Train options from St Albans to Stratford Upon Avon

This is an awkward journey. Whichever route you take it will be over 3 hours and several changes. I can see the route from Abbey via Watford Junction, Coventry and Leamington Spa for a day next week for £29.50pp with an Advance ticket. But equally I can also see a route from City via St Pancras, Marylebone and Leamington for £22pp, again with an Advance ticket.

You don't need to worry about the Advance ticket if you miss a connection. As long as you catch the first train from St Albans that you book, any delays which change the trains later will be covered - it won't be your fault if a train is late.

Do you know the date?

Thank you for your reply. Yes, the date is May 19.

On 19/5 the best deal is on the 12.08 or 13.08 from Abbey 3 hours 5 minutes with 3 changes for £37 for both of you. There’s an earlier option at 9.08 for £59 for two. These are all both quicker and cheaper than the trains from City. I would book now, they will only get dearer.

Trains run hourly from Watford Junction to Coventry, then hourly Coventry to Leamington.
If the worst happened and the fastest route was then to Birmingham New Street, walk down to Moor Street then train to Stratford you are end to take it.
You would also get a 100% refund through delay repay.

Also every hour 6 minutes behind the Avanti fast train there is a London Midland semi fast to Coventry, which you would be entitled to take, which arrives at Coventry 40 minutes behind the Avanti fast.

I just checked the LNER app and the next train it gives ( if I were to miss the 11:31 due to 6 min transfer) is 2 hours later.
Is there another way to get from St Albans to Stratford Upon Avon, like a bus?
Otherwise, I wonder if we should get on at St Albans City, go to London, then to Stratford upon Avon?

The route through London is slower as there is no direct train between the two. You would have to change stations in London and then either take a train from Euston to Coventry and then Leamington Spa to Stratford or from Marylebone via Leamington Spa. As Stuart says the best way is from Abbey via Watford. Don’t worry about the 6 minute change. That’s perfectly normal and if the worst happens just take the next train, which won’t be 2 hours later.

The train from Abbey is a little old train that does nothing all day but shuttle between Abbey and Watford Junction platform 11. It has 5 stops and is the only train on the single track - there is not room for another train on that line. For trivia - it also uses a different signalling system than anywhere else on the LNWR network. From platform 11 it is down the stairs (no lift) to the tunnel and pop back up by lift or stairs to platform 6 for the fast trains or platform 9 for the slow ones. One more bit of trivia, although platforms 1 through 4 are dead end platforms (bay) for the third rail London Overground (formerly Silverlink Metro) all stops trains to Euston, and platform 11 is reserved for what we on the trains call the Abbey Flyer, and 6,7,8,9 for the main line trains, the one thing missing is the missing platform 5. It just isn't there.... Oh, and Watford Junction is where you can catch the Knight Bus to Harry Potter studio tour.

Anyway, this is just gibbering from an railwayman who used to work trains through Watford Junction and that included the St Albans Abbey Branch.

It sounds complicated but it really isn't. I will say that a 6 minute connection off the Flyer over to Platform 6 and then up and into the train could be a push if it is unfamiliar territory to you. I'd personally take the LNWR train which routes via Northampton and is somewhat slower than the nonstop Avanti if you're looking at 6 minutes. If you only had a couple of minutes longer...

The train from Coventry to Leamington Spa via Kenilworth is a shuttle which works from Nuneaton via Coventry and Kenilworth to Leamington Spa and back. At Leamington you catch the service to from London to Stratford upon Avon.

I rather like Stuart's alternative of getting to Birmingham New Street via either Avanti (fast, more expensive) or LNWR (slower, more stops, cheaper, and the organization I used to work for so innately superior) and then the quick walk through the shopping centre to the train from Birmingham Moor Street which goes directly to Stratford upon Avon. Although slightly around the sun to get to the moon it is simpler.

To go from St Albans Abbey on Thameslink means changing to the Underground or bus or taxi at St Pancras to get to Marylebone or Paddington, or staying on one stop to Farringdon and changing to the Elizabeth Line to Paddington (but doesn't stop near Marylebone) and that seems to me to be more faff and expensive.

At the end of the day you are going from the end of one branch line via the main line to the end of another branch line and that is bound to take some navigating and time, no matter which you choose...

Thank you Nigel and John and Stuart,
Nigel you answered the questions I had about how far we have to go at Watford getting to the second train, and other questions I was thinking of asking.
My next question is, could we take a taxi to a station to eliminate the 6 min transfer and reduce the number of trains, which I think is currently 4.
I did read Stuart’s suggestion but I am having a hard time figuring whether it is somthing our 75 and 67 year old selves are up for, and whether it would be stressful, too.
Any thoughts on our taking a taxi to a train station that is further on, to simplify this, and what station it would be?

Is there another way to get from St Albans to Stratford Upon Avon, like a bus?

There is, but way too convoluted and takes too long by bus all the way.

However for the first leg St Albans to Watford Junction Station you could take either the #724 Bus for Heathrow (hourly) or the half hourly #321 bus. (£3 on either bus)

Likewise from Leamington Spa station you could take the hourly #15 bus to Stratford via Warwick, the every 20 minutes bus #11 from Coventry station connects with that at Leamington as does the half hourly X17.

There is also a half hourly bus X18 from Coventry Railway Station to Stratford upon Avon- journey time 85 minutes. Last bus at 6.42 pm. So you would just do the Watford to Coventry leg by train. Likewise £3 on each bus.

my guess is that you will need to get to either station from your lodging? Maybe a taxi. So just stay in the taxi which can take you quite quickly right to Watford Junction with plenty of time to get you the train you want, probably the Avanti. Sit back and enjoy the views, off at Coventry, probably across the platform from platform 3 to platform 2 for the train to Leamington. Although Leamington is a crew depot and fairly busy, it is a very straightforward station and easy to get around for the train to Stratford upon Avon.

having a hard time figuring whether it is somthing our 75 and 67 year old selves are up for, and whether it would be stressful, too.

well my wife is 75 and I'm 72 and I would do it. But it is true that I know what to expect and I have worked in each of these stations.... St Albans Abbey isn't so much a station as a platform with a display screen, by the way..

The cheaper trains that I posted earlier were I think only valid on Avanti trains, so that would rule out deliberately taking an LNWR train I assume. although I assume you would be OK if you took the train from St Albans and then missed the connection.

Thanks for the replies! We may take Nigel’s suggestion and take a taxi to Watford, though we will be sorry to miss the little old train from the Abbey station. : )

I'm not sure I would call the Abbey line trains little or old. They are 4 car Class 350's - the same units as work the semi fasts to Crewe and Birmingham, and the same age as the Avanti Pendolinos, around 20 years old, which is mid life.