Leaving London

6 January, 2016

We took the train from Edinburgh to London and had Eddie Manning pick us up from King's Cross to take us to the Hilton at Heathrow Terminal 4 by way of the Stafford.  We first used Eddie in 2007 when we arrived in London via Gatwick with two of our pre-teen children. We didn't think the Gatwick Express to Victoria and subsequent cab or tube ride held much promise, so we opted to spend a bit more to help ease the transition after an overnight flight in from the states. While we haven't used Eddie every trip we do not hesitate to engage his services any time they will eliminate hassle without blowing our budget. In other words, this won't be the last time you see his name on this blog.

While in Edinburgh we identified a particular Scotch we were interested in taking home, knowing it wasn't readily available in the states. The gentlemen at Royal Mile Whisky confirmed that it was available in their London location, so Eddie stopped by there on our way to the Stafford and we liberated a bottle of Balblair '03 to bring home. After a brief stop at the Stafford to retrieve the excess bags we left there while we visited Edinburgh, Eddie delivered us quickly and safely to Heathrow for our final night in the UK. We decided that staying at the airport would make our departure a bit easier and I took advantage of my Hilton Honors membership and booked award rooms for the night. While the rooms are a bit small by U.S. standards they were spotless and comfortable. We had a tasty dinner at the Italian restaurant and topped everything off with a couple of farewell beers before calling it a night.

7 January, 2016

While this hotel is connected to Terminal 4 via a walkway and you can reach all the other terminals from there using the train system I caution against that if you're flying out of any other terminal with more than a single suitcase and light carry-on per person. You'll also want to make sure you have ample time to transit from the hotel to your destination terminal. We were flying from Terminal 3 and had six bags for four people, plus carry-ons. Factor in our 10 a.m. flight and some mobility issues and walking would have created a hassle not worth saving a few dollars and spoiling the end of a fantastic holiday. So, we arranged a taxi and then used the Heathrow luggage porter to get everything to the ticket counter. The American Airlines agents were quite efficient and helped with the logistics of dealing with the VAT refund desk. This process has changed a bit from our last trip. Formerly you needed to show up with the goods you were claiming VAT refund at-hand in case the agents wanted to inspect them. Now it seems that you just need your paperwork in order and they'll handle the rest. While you do pay a large percentage of your VAT in commissions to the companies for processing the refunds on your behalf, getting something back is far better than getting nothing. It does take several weeks for the refund to appear on your bank statements, but I've never had an issue receiving my refund.

Security at Heathrow is as efficient as any airport I've ever traveled through (TSA could take lessons, for sure) and we were on our way to the gate with minimal delay. Your gate at Heathrow can be quite a trek, so I advise against spending too much time in the duty-free area unless you have an exorbitant amount of time before your flight. You'll be asked for your boarding pass and passport just before your gate, so keep them in a convenient place. You'll also need them when you board, so don't put everything away permanently until you're on the plane.

Our flight from Heathrow to Charlotte was without incident, save a small mishap going back through security. A short layover and a final short flight and we were home!