending the next 12 hours or so crossing Asia and Eastern Europe, and a final leg from Helsinki, we arrived at Heathrow, tired and glad to be there.
The flights were not problematic, apart from being too long, and if I were to use one word to describe Finnair, I would say "efficient". Whilst they definitely did not have the same happy-go-lucky attitude of the Aussie Qantas staff, they looked after us pretty well. The older MD-11 aircraft do not have the up-market accessories found on most larger airlines now (eg on-demand movies from the back of your seat), but we did fly overnight, which made them less necessary. The plane certainly was clean and tidy, as was the airport, or what we saw of it at Helsinki. Even though we had only 10 minutes to disembark and board our British Airways flight to Heathrow, it was done with the utmost efficiency and no bag was mislaid in the process.
Landing at Heathrow was interesting, however, as it was blowing a gale at the time and after circling for a while we oozed through the pea soup and touched down on a couple of wheels. I'm sure it was completely safe, and probably not out of the ordinary, but my hands didn't unclench until I got my bags!
Customs again was easy, and in no time we were in our taxi heading towards our accommodation. We rang one of the many taxi van companies on the free phone at the airport, got a quote then met them outside Terminal 4. I think it cost around 30 pounds, which was well worth it for ease of access. Actually it was quite competitive. The company is called Heathrow Car Services Ltd.
Our accommodation was at Rotherhithe at a hostel called the London Thameside Youth Hostel. I booked this because it looked relatively modern, was advertised as accessible and the price was cheaper than a motel, especially so close to attractions. We were indeed at the side of the Thames, and our first dinner was across the road at a quaint old pub looking towards Tower Bridge.
The room was a family room with our own bathroom, and we accessed this by the lift. We had a double bed and bunks - Richie of course took the bottom bunk and got around pretty easily. The only down side was that although they advertised a laundry and cooking facilities there were none. However breakfast was included in the price and it was good. Even the kids managed to get down before it closed on most mornings! There is also a bar with wide-screen TV and restaurant for dinner.
We did not hire a car in London, and found it easy to use the buses, which stopped just across the road from the hostel. As in all big cities, there are a number of saver tickets you can buy if you plan on using them a lot. Most of the buses are wheelchair friendly, with a hydraulic step that comes out. After a day or two we were using them quite confidently. The trains on the other hand, are not as friendly, and you need to find out beforehand which stations you can use. We found we did not need them, except to pick up our car at London City Airport on our way to Manchester.
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