Feeling anxious

Can your friend visit you Etoile?

I completely empathise. One of my best friends lives in Suffolk. I live in Surrey. In order to visit her I would have to cross London and then catch two trains and then a bus. I don't mind train travel but it is the changing that worries me. Also I am worried that my husband will be taken ill if I am away. He has a heart condition. But I really want to see my friend. It is a dilemma.

Download the Citymapper app and you will find this really helpful for the London part of your travel.

I think going a day early is the answer. You will have time to recover if the journey is tiring.

If using the Underground is too challenging, see if there is a Thameslink train service that will take you across London .

It looks as if Flowerofthewest has forgotten she asked for advice .

Just to add I was 76 last Tuesday and going to concerts anywhere and everywhere is the last thing I will give up. The snag is all the best people have died now and soon there will be no one to go and watch

Please go. I have been going to concerts all my life, spent too much money going but I am not keen on sitting in the sun on the beach so I considered them to be my summer holiday. I have seen just about everyone except Elvis, My last trip was to the Elvis Exhibition at London Bridge. London stations are amazing now so new and shiny and spacious information everywhere, escalators and lifts everywhere, very helpful staff who will make sure you get on the right train. I didn't know about the Assistance scheme which sounds great. Like most people have said please go I am sure you will regret it if you don't. Lots of planning. I love music too especially live I can't imagine life without it and missed it during Covid. Think how clever and proud of yourself you will feel afterwards and the huge fun of the concert, people are very friendly at concerts and chat to each other it will be wonderful and so worth it. One last thing I just have to know who you are going to see! We all want to know and to hear all about it afterwards

Casdon that sounds good

That sounds an ordeal to me, not worth the worry.

I agree with Casdon and the others posters who have been positive. If you don't go you could regret it. Plan as much as you can and ask for help - I'm sure you will get plenty and have some lovely memories into the bargain!

Hi Flower
There's some great advice on here, I hope you find the strength and courage to go. You booked the tickets to see this duo for a reason. Although it seems pretty daunting don't think you'll regret the effort to go see them. You may regret cancelling though. Good luck with whatever you decide to do

More expensive but rather than the underground I’d use a taxi instead to get to my destination much less stressful

I would not want to do that journey, it sounds awful. Who are this fabulous duo that would make you want to go through all of that. Also will you be going home late in the evening after the show. That would be even worse. Don't do it.

Great advice. Make your plans. Book ahead. Go a day early and enjoy it all.

Hello Flower, I have the train app on my phone and although I don’t know exactly which station you’re getting on and off at I put Hertfordshire “any” and avoid London it came up with some of the trains go straight through from Hertfordshire to Dorset. It takes about 4hours and was about £30, quite reasonable. We used to live in Devon and it was during Covid so when we traveled back up to Sussex to see our family we used the train, much nicer and the train was western railway very comfortable. We used to book in first class for a bit quieter and more relaxing journey. For the first couple of journeys we went via London and I hated it so one day I was playing about with the APP and it turned out we could go from Plymouth to Reading then Reading to Gatwick which was great. I have physical disabilities and the guard always helped as I sat in the disabled’ carriage so they were expecting to help. I hope this information is of some help to you.

I am 86 and just after Christmas I travelled from Stockport to my D in Sussex.
This involved just two changes, changing in Bournemouth.
I had assistance booked and it was fantastic.
Unfortunately it was during very bad weather with flooding so once reaching Bournemouth my train was cancelled.
The assistance sorted out my trains which then involved an other change and lots of platform changes.
They radioed ahead and there was someone all the way to get me on and off trains and escorted me to my D at the journeys end.
Only one change coming back but again fantastic service all the way and my luggage and me taken to the taxi stand.
I cannot recommend that you book this service highly enough.
If you are determined to go to this concert you must go and not let worry put you off.
I cannot help with the low seating at the gig but perhaps also ring and find out the situation.

I agree with Casdon, spread your journey over 2 days to allow enough time.

Arthritis has changed me from a very independent, adventurous person who loved travelling, to someone who is limited by disability. I just didn’t take this change in at first. I’d describe it as changing from a ‘can do’ attitude to a ‘can’t do’ attitude. It’s a very hard adjustment.

On a practical note, I had to start using a walking stick, and I found people on public transport readily offered assistance when they could see that I was physically challenged.

Good luck with the trip - I hope you get there.

Just don't go, offer your ticket to someone else.

Seems to me that taxis are your friends here. Get black cabs across London, book local minicabs in advance to get you from the hotel to the concert and then back to the hotel. Yes, more expensive, but worth it to relieve the difficulties of travel.

I am 76 like you and not in great health either. I occasionally visit my daughter, so a trip from Surrey to West Yorkshire. I used to go change trains quite happily in London but find it exhausting now with crowds and so few staff on platforms any more. I worked out a different route bypassing London altogether and find it much easier. Do you have to go through London. Have a look at trains your side of the country and see if there is an alternative route. I like to have a go at things but sometimes I have to be realistic and accept it's not for me.

Great advise given already. I’m in the team of you should go. I think you’re making it worse by looking at what you think are negatives. Break it down work out best way to do one thing at a time. Don’t let your world get small because your mind is taking over. Enjoy

You can book assistance for rail travel and also on the tube network. Go for it!

I'm so pleased that others have said "go". As we get older it's too easy to start limiting what we do. We feel a bit anxious about something and instead of dealing with the anxiety, we avoid it. It's not good for our confidence. We try to build out children's confidence by encouraging to do things that they find worrying or difficult and we should do that ourselves as we get older or our lives get too small and insular. A friend visited me this week, she'd had a small car accident which was not her fault but it had really knocked her confidence. She came on the motorway and was beaming when she arrived despite feeling quite anxious when she left home.

I think there is some excellent positive advice here for you , in particular about planning, which is the key. I often use Transport for London journey planner.or the advice of the people at the station .I think covid took away confidence for a lot of people.
I live in the Greater London area near the Elizabeth line , so there are usually lifts at the stations and you can get a lot of help on the trains and tubes .Please ask.
An elderly friend would travel into central classes to go to classes. I met her on the train one day and asked her if she needed a hand. She said she was o.k. and later asked a young man standing by the door to help her off . My friend told me later that there was always a young man standing by the door and they were always pleased to help.
I do hope you will be able to go to your concert and that you have a wonderful time.Please let us know.