21 November 2008

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London Duck Tours

Congratulations to

Lisa Coffman

from London N3

we hope you enjoy your Duck Tour!

...........................................................................................

Our trip was in danger of going pear shaped before it had even started! The district line was creeping along so painfully slowly one particular Tuesday morning that despite allowing plenty of time to get to the London Duck Tour departure point, close to the London Eye, we missed our 10.15 slot. I had phoned whilst stuck at Earls Court to advise that we weren't going to make it and was advised to go anyway in the hope that there may be a cancellation on the next tour. We did this and luckily we were fitted onto the 10.30 tour which happened to be running late; the operators were incredibly helpful, polite and accommodating.

The name Duck is taken from the amphibious DUKWs used to take the troops ashore for the D-Day landings and there was a bit of "Dunkirk spirit" among us standing in the drizzle waiting to depart. Our fellow passengers were nearly all British - a group of girl guides and families spending a day out in London.

The Duck thundered up to our "Duck Stop" and we all boarded. The Duck isn't that big; it accommodates about 30 people so despite not being the quietest of vehicles, it was always easy to hear the jolly commentary.

Matthew was our tour guide and revved everyone up straight away - he cleverly gauged his passengers and got all the girl guides quacking at some passers by. Mission accomplished - he'd got everyone's attention and kept it throughout the tour.

The tour lasts about 75 minutes but you are travelling along busy London roads so are at the mercy of the traffic with buses and tourist coaches occasionally obscuring the view. Matthew was full of anecdotes about statues which one might not normally notice - Charles 1 astride his horse in Trafalgar Square was only 4' 3" -a very short man and Winston Churchill's statue facing the Houses of Parliament has an electronic device behind his ear to deter pigeons decorating the great man's head!

We were also told about the origins to expressions such as "toe the line" and "nosey parker" - all good stuff for keeping all ages engaged and amused.

The last section of the tour is on water. The Duck descends at a fairly steep angle into the Thames and then chugs along past Lambeth Palace, the Houses of Parliament etc. It is a bit noisy and you can get a bit splashed by passing boats but no matter. We were waved at by the River fire brigade and by other passing pleasure boats; it felt as though there was quite a community spirit on the River.

Despite the buildings and landmarks being familiar territory for us, we all really enjoyed our morning. Wear a warm coat and don't take too many bags with you.

Adult (ages 16 and over) £17.50
Concession (ages 13-15, students and OAPs) £14.00
Child (ages 12 and under) £12.00
Family (2 adults/2 children aged 12 and under) £53.00

Phone: 020 7928 3132 Fax: 0)20 7928 2050
enquiries@londonducktours.co.uk
www.londonducktours.co.uk

London Duck Tours Limited
55 York Road
London SE1 7NJ

We have a family ticket which is valid until October 2007 for 2 adults and 2 children worth £53. Simply email London@whatson4kids.com with your name, address and email address for a chance to win.

Closing date is Monday 20th November.