[canucklad]

AOGF…

I have to admit your points are valid if travelling from the Discovery City…..

I live in West Lothian and a bunch of us are heading down to the big smoke to watch the Lions game at the end of June…

Cheapest train ticket booked at the first opportunity £126 Waverly to KX on the Friday,god forsaken crack of dawn, hour…returning Sun arriving late into Waverly….

1.30 VS flight on Friday … EDI>LHR ..costs £43
mid evening BA flight from LGW back to EDI = £39

Use my silver card at LGW..its a knockout blow to the rail network…and remember that £126 is for goat class….and you really are playing roulette…when you travel economy!!

[AllOverTheGaff]

Hey canucklad

I accept it isn’t for everyone but I thought I’d put up my own experience to see if it helped anyone who hadn’t considered the train as a realistic option, and I guess your own geography would play a part in your decision time. As it is, it works for me but I fully acknowledge it isn’t for everyone. I don’t accept, at all, that flying is the ‘better’ or ‘less hassle’ option…..

One of my friends told me he’d started using the train last year and I mocked him like you wouldn’t believe (sent him note pad, pencil, Thermos flask and old smelly anorak from charity shop) as I didn’t really consider the train viable – at all – not in the least.

Then I had two Heathrow incidents with their security staff – and I had to get another option. I tried the train once and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, particularly as I have a low boredom threshold. But taking in a couple of movies, whizzing off some emails and surfing the web to catch up with stuff is a sedate way to travel.

I’ve not seen “shabby” trains at this point, perhaps I will and I’ll then view it differently, but the reality is I am using the service for health reasons – to keep my blood pressure at normal levels – on this front, for me, and based on my experiences at LHR, I’d pay quite a bit more for my train journey now. (More than I’d pay on a flight I mean) As I mentioned earlier, I’m saving some £140.00 or thereabouts on fuel & parking costs so as long as I can get a 1st class ticket in that sort of window, I’m going on the choo-choo….

Off to buy a tartan blanket…..

Rgds.
AOTG.

[craigwatson]

Canucklad – not sure where (what?) “big smoke” is, but if travelling to the center of London, by the time you add in transport from LHR to the city and back out to LGW the train is going to work out cheaper, and probably just as quick, with a much more pleasant journey.

[craigwatson]

I just had a look at that weekend in June and I see fares in standard for £113 and for 1st return £135 all good times (ex. departing EDI at 09:00), that makes the train even better value.

[Author]

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