The weather seemed to know of the change in seasons and promptly changed from the warmer Summer weather to the crisp Autumn weather.
East Croydon has excellent transport links to London and the overground train runs express to Clapham Junction, Victoria and London Bridge so within 20 mins from East Croydon you can be in the heart of London and connected with the underground system.
East Croydon is halfway between London and Gatwick airport and the train also conveniently runs express to Gatwick airport.
If you arrive via Heathrow airport then there is a bus service linking to Heathrow but this takes about an hour to complete the trip but is the cheapest option at only £1.5 but I cannot remember if you need an Oyster card for this travel or if you can pay cash.
You will need to have an Oyster card for your stay in London as most transport does not accept cash.
Marion and Brian have a small apartment only 7 mins walk from the East Croydon station. There is a bus and tram line that can get you closer to their apartment but since it is so close you would walk unless you had unlimited daily travel tickets since travel in London can be expensive and there is no difference in price between the hour bus ride to Heathrow or a short 2 min ride.
There is a large development for the East Croydon station that is due to be completed in 2016 and this will give Croydon exciting new look.
If you have not been to London before you will need plenty of time to explore the city.
The masses of people may be overwhelming to you if you are not used to big cities especially during the weekend.
I found the last week of my stay that I was more active and the days seemed to go a lot quicker.
The main reason for that is that during the last week the weather was sunny every day and that encouraged me to travel into London and take more photos.
The first week I had cooler weather and was content to explore closer to Croydon rather than traveling into London Central.
The Main Street of Croydon is pedestrian access only and there is lots of entertainment and activities and the street always seemed to be busy.
There is no TV in the apartment, the cooking facilities are basic, and it does not have a permanent lived in family home feeling about it, but this is London and most likely your reasons for this exchange is to see London and not to stay at home watching TV.
There are 3 levels and Marion and Brian's apartment is in the middle, up one small flight of stairs.
Like all apartment living you may hear noises and perhaps be woken from the activities of other residents. I had a couple of days where the neighbours came home late or were active early morning but this did not bother me, but it could be an issue for some house swappers if they have never lived in an apartment before. The noise was not excessive and overall the complex seemed to be very quite.
There is a small convenience store a few minutes walk but you would most likely do all your shopping in Croydon where there are plenty of stores for you to choose from.
The George is a nearby pub which serves good food that is cheap.
There is a "Surrey Street" fruit and vegetable market that operates six days days per week.
There are plenty of parks and places to walk nearby.
I liked Croydon and would have no problems with returning to this multicultural city.
East Croydon has excellent transport links to London and the overground train runs express to Clapham Junction, Victoria and London Bridge so within 20 mins from East Croydon you can be in the heart of London and connected with the underground system.
East Croydon is halfway between London and Gatwick airport and the train also conveniently runs express to Gatwick airport.
If you arrive via Heathrow airport then there is a bus service linking to Heathrow but this takes about an hour to complete the trip but is the cheapest option at only £1.5 but I cannot remember if you need an Oyster card for this travel or if you can pay cash.
You will need to have an Oyster card for your stay in London as most transport does not accept cash.
Marion and Brian have a small apartment only 7 mins walk from the East Croydon station. There is a bus and tram line that can get you closer to their apartment but since it is so close you would walk unless you had unlimited daily travel tickets since travel in London can be expensive and there is no difference in price between the hour bus ride to Heathrow or a short 2 min ride.
There is a large development for the East Croydon station that is due to be completed in 2016 and this will give Croydon exciting new look.
 |
| The local fox can be seen every so often from the apartment |
The masses of people may be overwhelming to you if you are not used to big cities especially during the weekend.
I found the last week of my stay that I was more active and the days seemed to go a lot quicker.
The main reason for that is that during the last week the weather was sunny every day and that encouraged me to travel into London and take more photos.
The first week I had cooler weather and was content to explore closer to Croydon rather than traveling into London Central.
The Main Street of Croydon is pedestrian access only and there is lots of entertainment and activities and the street always seemed to be busy.
 |
| Pedestrian Access Only - Croydon Shopping Strip |
There are 3 levels and Marion and Brian's apartment is in the middle, up one small flight of stairs.
Like all apartment living you may hear noises and perhaps be woken from the activities of other residents. I had a couple of days where the neighbours came home late or were active early morning but this did not bother me, but it could be an issue for some house swappers if they have never lived in an apartment before. The noise was not excessive and overall the complex seemed to be very quite.
There is a small convenience store a few minutes walk but you would most likely do all your shopping in Croydon where there are plenty of stores for you to choose from.
The George is a nearby pub which serves good food that is cheap.
 |
| Having a beer with my Nephew at The George - a local pub |
There are plenty of parks and places to walk nearby.
I liked Croydon and would have no problems with returning to this multicultural city.
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