Nic and Sue’s Euro River Cruise and l bits on the side. Autumn 2026. Day 16 – Plan C. Oxford to London.

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Up and about for breaky at 7:30 then bus into the city for Hop on Hop Off bus tour.

We just snagged the right bus with a bit of quick walking to get in and find the first bus stop.
We have a tight schedule today to have the car back to AVIS at Stansted Holiday Inn by 1:30. (We thought we may have to extend the booking)
Our timing was exquisite. Left BnB with car packed and parked. We made it to Oxford Train Station, tickets purchased and about 20 mins to wait for bus.

I always forget how information dense the audio tour is on these buses and how rough they are moving around the city, not the best for photos but ideally a great way to orient to a city, then follow up the places you want to see more of.

We were back to the car and on the road by 11 with a two hour drive ahead of us and car due back by 1:30.
Once we got out of the city we hit a bit of a delay on the motorway. I phoned AVIS, after the initial automated Q and A we were put in the queue (about 20 minutes waiting time.) The AVIS spiel played over and over. We made it through the delay, then to the Watford turn off some 26 miles later…still on hold…we had by now decided we would make it in time, but I was curious to see how long we would be waiting. At about the hour mark we talked to a human. Not much help. The silly games we play.
Dropped car and keys off to Holiday Inn Stansted Airport and ordered a Bolt (taxi) to take us into London.

The Bolt standard we were used to in Prague and Budapest and Scotland did not extend to London. The Toyota Prius was pretty clapped out – poor suspension, saggy seats, my armrest was floppy and there was a distinct BO smell. We had a 70 minute trip ahead. Sue went to sleep to avoid it all. We eventually arrived into London proper and through a lot of familiar sounding places Hampshire, Hammersmith, Paddington, Blenheim etc.

I was a bit worried about our hotel as we booked late and we chose the cheaper end of the options. We were pleasantly surprised by the neighbourhood, looked quite flash. The hotel itself – Pembridge Palace was also better than OK, check in easy, nice decor etc and lifts.

While the room is small and not air conditioned it is also OK. We had to juggle a bit to fit our luggage. Sue unpacked a fair bit and stood hers up and we fitted fine. Thankfully we can open our window and there is a breeze.

We settled for a bit before heading off for a late 3:30 lunch. I found a cafe around the corner The Hill Cafe – reviews were good and noted good flat white and sausage roll – I had both and had to agree, Sue had a pumpkin quiche with green salad which she was very happy with too. We were inundated with preppy/yummy mummies with their girls mainly all dressed in their posh Pembridge Hall uniforms of boaters and blazers. Turns out it’s a prestige school just up the street for 4-11 y.o.

There was a Laundromat/ dry cleaner next door – checked it out and we returned with our washing. Sue sat with a hot chocolate and I took a 25 min walk around the neighbourhood. It was lots of very nice homes and accommodation and private parks. I walked past Pembridge Hall junior and upper school with Weatherby School for boys aged 4-7 was in between.

Around the corner was Notting Hill Gate shopping strip – looked quirky. Back to the washing into the dryer and I had another coffee while we waited and chatted to a lovely couple from the Barossa Region. Home with fresh washing to book a few tours and sort our plans for the next few days in London.

Cuppa and shortbread for tea, before blogging etc. Half watched a Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson movie -As Good as it Gets.