Program 610a: London Layover; Tower of London; London Day Trips

We'll help you get in, and out, of London to enjoy memorable outings, on the next Travel with Rick Steves:

Hear how you can plan for a quick run into the city, when you have hours to kill on a long layover at Heathrow Airport.

Get inspired by easy-to-arrange day trips from London, to celebrated sites in the English countryside.

And meet the Ravenmaster, who guards a thousand years of history at the Tower of London.

• London-based tour guides Steven Back and Deborah Heyburn
• Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, author of "The Ravenmaster" (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux)
• London-based tour guide Jeanie Carmichael
• Bath-based tour guide Liz Boardman

• Tips for temporary luggage storage at Heathrow and in London.
• The Oyster Card, issued by Transport for London, is a pre-paid mass transit pass for London that you can order online. 
• Steven Back offers half-day and full-day tours of London and the surrounding area including Windsor, Oxford, Bath, and Canterbury.  
• Deborah Heyburn offers tours of Devon, Cornwall, and surrounding areas.
• Christopher Skaife is a Yeoman Warder at the thousand-year old fortress, the Tower of London. He's written "The Ravenmaster" about his duties caring for the Tower's ravens.
• Among the day trips from London discussed are Hampton Court Palace, Stonehenge and Salisbury, Bletchley Park, Highclere Castle, Eltham Palace, the Warner Brothers Studios' Harry Potter exhibit, Windsor (Town, Castle, Great Park, and Eaton College), Legoland, Bath, Bristol, and Brighton.
• Tour guide Elizabeth Boardman offers cultural immersion tours in England, from her home base in Bath.  
• Jeanie Carmichael offers tours in London and the surrounding area, including Windsor, Canterbury, Brighton, and Hampton Court.

• Dominic Alldis Trio, "Oranges and Lemons," Songs We Heard: Improvisations on Nursery Rhymes from Around the World / Canzona
• KPM_KPM_2025_00201_Afternoon_Tea_a_APM
• Damon Albarn, "London Pride," Twentieth-Century Blues: The Songs of Noel Coward (collection) / Kala-Ichiban
• Peter Hurford, organ, "Fantasia in C major (J.L. Krebs)," The Art of Peter Hurford, disc 1 / Decca
• Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Richard Studt, dir., "Capriol Suite for String Orchestra-Bransles (Warlock)," English String Music / Naxos
• Wings, "London Town," London Town / EMI (UK)
• * Light Music Society Orchestra, Vivian Dunn, cond., "London Again Suite: 1-Oxford Street-March (Coates)," British Light Classics (collection) / Warner Classics
• Lisa Lynne, "How Sweet the Torment," The Renaissance Album (collection) / Windham Hill
• Loreena McKennitt, "Bonny Portmore," The Visit / WEA    
• Ensemble de'Medici, "Fantasia #27," The Renaissance Album (collection) / Windham Hill
• Locrian Ensemble of London, "Crows (D. Wiseman)," Wolf Hall (soundtrack) / Silva Screen Records
• Loreena McKennitt, "Cymbeline," The Visit / Quinlan Road 
• Paul Hillier Ensemble, "Madrigals, book 8," Essential Renaissance, disc 2 (collection) / EMI
• London Philharmonic, Leonard Slatkin cond., "Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes: 1-Dawn (Britten)," Out Classics (collection) / RCA Red Seal
• University of Massachusetts-Amherst Wind Ensemble, Malcolm W. Rowell, Jr., cond., "Early One Morning," Tears / Albany
• Nana Mouskouri, "Ta Pedia Tou Pirea ('The Children of Piraeus,' aka 'Never on Sunday')," Nana Mouskouri, The Voice of Greece, vol. 1 / Autarc Media
• Júníus Meyvant, "Hailslide," Júníus Meyvant / Record Records  ("Live on KEXP" performance, used with permission)
• Simon Gledhill, "Poupeé Valsante," California Here I Come / TV Recording
• * Toni Gimenez, "Early One Morning," Folkies-5 (Folk Celta) / PICAP
• Paul Brooks, "This Wheel's on Fire (theme from 'Absolutely Fabulous')," As Seen on TV: 40 Television Themes / K-Tel
• Variety Lab, sampling Blossom Dearie, "London in the Rain," Paris Lounge 2 (collection) / Wagram
• Edmonton Symphony, "John Field Suite: Rondo (Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty)," Orchestral Suites of the British Isles / CBC Enterprises 
• Academy of Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, cond., "Early One Morning," Ultimate Classical Relaxation:  The Essential Masterpieces / Decca
• Colin Tilney, harpsichord, "Earl of Salisbury," CBC Special Edition vol. 2 (collection) / CBC Records
• Enya, "Fairytale," The Celts / Reprise
• Edmonton Symphony, "John Field Suite: Rondo (Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty)," Orchestral Suites of the British Isles / CBC Enterprises 
• Queen's Hall Light Orchestra, Sydney Torch, cond., "Portrait of a Flirt," British Light Classics (collection) / Warner Classics

* Indicates filler music used during breaks

• Deborah explains at 7:28 that it requires 50 minutes to get into central London from Heathrow Airport using mass transit, or to Paddington Station with Heathrow Express every fifteen minutes.  Steven says it takes about 30 minutes on the fast train from Gatwick airport to get into town.  Deborah adds the Southern Rail line is less expensive and just as fast as Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. 
• At 29:12, Rick says the entrance fee for the Tower of London (£25) is equivalent to about US$40.
• At 33:50, Rick notes that about 120 people live on the Tower grounds. 
• Christopher notes at 35:58 that the 10pm Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower entrance is free of charge, but there is a waiting list and it must be booked in advance.
• At 37:08, Rick notes that two of the ravens have died or gone missing, since the time we recorded our interview with Christopher. Rick adds that the guards now say "God preserve King Charles."
• The haiku at 37:38 reflect back on summertime memories.
• At 43:43, Jeanie says a new visitor centre opened at Stonehenge "about four years ago."
• At 46:35, Liz cautions to book tickets to Highcler Castle in advance, due to high demand.

Program 610 European Summer Haiku

Stracciatella drips
white on burnt Siena bricks
in the Campo heat.
— Oliver Hay, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Shimmering Sea.
The Clamoring of Athens.
We are Delighted!
— Jay Mayhew, Franklinville, New Jersey

Iceland beckons us
Endless days aurora nights
Glaciers await tender feet
— Regina Ann Cooper, Hartland, Vermont

Luxembourg Garden
Red sails on fountain sea…Come!
Ride ponies with me
— Sally Slotterback, Lavelle, Pennsylvania