Train from London to Windsor, Brighton, Hampton Court - do I need advance reservations?

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There really isn't anything to be gained in purchasing London-Hampton Court in advance. In fact, you can use your oyster card or contactless card to pay for that trip right when you are at the station.

You can put all of your trips in the National Rail trip planner and see the options for ticket prices.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

You can just show up and purchase tickets. There may be savings available for advance purchase. Simply put your routes and dates in on the website to see the options.

For short journeys, there is no price advantage in buying your ticket in advance. For Hampton Court and Windsor just turn up at the station and buy on the day.

For longer distances, there are often good savings to be made by buying in advance, depending on what time train you catch. This will apply for trains to Brighton.

Thanks! I will not worry about advance tickets for Windsor and HC. My problem with advanced booking for Brighton is wanting to choose the best day for a beach trip of 3 possible dates.

How far in advance do you guys from the South of England trust the weather predictions?🤔

How far in advance do you guys from the South of England trust the weather predictions?

A general idea 3 or 4 days out; a pretty good idea the day before; certainty an hour or two ahead. Unless the weather changes.

A lot has to do with what the weather is doing at the time, and what month.

Sounds a bit like where I live!! My trip is Aug 18 to 30.

Could be anything at the end of August. Many years July and September both have better weather than August.... you never know

It's a bit of a standing joke that as soon as the schools break up it starts to rain... The south east is one of the drier parts of the country. Check the weather forcast on the internet. I find that Met Office or BBC are usually relaible (and if anything, both say it is going to be wetter than it actually turns out to be...)

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/gcpchgv78#?date=2022-05-25

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/gcpchgv78#?date=2022-05-25

I’m not sure that you can even get Advance tickets to Brighton, can you? I never have. It’s a fairly short journey, and off-peak return ticket (that’s a round-trip, leaving after 9.30am) is only going to cost £20.40. They key thing is to get good weather so wait till the day to make up your mind.

The route does get busy on a hot day - Brighton is a bit like London on sea - but it only takes an hour or so, so even if the train is crowded it’s no big deal.

We went from London to Hampton Palace last week on a Sunday. Note that it is closed Monday and Tuesdays. It was easy just to use my Oyster Card to get there. Simple walk over the Thames. Great place to visit!

Thanks All!!

I’m planning to go to HCP and then taxi to Kew Gardens on a Sunday. Wasn’t planning to book tickets to the sites ahead, just line up and purchase when we get there (would be probably at opening for HCP and afternoon for Kew). Sound like an OK plan? Was also thinking to take a boat back from Kew to London but need to see how late they run.

HCP and Kew Gardens are both big sites, but I note Kew is open till 8pm today (and presumably summer Sundays). The last boat back to Westminster is 5pm (this is as of today) so that might be a bit early for you.