Follow along as I recount my recent trip to Scotland, England, and beyond! (Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)
June 26th
Today was my first full day in London, but I wouldn't spend much of it in the city. I'd booked a special tour in nearby Chatham: One of my favorite shows, Call The Midwife, films a lot of its outdoor scenes there. I learned about this CTM tour from someone on Reddit, and had then booked myself a ticket.
I needed to take a train to Chatham, and this was the one train ticket I didn't book in advance -- I'm not sure why I didn't. If I had done more research I'm sure I could've booked a cheaper ticket, but whatever -- I got where I needed to go.
In Chatham, I grabbed a drink at the Starbucks in the train station, then proceeded to walk toward the Historic Dockyards, where the sets/tour are. I was impressed by all the bricks in this town... many different colors and textures. I was not as impressed by the beaches.
Don't look too closely...
I got to an entrance to the dockyards, but it turns out that entrance is not the one for people wanting to take the tour, so I had to keep going. It was another warm day, and I decided that on my way back to the train station later, I would definitely take a bus.
I finally found the right place. I walked across a big parking lot and followed signs to the official entrance.
Then I checked in for the tour at the gift shop. I was told to meet my guide outside at a vintage car.
Our guide appeared, dressed as a midwife/nurse. There were about 25 of us on the tour, mostly women in their 30s-80s.
Docked right nearby us was a ship called the HMS Cavalier. (I would get to explore it after the tour.) It was used in several episodes.
Our guide led us past the building they use for the exterior of "The London" (hospital) on the show. We saw where Tom proposed to Trixie. Walked down a couple of the streets where they often hang lines of laundry for street scenes. We saw the place where Chummy learned to ride a bike.
The guide had a book of photos from the show that she used to remind us what was happening in the episodes during some of those location scenes. I remembered all the plots she mentioned except for the more recent episodes, as I haven't watched the last few seasons.
Even though ships no longer sail in and out of these dockyards, many of the buildings here are still in use, though not in the same way they would've been 60 years ago. They are rented out as offices, storehouses, maker spaces/studios -- there are even some homes here!
These carts were placed here in preparation for the episode that would be filming the very next day, we were told...
It was really interesting to learn how they can change the look of the streets for any occasion. Just by filming things from another angle, or by adding a fake door, window, panel, or decor, they can give the illusion that this is actually a full neighborhood with many diverse streets, when in fact it's basically one or two streets that they ever shoot on.
We also learned that, on days when they're filming, they just alert the people who work in the buildings/offices and ask them not to have anything modern within view of their windows. (The show takes places in the 50s/60s.)
Our tour guide gave out great info., but she would often take us to a new spot and not wait for everyone (or even half of everyone) to catch up with her before she began speaking again. Considering the clientele -- multiple people over 70 and some over 80 -- and the cobblestone streets we traversed in some places, it seemed like she wasn't tuned in to what the people on the tour needed. And if anyone was hard of hearing? Forget it.
At the end of the tour, we went into a "museum," where they had replicas of some of the interiors and props. You could tell this was created around season 6 and hadn't been updated much since, but it was still cool. Lots of signs with interesting information.
This is where the tour ended. So after spending ample time at the museum, I departed. On my way toward the entrance I passed by the H.M.S. Cavalier again.
This time I decided to climb aboard. The ship was huge, with ladders to climb, narrow passageways to traverse, and lots of "outfitted as they would have been back then" rooms to peek in.
It was fun exploring the ship, and I happened to be there at a good time -- there were only a couple of other people looking around, and the ship was large enough that I almost never ran into them.
After disembarking, I got a few things from a cafe and also from the dockyards' gift shop. I took a bus back to the Chatham train station and then hopped on a train to London. I had purchased a ticket for "anytime return," since I didn't know how long I would want to spend in Chatham. The train back was super slow and seemed to make dozens of stops.
London to Chatham dockyards, including walking through Chatham: 2 hours
Chatham dockyards to London, including taking a bus through Chatham: 3+ hours
The train I'd hopped to take me back to London did not go directly to St. Pancras. So at some point I decided I might as well take a little detour, get off at Leicester Square, and visit the LEGO Store. (It had been closed during my last trip to London.)
I got off the train at Leicester Square, but then... I couldn't find the LEGO store! My phone's battery was almost dead, and for whatever reason I wasn't getting a signal, either. I wandered in the wrong direction for a bit, then asked someone carrying a LEGO Store bag -- and they pointed me in the right direction. I continued watching for people with LEGO Store bags and just went in the opposite way they were going, until finally... there it was!
It was just a wee bit crowded...
But I did manage to make two figs at the Minifigure Factory. Whenever I encounter one of these, I like to custom-make at least one torso that represents the city I'm in. I also will put the date on it. It makes for a pretty easy and compact souvenir!
There was a McDonald's nearby, so after leaving the LEGO Store, I got some dinner there. I rarely eat at McDonald's here in the U.S., but I will go when I'm in Europe because they often have multiple vegetarian options. Why that hasn't caught on in the U.S., I do not know.
I took the metro back to St. Pancras/King's Cross, and then proceeded to walk toward my hotel. This was only my second time walking to it from the train station.. and my phone was basically dead now... sooo I got a little bit lost at first. But then, recalling that my hotel was across the street from a noisy park, I looked for some green space and... voila! Thank goodness, my hotel!
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