Trains from London

A Two Together Railcard will serve you better, as you only need one between you. And it will give you 30% off Advance tickets as well as regular ones.

We always but Advance tickets for our UK journeys when offered. I like to arrive at the train station 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time. No additional time needed simply because you have Advance tix. Just remember they are only good on the specific train you have booked ( so do not miss it!)

Thank you! I was not aware of the Two Together Railcard.

Note that you can buy your Advance tickets online 11-12 weeks in advance without having the Two Together card in hand. Just select that option from the Railcard drop-down menu and you will get the discount. Then buy the actual,Railcard when you arrive in the U.K.

The 2 Together Railcard is (I think) not valid before 9.30am on weekdays whereas the Senior Railcard is (I think) valid for the discount at anytime. However, you would pay £30 for the 2 Together Railcard but it would cost £60 for 2 Senior Railcards.

Everyone has their own way of travelling. Some are happy to run along the platform to leap in the train. I'm no good when rushed. I prefer to hang around for a few minutes, grab a coffee, get my bearings. Everyone is different

Not least those, usually in groups of 4+ relepete with a suitcase each who decide to stop in the middle of the concourse to chat/decide their next move and completely obstruct the entire stream of passengers eager to get to their next destination on time. Fellow readers, plesae don't be one of those!

Hi stokeraz -

I’ve mentioned this before but at Kings Cross they have developed an interesting game where they withhold the platform of the departing north bound trains until about five minutes before the train leaves. On the concourse a mass of people stare up at the screens waiting to see where they should go and when the platform is revealed there is a massive surge of humanity to the platform. I think this is mainly due to the short turnaround time of the trains and they don’t release the departure point until the train has been cleaned and restocked, hence the rather short time between platform announcement and departure. It is therefore advisable to have pre reserved seats on the train and a rapid stride towards the platform. Anybody who stops to chat mid platform, whether with large cases or not, will get trampled in the headlong rush to get on the train!

Another interesting variant we discovered recently was the departure board just disappeared a couple of minutes before the train’s departure (it had been delayed). Fortunately we could make an educated guess where the train would depart from and risked heading over to that platform - as it transpired we were right, but it’s no fun when you are trying to do this jet lagged to bits! Or a stranger in town!

So I’d say you need to be at Kings Cross no later than fifteen minutes before departure and a few more if possible. And it might be sensible to locate an actual live human being to confirm where your train will leave from rather gazing up hopefully at the electronic departure boards with the rest of us! That and hone your sprinting skills!

To reassure, I think you’ll be fine and Nottingham and York will be clearer and less stressful. Have a great trip!

Ian

I see suggestions to take the train to Nottingham from Kings Cross. That's not the way I would do it. Kings Cross will involve a change and take longer.

The East Midlands train (that's the current name, changing in a few short months) from St Pancras International, upstairs, back left, takes just over 90 minutes and makes no changes necessary.

To be fair it wasn't the OP who said KGX (Kings Cross), they said they needed to get to Kings Cross St Pancras Tube station and I thing people assumed they wanted Kings Cross.

For using the tube you should download the app called "Tube Map - London Underground". You can use the route planner to get anywhere. It will also tell you current travel time from one station to another which is useful if you're on a timeframe.

It's OK. emma. Dinna fash yoursel.

Thank you, everyone! I learned something from each person's comments.