LETTING the train take the strain is all very well, but for a recent trip to the capital we opted for coach travel, picking up one of the frequent National Express services to London which run from all over this area.

Online booking couldn’t have been easier, the price was right (less than £45 return for two adults) and the comfy seats, with ample legroom, were all we could have asked for.

Once at Victoria, it was easy to find our way to the Tube network, as my daughter and I planned a day of culture: a visit to Tate Modern in the morning, with an afternoon matinee.

A little research beforehand had identified the right lines to aim for on the Underground, and as we queued for tickets helpful London Transport staff pointed out a real timesaver. The Tube now accepts contactless payment using debit/credit cards, and its clever computer works out the lowest fare, depending on your journey. I will admit to being a bit doubtful, but sure enough both cards later recorded the correct £8 capped fare for Zone 1 travel, and the joy of simply waving your card over the barrier at each end, rather than struggling with tickets, was immense.

It was a rather windy day as we walked down the embankment to cross the Thames on the Millennium Bridge (that’s another item crossed off my personal bucket list), where we paused for a few photos.

Once inside the massive halls of Tate Modern, I handed over control of the day to the arty member of the family, who had several specific galleries and exhibitions she wanted to look at. Never having been in a gallery totally devoted to modern art, I soon found myself struggling with some of the, to me, very esoteric exhibitions. French avant-garde abstracts by Sonia Delaunay held some appeal, and I was fascinated by Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin.

By lunchtime I was more than ready to stop exercising my brain and relax.

Having decided to go for the main cafe, rather than the snack and sandwich bar, which might have had better views over the river, we enjoyed being shown to our table and served by attentive staff. Leek, watercress and Barber cheese tart and Emmett peppered ham, eggs and chips with Hollandaise sauce arrived promptly and were delicious and filling, washed down with lime and lemongrass green iced tea and an apple and elderberry juice. A bill for £31.61 seemed reasonable.

A second Tube journey took us to the West End and the Prince Edward Theatre.

Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Miss Saigon opened here a year ago and has won a plethora of awards.

It proved to be a marvellous show: it does have ‘adult’ themes and some violent scenes, prompting a warning that it is suitable over over-12s. I did wonder how the 90-year-old granny whose family had brought her on a birthday treat would be reacting to the opening strip bar scene, but that was soon forgotton as I got completely caught up in this immensely romantic story.

Country girl Kim, orphaned by war, stumbles into a seedy life, and falls in love with American GI Chris - but they are parted by the fall of Saigon. The music is powerful and the staging dramatic, still with the helicopter scene which was the talk of the town when this show was first produced 25 years ago.

Miss Saigon is booking until December 19 2015 at the Prince Edward Theatre. Book at miss-saigon.com/boxoffice or 0844 482 5155.

After the show it was back to Victoria and home, again an easy journey.

A throughly enjoyable day in London, without spending a penny in the shops.

— ALISON PHILLIPS