Hallo Hilary, i carried my Leki poles from Melbourne to Le Puy in 2014 ... no problems at all ... if ur nervous about damage just wrap them in some cardboard and some of you clothes, towel, etc. and bury in the middle of bur backpack and all shoyld be good, unless ur very unlucky
i did the same on return journey sans cardboard and they arrived in perfect good order ... i will be taking them the same way this coming May. That said, London would be a good spot to buy poles [though exchange rate may mean u end up paying more than you expect] ... there are Decathlon stores in the UK and that would be my first port of call ... good gear at excellent prices ... i have just purchased sone gear from their online UK store [not poles, mind] ... one third of the price i would expect to pay here ... for a personal recommendation on poles, women specific sizing for hand grips = Leki Cressida AS. Bon chemin!