Transport!

[pensnest]

I've booked the minibus (sorry, no limo this year, woe) and am ready to ferry people to and from Camp and my house and airports and stuff.

For the benefit of newcomers, what usually happens is that people arrive at Stansted Airport during the morning on the Friday when Camp starts. I will aim to be there with the minibus at around lunchtime, and we'll pootle off to Derbyshire, probably stopping on the way to have some lunch, as we can't get into the house until 4pm anyway. (If you have to fly in to another airport, we can figure things out but we'll need to plan.)

On the return journey, we need to leave the house by 10am, so ideally you'll have a flight booked sometime during that Friday afternoon, and we'll get there in plenty of time.

Other possibilities are that you need to arrive in the UK earlier in the week and would like to be collected from whichever airport and to stay at my house, or nopseud's house. (If you're staying with someone else I'm assuming they already know and have been primed to meet you!) And/or you may need to stay at my Nest after Camp has ended in order to catch a convenient or cheap flight back home again. I am all in favour of these extended stays, as it prolongs the existence of Camp just a little bit longer.

There should be no problem with any of these things. I hope! I shall have to be at a rehearsal on the Thursday evening before we go, but with luck there will be enough of you at my house by then to entertain yourselves quite happily without me. (Or, hey, come and watch! I like to show off my theatre.)

So, please comment to let us know when you are arriving, at which airport, and whether you'll need to be on the minibus trip.

Comments

[chalcopyrite.livejournal.com]

I intend to arrive Stansted Friday morning, leaving again from STN Friday evening. Alas, I do not get to help extend Camp. /o\

But yay Camp! \o/ (And thank you for being Minibus Driver Person again!)

[stellamira]

I'm arriving on Saturday, 21st in Birmingham but will have to be picked up in Derby. I don't know when exactly yet; my flight arrives at 6 pm and I'll just take the first train I can catch. I figured the best thing to do would be if I called one of you or sent a text message once I know when I arrive in Derby.

I'm staying in Birmingham for the rest of the weekend after Camp, so if anyone happens to go in that direction I'd be happy to get a ride, but if not, back to the Derby train station is fine, too. And there is no time frame here; actually, the later the better since I can check into the hostel at 2 pm at the earliest.

[turlough]

I'll be one of those who'll extend Camp for you since I'm going to arrive at Stansted on Thursday, late afternoon/early evening, and leaving from Stansted at far too early on Saturday morning.

[fleurrochard]

I'm arriving on Friday in Stansted at about 15.20 and will leave from Stansted the next Friday at, unfortunately, 11.50. And yes, I'll need a transport. (I'm actually wondering whether I should better only stay until Thursday and find some place to stay for the night that's closer to Stansted - I don't actually know how long you need from the house to the airport?)

ETA:The deleted comment above ismine, for some reason it had posted twice.

[nopseud]

Come home with me on the Friday, if you like, and you can catch a train from Hinckley to Birmingham whenever is convenient for you. I think there's a train every hour during the day, and Hinckley station is only 15 min from my house.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

I'll be in London from 15th May, and then will be making my way to nopseud's and head up to Camp with her (and ephemera I think?).

On the way back, my flight at Heathrow is the same as last year's, at 10ishpm on Friday the 27th, so I will indeed need a space on the minibus please!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bettina_/]

I'll arrive on Friday at Stansted at 17:45, so I guess the mini bus ride is out for me? I don't know yet if I'll make my way up on Friday via train or stay the night in London and go up Saturday morning.
I guess it depends on who else is coming and maybe I can team up with someone?
I haven't really looked at the train schedules yet. The UK train system is confusing as hell to me. :/

My flight back home is on Friday at 13:30, so I guess I can make the mini bus ride then? Or maybe I'll go a bit earlier by train?

As you see, I'm totally clueless!

[fadedsouls.livejournal.com]

I'll probably be arriving at Stanstead around 11am on Friday, coming inn via Copenhagen with EasyJet (as all Norwegian airlines go to either Heathrow or Gatwick these days).

Now, would it be at all possible to get me to Gatwick going home the next Friday? Would be both easier and cheaper for me, as out of Stanstead I'll need to go via Copenhagen again, and it'll take longer and cost more. If it's a lot of trouble I'll just do Stanstead instead. I like things when they are not too complicated, he he.

[pensnest]

There's a good train service from St Albans (very near my home) direct to Gatwick, so we could get you back here and then take you to the train station on Friday. I think it's about £20. Takes about 70 minutes, with no change required, and leaves roughly every 20 min during the afternoon. Have a look at train times and see whether it looks feasible:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

[pensnest]

I'm thinking that perhaps I'll do a split-day collection from Stansted on the first Friday—we can collect chalcopyrite and anyone else who arrives in the morning, then go and find somewhere pretty to play in for the afternoon, maybe Cambridge, and come back to pick up you and fleurrochard in the late afternoon and head on to Alfreton then. That'll leave nopseud and trumpeterofdoom to do all the shopping!

Your return flight ought to be okay, assuming we make a prompt start from the house.

[pensnest]

That should be no problem!

[pensnest]

I'm thinking of doing a split pickup from Stansted on the first Friday: (_bettina_ is also arriving in the afternoon, so you may have to hang around the airport and wait a bit and we'll collect you both, but we should get to Beech Hill House in decent time after that.

Your return trip does look like a problem, though. It'll certainly take us two hours from the house to Stansted, probably rather longer because the minibus is speed restricted, and I can't imagine us being ready and able to leave much before nine, which doesn't allow for much of a margin for delays and doesn't get you to the airport in time for the check-in, which is presumably two hours before the flight... Is there any chance you could change your return flight to the Saturday? I can easily get you to the airport for Saturday morning and you can stay at my place on Friday night.

There is a direct coach service from Leicester coach station to Stansted Airport on the Friday morning, it leaves at 0625 and gets to the airport at 0950, which would be doable if we can get you to Leicester in the wee small hours. Fare starts at £10.50 which isn't a bad bet. Or, there are trains from Derby which leave at around 0630 and would get you to Stansted for around 0930. (The best one looks to be the 0632 from Derby to Leicester, then the 0718 from Leicester to Stansted.) Or you might decide to leave the day before and spend the night in London, and get the train or bus to Stansted at a more civilised hour!

[iconis.livejournal.com]

Me and rikes will be arriving on Wednesday afternoon (which I expect you already knew, thanks to my awesome travel organizer rikes - otherwise, um - SURPRISE! :D) and leaving indecently early on Saturday morning.

[fadedsouls.livejournal.com]

Sent you a msg with arrival info and all that.

So yes, there is a slight change from the first post up there. I shall be arriving on Thursday, and take up a couch at Pen's for the night before embracing on grand Camp adventures on Friday!

You know, which tickets booked I just got 10x more excited than I already was about Camp! Heeee!! I even saved a pixy stix from last year, that I'll be having right before I leave this year! LOL.

[fleurrochard]

Hanging around at the airport shouldn't be a problem. I'll have a book and/or podfic.;)

Thanks for the offer of staying at your house, but I'll be flying with Ryanair and I doubt they'll let me change my flight (without paying an horrendous fee). I'll check, though.

Both the train or the coach sound like an idea and I'll check for a place to stay in London or Cambridge - you can reach Stansted from Cambridge pretty well.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_titch/]

I'm getting the train straight to Alfreton, but would appreciate a pick up as I recall there being a bit of a walk. I get there at 6pm on the Friday.

I'll make my own way there to get home as my train isn't until 11am. :D

[nopseud]

I should be at the house well before 6 on Friday, so it'll be no problem to collect you.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_titch/]

Awesomesauce! Thank you!

[nopseud]

That'll leave nopseud and trumpeterofdoom to do all the shopping!

Don't think I didn't see your cunning plan forming. :-)

We should probably do a shopping list in advance, then.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bettina_/]

That would be fantastic! Thanks! :)

[stellamira]

Yes, that would be great! :)

[rikes]

To and from Stansted, that is. :)

Ah, the days of CS 2007 when everybody arrived at the same airport at the same time. I wonder how we managed that. :D

[saba1789.livejournal.com]

I'm staying with turps33 a couple days before Camp so I'll get to Camp with her but I would like to take the bus back to Stansted on Friday morning :) .

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

I'll be arriving to Heathrow at 11:15am on Thursday the 19th, per the usual arrangement. So, also as usual, I'll extend your Camp a touch earlier, though it looks like the Finns will have beaten me to it, heh. My departing flight leaves from Heathrow on Friday the 27th at three pm, so wherever it's easier to ship me from is fine; if we have to leave the house by ten am, then getting to Heathrow by one-ish should be feasible, yes?

And of course, I would appreciate both pick up from and delivery to the airport, whether by minibus or otherwise, heh.

See Y'all Soon!

(So, it'll be Outi, Rikka. Aceetha, Turlough, and me extending Camp with you and Beast Thursday night? We could deflower christen the New & Improved Sparkly CRACK game, moohahaa...)

[fleurrochard]

Ok, I've changed my flight to Saturday (12.05 from Stansted) and would love to stay at your place Friday night. :)

[pensnest]

Brilliant! That'll be enormously more convenient, I'm sure. :-)