Tips and tidbits for travel and for fun

PENNY WISE


Get Around London by Oyster

Sooner or later, all travelers to Britain find themselves in London. It’s just the place to be and to see. No question, though, that getting around in London is expensive. A single journey on the Tube now can cost £4—never mind about taxis at the present exchange rate.
The solution for getting around London these days is the Oyster card. We have written before about Oyster (July 2007), but it bears repeating because the system is still relatively new. First of all, Oyster is always cheaper than cash. That £4 underground trip is only £2 (£1.50 evenings and weekends) with Oyster. Bus and tram rides that cost £2 single fare are only 90p with Oyster. And the amount you pay any day is capped at the price of a Day Travelcard. The Oyster card is also easier than cash; there is no queuing for tickets. You simply touch on the yellow reader at the start and completion of your journey.
Oyster cards are good not only on London Underground, but also on all city buses, trams, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overground trains. You can get an Oyster card online at www.tfl.gov.uk/oyster, at Tube station ticket offices and at more than 2,200 Oyster Ticket Stops across London. You prepay for the reusable card in £5 increments. The encoded card automatically keeps track of your balance, which you can check at any time. To get further details and have questions answered, visit the Oyster Web site at www.tfl.gov.uk/oyster.

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Good to go on the entire London public transportation system, the Oyster card is the most convenient, least expensive way to get around town these days[/caption]

The British Heritage

PUZZLER


Last issue’s Puzzler we posed: I am a market town and former spa known for having some of the worst weather in England. I am also known for lovely gardens, well dressing and a Gilbert & Sullivan festival run in my Victorian opera house. Where am I?
Known as the Capital of the Peaks, the market town of Buxton sits high in the Peak District of Derbyshire. Its geothermal springs have drawn visitors for centuries.
This issue’s Puzzler may be more of a challenge. A much-larger-than-life statue of the great Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson sits on the grass adjacent to one of England’s most majestic cathedrals. Where is this memorial to Tennyson?
Be a Puzzler player. Post a card to British Heritage at Weider History Group, 19300 Promenade Dr., Leesburg, VA 20176, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. We would love to hear from you.

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SITES FOR THE SAVVY

Related: November 2008