Bob Thomas

Hi,

We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
sit and twiddle our thumbs.

Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??

I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
people do ??

Bob T.

Keith Willshaw

"Bob Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    > unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    > hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    > sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    > Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    > for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    > I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    > people do ??
    > Bob T.

You can jump on a bus or take a cab to windsor
its only 30 minutes or so by bus but allow
extra time for traffic on the return as you'll hit
rush hour if you are trvelling mid week

http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/around/transp...route_link.htm

The castle alone will occupy you for a day

Keith

Mark Hewitt

"Bob Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    > unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    > hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    > sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    > Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    > for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??

There is a little village called London which you might consider visiting.
You can get the Heathrow Express into the centre and take it from there.
Keep in mind the time scale however. 7 hours isn't a great deal when you
consider getting into and out of the airport, checkin, security etc etc.

Others have suggested Windsor as a short trip which doesn't involve going
all the way into London.

Markku Grönroos

"Bob Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    > unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    > hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    > sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    > Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    > for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    > I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    > people do ??
Typically people read something like newspapers, books, timetables....; have
a chat with fellow passengers next to them; go to eat and drink, have little
strolls around every now and then.

Earl Evleth

On 10/03/04 13:51, in article [email protected], "Markku
Grönroos" <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Typically people read something like newspapers, books, timetables....; have
    > a chat with fellow passengers next to them; go to eat and drink, have little
    > strolls around every now and then.
    >

I found that the book areas of Heathrow were excellent for WWII buffs.

Otherwise, set and watch people, I do it all time sitting in the cafés
here I live (Paris).

I spend a lot of time thinking anyway, a pleasurable process.

Earl

Tim Challenger

There is no cure, it's a terminal condition.

Sorry.
--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

Steltzjr

<< Otherwise, set and watch people, I do it all time sitting in the cafés here
I live (Paris). >>

Why is it fun watching people while sitting at a side-walk café - but so boring
watching people while sitting in an air terminal?

Markku Grönroos

"Steltzjr" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > << Otherwise, set and watch people, I do it all time sitting in the cafés
here
    > I live (Paris). >>
    > Why is it fun watching people while sitting at a side-walk café - but so
boring
    > watching people while sitting in an air terminal?

Is this how you feel about it?

P J Wallace

It might depend on whether it's really 7 hours, or 7 hours from
touchdown to takeoff, which could be a lot shorter in terms of free
time.

An expensive trip could be into cental London on the Heathrow Express
(15 minutes each way), and a tube ride to somewhere a bit more
interesting than Paddington. But you're highly dependent on the trains
running OK.

Another possibility people speak of quite a lot is to go to Windsor:
the Heathrow website has a map of local bus services showing a service
(bus no 50) to Windsor every 30 minutes.

www.windsor.gov.uk
PJW



On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 21:39:43 +1100, Bob Thomas
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Hi,
    >We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    >unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    >hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    >sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    >Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    >for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    >I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    >people do ??
    >Bob T.

Hatunen

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 21:39:43 +1100, Bob Thomas
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Hi,
    >We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    >unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    >hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    >sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    >Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    >for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    >I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    >people do ??

When my wife has several hours layover at Heathrow on the way
back to the USA she goes out to the stop for local buses and asks
the bus driver how far away the nearest Tesco supermarket is.
Then she goes and buys stuff like Tesco store brand teabags,
which she prefers to the cheap teas available here. We enjoy
looking around in shops and supermarkets in other countries.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Randee

On those long layovers I catch up on my magazines and books, as well as
do some gedanken experiments.
--
wf.

Bob Thomas wrote:
    >
    >
    > Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    > for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    >
    > I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    > people do ??
    >
    > Bob T.

Tommy Petersson

"Markku Grönroos" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    > Typically people read something like newspapers, books,
    > timetables....; have a chat with fellow passengers next to them; go to
    > eat and drink, have little strolls around every now and then.

You could go and buy some whisky, and taste *some*. I was on my way home
from Vancouver, and was still on Vancouver time (early morning). I just
wanted advice from the nice elderly shop assistant,
"If I like Aberlour a'Budnah, Lagavullin Double Matured and Laphraoig Cask
12 years - what would you recommend me?"
"To try - here!"

It seemed I could have spent a couple of hours talking whisky with him and
tasting, but at 7 in the morning I didn't really feel like it...

Heathrow is *nothing* compared to Geneva Airport, talk about sitting
crammed together with no room at all - seating for less than half of the
people there. Horrible restaurant, horrible everything (including
prices)...

/Tommy P.

Charles Hawtrey

Bob Thomas <[email protected]> crawled to the
nearest keyboard and summoned the courage to write:

    >Hi,
    >We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    >unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    >hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    >sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    >Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    >for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??

You might pick out ONE thing you'd really like to do or see in London.
Seven hours gives you enough time to spend an hour or so in the
British Museum, gawk at Big Ben, visit the Cabinet War Rooms, get your
picture taken in the crosswalk at Abbey Road, or any of a number of
fun things... but only one.


--
Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you mad. (Aldous Huxley)

Nick

get out of there via the Heathrow express and hit London for a few hours.


"Bob Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    > unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    > hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    > sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    > Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    > for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    > I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    > people do ??
    > Bob T.

EvelynVogtGamble

Bob Thomas wrote:
    >
    > Hi,
    >
    > We will be traveling home from Europe on an unfortunate and
    > unchangeable timetable that includes sitting at Heathrow airport for 7
    > hours (afternoon) - not enough to really do anything, but too long to
    > sit and twiddle our thumbs.
    >
    > Any idea what to do for 7 hours? Is there a nice nearby town to visit
    > for the afternoon? Is there some nice touristy place close by ??
    >
    > I'm sure that we're not the first to have this problem ... so what do
    > people do ??

I can't imagine being at a loss for something to do - especially in an
air terminal which has so many shops and restaurants! (Of course, so
long as there are books available - and even if I'd exhausted the supply
that I brought with me, Heathrow has bookshops - I have no difficulty
filling any amount of time necessary.)
    >
    > Bob T.