ausjackaroo sailing: Thursday 30th May. London

Thursday 30th May 2019 HoHo bus, river cruise and Tower of London.

We have decided to buy a two day HoHo Bus tour, with the intentions of seeing part of London on the Red Bus Route, visiting Tower of London, catching a river cruise to Greenwich, returning to Westminster to then board a Red Bus to Marble Arch, transferring to a Blue Bus route home (the hotel of course).

An early start today for us. We caught the first bus from Gloucester Road Station at about 8.30am and transferred to the Red Bus to tour around the London City square mile before alighting at the Tower of London. All going to plan. We walked, climbed and dodged our way around the Tower of London. There was a humongous and long queue to see the Crown Jewels so decided we would check it out on the Internet!

Though we did walk through the various 'Palaces', battlements and museums in the tower. When leaving, we followed the exit signs but somehow ended up at the entrance and had to retrace our steps until we found the exit. The exist just happened to be behind a tour group who had stopped to hear the guide talk about where they brought the prisoners into the tower. See; taking the wrong turn didn't go to waste!

After leaving the Tower we caught a river cruise to Greenwich and returned to Westminster to catch a Red route bus to Marble Arch. Then transfer to the Blue route bus and travel home (the hotel we are staying in).

All went according to plan. Until we arrived at Westminster to catch our first of two buses home. The river cruise boat had about 350 passengers on board, all of them Big Bus Tour patrons. I reckon there were at least 200 people who walked with us from the boat to the bus stop with the intention of boarding a Red route bus.

I recommend to anyone visiting London with intentions of using the Big Bus HoHo tours to do so early in the day. There are so many customers/passengers using it in the afternoons that if they can get on a bus, there is no guarantee they can get a seat.

By the time we arrived at Westminster stop, the cruise passengers who were waiting at the bus stop were joined with other people joining from their wanderings around inner London. To make my heart sad is some of the people waiting were families with little children who would have coped better if they were in strollers and these little tackers were at the end of their ability to cope, tired and overwhelmed. Some of them were with grandparents who were just coping themselves, apart from looking after grandchildren. There were wives telling their husbands off for not getting them on the bus and grandma's berating grandpa's. The first two Red bus's went past us, full and unable to collect anyone. The 3rd arrived and stopped just before the stop sign, so those waiting in the front of the line missed out on any chance of getting on. Only those who were quick and at the back of the line managed to squeeze on. I think we managed to get on either the 4th or 5th bus to arrive and it was standing room only. For those who know us...the ride back to Marbe Arch for Paul, was challenging to say the least. A couple got on our bus who I think, came from Holland, were so dissappointed to get on the tourist bus and not hear a commentry, apart from not having a seat!. And, it will get worse when the tourist season really ramps up!.

We arrived back at the hotel tired but happy to have seen so much of this iconic city full of history and iconic to our roots.