News Letter editor Ben Lowry on his panicked dash to Westminster Abbey early on Saturday morning

(Scroll down for video of Alex Maskey, travelling to the coronation, taken by Ben Lowry)

My accommodation, ahead of reporting the coronation, was 1.8 miles from the press rendezvous point, within walking distance. But much of the walk would be shut I was told by various people. Which part? When? So I resolved to take the tube, which at 630am I figured would be empty. No, no said the doorman. Take a taxi, they come by every couple of minutes. As they did, but none had their light on, being full carrying others.

This was near Bond Street. Just when, in mounting panic, I was about to dash for the tube after all a vacant cab came. He told me many of his colleagues were avoiding the hassle of a half shut central London today. We travelled down Park Lane, past heavily guarded top hotels like the Dorchester. President Biden's wife was in one, said the driver. We wound our way round Hyde Park corner, with key routes such as Piccadilly closed, manned by multiple police and security in yellow jackets.

If you think the PSNI had a hefty bill for the recent Biden visit to Belfast try to imagine the intergalactic costs for the Met today.

Now we were near the back of Buckingham Palace, and the cabbie was trying to give Victoria station a wide berth to get me to the journalist meeting point near the Thames. More closures, some of them further away from Westminster than the driver was expecting, as the 7am news came on. That was our meeting time. I had to walk the last half mile and got there at 714, a nervous wreck. But the meeting time had been set cautiously early. The abbey didn't open until 730am.

Now I'm in the press area. We're in a place called the North Transept with a restricted view. By 8am the main body of the abbey was filling up. I spotted two Northern Ireland peers in robes, Lords Dodds and Rogan, before we media were ushered on to our seats.

• Ben Lowry (@BenLowry2) is News Letter editor

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