Cheap travel to london and what to do for a day and night.
Discussion
My Girlfriend and I haven't had a holiday this year, and to be honest don't look like were going to with cashflow and work responsibilities.
So my idea was either a week/weekend in Cambridge or Cornwall/Devon area being grockles and enjoying the river/sea respectively.
Now that were in September however and no sign of time off till October sitting on a punt on a river or playing in the see looks slightly unattractive. So the options are going somewhere like Wales/Scotland or the Lakes, but frankly if I wanted to be bored and look out of the window at rain I'd stop at home and work.
So really it needs to be a cheap foreign break (which to be honest we can't really afford and don't fancy anywhere really cheap) or a trip to London.
Now I cannot be bothered with the hassle of driving to London trying to find a cheap hotel (I mean really cheap) with parking, most likely failing, then having to park in a public car park, lug my suitcase across half of London to the hotel and then get my car broken in to.
So dare I say I plan for us to use our wonderful Public Transport........Oh the joy.
How can I get cheaply from East Yorkshire (I live near Driffield/Bridlington both have train stations but can easily get to York or Hull also) to London? I know someone will be looking at this and thinking Bl**dy idiot not knowing that but seriously last time I used public transport was about 10 years ago. I've tried to find some prices off the net and to say it is confusing is an understatement.
Also is a bus worth considering?
Next question is what to do when we get down there?
It would be nice to go down on say Friday morning and come back Sat night or even Sunday.
I'd like to visit a few spots in London, namely London Bridge experience (as mentioned in another thread) a good few pubs and a genuinely good club, and then spend a good few hours wandering around one of these markets we ooop north hear about, is it portobello road? The one that has all the antiques and old clothes etc.
Were not looking to do any shopping or visit any of the normal attractions, but any good old film locations/good music locations etc. Wouldn't mind a trip to the natural history museum maybe and a decent art gallery if we get time.
I can do most of the research myself, but really need help with how to get down (were on a budget and don't really want to spend more than £60 return between us if possible, a decent clean but cheap place to stay (1-2 nights) and a decent club - drinking area - place to grab some decent but not expensive food.
So my idea was either a week/weekend in Cambridge or Cornwall/Devon area being grockles and enjoying the river/sea respectively.
Now that were in September however and no sign of time off till October sitting on a punt on a river or playing in the see looks slightly unattractive. So the options are going somewhere like Wales/Scotland or the Lakes, but frankly if I wanted to be bored and look out of the window at rain I'd stop at home and work.
So really it needs to be a cheap foreign break (which to be honest we can't really afford and don't fancy anywhere really cheap) or a trip to London.
Now I cannot be bothered with the hassle of driving to London trying to find a cheap hotel (I mean really cheap) with parking, most likely failing, then having to park in a public car park, lug my suitcase across half of London to the hotel and then get my car broken in to.
So dare I say I plan for us to use our wonderful Public Transport........Oh the joy.
How can I get cheaply from East Yorkshire (I live near Driffield/Bridlington both have train stations but can easily get to York or Hull also) to London? I know someone will be looking at this and thinking Bl**dy idiot not knowing that but seriously last time I used public transport was about 10 years ago. I've tried to find some prices off the net and to say it is confusing is an understatement.
Also is a bus worth considering?
Next question is what to do when we get down there?
It would be nice to go down on say Friday morning and come back Sat night or even Sunday.
I'd like to visit a few spots in London, namely London Bridge experience (as mentioned in another thread) a good few pubs and a genuinely good club, and then spend a good few hours wandering around one of these markets we ooop north hear about, is it portobello road? The one that has all the antiques and old clothes etc.
Were not looking to do any shopping or visit any of the normal attractions, but any good old film locations/good music locations etc. Wouldn't mind a trip to the natural history museum maybe and a decent art gallery if we get time.
I can do most of the research myself, but really need help with how to get down (were on a budget and don't really want to spend more than £60 return between us if possible, a decent clean but cheap place to stay (1-2 nights) and a decent club - drinking area - place to grab some decent but not expensive food.
I like it!Good man it's coming together!
Going to use I think it's national express as opposed to megabus, as they go from Hull, and by the time we've faffed around getting to leeds it will probably cost the same and be more hassle.
You guys who live in a city don't realise how lucky you are in some ways. As a guide of why I don't use Public transport we have 1 bus out to do the school run (it's a brave man who uses that one) 1 at lunch time for the biddies and that's it, the next buses are incoming at 3.30 and about 5.30.
Plus public transport smells.
Going to use I think it's national express as opposed to megabus, as they go from Hull, and by the time we've faffed around getting to leeds it will probably cost the same and be more hassle.
You guys who live in a city don't realise how lucky you are in some ways. As a guide of why I don't use Public transport we have 1 bus out to do the school run (it's a brave man who uses that one) 1 at lunch time for the biddies and that's it, the next buses are incoming at 3.30 and about 5.30.
Plus public transport smells.
wildoliver said:
I can do most of the research myself, but really need help with how to get down (were on a budget and don't really want to spend more than £60 return between us if possible,
Brid to London return, on the train, you're going to struggle. But have a play here http://www.farefinder.thetrainline.com/ (you'll need to look at Leeds to London, and then add on the Brid to Leeds return, natch). £60 each is do-able. Cheapest I've ever had was £10 each way and that was a promotion.anonymous said:
[redacted]
Ok sounds interesting but what is the thameslink? Is it underground/train/bus/park and ride?Can I leave a car there for a night or 2, is it safe, is it free parking?
I'm happy to drive to Bedford (or even further) it's the fighting through London I object to.
Alternatively what about stopping just out of London? I picked a car up recently from Edgeware and was surprised to see an underground station, what are the thoughts on that? Also would we get back to the hotel/b+b late on ok? E.g. after midnight, is it safe?
wildoliver said:
So really it needs to be a cheap foreign break (which to be honest we can't really afford and don't fancy anywhere really cheap) or a trip to London.
How can I get cheaply from East Yorkshire (I live near Driffield/Bridlington both have train stations but can easily get to York or Hull also) to London?
Also is a bus worth considering?
Next question is what to do when we get down there?
It would be nice to go down on say Friday morning and come back Sat night or even Sunday.
I'd like to visit a few spots in London, namely London Bridge experience (as mentioned in another thread) a good few pubs and a genuinely good club, and then spend a good few hours wandering around one of these markets we ooop north hear about, is it portobello road? The one that has all the antiques and old clothes etc.
Were not looking to do any shopping or visit any of the normal attractions, but any good old film locations/good music locations etc. Wouldn't mind a trip to the natural history museum maybe and a decent art gallery if we get time.
I can do most of the research myself, but really need help with how to get down (were on a budget and don't really want to spend more than £60 return between us if possible, a decent clean but cheap place to stay (1-2 nights) and a decent club - drinking area - place to grab some decent but not expensive food.
edited your post slightly to address the key points.How can I get cheaply from East Yorkshire (I live near Driffield/Bridlington both have train stations but can easily get to York or Hull also) to London?
Also is a bus worth considering?
Next question is what to do when we get down there?
It would be nice to go down on say Friday morning and come back Sat night or even Sunday.
I'd like to visit a few spots in London, namely London Bridge experience (as mentioned in another thread) a good few pubs and a genuinely good club, and then spend a good few hours wandering around one of these markets we ooop north hear about, is it portobello road? The one that has all the antiques and old clothes etc.
Were not looking to do any shopping or visit any of the normal attractions, but any good old film locations/good music locations etc. Wouldn't mind a trip to the natural history museum maybe and a decent art gallery if we get time.
I can do most of the research myself, but really need help with how to get down (were on a budget and don't really want to spend more than £60 return between us if possible, a decent clean but cheap place to stay (1-2 nights) and a decent club - drinking area - place to grab some decent but not expensive food.
£60 each budget for travel can get you to europe. try www.skyscanner.net and see what it leaving from leeds, newcastle or humberside. if you are lucky you might drop on something. as a last resort dublin is usually only £49 on a standard fair.
also consider the ferry from hull-zebrugge. i see quite a few posters about advertising foot passengers for £59 return.
i suggest looking abroad because when you add up the cost of accom. and a night out in london,it will equal the cost of a mini-break to europe doing the same.
______________
if it must be london, try one of the hotel websites on the net offering discounts on rooms, or look for deals with places like comfort inn or travelodge. this is the only way you will get chap accom. without having to stay in a hostel [not lady friendly!].
take the train if using public transport, the bus will be 6-7hrs of hell.
cheaper and easier method is to drive to the end of the a1 and take the tube into zone 1. my OH lives in W2 postcode but i still park up near her old address in harrow, next to northwick park tube on the metropolitan line. Its literally 15mins from the end of the A1 which takes me about 3.5hrs from hull and £40 return in petrol. parking is free and its £2 on the tube into town.
don't bother with the tower bridge museum. natural history and science museums are next to each other and both are free. plenty of art galleries too and if you haven't been to london much there is plenty to see just walking around. portobello market is always an entertaining stroll, but for for something different head to richmond, hire a boat [under a tenner] and go for a row/picnic along the thames.
for good cheap eats head to china town before 5pm for half price dim sum
if you like lebanese food then go to edgeware road, more than a few to choose from there!i live in east yorks and head down london fri-sun quite regularly. if you need a route PM me. i would offer you a lift both ways but you might be a deranged axe murderer and i can't take that chance
If we drive to London we stay further out of town, e.g. Cockfosters ( http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/hotels/hotels.cfm/... , can get bargains if booking through laterooms.com), Theobalds Park ( http://www.deverevenues.co.uk/find-venue/theobalds... ) or Southgate ( http://www.innkeeperslodge.co.uk/lodgedetail.asp?l... ), hotels are a little cheaper and also parking at Cockfosters (massive car park) is quite cheap.
If I get the train to London I stay in smaller guest houses, they seem to work out cheaper than the travelodge type places.
Cheapest hotel I have ever stayed in was the Wardonia near St. Pancras. Small rooms, but perfectly clean and well maintained. It's only somewhere to sleep after all. http://www.wardoniahotel.co.uk/
With regards to travel options - I would not get a coach to London, I would rather walk. It's a 2 hour train journey from the north west, booking ahead I can get a return 1st class for about £40. The bus takes about 7 hours. Parking in London isn't so bad of you are just driving there and back, and not using your car to get around whilst there - Q-Park in Butlers Wharf do £12 a day for secure parking, if you book in advance again via BCP parking, it can be as cheap as £9 a day.
[edit to fix links]
If I get the train to London I stay in smaller guest houses, they seem to work out cheaper than the travelodge type places.
Cheapest hotel I have ever stayed in was the Wardonia near St. Pancras. Small rooms, but perfectly clean and well maintained. It's only somewhere to sleep after all. http://www.wardoniahotel.co.uk/
With regards to travel options - I would not get a coach to London, I would rather walk. It's a 2 hour train journey from the north west, booking ahead I can get a return 1st class for about £40. The bus takes about 7 hours. Parking in London isn't so bad of you are just driving there and back, and not using your car to get around whilst there - Q-Park in Butlers Wharf do £12 a day for secure parking, if you book in advance again via BCP parking, it can be as cheap as £9 a day.
[edit to fix links]
Edited by aclivity on Tuesday 23 September 13:13
For the love of God, no! No matter how little money you have, you deserve better than sitting on a bus for 6 hours to start your 'holiday'.
Get onto www.easyjet.co.uk and look at their holiday deals. Two nights in a decent hotel in an Eastern European city will probably cost around £130 per head. Everything there will be cheaper than London, and at least you will have a bit of a holiday vibe.
Get onto www.easyjet.co.uk and look at their holiday deals. Two nights in a decent hotel in an Eastern European city will probably cost around £130 per head. Everything there will be cheaper than London, and at least you will have a bit of a holiday vibe.
Dave200 said:
For the love of God, no! No matter how little money you have, you deserve better than sitting on a bus for 6 hours to start your 'holiday'.
Dave200's right. From many years as a kid, with me and my mates catching the coach from Stoke on Trent to the Lakes for walking holidays, being on a bus per-se, is not the only issue. You always assume it's like a car, but a little slower, smellier and with chewing gun stuck on the seats, but it's much worse.Check the schedule - you'll find the f***ing thing stopes everywhere and literally takes two to three times longer than the direct journey by car. It's inhuman.
wildoliver said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Ok sounds interesting but what is the thameslink? Is it underground/train/bus/park and ride?Can I leave a car there for a night or 2, is it safe, is it free parking?
I'm happy to drive to Bedford (or even further) it's the fighting through London I object to.
Alternatively what about stopping just out of London? I picked a car up recently from Edgeware and was surprised to see an underground station, what are the thoughts on that? Also would we get back to the hotel/b+b late on ok? E.g. after midnight, is it safe?
ks, had written a good post there cheers technical difficulty!anyway, if someone can tell me a routeplanner i can save and pass the link on i will, google mpas is wank.
basically come pst hull and over the bridge, then down the a15 to lincoln [avoid 4-5pm rush hr on friday] and pick up the a607 to grantham.
then head ll the way down the a1 to mill hill and go through stanmore and harrow weald to harrow. park up in northwick avenue [ha3] which is free parking and has a tube stop. never had any problem leaving my car there, plenty of bmws/merc/bentley conti gt even left on the same street.
you can park in stanmore and use that tube, but i don't use it as have heard too many stories of taking the tube through 'stab alley'. metropolitan line is much more civil.
been doing that route for almost 2 years now. i ditched the m1 after spending too much time on jams nr sheffield and luton, and the a1 all the way is too boring.
if you miss the rush hr, it can be a very nice scenic and spirited drive down to grantham on the back roads, which beats pootling through roadworks on the a1 at 50mph
HTH.
Edited by shirt on Tuesday 23 September 13:19
The coach is just my natural tightness, and in fairness I suspect Emma may put her foot down about it!
Shirt thanks for the advice, don't worry we wouldn't put on you for a lift, never mind the axe murderer aspect, I hate offering lifts to people I don't know because I always get the intensely boring b****rds who seem unable to hold a normal conversation. Que radio 4 turned up just loud enough to stop conversation.
I did realise half way through this thread that there may be others in the same skint/holidayless/too busy to take proper time off situation, if so and you fancy a trip to London then provided your name isn't Norm and you wear an anorak feel free makes sense for a group of us to get lost in London!
The food tips sound good, I love all food, Emma in't too bad with food so probably lebanese food.
We just want to do the london bridge experience because in the evenings around that time they have a special scary halloween thing on, I'm a big kid and love stuff like that, plus the prices aren't silly.
I think we would like to stay in UK for this one as I have never actually gone to London for pleasure (done lots of jobs there and back) and really should considering I've seen plenty of the rest of the world and not much of my own country.
Shirt thanks for the advice, don't worry we wouldn't put on you for a lift, never mind the axe murderer aspect, I hate offering lifts to people I don't know because I always get the intensely boring b****rds who seem unable to hold a normal conversation. Que radio 4 turned up just loud enough to stop conversation.
I did realise half way through this thread that there may be others in the same skint/holidayless/too busy to take proper time off situation, if so and you fancy a trip to London then provided your name isn't Norm and you wear an anorak feel free makes sense for a group of us to get lost in London!
The food tips sound good, I love all food, Emma in't too bad with food so probably lebanese food.
We just want to do the london bridge experience because in the evenings around that time they have a special scary halloween thing on, I'm a big kid and love stuff like that, plus the prices aren't silly.
I think we would like to stay in UK for this one as I have never actually gone to London for pleasure (done lots of jobs there and back) and really should considering I've seen plenty of the rest of the world and not much of my own country.
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