London riots - do we still go?

kitten

Hi, we are due to visit London for three days, travelling down tomorrow by East Coast Trains and then staying three nights in a city centre Travelodge.

In view of the riots down there (which I appreciate are not in the touristy areas at the moment), what are people's thoughts on whether it is sensible to go? Obviously we would stick to the city centre and avoid known problem areas, but these things could spread and the rioters could be using tubes/buses to travel to and from the trouble spots. I don't want to panic, but neither do I want to put my family in a potentially nasty situation.

Also, our train tickets and hotel booking were non-cancellable due to their cheap price! And I doubt our insurance company will pay out if we just choose not to go because we think it's risky.

Dilemma! Any advice much appreciated!

richardw

What time is your train tomorrow?

Are the children excited?

kitten

Hi, the train would get us into King Cross at about 2 pm.

The kids WERE excited, but they're old enough to watch the news and be concerned. They are relying on us to make the right decision! If we decide not to go then in fairness to the kids we will have to re-schedule it, but that will doubtless mean paying again, and money is tight at the moment.....

melancholly

everyone i know in London has headed into work as normal today. some are closer than they'd like to be to police cordons by trashed shops, but on the whole, travel is fine and everything is business as usual. no-one will be staying out late, but during the day things seem entirely fine. if you're going with kids, you'd be inside the hotel before anything is even likely to happen. maybe wait until tomorrow morning after seeing how it all goes tonight, but these are isolated pockets away from the main tourist areas.

kitten

Thanks for the advice. I think we will pack and prepare on the assumption that we're going, then watch the early morning news before making a final decision. It's such a shame because the anticipation of the trip is part of the fun for me, and that's gone now :-(

We will probably err on the side of caution though, there's no point going if we're just going to just feel on edge while we're there.

Thanks again x

richardw

kitten wrote: »

I think we will pack and prepare on the assumption that we're going, then watch the early morning news before making a final decision

Probably best thing to do.

TimJBart

I'm at work in London and it seems fine today, just depends on where you are I guess. As long as you stay fairly central there hasn't been any problems there? Just don't go for a night-time stroll in Lewisham!

robpw2

Just go and enjoy your self , if people hide away your letting the scum win

melancholly

TimJBart wrote: »

I'm at work in London and it seems fine today, just depends on where you are I guess. As long as you stay fairly central there hasn't been any problems there? Just don't go for a night-time stroll in Lewisham!

tbh, that's never really been a good plan at any time!

miradene

I sympathise with your tough decision today. Please let us know what you decide to do.

We too are going to London for our hols but not until next week. I too am unsure what to do but I suppose we have a bit more time on our hands to make a decision.

It might be worth making a few phonecalls to find out if a refund is possible, just in case.

x

Alioth

I'm in London, I agree that it's business as usual during the day. Better to stay in at night, but the city is huge and the areas targeted so far are far away from the attractions. There are lots of tourists on the streets.