Heathrow to Northampton. How complex is it?

[Huntsman]

Headline train ticket price £55!

Landing T5, Friday 18th Aug, 1210 want to get to Northampton.

Looks like I need Heathrow express to Paddington - £15, leaves every 15 mins, takes 21 mins from T5.

Then tube from Paddington to Euston - 16 mins, but can;t find price or online ticket purchase?

But also looks like London underground is £6 from Heathrow to Zone 1 - but takes longer? Is zone 1 where I need to be? Not sure how often they leave.

Looks like I need Euston to Northampton as the final leg. Which I can get for £7.50.

What to do!

[ReallyReallyGood]

If you are not short of time and don't have loads of bags I'd take the tube, the Heathrow Express is notorious for being unreliable. Get off at Green Park for the Victoria Line to Euston. All for the price of a single Zone 1-6 ticket.

[CAPP0]

The tube at LHR goes round in a loop, so it serves all terminals (although iirc there is quite a walk from certain terminals to the tube platform).

The journey into the centre is ~45 mins.

Finally, I'm not sure whether you can buy a paper ticket these days or whether you have to go Oyster or Contactless. Contactless is far the best/easiest option, you pay the same as Oyster and you simply pay as you go rather than having to shove, say, £10 on an Oyster card which you won't use again for ages.

That aside, how come you haven't just instructed your driver to be there with the car at the appointed time?

[bigandclever]

As horrifying as this might be to you, National Express bus will be (a) cheaper and (b) quicker. LHR to Milton Keynes; Milton Kenyes to Northampton.

[Andehh]

bigandclever said:

As horrifying as this might be to you, National Express bus will be (a) cheaper and (b) quicker. LHR to Milton Keynes; Milton Kenyes to Northampton.

This was my thought as well, I used to use them for any big city - Airport type runs.

[Collectingbrass]

Huntsman said:

Headline train ticket price £55!

Landing T5, Friday 18th Aug, 1210 want to get to Northampton.

Looks like I need Heathrow express to Paddington - £15, leaves every 15 mins, takes 21 mins from T5.

Then tube from Paddington to Euston - 16 mins, but can;t find price or online ticket purchase?

But also looks like London underground is £6 from Heathrow to Zone 1 - but takes longer? Is zone 1 where I need to be? Not sure how often they leave.

Looks like I need Euston to Northampton as the final leg. Which I can get for £7.50.

What to do!

LHR > London - take the Heathrow Express (HEX) every time. The tube from Heathrow to Zone 1 takes an hour, is not air conditioned and frankly is so bog awful I would rather go to the wedding of Jim Davidson and Mrs Brown

Paddington > Euston - Tube, circle line zone 1 ticket or if you have a contactless card touch in and touch out on the yellow discs / oyster pads. £4.50 cash or £2.40 contactless. No pre booking required. Get off at EUSTON SQUARE and walk 200m. You'll see which way to go, just follow everyone else. If you do contactless make sure you "touch out" on exit with the same card or it's £7.80

Euston > Paddington - Watch your ticket choice. That is probably London Midland and I suspect restricted to outside peak hours on a Friday, which start at 16:30. London Midland service stops at every lamp post and is only slightly better than the tube from LHR, in that you can see out of the windows for more of the journey. If you buy a London Midland only ticket you wont be able to use it on Virgin Trains which are far nicer but you pay for what you get.

More seriously given that you are arriving on a Friday I would get a more flexible ticket for Euston - London, one that you can use in peak periods.

[Shakermaker]

How much is a taxi?

[Huntsman]

ReallyReallyGood said:

If you are not short of time and don't have loads of bags I'd take the tube, the Heathrow Express is notorious for being unreliable. Get off at Green Park for the Victoria Line to Euston. All for the price of a single Zone 1-6 ticket.

This sounds reallyreallygood!

£12 gets me to Euston.

[Simpo Two]

And to think that once upon a time you'd have to go to the station, buy a ticket and get on the train.

Thank heavens it's so much simpler now...

[Huntsman]

CAPP0 said:

That aside, how come you haven't just instructed your driver to be there with the car at the appointed time?

I fired them both for the fking temerity of wanting a day off at the same time. IGAC (International Guild of Aristocratic Chauffeurs) say they won't allow their members the privilege of working for me, its the verbal abuse apparently. No such nonsense in my day. We took regular beatings with merely a whimper.

[alangla]

bigandclever said:

As horrifying as this might be to you, National Express bus will be (a) cheaper and (b) quicker. LHR to Milton Keynes; Milton Kenyes to Northampton.

Just looked this up & it's showing as a direct service every 2 hours with some in-between journeys via MK. Service 707 apparently. £33 single travelling today.

[TooMany2cvs]

One-way car hire?

[SantaBarbara]

Bus sounds. Much better than having to fight your way up escalators and walk miles via the tube

[The Mad Monk]

Have you had a look at these?

https://www.thetrainline.com/

[48k]

Another alternative to throw into the mix - Greenline 724 coach Heathrow to Watford Junction. Watford Junction to Northampton on London Midland.

[JB!]

Airport taxi or HX to Paddington, walk to the front of the station away from the main concourse to the circle/hammersmith platform, tube to Euston SQ then train to Northants, you maybe able to get a fast one to MK then change.

[jamiebae]

Last time I flew to LHR Uber charged the sa,e as the Heathrow Express to anywhere in central(ish) London, so you could take an Uber to Euston direct, then the train.

[Vee]

As above.
Uber, but to Harrow & Wealdstone, approx 45 mins. Euston will take longer. c £30
Mainline to Northampton 60 mins. c£15

[Sonic]

Collectingbrass said:

Euston > Paddington - Watch your ticket choice. That is probably London Midland and I suspect restricted to outside peak hours on a Friday, which start at 16:30. London Midland service stops at every lamp post and is only slightly better than the tube from LHR, in that you can see out of the windows for more of the journey. If you buy a London Midland only ticket you wont be able to use it on Virgin Trains which are far nicer but you pay for what you get.

It's not too bad if you pick the right train - you can go direct from LBZ or MKC into Euston in barely 30 mins, and there are trains from EUS to NMP in about an hour that only make a few stops along the way.

You're spot on about peak time though - if landing at midday you'll want to make sure you can get on a train out of Euston before 16:30.

[aeropilot]

Huntsman said:

ReallyReallyGood said:

If you are not short of time and don't have loads of bags I'd take the tube, the Heathrow Express is notorious for being unreliable. Get off at Green Park for the Victoria Line to Euston. All for the price of a single Zone 1-6 ticket.

This sounds reallyreallygood!

£12 gets me to Euston.

Heathrow Express is far from unreliable, and on a Friday afternoon, I'd use it in a heartbeat over the Tube.......you really, really don't want to be trying to get on a train with luggage out of London on a Friday rush hour to Northampton...!!

BUT.......the poster that said use the National Express was right on the money....that's probably the best option at the time you are arriving. You'll be on a coach and away from London rush hour before it starts....not getting into London just in time to join the madness of getting out of it!!