Marine stores in London (UK)

dlochner · Feb 22, 2018

Can't recommend a marine store, but there is a nice marina in downtown London, St. Katherine's Marina. Also a visit to the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark are worthwhile, especially for a sailor.

Jackdaw · Feb 22, 2018

You have to remember that London is 45 NM up the Thames. The big UK chandlery is Force4, but the closest store is in the Solent. IIRC there is an OK sailing gear store near the Charing Cross train station in central London.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 22, 2018

Gabor15908 said:
I will have two free days in London (UK) in early April. Can anybody recommend one or two Marine stores I could visit? Nothing "specials" just to look and see if there is anything unique in a European marine store we don't have here in North America.

If you can't get any answers, google "marine stores London UK." There seem to be several quite large ones.

You have two days...how much time can anyone spend in marine stores??? See some of London! +1 for St. Katherines Docks, which is right next to the Tower of London (take the tour!!) and the Tower Bridge (which is the bridge the guy who developed Lake Havasu AZ thought he bought when he bought the London Bridge, which was being torn down and replaced. BIG surprise when all the pieces of it arrived in AZ! ). You might also want to take a river cruise on the Thames that includes a stop at St. Katherines. Trip Advisor is the best source for the top rated ones.

Jackdaw · Feb 22, 2018

Peggie Hall HeadMistress said:
If you can't get any answers, google "marine stores London UK." There seem to be several quite large ones.

Ah. The dangers of responding to a request for local knowledge with a quick google search.

If you do that search, as far as I can tell the only one of the hits that has a physical chandelry shop in London is the the one I remember in Char Cross, Ocean Leisure. The rest are on-line shops or selling different things.

If you are into old warships, be sure to tour the HMS Belfast, a cruiser that served in WWII. Its permanently moored 2 miles downstream.

dlochner · Feb 22, 2018

When we were in London last September, we used Thames Sightseeing River Cruise - Explore the River Thames
and bought the "Hop on, Hop off" ticket. Included in the ticket price was a discounted admission to the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark. The trip downstream from Westminster Pier was narrated, the trip back from Greenwich had very little narration. It was a pleasant day.

Roland5048 · Feb 22, 2018

If you ever get the chance, take the train to Bristol and tour the SS Great Britain. http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/
You would need two days, though, to get there, tour the ship, and get back to London. In fact, just go to Bristol for a few days. You won't be disappointed. Fantastic music scene, also.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Feb 22, 2018

Jackdaw said:
Ah. The dangers of responding to a request for local knowledge with a quick google search.

Amen! I wrongly assumed "stores" showing a physical address and hours they're open would be bricks and mortar. And maybe they were once..... Especially disappointing to dig a deeper in the one that's been in business for 400 years only to find its "store" is now only online.

DougM · Feb 22, 2018

Buy an Oyster card at one of the train stations. Use it to ride the Tube and the buses. Great way to get around easily and not all that expensive. You can put as much money or as little as you wish on the card, and replenish as needed.
Don’t forget about the museums, most that I recall are free admission.
London. is a great city, just cannot afford to live there in the style which I would like to become accustomed.

Jackdaw · Feb 22, 2018

Peggie Hall HeadMistress said:
Amen! I wrongly assumed "stores" showing a physical address and hours they're open would be bricks and mortar. And maybe they were once..... Especially disappointing to dig a deeper in the one that's been in business for 400 years only to find its "store" is now only online.

Yes with the cost of London real estate and online shopping, it would be very hard to make that work. The one near Charing Cross exists likey only because Charing is the big station serving the SE coast of England. Perfect to pick up a new set of boots on the way to the boat.

dlochner · Feb 22, 2018

In case you get bored with the usual London tours and attractions, here's a suggestion, but not for the feint of heart.
Opinion | London’s Concrete Ladders - The New York Times

Steve L22188 · Feb 22, 2018

Ocean Leisure is OK...it's just a West Marine with people speaking a different kind of English and the prices in pounds versus dollars. There's a little, crowded, messy store in Covent Garden - at the end of a block - Arthur Beale's. Been there for 400 years! And some of the stock has been there 400 years, too!
You can go to West Marine here in the states...see London instead!
The boat ride from Westminster to Greenwich is lots of fun. The naval museum is fabulous when you get to Greenwich.
Walk up the stairs to the top of St. Paul's dome on a sunny day - great views of London.
If you're a Churchill fan (as I am) go to the Cabinet War Rooms and see the terrific Churchill museum there (along with the War Rooms - they simply shut the door after WWII and then opened it up about 30-some years ago.. Go to Churchill's country home (Chartwell) outside London (a chore to get there, but wonderful when you finally arrive).
Go see a show in the West End. Go to the National Gallery.
But whatever you do, go to the Sussex pub in Covent Garden, get an outside table and watch the people - the number one stop for us when ever we get to London (we've been 11 times in the last 40 years).

Dalliance · Feb 22, 2018

There is so much worth seeing in London you won’t have time for marine stores. Not with only two days free. Lots of good suggestions here already. Greenwich and the Cutty Sark should satisfy your Marine appetite. I found Churchill’s War Rooms fascinating the last time I was in London. The shopping at Covent Garden is more upscale these days. Camden market is more entertaining.

Buy an Oyster Card and use the tube and buses. The best smart phone app I have found for getting around in London, and many other cities too, is called Citymapper. Indispensable for using public transportation.