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Travel Forum / Travel Types / Air Travel / July 2008Two questions on UK, travel to Europe
Hi I am visiting London on business (have been here once before on vacation and did the standard sights, except hyde park), and will be finishing up business sometime Friday afternoon, flying back to the US on Sunday at 3 pm, so have about 2 days to do something else. Question 1. Any good day trips from London (have heard Lake country is good), I like good food, drink, some sightseeing and meeting people 2. Whats the best place to check cheap fares out of London this Friday, if can go to Ireland, or Prague for eg for a day and a half might be worthwhile. Any other suggestions welcome. Shriram In message <cc222317-897f-4d8d-8a47-9420fc60cbbd@r35g2000prm.googlegroups.com>, at 02:52:36 on Tue, 29 Jul 2008, shriramosu@gmail.com remarked: >Hi > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >1. Any good day trips from London (have heard Lake country is good), If you mean Lake District, then it's got plenty to recommend it, but not on a short trip from London. It'll take most of a day to get there and back (by train is the best way, although they are very poor on Sundays and especially Sunday mornings). >I like good food, drink, some sightseeing and meeting people > >2. Whats the best place to check cheap fares out of London this >Friday, if can go to Ireland, or Prague for eg for a day and a half >might be worthwhile. Use the Skyscanner website, eg: <http://www.skyscanner.net/gbp/flights/lond/prg/080801/080802/airfares-to -prague-from-london-in-august-2008.html> If you fly out Friday evening and can manage to fly back into the same airport as you are leaving from on Sunday, that would allow you all day Saturday somewhere. Plus a few hours on Friday and Sunday if you are lucky.  SignatureRoland Perry Following up to Roland Perry > If you mean Lake District, then it's got plenty to recommend it, but not > on a short trip from London. It'll take most of a day to get there and > back (by train is the best way, although they are very poor on Sundays > and especially Sunday mornings). and the train wont get you to the start of a nice walk, or driving over the various passes, just stuck in windermere or wherever it takes you. There is the option of the train up the coast and change to L'al Ratty for Eskdale though. But all in all "the Lakes" isnt a day trip. SignatureMike....... "I reached the car park of Eden" google-groups posts not read, remove clothing to email > Any good day trips from London (have heard Lake country is good), If you have Two days Bath? York? Have you done Hampton Court? Greenwich*? * no Cutty Sark at present. SignatureMike....... "I reached the car park of Eden" google-groups posts not read, remove clothing to email >> Any good day trips from London (have heard Lake country is good), > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > * no Cutty Sark at present. Except the fine pub of that name. Cheers, George W Russell Bangalore >>> Any good day trips from London (have heard Lake country is good), >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Except the fine pub of that name. My wife says don't forget Canterbury. SignatureMartin Martin: > My wife says don't forget Canterbury. It's worth a one-day visit, yes. But that should be enough. However, if you happen to be there during the cricket season, do visit a game on a sunny day at the St Lawrence Ground. I loved to see the various old buildings that form the stadium, the senior ladies zipping champagne just next to the grounds (they brought their own tables and chairs, I suppose), and the fact that they actually have a big tree _on_ the playing field. Very special sight, that was! SignatureErick [The gentleman at the gate let me and my family in for free, when I asked to be allowed to see the field for 15 minutes and then leave again. Yes, we had a tight program, that day.] >Martin: > >> My wife says don't forget Canterbury. > >It's worth a one-day visit, yes. But that should be enough. The context is one day visits :o) It doesn't have to be enough we have had several holidays based on renting an old oast house near Canterbury, there is lots to visit in the area. SignatureMartin Following up to grusl >> * no Cutty Sark at present. > > Except the fine pub of that name. "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk/thame037x.htm" SignatureMike....... google-groups posts not read, remove clothing to email > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > 1. Any good day trips from London (have heard Lake country is good), I > like good food, drink, some sightseeing and meeting people If you mean the Lake District, that's not a practical day trip from London IMO. If you're thinking of taking the train there, there's extensive engineering works on that train line on weekends throughout the summer anyway. There's a wealth of day trips from London- depending on what your interests are. For a train trip, my limit us usually 2 hours each way, as the train is relaxing, but get a reservation as the trains can be very busy on weekends. Popular day trips from London include Cambridge, Oxford, even York is only 2 hours away. Something less urban, consider the Cotswolds (Stroud is 90 minutes away as one example), Suffolk (Saxmundham is 2 hours) > 2. Whats the best place to check cheap fares out of London this > Friday, if can go to Ireland, or Prague for eg for a day and a half > might be worthwhile. skyscanner.net Doubt you will get anything cheap at this late stage though.... Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins >> Hi >> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >only 2 hours away. Something less urban, consider the Cotswolds (Stroud >is 90 minutes away as one example), Suffolk (Saxmundham is 2 hours) There are closer places that are worth a visit. By boat Greenwich Hampton Court Windsor SignatureMartin > >> Hi > >> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Windsor I was thinking of places outside the boroughs (well, Windsor is)! :) But yes, worth a visit. Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins >> On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:12:55 +0100, d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk (David Horne, >> _the_ [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > But yes, worth a visit. I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. Cheers, George W Russell Bangalore >I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. By what means of transport? It's a nice place for sure, but last time I went it was by ferry to Zebrugge and didn't feel like a day-trip. SignatureRoland Perry >>I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. > > By what means of transport? It's a nice place for sure, but last time I > went it was by ferry to Zebrugge and didn't feel like a day-trip. Eurostar to Brussels, then about an hour on an NMBS train. The Eurostar ticket is valid to any station in Belgium. Cheers, George W Russell Bangalore >>>I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Eurostar to Brussels, then about an hour on an NMBS train. The Eurostar >ticket is valid to any station in Belgium. So about 4 hours each way from a random hotel in Central London. What we don't know until he says, is what the OP's tenacity is, when it comes to travel like that. SignatureRoland Perry >>>>I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. >>> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >don't know until he says, is what the OP's tenacity is, when it comes to >travel like that. It;s a total waste of a day. SignatureMartin > >I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. > > By what means of transport? It's a nice place for sure, but last time I > went it was by ferry to Zebrugge and didn't feel like a day-trip. It's around 3h30 taking the Eurostar to Brussels. I'd put it out of my day-trip range, at least for 'pleasure.' As a teenager, I frequently had to take daytrips to London from Edinburgh, and thought nothing of it! Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on Tue, 29 Jul 2008, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk> remarked: >> >I thought Bruges was a nice day trip from London. >> >> By what means of transport? It's a nice place for sure, but last time I >> went it was by ferry to Zebrugge and didn't feel like a day-trip. > >It's around 3h30 taking the Eurostar to Brussels. Don't forget the Eurostar checking time, and there may not be a rapid connection in Brussels. SignatureRoland Perry > In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g...@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on > Tue, 29 Jul 2008, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > -- > Roland Perry Two points 1. Actually have more than a day so doesn't have to be a day trip could be a day and a half to two days, as likely done at noon on Friday and have till 3 pm on Sunday Shriram On Jul 29, 12:09 pm, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote: > In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g...@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on > Tue, 29 Jul 2008, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > -- > Roland Perry Two points 1. Actually have more than a day so doesn't have to be a day trip could be a day and a half to two days, as likely done at noon on Friday and have till 3 pm on Sunday ----------------- York, full of excellent pubs, food and shopping, good museums, friendly people, much cheaper than London. It's reasonably compact so you can walk just about everywhere once you're in the centre and it's a two hour train ride from London. Of course it's packed with of tourists at the moment... SignatureWilliam Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach Time for tea. > On Jul 29, 12:09 pm, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote: >> In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g...@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Of course it's packed with of tourists at the moment... I haven't been to York in 15 or so years but I've always liked it despite the tourists. I only decided to stay south this June because of the weather. Cheers, George W Russell Bangalore > I haven't been to York in 15 or so years but I've always liked it despite > the tourists. I only decided to stay south this June because of the > weather. It has been excellent up here in Yorkshire. SignatureWilliam Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach Time for tea. >> I haven't been to York in 15 or so years but I've always liked it despite >> the tourists. I only decided to stay south this June because of the >> weather. > > It has been excellent up here in Yorkshire. No doubt. I was just going by London - where it was cold and wet - and acted intuitively. Cheers, George W Russell Bangalore >>> I haven't been to York in 15 or so years but I've always liked it despite >>> the tourists. I only decided to stay south this June because of the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >No doubt. I was just going by London - where it was cold and wet - and acted >intuitively. bad move :o) SignatureMartin >> I haven't been to York in 15 or so years but I've always liked it despite >> the tourists. I only decided to stay south this June because of the >> weather. > >It has been excellent up here in Yorkshire. We had a very warm sunny week on the NE coast a month ago. SignatureMartin > On Jul 29, 12:09 pm, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote: > > In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g...@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > York, full of excellent pubs, food and shopping, good museums, friendly > people, much cheaper than London. Not _much_ cheaper than London- especially the touristy centre. A bit cheaper, yes- and it's certainly worth visiting. Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins >On Jul 29, 12:09 pm, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote: >> In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g...@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >York, full of excellent pubs, food and shopping, good museums, friendly >people, much cheaper than London. Not to mention the city walls, the Minster, National Railway museum ... and Micklegate by night :o) >It's reasonably compact so you can walk just about everywhere once you're in >the centre and it's a two hour train ride from London. > >Of course it's packed with of tourists at the moment... I notice on the York webcam almost permanent queues outside the side entrance to York Minster. Any idea what they are queuing for? I don't recall ever seeing queues there when I have been in York. SignatureMartin > I notice on the York webcam almost permanent queues outside the side > entrance to > York Minster. Any idea what they are queuing for? I don't recall ever > seeing > queues there when I have been in York. To buy tickets. It's about £12 for the full deal including the crypt, treasury and saint's shrine/tomb these days... Only two ticket positions and people can pay by card, so things slow down because a lot of US cards don't work in the UK... SignatureWilliam Black I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach Time for tea. >> I notice on the York webcam almost permanent queues outside the side >> entrance to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >It's about £12 for the full deal including the crypt, treasury and saint's >shrine/tomb these days... http://www.yorkminster.org/visiting/what-to-see-and-do/entrance-prices/ a bit less "Entry to the Minster, Undercroft, Treasury and Crypt and Tower Adult: £9.50 Senior (60+)/student: £8.00 Child: £3.00" >Only two ticket positions and people can pay by card, so things slow down >because a lot of US cards don't work in the UK... OK you know you can get a ticket valid for 12 months for the same price? "Make your ticket last a year at no extra cost Did you know you could get entry to the Minster for a year for the same amount as a single day entry, and help the Minster in its daily life? On arrival, simply complete our Gift Aid form and make a donation equal to or more than the normal admission charge, and we will give you a pass valid for 12 months, which you can use on the day of your visit. We are a charity; by making your donation under Gift Aid you will help us enormously in our work. If you pay UK tax we can reclaim from the government 28p for every £1 you give." SignatureMartin In alt.travel.uk.air Martin <me@address.invalid> wrote: > OK you know you can get a ticket valid for 12 months for the same price? [snip] > On arrival, simply complete our Gift Aid form and make a donation equal to > or more than the normal admission charge, and we will give you a pass [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > enormously in our work. If you pay UK tax we can reclaim from the > government 28p for every ?1 you give." Useful to know. But you have to be a UK taxpayer to declare for Gift Aid[1]. So it's not for everyone and no use for the OP (even if he was likely to come back within a year). [1] Strictly, if you declare that you've gift aided more than you paid in tax, HMRC will ask you to pay the extra amount. So non-taxpaying UK residents could get a year's pass for entry+28%, at the additional cost of filling in some tax forms. Theo >In alt.travel.uk.air Martin <me@address.invalid> wrote: >> OK you know you can get a ticket valid for 12 months for the same price? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >Aid[1]. So it's not for everyone and no use for the OP (even if he was >likely to come back within a year). but OK for William and all the other tax paying Brits who post here. >[1] Strictly, if you declare that you've gift aided more than you paid in >tax, HMRC will ask you to pay the extra amount. So non-taxpaying UK >residents could get a year's pass for entry+28%, at the additional cost of >filling in some tax forms. Otherwise, it's a good deal? :) SignatureMartin >On arrival, simply complete our Gift Aid form This may be the reason for the queue. The forms take ages to fill in and if they don't let other people "jump the queue" for tickets while you are filling it in, then a huge delay results. This (huge delay) was evident when I went to a museum in Derbyshire that was virtually insisting everyone filled in such a form. SignatureRoland Perry In article <b789f3c5-0c95-471e-b04e-8911c34d1cca@z66g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>, shriramosu@gmail.com writes >1. Actually have more than a day so doesn't have to be a day trip >could be a day and a half to two days, as likely done at noon on >Friday and have till 3 pm on Sunday It could certainly be done. I worked out the lowest Eurostar cost as roughly USD270 return if booked now. Plus one or two nights' hotel. Signaturecongokid Eating out in London? Read my tips... http://congokid.com In message <b789f3c5-0c95-471e-b04e-8911c34d1cca@z66g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>, at 04:17:59 on Tue, 29 Jul 2008, shriramosu@gmail.com remarked: >1. Actually have more than a day so doesn't have to be a day trip >could be a day and a half to two days, as likely done at noon on >Friday and have till 3 pm on Sunday Does your flight leave at 3pm Sunday, if so you'll have to be at the airport at the very latest 1pm, and noon is better. You are probably flying from Heathrow or Gatwick, and each of those is an hour from Central London (especially on a Sunday). Are you taking your luggage on the "day trip"? If you don't know what time you are free on Friday it will be impossible to book a flight/train "in advance". The cost is therefore likely to be higher. But it's true that you can use Friday to get somewhere and Sunday to get back, so all day Saturday somewhere. SignatureRoland Perry Following up to Roland Perry > Does your flight leave at 3pm Sunday, if so you'll have to be at the > airport at the very latest 1pm, and noon is better. You are probably [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > to book a flight/train "in advance". The cost is therefore likely to be > higher. in this situation it would be easier to hire a car from London to be returned to the airport and explore to the west, although if its in August there is a problem of returning holiday traffic jams travelling towards London. SignatureMike....... google-groups posts not read, remove clothing to email > In message <1iku95x.f671r1q3ye9gN%d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk>, at 11:57:50 on Tue, > 29 Jul 2008, "David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)" <d4g4h4@yahoo.co.uk> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Don't forget the Eurostar checking time, and there may not be a rapid > connection in Brussels. Check-in was easy both ways, and there were instant connections. It's the well-travelled Brussels-Ghent-Bruges-Ostend line. Surprisingly grubby cars, though. But, yes, I was keen to see Bruges and it was definitely a full day. Cheers, George W Russell Bangalore > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Shriram How about Bath? History from Roman through to the present day. Hot springs if you want to relax. I'm partial to a restaurant called "Fish Works" in Green Street. Spend the night and on the way back don't come all the way to London, get off the train at Reading and catch the connecting bus to Heathrow. Alternatively, hire a car and do a little round trip stopping in Salisbury (cathedral), Stonehenge and Bath. In London itself go west. Chiswick has a Palladian villa in the grounds of the park then a short stroll away is Strand on the Green - a nice riverside walk and at the end of that over Kew Bridge to the Botanical gardens at Kew (or if you have an interest in such things along Brentford High Street to the Musical Museum (player pianos) and the steam pumping engines). Exit Kew Gardens the opposite end to where you went in and you are close to Richmond where you'll find restaurants and an entrance (among many) to Richmond Park. All of this within 30 minutes on a train from Waterloo. > > Hi > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > How about Bath? Excellent choice. I stayed at the following place on a recent visit- http://www.wheelwrightsarms.co.uk/ It's as quaint as it seems from the picture on the front page. Wonderful room, and the food is excellent- and freshly sourced. Very good beer selection. As they put it in the visitors' guide "we don't have any sea bass swimming in the river here, so don't expect to see it on our menu." A bus ride from Bath, or a taxi wouldn't break the bank. Lots of walking trails nearby- lovely countryside. But, you'd be just as happy in bath. The travelodge is very central as a cheaper option... Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins >As they put it in the visitors' guide "we don't have any sea >bass swimming in the river here, so don't expect to see it on our menu." Can we take it that the crab, giant king prawns, haddock, red snapper and salmon on their menu do swim locally? Signaturecongokid Eating out in London? Read my tips... http://congokid.com > >As they put it in the visitors' guide "we don't have any sea > >bass swimming in the river here, so don't expect to see it on our menu." > > Can we take it that the crab, giant king prawns, haddock, red snapper > and salmon on their menu do swim locally? LOL- good point, I hadn't thought about that! Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins >>As they put it in the visitors' guide "we don't have any sea >>bass swimming in the river here, so don't expect to see it on our menu." > >Can we take it that the crab, giant king prawns, haddock, red snapper >and salmon on their menu do swim locally? I did wonder, when staying in a Scottish hotel a couple of winters ago, where they found the prawns for the "Prawn Cocktail", as the menu said that everything they served was grown locally. SignatureRoland Perry > >>As they put it in the visitors' guide "we don't have any sea > >>bass swimming in the river here, so don't expect to see it on our menu." [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > where they found the prawns for the "Prawn Cocktail", as the menu said > that everything they served was grown locally. Well, the crab didn't have too far to crawl. That said, the food was very good.. Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins On Jul 29, 3:46 pm, d4g...@yahoo.co.uk (David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*)) wrote: > > In message <Hq0zmV79iyjIF...@congokid.demon.co.uk>, at 15:27:09 on Tue, > > 29 Jul 2008, congokid <congo...@congokid.com> remarked: [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. > Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins Thanks all, think I am going to look for trains to Bath as option 1, have to wait till Friday to book (unfortunately) so any advice on how to get last minute cheap fares are welcome. And the advice on coming back is excellent, ie stopping at Reading and taking bus to Heathrow. Any suggestions on where to stay in Bath (cheap is good, cheap, local and unique is better) and/or things to do for a day and a half. Obviously going to the baths themselves, a bit of walking around the city, several stops at pubs is mandatory. Will do West London, with trips to Hampton Court, Greenwich etc as option 2. In terms of luggage have almost none, just a 20" carry on and a garment bag. S Shri In message <ac6fda8f-5c51-4165-a431-5d7ea4c146b3@v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com>, at 02:15:26 on Wed, 30 Jul 2008, shriramosu@gmail.com remarked: >Thanks all, think I am going to look for trains to Bath as option 1, >have to wait till Friday to book (unfortunately) so any advice on how >to get last minute cheap fares are welcome. The only cheap ticket you can get is a Saver (return). Cost approx £50. Available for purchase on the day. That's valid for coming back any time Saturday/Sunday, but has an outbound blackout period of 16.50-18.46 on weekdays - but it sounds like you'll be away from London in plenty of time. SignatureRoland Perry > In message > <ac6fda8f-5c51-4165-a431-5d7ea4c14...@v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com>, at [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > -- > Roland Perry Thanks, I tried to advance book for Friday as 90% should be done by 10 am. Right now fares are still $50 if I book first class leaving Saturday, for whatever reason, std fares are more expensive and Friday fares are also more expensive. No advance fares In message <cfb3e044-cbba-4984-a2f0-ee8f031f0798@a6g2000prm.googlegroups.com>, at 05:11:36 on Wed, 30 Jul 2008, shriramosu@gmail.com remarked: >I tried to advance book for Friday as 90% should be done by 10 >am. Right now fares are still $50 if I book first class leaving >Saturday, for whatever reason, std fares are more expensive and Friday >fares are also more expensive. No advance fares Sorry but that doesn't make sense. Advance Fares are cheaper (but unlikely to be available at short notice). They commit you to a specific train. The remaining fares are flexible, and divided broadly into "anytime" and "offpeak" fares. Offpeak fares are available all weekend, so perhaps you are looking at a First Class Saver [offpeak] that's about £110 return, which is cheaper than a Standard Class Return [anytime] about £125 return. However there is also the Standard Class Saver [offpeak] which is available Friday and weekend at about £50 return; with the Friday evening blackout period I mentioned. SignatureRoland Perry > In message > <cfb3e044-cbba-4984-a2f0-ee8f031f0798@a6g2000prm.googlegroups.com>, at [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > available Friday and weekend at about £50 return; with the Friday evening > blackout period I mentioned. I just had a look at the National Rail journey planner and, based on what I saw there, I was going to agree with the OP. Then I looked at First Great Western (they actually run the trains) and they show all sorts of advance singles and standard singles but no saver returns until I noticed that at the top of the results page (well away from the fares and pointing "backwards") is a link "view flexible return tickets" and voila GBP48.00 saver return London/Bath. Now, a quick explanation is in order. UK rail fares can get a bit esoteric. There is a rule that says you can travel on more than one ticket provided the train you travel on stops at the point where you change from one ticket to the other. You don't have to get off the train, just be on one that makes the stop. The trains from London to Bath stop variously at Reading, Didcot, Swindon and Chippenham. If you got a train which stopped at all those stations it would be quite valid to have 5 tickets (one for each leg). I'm going to propose that you purchase a single ticket London/Didcot (GBP18.90) a saver return Didcot/Bath Spa/Didcot GBP19.00 and a single ticket Didcot/Heathrow via Reading and rail/air bus GBP20.40. This combination restricts you to using the trains leaving London on Friday at 0930, 1030 and 1130 (and so on) and coming back at on Sunday 0913, 1013 etc. because they are the ones that stop at Didcot. That's a total of GBP58.30. Buy it all at Paddington before you leave, no advance booking required. They do carry restrictions if you try to use them during the rush hour on Friday. Just make sure they put the right dates on the tickets. Just had one last thought. Paddington might refuse to sell you the Didcot/Heathrow ticket because it's "only valid on the day of issue". If that happens just buy it at Bath on Sunday. I'm afraid I can't offer suggestions for somewhere to stay. I've always lived within day trip distance of Bath so have never needed a bed there. >I'm going to propose that you purchase a single ticket London/Didcot >(GBP18.90) a saver return Didcot/Bath Spa/Didcot GBP19.00 and a single >ticket Didcot/Heathrow via Reading and rail/air bus GBP20.40. I'd forgotten about the Reading/Heathrow part of the trip. The obvious set of tickets (although I've not looked up the prices) is therefore: London/Reading Single Reading/Bath/Reading Saver Return Reading/Heathrow Single (via the bus) SignatureRoland Perry >>I'm going to propose that you purchase a single ticket London/Didcot >>(GBP18.90) a saver return Didcot/Bath Spa/Didcot GBP19.00 and a single [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Reading/Heathrow Single (via the bus) 14.00 = > 62.10 So Didcot is cheaper but all trains stop at Reading. On Jul 30, 4:45 pm, "Graham Harrison" <edward.harris...@remove.btinternet.com> wrote: > > In message <7rednfXl_8VL7g3VRVny...@bt.com>, at 14:59:35 on Wed, 30 Jul > > 2008, Graham Harrison <edward.harris...@remove.btinternet.com> remarked: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > So Didcot is cheaper but all trains stop at Reading. Ok one last q. Is Bath worth going and staying over, or sufficient to just do day trip from London? On Jul 30, 4:45 pm, "Graham Harrison" <edward.harris...@remove.btinternet.com> wrote: > "Roland Perry" <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > So Didcot is cheaper but all trains stop at Reading. Ok one last q. Is Bath worth going and staying over, or sufficient to just do day trip from London? Having used Bath as a day out in the past I believe you can go there for a day, see the main sites and generally enjoy yourself. Going for just a day also means you can go unencumbered by luggage. > <shriramosu@gmail.com> wrote in message [] >> Ok one last q. Is Bath worth going and staying over, or sufficient to >> just do day trip from London? > > Having used Bath as a day out in the past I believe you can go there for a > day, see the main sites and generally enjoy yourself. I agree. It's only around 90 minutes journey time by rail, and the service is frequent- you could easily have dinner in Bath and comfortably make it back to London. Signature(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins In message <rbidnQo33JFvAgzVnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@bt.com>, at 12:19:58 on Thu, 31 Jul 2008, Graham Harrison <edward.harrison1@remove.btinternet.com> remarked: >Having used Bath as a day out in the past I believe you can go there >for a day, see the main sites and generally enjoy yourself. Going for >just a day also means you can go unencumbered by luggage. And that would leave Sunday morning "free". What about taking an early train out to Windsor, then a cab to the airport (if the airport is Heathrow) after lunch? SignatureRoland Perry |
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