public transportation connections england/wales

London Heathrow-Moreton-in-Marsh: Railair bus to Reading, train Moreton-in-Marsh-Conwy, Wales: Doable by train, several routes or changing points, eg Moreton->Worcester Foregate Street->Smethwick Galton Bridge->Conwy Other journeys are also relatively straightforward by train. Conwy->York can be done in as few as one change (Manchester), although may take up to 3. York->Edinburgh is direct. You really need to put in your desired journey times into the National Rail planner.

When you say you are having trouble, in what way do you mean?

I have 12 days before I have to be in Edinburgh. I divided it as 3 nights Cotswolds, and 4 nights each in the areas of Snowdonia and York. Some friends suggest I cut out a night in the Cotswolds and add it to either Snowdonia or York. What do you think? Once I get to Wales, I thought the first night could be spent in Conwy just because it will be a long trip, although it could be done at the end of my time in Wales before leaving for York. I'm not sure about the most efficient route and places for the night for my time in Snowdonia area. Here are some thoughts on possibilities: I could go to Betws-y-Coed as I have heard there are nice walks there (1-2 hrs.), on to the Slate Caverns and take Ffestiniog Railway to see more of the park which would then go on to Porthmadog. I could see Beaumaris and Caernarfon and possibly make a trip to Llanberis to see the Slate Museum. From there I could take the West Highland Railway and go all the way to Porthmadog or only as far as Beddgelert and get out there to do some walking such as to Abersglaslyn Gorge or along Llyn Dinas. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!

I think 3 days in the Cotswolds is fine assuming you want slow-paced and relaxing quaintness which is what they offer. This is especially true if you are just off the plane and depending on public transport which will rob some of the time you have there. I think 4 days in York is overkill for the standard tourist tour. It's a young feeling University town juxtaposed with the ancient parts of the city so I really liked it but unless you've really got things you want to do there or just plan on living like a local I think 4 days is certainly enough. With 4 days I would consider a tour of the moors north of the city because you'll have the time. You mention walking and the Cotswolds are picture perfect for walking between towns. Personally I'd think about stealing a day from York for the Cotswolds but maybe that's just me. I can't speak to Snowdonia. My US$.02, have a great trip,
=Tod

I am slowly, but successfully making plans, thanks to everyones' advice. The problem I am having now is booking train tickets online. I live in the U.S. and do not have a credit card with chip/pin capability so I would not be able to use the machines at the stations to get my tickets and some places don't have machines anyway. I get conflicting info from different online train booking sites. Some tickets are off peak day single, some anytime day single and a few are advance which I know I have to buy now. Help!

If you truely want to see the sites you mentioned in Wales...I would drop the Cotswolds for another time. A lot of the places you mentioned take a lot of out and back. I don't believe that a train goes by Beaumaris for example...buses may be harder to schedule. The Cotswolds are very pretty...but I found that less exciting that the castles in Wales. By the way...Chester which is near Wales and on the train line to Conwy will give you some of the flavor of York. Traveling in a linear way can bring you to many pleasant surprises. Good Luck

I get conflicting info from different online train booking sites. Some tickets are off peak day single, some anytime day single and a few are advance which I know I have to buy now. Help! Those are different tariffs with different validity. What kind of conflicting advice are you getting?

For example, I want to go from Moreton-in-Marsh to Worcester Forgate to Smethwick Galton Bridge to Bangor. I would save over half the cost of buying a ticket by buying each ticket individually. The ticket from Smethwick to Bangor is an advance and I need to buy that train ticket online. I live in the U.S. and do not have a credit card with chip/pin capability so I would not be able to use the machines at the stations to get my ticket. Smetwick does not have a ticket machine anyway. Do I go to the station and get the ticket directly from the window where I would buy a ticket? Is the ticket sent to me and I print it out and take it along like a airline ticket would work?

I would save over half the cost of buying a ticket by buying each ticket individually. Yes, welcome to the most insane, complicated and frustrating rail ticketing system in the developed world. And the most expensive. Well done for discovering that sometimes you can save money by purchasing separate tickets, the train companies would prefer you didn't know that and don't advertise the fact. The reasons why split ticketing is necessary or possible are complicated and rooted in the way the railway was privatised (amongst other things) and if you are really interested in why it's such a mess, read this BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19217111 I live in the U.S. and do not have a credit card with chip/pin capability so I would not be able to use the machines at the stations to get my ticket. Smetwick does not have a ticket machine anyway. I can't speak from personal experience because obviously I do have a chip and pin card, but I've read various accounts on the internet of people who say that this doesn't matter if you are just collecting a ticket you have already purchased, because the card just identifies you and various forums have stories from American travellers who say that their non-chip & pin card worked just fine. What releases the ticket is the 8 digit code that you enter from your booking confirmation. However, one or two people have reported that it didn't work, in which case you can go to the ticket counter and get the tickets printed for you there. In fact, you could do that at a main station right at the start of your trip and get all your tickets printed out. Plan ahead to make sure you don't find yourself at an unmanned to be continued...

...unmanned station with no ticket machine. Smetwick does not have a ticket machine anyway. As I mentioned, get all your tickets printed in one go at the start of your trip. You can't do that at Heathrow (which doesn't have a network railway station) but at the first major station you get to just go to the machines and print all the tickets you have purchased, and if that doesn't work then go to the ticket counter. If you don't want to take a chance, use www.thetrainline.com and pay to have tickets mailed to you. They charge £7.50 to mail tickets to anywhere in the world and also a booking fee of £1.50 per transaction. One transaction can include up to 10 journeys. Do I go to the station and get the ticket directly from the window where I would buy a ticket? Is the ticket sent to me and I print it out and take it along like a airline ticket would work? I think I have answered the first question. On the second question, some train operating companies give you the opportunity to print your own tickets at home. Where that is the case, do it. One final comment on splitting your ticket. It is perfectly acceptable to have three or more separate tickets for a single journey, even if it doesn't involve a change of trains. The train must actually stop at each of the destinations for the ticket to be valid. If you are changing trains, watch out for delays which could mean that any 'Advance' tickets can't be used, and plan accordingly (in other words, give yourself enough time where you change trains, in case your preceding service is late).

Thank you so much for your help!!!!! How much time should I give between leaving one train and boarding another to be on the safe side?

How much time to allow... Well, train punctuality is measured and the results are published. Overall, mainline services arrive on time around 90% to 95% of the time, and 'on time' means within 5 minutes of the timetabled arrival time. Looking at that journey from Moreton to Bangor, if you left Moreton at 11.00 then the connections would give you a 35 minute wait at Worcester and 25 minutes at Smethwick. The only Advance ticket is for Smethwick to Bangor, and I'd say that 25 minutes is enough. If it turns out not be be sufficient because of unforeseen delays then an Anytime single from Smethwick to Bangor is £42.

Oh, one more thing. Unless you need to go to Worcester and Smethwick, it looks like you can save one change and perhaps a bit of money by going via Hereford. Moreton-in-Marsh to Hereford and then Hereford to Bangor - the main ticketing websites don't seem to offer this, but you could book it as two separate journeys. In fact, now that I specify Hereford as a 'via' station on nationalrail.co.uk, it offers me an Advance fare from Moreton to Bangor for £36.40 (on a random date in a month's time). I'd take that, because having it all on one ticket means that if my train is late and I miss the connection at Hereford, the train company has to honour my booking on another train (although I would have to go to customer services at Hereford to sort it out).

Good suggestion Kevin, however when I check "buy", that advance ticket on Nat'l Rail for July 20, it says "Sorry, something went wrong. It is possible it was moved or doesn't exist or we are having technical difficulties." I read that when it says that, it usually means there are no more tickets available at that price. If I buy 2 separate tickets from Moreton-in-Marsh to Hereford and Hereford to Bangor with a 50 min. wait in between, I can get the 32.40 price. How did you know to go via Hereford as a main station that would save one connection? I need to get from Conwy to Whitby July 24. Any suggestions for that one? (: Thanks!

How did you know to go via Hereford as a main station that would save one connection? I have a railway map. The lines are colour coded by train operating company, so I noticed that route. It should be more scenic as well. I need to get from Conwy to Whitby July 24. Any suggestions for that one? (: At the moment I can't do any better than a £20 Advance single offered on nationalrail.co.uk. The only suggestion I would make is if you will be getting a taxi from your accommodation to Conwy station, ask the driver to take you the extra mile or so across the bridge to Llandudno Junction station and start your journey there. This saves one change of trains and gives you more options for sensible journey times. If you do travel from Conwy, note that it is a request stop only - you literally have to flag the train down like you would a London bus. It's a bit of a trek. Various routes are possible, but on nationalrail.co.uk the suggested 08.25 departure from Llandudno Junction only gives you 10 minutes to change trains in Crewe. Go into the 'More options' section in the journey planner and pick half an hour extra to change trains, then it offers you the 07.54 from Llandudno Junction direct to Manchester Piccadilly, then an hour's wait there (time to get coffee) before catching the 10.57 to Middlesborough, then 45 minutes wait for the 14.16 to Whitby, which is the train you would have been on anyway if you had started the day on that 08.25. It's the same price - £20 for an Advance, and being all on one ticket you are covered if you miss a connection because your preceding train is delayed.