North of London to South... every day...
Discussion
It looks like my next project will be in the Sutton area of South London, however I live in Milton Keynes! 
It's only going to be for a month, and looking at the trains it will be train in, tube across and train out, for a total of about 2 hours each way. Assuming all goes well of course...
My other option is to drive it and go M1, M25, A(something or other). 80 miles each way.
Am I right in thinking it will take a similar amount of time to drive during rush hour? 2-2.5 hours, or am I being crazily optimistic? I know it takes 90mins to get back to MK from Heathrow on a friday night at rush hour.
If driving is realistic, I'm thinking about buying a cheapish car with high mpg (I can claim fuel costs) for the month and then flogging it on afterwards. Any recommendations as to what car I should get (yes, this is a "recommend me a car" thread in disguise
), I was thinking of a late 90s Ford Fiesta 1.25, but not sure if the mpg is high enough to warrant slumming it that much!
It's only going to be for a month, and looking at the trains it will be train in, tube across and train out, for a total of about 2 hours each way. Assuming all goes well of course...
My other option is to drive it and go M1, M25, A(something or other). 80 miles each way.
Am I right in thinking it will take a similar amount of time to drive during rush hour? 2-2.5 hours, or am I being crazily optimistic? I know it takes 90mins to get back to MK from Heathrow on a friday night at rush hour.
If driving is realistic, I'm thinking about buying a cheapish car with high mpg (I can claim fuel costs) for the month and then flogging it on afterwards. Any recommendations as to what car I should get (yes, this is a "recommend me a car" thread in disguise
), I was thinking of a late 90s Ford Fiesta 1.25, but not sure if the mpg is high enough to warrant slumming it that much! well im in aylesbury and my brother lives in kingston, south west london and via high wycombe, m40, m25 and m3 it can take as little as 50 mins on a good run or it has taken up to 2 hours, the main hopspot is by heathrow/ m4 and then getting into hampton/kingston.
despite this its actually much quicker to drive there than get the train, and much cheaper. train journey is something 1 hour 50 mins (aylesbury to london m, then underground to waterloo iirc then kingston with south west trains)
providing you get a good run then 2 hours seems reasonable, how long will it take you to hit the m25? expect heavy traffic in sutton aswell, it is somewhere in london after all
despite this its actually much quicker to drive there than get the train, and much cheaper. train journey is something 1 hour 50 mins (aylesbury to london m, then underground to waterloo iirc then kingston with south west trains)
providing you get a good run then 2 hours seems reasonable, how long will it take you to hit the m25? expect heavy traffic in sutton aswell, it is somewhere in london after all
This is probably heracy, but I'd just go for the train. I've had a quick look at the National Rail Enquiries website , and it lists the journey as being around 1hr 56mins. Though it reckons on 39mins to get from Euston to Victoria, which is 4 stops on the Victoria line and about 15mins in my reckoning. This could trim the journey to 1hr 40 mins.
If your placement is for 1 month or approx 20 working days, I'd much rather sit on a train knowing roughly when I'll arrive without the stress of the M1/M25 and then into Sutton and return each day. Not to mention sitting in a basic,unfamiliar car which could break down an really land you in it. Added to which you have to buy and sell it when you're finished with it.
Sit on the train, read the paper, do some preparation for work, listen to your ipod and switch off for the journey.
About 15 years ago I worked in Colindale (NW London near J1 M1) and drove(a 1.3 Golf mk2 company car) to and from Bromley in Kent. This journey was anywhere from 75mins to over 2hrs going in, and if I stayed late I could get home in just over 40mins at 8.00pm. I was young and stupid, and would never do this again....,
It's only 4 weeks, get the train it's a no-brainer....
Dominic
If your placement is for 1 month or approx 20 working days, I'd much rather sit on a train knowing roughly when I'll arrive without the stress of the M1/M25 and then into Sutton and return each day. Not to mention sitting in a basic,unfamiliar car which could break down an really land you in it. Added to which you have to buy and sell it when you're finished with it.
Sit on the train, read the paper, do some preparation for work, listen to your ipod and switch off for the journey.
About 15 years ago I worked in Colindale (NW London near J1 M1) and drove(a 1.3 Golf mk2 company car) to and from Bromley in Kent. This journey was anywhere from 75mins to over 2hrs going in, and if I stayed late I could get home in just over 40mins at 8.00pm. I was young and stupid, and would never do this again....,
It's only 4 weeks, get the train it's a no-brainer....
Dominic
109 Bob said:
My advice to you would be either, cheap accommodation in the Sutton area for 4 nights a week or if you're going to drive then leave MK at about 5AM.
This.Sutton is a PITA to get to from your direction, as you'll have to go all the way around to the A3 and then face going with the into town traffic up the A3 and then crawl through Worcester Park....or carry on the M25 to the Leatherhead junction and then crawl up the A24 into Sutton.
And either are a nightmare if you're local, let alone the journey you'd have to have done from MK before that.
If you are close to the station at MK and your destination is close enough to the station at Sutton (not a given) as Dom says the train is an option, which you could try for the first few days, and if it's a nightmare....find a B&B
just looked on a map and though its not much futher than kingston it looks like abit of a sod to get to, its not very close to the m25 and it looks like you can either get the a3 or a24, a3 isnt very direct but is a bypass, a24 looks more direct but goes through other areas near by, sutton is surrounded by other towns and something tells me its going to be a royal pain in the backside for traffic. i wouldnt be suprised if half the time it takes you nearly 3 hours if its 90 mins for you to get to heathrow
Might be worth considering driving to Luton or Luton Airport Parkway and getting a train straight through to Sutton from there. No changes, no tube.
Tried to check train times but the f
king stupid National Rail website journey planner doesn't work - it allows me to put journey details in, then when I click "submit" it dumps me back on the search page with all options set back to default - and the fking stupid First Capital Connect website provides timetables in broken PDFs which crash xpdf so can't be read.
I can't be arsed to put time in to fight these morons since I'm not doing the journey myself but it might be worth you trying ringing them up or something...
Tried to check train times but the f
king stupid National Rail website journey planner doesn't work - it allows me to put journey details in, then when I click "submit" it dumps me back on the search page with all options set back to default - and the fking stupid First Capital Connect website provides timetables in broken PDFs which crash xpdf so can't be read.I can't be arsed to put time in to fight these morons since I'm not doing the journey myself but it might be worth you trying ringing them up or something...
I love it that Sutton [friday and Saturday nights Slutton] is now Sarf London 
Its in Surrey dear boy.
But is a PITA to get to from north anything, basicaly its M25 clock or Anti Clock wise from M1 to the A3 and cut accross or Reigate and up A127 or A217 can never remember wich or Straight thru london.
Are you in Propper sutton or where? I would say get the train or a Hotel, the journey will kill you if you do it daily
Its in Surrey dear boy.
But is a PITA to get to from north anything, basicaly its M25 clock or Anti Clock wise from M1 to the A3 and cut accross or Reigate and up A127 or A217 can never remember wich or Straight thru london.
Are you in Propper sutton or where? I would say get the train or a Hotel, the journey will kill you if you do it daily
Fleckers]I love it that Sutton [friday and Saturday nights Slutton said:
is now Sarf London
Its in Surrey dear boy.
But is a PITA to get to from north anything, basicaly its M25 clock or Anti Clock wise from M1 to the A3 and cut accross or Reigate and up A127 or A217 can never remember wich or Straight thru london.
Are you in Propper sutton or where? I would say get the train or a Hotel, the journey will kill you if you do it daily
Ta for the all the reponses Its in Surrey dear boy.
But is a PITA to get to from north anything, basicaly its M25 clock or Anti Clock wise from M1 to the A3 and cut accross or Reigate and up A127 or A217 can never remember wich or Straight thru london.
Are you in Propper sutton or where? I would say get the train or a Hotel, the journey will kill you if you do it daily
To respond to every comment in one go...
It looks like train is my only real option.
Personal reasons mean I have to be back at home every night at the moment, but I've done worse commutes in my time!
No idea exactly where in Sutton, that might change things.
Cost wise is irrelevant, I'll just claim back most of it anyway.
I live about 5 minutes away from Bletchley train station, and the official time to get to Sutton is just under 2 hours (plus whatever on the end) Luton Parkway is 90 mins to Sutton, with a 30 minute drive to get there, so no real difference.
If it works I'd be very tempted to get the train - sit down and read a book for the duration, rather than swearing at van drivers and creeping forward in traffic. That said, it can vary hugely. It took me nearly 2.5 hours to go from North London to Twickenham via walk-train-walk when I did a stint there. Preferable to doing the same journey in the car perhaps, but hardly rapid. If, in contrast, you can get a direct train or one suitably conveninent connection it could be a lot better.
If I were driving that I'd avoid the M25 - it just doesn't work at rush hour.
Take the M1 to the end, and join the A5 (Edgeware road) straight down to embankment. Turn left onto embankment, then find a bridge of your choice. Head towards Croydon and down through Wallington / Waddon / Carshalton to Sutton.
I used to do the route you're suggesting and its not as fast as going through London - not unless you leave very early and go home very late.
Take the M1 to the end, and join the A5 (Edgeware road) straight down to embankment. Turn left onto embankment, then find a bridge of your choice. Head towards Croydon and down through Wallington / Waddon / Carshalton to Sutton.
I used to do the route you're suggesting and its not as fast as going through London - not unless you leave very early and go home very late.
Hotel room for a month if you can claim it all back. I wouldn't commute to MK everyday (I live about 5 miles from Sutton).
I suppose if there's one train from your station to Sutton, that might not be so bad; having to change with so large a distance for each stage of the journey could mean a slight delay misses your connection and you add 30 minutes to the total time.
I suppose if there's one train from your station to Sutton, that might not be so bad; having to change with so large a distance for each stage of the journey could mean a slight delay misses your connection and you add 30 minutes to the total time.
Edited by ShadownINja on Monday 12th April 11:06
ShadownINja said:
I suppose if there's one train from your station to Sutton, that might not be so bad; having to change with so large a distance for each stage of the journey could mean a slight delay misses your connection and you add 30 minutes to the total time.
This is the point of the Luton option that Tonker and I were suggesting.That, plus being able to join the train at the start of its run so more chance of getting a decent seat.
Pigeon said:
ShadownINja said:
I suppose if there's one train from your station to Sutton, that might not be so bad; having to change with so large a distance for each stage of the journey could mean a slight delay misses your connection and you add 30 minutes to the total time.
This is the point of the Luton option that Tonker and I were suggesting.That, plus being able to join the train at the start of its run so more chance of getting a decent seat.
) Current plan is Bletchley to Euston, underground, then Victoria to Sutton. If that is proving difficult then I'll to Bletchley to Clapham to Sutton, but the trains are less frequent that route, and if there is a problem I have less options to take.
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