Transportation options in England

[jolinar of malkshor]

Hi guys, I will have a 4 days in England soon. I have to fly into Manchester. What options do I have for getting around. I want to hit London and maybe Cornwell because I have some relatives there. Is there a train system and if so is it expensive.

Thanks for the responses in advance. I wont be able to respond to posts until friday but the more suggestions the better.

Thanks

[SebC]

Trains are dirt cheap. I got a London to Scheffield ticket for 13 pounds or something. First class, too, not that that means much. Cornwall might be a bit remote, so you might want to rent a car (drive on the left, and make sure you have GPS!) but Manchester to London by train should be no problem.

Be warned though that their online system doesn't recognize Canadian postal codes, and therefore won't let you input your address to buy by credit card. At least it didn't when I was there.

[Ducay]

-Cars
-Lorries
-Buses
-Double Decker Buses
-Motorcycle
-Bicycle
-Unicycle
-Train
-Bullet Train
-Arrow Train
-BB Train
-Soul Train
-Trane Furnace

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by SebC

Trains are dirt cheap. I got a London to Scheffield ticket for 13 pounds or something. First class, too, not that that means much. Cornwall might be a bit remote, so you might want to rent a car (drive on the left, and make sure you have GPS!) but Manchester to London by train should be no problem.

Seb, not doubting you but the fella that sold you the ticket must have been drunk. UK trains are anything but cheap You're talking around $50 for a single trip like that second class.

http://nationalrail.co.uk/

Coach would be cheaper. You should be able to get one straight from the airport to London

http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/index.cfm

As for Cornwall, I would hire a car and drive it. Would take about 5-6 hours and once you are out of London it's a breeze. Allow time for stopping at Stonehenge as it'll be handily enroute. Else, take another coach and have your relatives pick you up.

*edit* actually I apologize Seb. Trains are cheaper than I remember or maybe it was me that was drunk.

[Flame Of Liberty]

I suggest Heathrow or Stansted. Then head for Departures.

The UK is a dump.

[killer_carlson]

walking is cheapest
followed by running, strolling and sauntering.

Hitchhiking is also cost effective and you can meet some really interesting people

[Flash]

Originally Posted by SebC

Trains are dirt cheap. I got a London to Scheffield ticket for 13 pounds or something. First class, too, not that that means much. Cornwall might be a bit remote, so you might want to rent a car (drive on the left, and make sure you have GPS!) but Manchester to London by train should be no problem.

Be warned though that their online system doesn't recognize Canadian postal codes, and therefore won't let you input your address to buy by credit card. At least it didn't when I was there.

I'm going to have to agree with Bagor...when I lived in the UK getting to London via train was something like 36 pounds, and I lived much closer to London than Manchester is.

[UKFlamesfan]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Seb, not doubting you but the fella that sold you the ticket must have been drunk. UK trains are anything but cheap You're talking around $50 for a single trip like that second class.

Train journeys are a lot cheaper if you book more than a week or so in advance. If you pay on the day, they are stupidly expensive.

eg
Nottingham -> London Return in advance, Off-Peak - around £15 (27 CAD)
Nottingham -> London Return on the day, Off-Peak - around £65 (117 CAD)

Off-peak tickets with specific departure times are cheaper than Anytime tickets.

If you want freedom of travel, a car is always going to be the best option, and you can get some really good rental deals from the big companies like Hertz, Enterprise etc, but bear in mind our petrol prices are around 90p/litre (1.62 CAD/litre) or 7.40 CAD a gallon.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by UKFlamesfan

Train journeys are a lot cheaper if you book more than a week or so in advance. If you pay on the day, they are stupidly expensive.

eg
Nottingham -> London Return in advance, Off-Peak - around £15 (27 CAD)
Nottingham -> London Return on the day, Off-Peak - around £65 (117 CAD)

Off-peak tickets with specific departure times are cheaper than Anytime tickets.

If you want freedom of travel, a car is always going to be the best option, and you can get some really good rental deals from the big companies like Hertz, Enterprise etc, but bear in mind our petrol prices are around 90p/litre (1.62 CAD/litre) or 7.40 CAD a gallon.

Thanks a lot for your post. I have been really debating as to how I am going to get around. Usually I would have no problem renting a car but I am a little worried about the whole driving on the other side of the road deal. Have you done it, is it that hard to adjust?

[jolinar of malkshor]

Well, I am back from the UK. It was great to see all the sites. It was anything but a Dump. I little crowed for my liking in London but the country side was beautiful.

Here are some pics.


Buckingham Palace

[jolinar of malkshor]

Westminster Abbey

[jolinar of malkshor]

Parliament Building

[jolinar of malkshor]

The country side looking from my families farm in Cornwall.

[jolinar of malkshor]

More countryside.

[jolinar of malkshor]

The church where my family has attended for the last 300 years.

[jolinar of malkshor]

The farm where my family has been since 1813.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Stone wall in the family yard.