Skipton to London trip on the LNER Azuma to Kings Cross

She planned to spend a couple of hours at the exhibition marvelling at the jewellery before heading off to Covent Garden for a leisurely lunch and a bit of shopping before getting the train back to Skipton.

It was interesting as I too was off to one of the capital’s art galleries, and I wondered just how many others on the crack of dawn non stop LNER Azuma train were also off on a culture trip to the capital.

Several of my fellow passengers were having breakfast brought to their seats as we tore at 125mph down south, a lot better than the somewhat uninspiring ‘breakfast in a bar’ I’d grabbed as I’d left the house bleary eyed.

My special birthday treat to London involved meeting my son at Kings Cross and going to the recently re-ordered National Gallery, home to several of the most well known works of art in the world.

After that we planned lunch and a leisurely walk though the city centre along the Regent’s Canal to Kings Cross well in time for me to board the Skipton train and be back home at a not too indecent hour. I had reserved my seat, which I was grateful for seeing as the Friday train was packed.

As a child with a grandmother living in London, I was a regular visitor to London and I even lived there for a while, but I’ve not been for several years. The underground in particular filled me with dread and I was keen to avoid rush hour. I needn’t have worried as it turned out, travelling on the tube is simple these days, one just swipes the old bank card, or app, and the gates swish open.

We headed straight to Trafalgar Square to the National Gallery, pausing to get a picture of the lions and for me to reminisce on how at one time pedlars sold bags of seed to tourists to feed the pigeons. Times have indeed changed; last time I was in the capital, Oxford Street was still a top shopping area, my son visibly blanched when I suggested we take a look. It’s all sweets and souvenir shops now he told me, adding that many of the shops were used to people coming in and asking for help after having their phones nicked.

Then it was off to the gallery, home of many of the greatest works of art in the world and some of the most recognisable; Van Gogh’s Sunflowers; da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks; Monet’s Water Lily Pond, and Michelangelo’s Supper at Emmaus, to name but a few.

I remember the days when photography wasn’t allowed in galleries, someone sitting on a chair would leap up and tell off anyone who looked like they were about to take a picture. Everyone it seems now takes photos, it’s those who don’t who look out of place. The whole behaviour of people faced with great art has changed. I saw one man who systematically went from famous painting to famous painting to get a picture, which wasn’t easy with all the crowds. I saw people taking selfies of themselves standing in front of paintings and crowds so dense around da Vinci’s Virgin of The Rocks it was impossible to get close.

Of course, the fact that everyone was clustered around the ‘top ten’ meant there was plenty of room around the less glamorous works of art.

An hour and a half in the gallery was enough, and after the essential gallery shop, we went for lunch at Xi Home Dumplings near Charing Cross, well regarded for its menu which includes noodles and stir-fried dishes, in addition to the broad range of dumplings for which it is primarily known. It was very bustling, and we were lucky to get a seat.

We enjoyed delicious pork with Chinese leaves, and the pork stuffed pancake with crispy milk curd to finish. All the dishes are best shared.

From there, we headed off through the back streets to the Regent’s Canal, which includes the Islington Tunnel, at 950 yards long, the longest in London. We walked along the towpath, passing a narrow boat turned into a bookshop, which was packed; and at Kings Cross, all pedestrianised, was a canal side, open air showing of Fantastic Mr Fox.

There was just enough time to grab a drink at the station before getting on the non-stop train back to Skipton.

The direct LNER train from Skipton is at 6.56am, and arrives at Kings Cross at 9.59am; an even faster one leaves at 6.04am and with one change, arrives in London at 8.59am. Trains to and from London are every half hour from Skipton and range in price, with the cheapest booked in advance.

The Cartier exhibition at the V&A runs until November 16, but is sold out. The National Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm and is free admission.