How One School Navigated Their First Trip To London Despite The Rail Strikes

13 July 2022

We caught up with Susan Regnart from George Heriot’s School to find out how their recent trip to London went. Coming from Edinburgh, Susan chose to travel down to London by train. This was Susan’s first time planning a residential trip and working with her WST Tour Consultant Carole Burrows, Susan had planned her ideal itinerary to support Psychology studies for her S5 students aged 16/17.

Last Minute Changes

A few days before departure, news came out about the rail strikes, which would affect getting around the city on the second day of their trip. Susan has shared her experience with us.

‘Carole contacted me before knew about the strikes to say that she had it all in hand and that she had organised coach transport for us. We were so impressed as we wouldn’t have any idea how to book a coach in London. It was a feeling of relief. I can’t believe they didn’t charge us for the coach.’

The emergency coach collected the group from their hotel in Wembley and dropped them at their first visit, the Royal Courts of Justice. The group were then able to spend the day in central London on foot, before returning to their hotel on the coach.

‘It was a blessing in disguise and turned out to be better than running around on the Tube. I would do that again in retrospect. The picks up’s worked well.’

Highlights of the Trip

‘The Royal Courts of Justice were stunning. We did a mock trial with prosecution and defence. The guide was brilliant and very enthusiastic and it will certainly help with studies back in the classroom.

We loved watching the Lion King in the evening and the Jack The Ripper Tour was also a highlight. I guess it would be better on a dark evening, but as we were there in the summer it was still daylight. However, the guide was so knowledgeable and we learnt so much about history that we didn’t know before. We covered politics, crime and poverty in the Whitechapel area.’

Top Tips From A First Time Traveller

This was Susan’s first residential trip and here is her advice and what she’s planning on her next trip.

• Use a company, don’t do it yourself. Working with that extra person gives you reassurance about what fits in geographically and will help you to navigate around a town you don’t know.
• In London I recommend keeping time free to walk around see the sights.
• We visited the Clink but as it wasn’t too interactive I have decided next time we are going to change to a visit to the London Dungeons.
• As we will be travelling down to London by train, next time we will pay a little bit extra so we can stay more centrally, which means less time carrying our luggage.

If you want to find out more about a trip to London contact us on 01253 441900 or request a quote to speak to our experts.