Traveling within the UK...

[Schu419]

I realized I don't have much experience with public transport in England, even though I lived there for a semester.

Considering I am trying to plan some away match trips (not just Arsenal - though I am planning on doing Anfield and Old Traff away - but also, if possible, a Birmingham Derby, a Sheffield Derby, an Old Firm derby...) on a somewhat tight schedule, thought I should start looking into this stuff now. And no place better, I think, than the friendly Gooners on BigSoccer. Right? :o

Anyways, what's a good site to easily determine my travel options between two points in England, possibly needing to use multiple transport systems. I've been on the National Rail site, but are their other train resources I should be considering? What bus companies/sites should I be looking at?

[MODS/others: Apologies for a separate thread, not sure if it's warranted, but this doesn't revolve completely around Arsenal and/or London, so didn't know if I should include it in "Going to see.." Please just merge it if this is a problem]

[Bluto11]

are you going to be staying in london and then traveling to the away matches? if so, just travel on the Arsenal supporters coaches. yes you'll have to watch episodes of "Only Fools and Horses" and you will stop for a break when you are only like 5 miles from the ground, but hey. it gets you from point A and back.

[Schu419]

are you going to be staying in london and then traveling to the away matches? if so, just travel on the Arsenal supporters coaches. yes you'll have to watch episodes of "Only Fools and Horses" and you will stop for a break when you are only like 5 miles from the ground, but hey. it gets you from point A and back.

I'm living about an hour SW of London. Though a lot of the time on trips to the North I'll probably have a stop somewhere in London (Waterloo, King's Cross...), I don't think it will be as out of the way as making a journey up to Arsenal. Is the extra time I'd incur getting to North London really worth it?

[Skizz]

www.nationalrail.co.uk, www.chester-le-track.co.uk is also good. Also try www.railbritain.com I haven't got too much experience of this site though.

Generally the railways go like this. If you're living in South West London 3/4 of trains from there go into Waterloo, and from there the stations to get to the north are within a 20 minute bus journey (or the same on the tube). Generally...

* London Euston you get to Birmingham (Aston Villa and Birmingham are another connection from Birmingham New Street station), Blackburn (changing at Preston getting a connecting train), Bolton (changing at Manchester Piccadilly), Liverpool (Everton and Liverpool are again on the local routes but you can get there from Lime Street), Manchester (again, local Tram/Metro routes for City and United) and Wigan (straight off the train at Wigan North Western).

* Kings Cross for Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland (connections pending)

* St Pancras for Derby

* Portsmouth you go back into Waterloo, then get a connecting train from there to Fratton (if you book on Megatrain its £1 each way).

Obviously the London clubs are reachable more easily!

[Schu419]

Thanks skizz..exactly the type of help I was looking for.



* Portsmouth you go back into Waterloo, then get a connecting train from there to Fratton (if you book on Megatrain its £1 each way).



For this one I'm in luck and can go directly from my town on an hourly departure to Fratton (50 min ride), walking distance to Fratton Park once let off, it seems

EDIT: a note to anyone looking for similar info: check out transportdirect.info. I've only been on it for a few minutes, but it seems a pretty great catch-all for journey-planning within the UK. Allows you to register an account, save planned journeys etc. Should turn out useful (thanks to the Portsmouth website for the link)

[Bluto11]

I'm living about an hour SW of London. Though a lot of the time on trips to the North I'll probably have a stop somewhere in London (Waterloo, King's Cross...), I don't think it will be as out of the way as making a journey up to Arsenal. Is the extra time I'd incur getting to North London really worth it?
looks like Skizz has you covered.

i did the Arsenal supporters coach when I went to Bolton away in the FA Cup a few years ago. it worked out ok, but I had to run to the Tube to catch the last train because it gets back kinda late for matches that kick off late.

[Skizz]

Whereabouts are you staying? Are you going to the uni's in Kingston/Guildford by any chance? :p

[Ziegler1988]

http://megabus.com/uk/ is pretty cheap. Ranges from 2 pounds to 10 pounds round trip.

[Skizz]

That's also the link for Mega Train...they have a range of destinations, and like I said I get to Portsmouth Harbour and back to Waterloo for £2 :eek:

[PsychedelicCeltic]

Unfortunately I'll be living in deepest bum******** Wales. Anybody know a good way to build a high speed rail line from Aberystwyth to London in the space of four months?

[Skizz]

Just build a runway instead and make friends with Roman Abramovich :p

It's not that bad to get into London from Wales. As soon as you get into Cardiff and get a direct train it's two hours. Just make sure you get on the train early as First Great Western are NOTORIOUS for selling too many tickets for their trains - I once had to stand from Plymouth to Paddington, which is near enough five hours, on a TUESDAY AFTERNOON. Terrible.

[PsychedelicCeltic]

Just build a runway instead and make friends with Roman Abramovich :p

It's not that bad to get into London from Wales. As soon as you get into Cardiff and get a direct train it's two hours. Just make sure you get on the train early as First Great Western are NOTORIOUS for selling too many tickets for their trains - I once had to stand from Plymouth to Paddington, which is near enough five hours, on a TUESDAY AFTERNOON. Terrible.
This is where I drop some local ka-nowledge on you.

There is no direct route from Aberystwyth to Cardiff via train. Trains and pretty much everything else in Wales runs from west to east. Hence why I have to take the piddling Vale of Reidhol railways to Brum. :(

[Skizz]

Wow. Just wow...it's like a Circle Line thing going on then? :p