Train travel questions

There are two very different London to Windsor train experiences to be had. The one that leaves from Waterloo is the one to be avoided (much longer). Paddington is more direct. I also like the bus that goes from Victoria Station to Windsor.

Heathrow also has a bus that goes to Windsor, so you might want to consider Windsor as the place to rest up from a flight.

Have fun!
Alison

Lumo is another option. It is an open access train serving Edinburgh.

For discount, you should be eligible for group save discount without a railcard.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr354fdc0a0400020101fea1769fbf60.aspx
You don't necessarily have to buy an oyster.

If you are fine with using contactless bank card.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go

To get to Windsor, you can pay with contact less to get to Slough for change.

Check out the new low price train service by Limo for London (Kings Cross) to Edinburgh. No 1st class or fancy food but the trains are the same as those of LNER (new Hitachi Class 800’s) travelling at up to 125mph.
https://www.lumo.co.uk

The fares would should be looking for are called Advance Singles where you have to travel on booked train
If you can.t see these you are looking too early.
You should search from London All Stations as there is an alternative route from Euston
Suggest you consult www.seat61.com for information on rail travel in UK including how to book tickets from abroad

Hi Sharon -

As I understand it Lumo are cheaper, no frills, no ticket options, but LNER have more options on frequency. Travel time is roughly the same and both depart London from Kings Cross.

That said, if you decide to travel LNER then the most economic way to do it is to book ‘Advance’ tickets which does tie you to a specific train (changing trains is not an option without purchasing new tickets at great expense unless there’s some problem with LNER - we once returned to London from abroad when bad weather had disrupted the timetable and having checked with staff we were waved onto the first available train given that the one we were tied to wasn’t running).

Advance tickets are in the main released about twelve weeks out from date of departure, but keep an eye on the LNER website to see if they are released any earlier - pandemic has suppressed rail travel so they might be keen to fill seats early.

And, where it is an option, ALWAYS reserve seats. It costs nothing to do this and is part of the booking process - getting three seats together if travel is returned to normal by June on a mainline train is next to impossible.

If you plan to travel extensively by train then getting a railcard (generally saves around 30% on tickets purchases) will probably save you money in that cost of purchase will be more than offset by tickets purchased). There are several types of railcard - do the research to determine which one is suitable. As far as I am aware you can use your railcard on all types of rail journey on the national network.

Have a great trip - it’s really not as daunting as it sounds!

Ian