Around London in 8 Destinations: Planning Session Two

As part of their summer challenge, the three older children would need to plan, prepare an itinerary for and execute a whole day in London by themselves.  They would be required to visit 8 Victorian land sites, taking their photo outside each one.  Their smaller challenges to be completed during the four weeks of summer would give them items which would make their time in London easier, as well as more frugal for them (not for us, mind you!)

Just to recap:

Between us we planned the first leg of the journey from home to London Victoria Station (Lillie was in charge of this leg), as well the second leg from London Victoria to Sherlock Holmes’ house in Baker Street (which Charlotte was in charge of).  The children each received a planning pack which contained everything they would need for those two legs.  Gary and I plan to travel ahead of them (catching an earlier train to Victoria).  Gary will remain at Victoria, out of sight to make sure they get their safely and find their way to the bus stop to Baker Street.  I will catch a bus straight to Baker Street and secure tickets for us all and await their arrival.  Gary will follow on the next bus after the children’s.  We will all enjoy the treat of seeing inside Sherlock Holmes living quarters, before continuing on to the next part of the adventure.

This second planning session focused on travelling from Baker Street to Hyde park, and on to Kensington to visit the bulk of the Victorian sites on their challenge list.  This leg of the journey will be broken us as follows:

1. Baker Street to the top of Hyde Park
2. Top of Hyde Park to the Albert Memorial (situated at the bottom of the park)
3. From the Memorial around Kensington, visiting The Albert Hall, The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum and ending up at The Victoria and Albert Museum

Baker Street to Hyde Park

Thomas is leading this whole leg of the journey and, after researching the options, opted to travel by the underground.  Lillie is very scared of traveling the underground alone, so Gary and I will be accompanying them but without any input.  We will simply go where they lead us.  In this way they will obtain lots of practice in taking the underground whilst still feeling safe with us nearby.

Thomas worked out they would need to embark on the train at Baker Street Station and take the Jubilee line to Bond Street Station (one stop).  Here they will change to the central line and go two stops to Lancaster Gate.  The train will stop first at Marble Arch and then Lancaster Gate.  This brings them to the top of Hyde Park.

We photocopied a map of the tube stations and a map of the area and marked the stations and stops:

Lancaster Gate (Hyde Park) to The Albert Memorial

Again Thomas chose the route, whilst Lillie looked for a place we might be able to have a picnic.  Thomas particularly wanted to go via the Italian Gardens, and fortuitously this is the area Lillie thought might be nice to picnic.  After we have eaten lunch, the children will separate out from us and travel alongside The Long Water, until they reach the Serpentine Bridge.  Here they will take a left and follow the route down to the Albert Memorial:

We downloaded the map of the park and marked out the route they would be taking.  Gary and I, at this point, would remain in the park whilst the children made their way to the Albert Memorial and beyond:

The Albert Memorial to the Victoria and Albert Museum

Situated very close to the Albert Memorial are a selection of other building from the Victorian times.  The children will be visiting these in the following order and will take a photo outside each:

• Albert Memorial
• Royal Albert Hall
• Science Museum
• Natural History Museum
• Victoria and Albert Museum

Again, their route was marked out on a map, so hopefully they will not get lost:

They would do this alone, and once they reached the Victoria and Albert Museum, they would phone us to join them, after which we would take the underground once more for the penultimate leg of their adventure in London.  But more of that in our next planning session 🙂