On the subject of travel

[pensnest]

Hi again,

a bit more detail about travel to and from Camp, as some of you may want to get busy sorting out holidays and flights in good time.

The trip from my house will probably take about four hours, plus a lunch break. (Digression #1: if it is a nice day, I vote we take a picnic and go via Snugbury's Ice Cream - the place which had the Giant Straw Dalek this year. They have some awesome flavours! There probably won't be a giant Dalek next year, but these things deserve to be rewarded, I feel. If it's not a nice day, we'll find a services station—with a roof—somewhere.)

I'd like to leave at around 11am on the Friday morning - which should, with reasonable traffic (Digression #2: there's always heavy traffic north from London on Fridays, and in the commuter area around Birmingham, so we really don't want to leave it as late as lunchtime to get going), mean we get to the Ship Inn at about 4pm, which is when we'll be able to get inside. I don't think it's feasible to collect anybody from Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted on Friday morning, as Gatwick and Stansted are completely in the wrong directions, and a Heathrow diversion would add at least an hour to the travel time, most likely rather more. We could pick up from Luton Airport or Birmingham Airport on the way on Friday morning.

If you're coming to one of the big London airports, ideally you'll either come a day or so earlier and stay with me (I'm happy to pick up from Heathrow and Stansted (and Luton) as usual, and the train from Gatwick to St Albans is the best way to get from there to here), or you'll get yourself from the airport (or elsewhere in London) to St Albans Station or Hemel Hempstead bus station on the Friday morning. (I know some of you spent a few days in London before/after Camp this year.) Train Service from St Pancras to St Albans is very good, and there is certainly a bus service from Heathrow to Hemel Hempstead and another from Stansted that goes to Oxford via Hemel—and of course a bus from Victoria Coach Station to Hemel, too, which is probably cheaper than the train.

I have bed space for six (if some of you are okay sharing, which I'm sure you are) and a spare mattress and some airbeds and a decent couch—basically, if you need to stay with me, I'll find you somewhere to sleep!

If flying in to East Midlands or Birmingham is possible for you, you could probably be picked up by nopseud, and possibly stay with her in advance (or after Camp), if handy. Best check with her if you're looking at travelling on Friday 13th.

The return trip will also (presumably) take four hours or so, plus a break at some point (traffic willing). I expect we'll leave somewhere between 9-10am. People can be deposited at Birmingham and Luton on the way back, and I might be able to cover Heathrow as well, but if you need to return home on Friday, do make sure you've left plenty of time for the journey and your check-in! You can stay chez me and be ferried to Heathrow or Stansted over the weekend—it still remains a more efficient option to go to Gatwick by train, but that's easy. Or, of course, make suitable arrangements with nopseud if you're going from a Midlands airport.

turlough mentioned the possibility of flying in to Manchester, which may necessitate getting a train to Old Colwyn, or it may be possible for someone to pick you up, we're not sure yet. Could be worth looking at, if there are handy flights to Manchester. I expect we could figure out a larger scale pick-up from there if it turns out to be useful for several of you—I expect it might be worth considering for chalcopyrite at least.

There are trains which would get you to Camp, if you can't make the minibus, but if that's going to be the case, you should haunt the advance ticket places in the hope of getting something that doesn't cost you £100. Bargains can be available, but definitely need to be booked early. There are also buses and coaches from London to Chester which take 5.5 - 6.5 hours and cost £29ish for a round trip, if you can stand it - so if you can't get there with the minibus, all is not necessarily lost. We should be able to pick up from Chester if we can manage to do it just once—there is a train station in Old Colwyn, though, so you can get there easily from Chester. This website may be a useful place to start looking. Also, nopseud checked out the train details, so ask her for guidance.

My personal recommendation would be: come a day early, and stay overnight with one of us, then plan to return home on Saturday or Sunday after Camp. If you can. :-)

Comments

[saba1789.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, Pen, this post is very helpful :D

I think I'm gonna go with the 'arriving on Thursday, staying with you, leaving on Saturday' option. I can just take a bus from and to the airport, it's apparently only 40 min to HH :) .

[nopseud]

There is a train station in Colwyn Bay, which is the closest station to the house and has a good service to Chester (a couple of trains an hour). Chester station is over an hour and a half round trip, so we probably don't want to be making that journey too often.

[turlough]

I did some checking and it looks like you can get from Manchester Airport to Colwyn Bay by both train and coach. The train takes 2 hours 15 minutes and the coach between 3 and 4 hours. The train is much more expensive though, £26 compared to £15.

[chalcopyrite.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this, Pen, it's very helpful! I think I'll probably be staying with you for Extended Camp a night or two!

[iconis.livejournal.com]

I basically need to do very careful calculations but I'm trying my hardest to get to Camp this year, and this definitely helps with the planning. Cheers, Pen.

[rikes]

Thanks for the info Pen! :)

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

Oh, POOP, seems I've gone and totally missed all the planning posts, oops.

The earliest I can take leave from work to get my right knee replaced is June, so if that's when Camp is, I guess I'll just be waiting a few more weeks, not too big a deal. I should hopefully be six weeks into my recovery come Gen Con in mid-August, but if worse comes to worst, I know there's electric scooters for the disabled, so all should be well...presuming I can afford everything, gah.

Ah well, that's what credit cards are for, right?!?

I fully intend to make it this year, and arriving on the Thursday before Camp and leaving the Saturday after ought to also be doable.

CAN'T WAIT!!! (And the house looks gorgeous this year!)

[pensnest]

Excellent! We missed you last year. (I feel sure your commentary on Dante's Cove would have been invaluable!)

It's a good house!

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

I have accidentally purchased a ticket to see Justin at the O2 this June...which is my way of saying a) I'm definitely coming for Camp and b) I will definitely be taking the train to either yours or nopseud's on the Thursday and travelling up with either one of you. *g*

As for the way back, I think if I stay with my usual 10pm flight from Heathrow on Friday night that should give me enough time right? You can always drop me off there earlier like the last time even if it's nowhere near my flight time!

[pensnest]

Splendid! I think a 10pm return time will work out fine - not sure what time we'll be doing a Heathrow run, but there shouldn't be a problem. \o/

[fadedsouls.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at arriving either super early on Friday or Thursday night (which means I will be in need of a sleeping space at Pens.) It all depends on when the flights arrive at Gatwick on Friday I think, or Thursday options.

Going home on my usual 8PM flight out of Gatwick on the Friday if possible. Usually take the train from St. Albans around 4pm ish, don't I? Looks like that'll work this year as well. Which always works great and leaves me with more than enough time to shop at Gatwick :)

[pensnest]

No problem finding you a sleeping space, and as you say, the train from St Albans should work out as required this time. :-) Beast and I have just got off that train this morning after our trip to Oz, so we are very happy with it!

[fadedsouls.livejournal.com]

Tickets booked, arriving Thursday the 12th at about 8:15 pm. I'll catch a train to St. Albans as usual (I assume they run at that time as well). Perhaps there may be someone at St.Albans to pick me up? :)

Leaving at 8:45 pm on Firday the 20th, so that should not be a problem either, timewise.

Also got tickets real cheap, yay for that!

[pensnest]

Splendid. i can't guarantee you'll get a pick-up from St Albans, yet, as I may be haring off to Heathrow or Stansted - but I hope you will. Definite yay for cheap tickets!

[fadedsouls.livejournal.com]

If no pickup can be arranged, an address is all I will require, as I will get a taxi. No problem there! Yay for Camp!!!!

[pensnest]

Hmm. I have two to pick up from Stansted, with chalcopyrite getting in at 8.15pm, in theory at least. It may be that I'll be back with them in time to come over and pick you up, but it's hard to tell—depends how long everyone takes to get off the plane and out of the airport, I suppose. We'll do a phone numbers exchange post soon, so you'll be able to text me when you are on the train for more up-to-date info.

If I can't get there in time, you can get a 300 or 301 bus (from the stop on the far right as you come out of the station) to literally the end of Greenacres—ask the driver for Leverstock Green, and if he can stop at the Greenacres stop* for you—or else there is a line of taxis outside the station and to the right.


* where possibly there could be recognisable people waiting for you!

[turlough]

I just realised I'd completely forgotten to buy plane tickets for Camp! But I need to know: will we arrive back in London on Friday the 20th in time for me to take a plane from Stanstead at 15:15? My other alternative is the 7:00 flight on Saturday morning, eeep!

[pensnest]

I don't think we can *guarantee* you'd be okay for the flight at 1515—assuming we leave the house at around 0900... that'd get us back home for around 1300, if we don't stop along the way, but then it's the best part of another hour to Stansted in the car... all of this, of course, assuming no delays on the way and an early start. Which could happen, but it's really hard to be sure.

There is another possibility, which now I'm investigating looks quite reasonable: we could drop you off at Luton Airport, and you can get a coach from there directly to Stansted. It takes an hour and a half, and costs £13.20... although, hmm, we'd have to have you at Luton for 1155, and I'm not sure the minibus is going to make it there. Bother. An alternative may be that I drive the minibus and JR drives the car, in which case he could take you directly across to Stansted. Or, possibly, you could get a coach from Birmingham Coach Station or Birmingham Airport to Stansted. Might be worth having a word with nopseud about that, and checking on the timetables at http://coach.nationalexpress.com

Otherwise, I think it's the wee small hours of the morning from my house...

[turlough]

Going by the timetables it doesn't look like Birmingham is a viable alternativ unfortunately. It really looks like the early morning flight will be my best alternative after all. Bummer! Are you sure you don't mind getting up at five to get me to the airport on time?

[pensnest]

I suspect it will be Beast who does the early morning run... but better safe than sorry, and I think it's probably the better call. Unless you can find a different airport? It's strange how fractured the flights to and from Camp have become—it was all quite a lot simpler the first time round.

[turlough]

I just discovered that the last train from Copenhagen doesn't leave until half past nine instead of at eight like it did before. This means I can take the 17:30 flight from Gatwick. It should totally be possible for me to get to Gatwick in time to catch that, right? (I won't be home until after midnight but I will be home!)

[pensnest]

Yes! That gives us much more leeway in case of problems. We'll have to put you on the train to Gatwick, which takes about an hour, but I should think you'll have company on the journey.

[turlough]

Yes, it's very important to have leeway when there are so many people and places involved.

Okay, that's the return trip decided on. And it seems the flight that will arrive at Stanstead on Thursday at 19:15 will be my best choice for getting there. I suspect I won't be alone in arriving at Stanstead around then, right?

[chalcopyrite.livejournal.com]

My flight is scheduled to arrive at 20:15; coming from Ireland and with no checked bags, I shouldn't be far behind you!

[turlough]

Excellent!

[pensnest]

Okay, I shall be at Stansted to collect you both. :-)

[ihearthings-ii.livejournal.com]

I'm going to the Copenhagen's Women's Run on the 15th, so I won't be able to make for the 12th or 13th, unfortunately!

I'm thinking I'd fly into Manchester and make my way from there either Sunday afternoon/evening or Monday - whichever is cheapest, tbh. :P