View Single Post
  #2   Report Post  
Old January 3rd 11, 12:42 AM posted to uk.transport.london
Jack Taylor Jack Taylor is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity at LondonBanter: Jul 2003
Posts: 634
Default New Year's Eve in London

max wrote:
How was it? I saw a fantastic fireworks scenery as i watched on TV the
following days..
they say it was overcrowded.. was it really like that?

Give me your opinion..


It's usually a complete shambles. I doubt that this year was different (but
yes, the fireworks are good).

We used to go down for the fireworks every year until three years ago, when
(despite leaving the pub at 23:15) we were unable to get any nearer the
river than the Strand, at the Aldwych end. In previous years we'd always
managed to stand along the Embankment near to Hungerford Bridges.

The year prior to our final visit we left the Embankment as usual,
attempting to avoid Trafalgar Square and the masses by heading via Scotland
Yard and Whitehall up to Hyde Park and Edgware Road. However, on reaching
Whitehall we were herded back up and into Trafalgar Square (no-one being
allowed to head *away* from the busy areas) - the very place that we were
trying to avoid! Luckily we were able to duck around the main flow of people
and escaped down Pall Mall and into Piccadilly. For some reason those in
control seemed to be obsessed with the idea that everyone wanted to go to
Charing Cross and were forcing everyone in that direction. It was utter
mayhem, with very little movement of the crowd due to the volume of people.

After two years of that - mainly caused by the sheer numbers and the
inability of the authorities to disperse them sensibly - we gave up. It's
easier to watch the fireworks from the comfort of an armchair, without the
worry of missing last trains home.