More important than where you change trains is getting the best fare. The walk-up open fare, good on all trains all day, is £70. Booked online today through www.the trainline.com, you can get a £20 fare for the Gatwick-King's Cross Thameslink-walk to St. Pancras-Nottingham route, but it is only good for the time you specify. Your choices are 08:45 and 09:45. If you go for the discount fare, play it safe and book the 09:45 departure. You have to register on the site before you can book tickets. If only UK addresses are accepted when registering, enter the address of any London hotel. Then, when it comes time to pay, change the address so it matches the one associated with your credit card.

If I'm not using a car these are the ways I get to Nottingham from LGW.

1 - Go the Luton Parkway route you have indicated. It's the easiest way but to avoid high costs you do need to book tickets. Don't bother going via Kings Cross, it's not a long way between platforms at Kings Cross and St. Pancrass but it's a real pain with luggage.

2 - Take the National Express buss from Gatwick to East Midlands Airport, change at EMA to a local bus that drops you at Broadmarsh in Nottingham. Really easy and low cost if you book the National Express in advance.

3 - Take the train from LGW to Victoria and the tube to St. Pancras. Catch the train at St. Pancras and get off at Nottingham station. It's a real pain dragging luggage around on the tube.

From the minute you hit the arrivals hall in LGW it should take no more than 30 minutes to get on the train - worse situation scenario says 45 mins.

Book tickets in advance, walk up prices are outrageous.

Thanks for the great responses. I went ahead and booked the ticket on the train. The option they had was to change at King's Cross, which is what I bought. I went ahead and purchased the Saver fare since my flight could get delayed. With the Saver fare can I change at Luton AP instead? Would I need to make a change to the ticket.

Thanks again, Doug

They probably won't let you modify your itinerary for a change at Luton. If you have to change at Kings Cross it is better to go outside of the station and walk the hundred yards to St Pancras. It's easier to move with luggage outside of the stations. If you take the direct connection on the underpass there are zillions of steps to descend and accend, plus all the tourists queueing for tube tickets. The Euston Road on a Sunday is quiet ( by London standards ) and at least you get to see the outside of St Pancras - which is stunning in anybody's book - just remember too look upwards.

Thanks Al, I am looking forward to seeing Nottingham. I should have Sunday afternoon free to look around. I am staying near the town center and I plan on walking around a lot to take some pictures.