Rail from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Conwy (CNW)

Get the RailAir coach (bus) to Reading. Get a train from there to Birmingham New Street. Change there to a train to Conwy.

Or take the tube or Elizabeth line and tube to London Euston and get a train from there with a change at Chester.

Nationalrail.co.uk

Are you using the National Rail website:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk

This is the official website for UK trains.

There is no direct service from Heathrow to Conwy. It's going to involve 4-5 changes and take 6+ hours.

Conwy is a very small station. There is no depot or ticket office.

The only real train that calls at Heathrow is the Heathrow Express and that only goes to Paddington in London.

From the National Rail website it looks like the recommended way isL

Bus from Heathrow to Reading

Train from Reading to Birmingham (The Reading bus and train stations are next to each other.)

Train from Birmingham to Shrewsbury

Train from Shrewsbury to Conwy.

Engineering works that day affect some of your trip.

If going via Euston do not be taken in by the Heathrow Express marketing. Take the Elizabeth Line to Paddington and the Tube (Hammersmith and City Line) to Euston (use contactless all the way), or just hop in a cab off the rank at Paddington for the shortish journey to Euston.

The only real train that calls at Heathrow is the Heathrow Express and that only goes to Paddington in London.

The Elizabeth Line is a very real train and calls at Paddington on its way through London to the East.

Fastest trains from Euston to Conwy would be under 3.5 hrs with one change.

London Euston is by far the most sensible route. No Avanti train stops at Conwy. You would get off at Llandudno Junction then taxi or walk across the bridge.
Many trains are change at Crewe or at Chester.

What time of the day are you arriving at Terminal 5?

Ideally you would have arrived at Manchester, for the airport station for an hourly direct service to Llandudno, taking 2:30 or Birmingham Airport for a direct train to Conwy every 2 hours taking 3:15

The problem that day is that Euston Station is closed for engineering work.

So you are going to be forced to go Rail Air Coach to Reading, then Cross Country to Wolverhampton at 1214, 1415, 1514 or 1814 then direct train to Llandudno Junction. The 1514 train from Reading (only that one) connects at Wolverhampton with a direct train to Conwy arriving at 2035.

So that 1514 train from Reading is Rail Air to Reading then 2 trains.

No train is a change at Shrewsbury.

May 5th is a Sunday. Just to throw out another possibility, do you need to be in Conwy that day? If you can spend a nite in London I think you'll find more train possibilities on Monday.

We get into Heathrow on Sunday, May 5th at 10:20 am. We already have lodging in Conwy for Sunday the 5th.

It looks like the Euston is not available that day due to engineering work and there is no connection at Shrewsbury.

The flights to Manchester from Heathrow would run about $756 for a reasonable departure time or get into Manchester at 9:30 or 10:40 in the evening, so those options are out. Plus that does not include the price for the train trip and the added addition time.

So the only choices we have is to use a RailAir coach (bus) to Reading, then a train from Reading to Birmingham New Street, then a train to Wolverhampton and from there to Conwy getting in at 8:35 pm or

RailAir coach (bus) to Reading, then a train from there to Birmingham New Street and from there a train to Conwy, I am not sure of the time.

Would we have to purchase each leg or can I purchase the entire trip and just transfer? I am assuming I have to purchase a RailAir coach separately?

I apologize for this mess, but I am in Detroit, Michigan. We do not have a rail system and the bus lines are abhorrent. The legislation does not go very far when trying to build a rail system this being the Motor City and all.

Since I have pretty much butchered this part of the trip, we looked into a car service as well. We looked at Blacklane, Express Airport Transport, GetTransfer, JayRide, and Airport Pickups London. It appears we can get a car service for $400 to $600 for ride of about 4 hours without the hassles that I have caused (bus to train to train to train) and we can be in Conwy at about 4:00 pm and have the evening to rest. I think the train service is going to be about $250 to $300 for the two of us.

What do you think of a car service? I have not read any horrible reviews.

I also looked into renting a car, but I do not want to put other innocent drivers in harms way. Especially after flying overnight.

Any additional help would be much appreciated and thank you for the replies.

Vin

Yes, book the RailAir to Reading and the train from Reading to Conwy separately. I'd also book an Anytime ticket so you can get any train.

Cart before horse scenario but you'll be fine.

I looked at splitting the fares last night into two or three segments, and it doesn't save enough money to be worth the effort. It saves maybe £10 or £20 overall. Coming off a flight that isn't a worthwhile trade off IMO.

On any other day splitting would save bucket loads.

So just book a through flexible ticket. The cost is what the cost is, unfortunately.

also looked into renting a car, but I do not want to put other innocent drivers in harms way. Especially after flying overnight.

Not a great idea.

You could get a senior rail card if old enough and save a third or look into a two together card.

Personally I would save the taxi money and change my flight to Manchester.

Buying a two together railcard will cost you £30, but will save 1/3 off your train fares. Thus each £120 train ticket will cost about £75, saving you about £90, £60 net of the railcard cost, and the railcard is valid for a year for all train journeys after 0930.

You would need a senior railcard each, so twice the price of the railcards.

You buy it as a through ticket Heathrow Bus (that is your origin station) to Conwy, which includes the bus and all the trains.

If your flight is on time and you make an earlier train I would just get off at Llandudno junction and get a taxi for the last literally one mile. There is a rank and office at the station.

Get the first available bus at Heathrow, first available train at Reading, and first available train at Wolverhampton. That is the flexibility a full priced ticket gets you.

The buses here are like chalk and cheese to yours in Detroit, no comparison at all. The Heathrow to Reading one is high quality seats, toilet, wifi etc.

The National Rail website sends you from Reading to Conwy with changes at Birmingham & Shrewsbury with a fare of £122.10. It can be done for £65.30 (£43.05 with a Railcard). See > https://www.traintickets.com/search/?/results/153717/155478?departdate=2024-05-05T10:30:00

There is a cheaper way of doing it, taking exactly the same time but with 1 change - at Newport in south Wales.
Leave Reading at 12.14 on a GWR express going to south Wales (likely to be platform 9 & destination will be Carmarthen). Arrive Newport at 13.22 and change trains (21 minute wait). Depart Newport at 13.43 (usually platform 4 - so you will need to cross the bridge - lifts available) on a direct Transport for Wales Train to Conwy. (This train is going to Holyhead and may have no catering). Arrive Conwy at 17.37. If you miss this train, the same route can be done 2 hours later although you could take an earlier train to Newport. The next one from Reading is 13.04 going to Swansea which last Sunday left from P7).

To get the fare down, you buy a Super off-peak single from Reading to Shrewsbury (via Newport) for £43.00 (£28.35) plus an Advance Single from Shrewsbury to Conwy for £22.30 (£14.70). The Railcard discounted price is in brackets. You do not leave this train at Shrewsbury - it is merely a place to split the ticket to reduce the fare. Going this way, you only switch trains at Newport - plus of course, you have to get from Heathrow to Reading station - probably using the Railair bus. It is pushing it to make the 12.14 departure from Reading but that Super off peak Single is still valid later on. The Advance Single from Shrewsbury to Conwy is specific train but if you miss the train you book on, you may have to pay again for that leg - depends how picky the guard is.
https://www.traintickets.com/search/?/results/153717/155478?departdate=2024-05-05T10:30:00

Had you come on here and asked our advice first, we would have told you not to embark on such a long journey immediately after a trans-Atlantic flight and not a Sunday when trains are fewer and lines can be closed for engineering.

You live and learn.

Without a doubt, the fastest and least stressful way is to have someone drive you from Heathrow to Conwy. It's door to door and after an overnight flight across the pond, it's a wise choice. (You might even catch 40 winks during the trip.)

It's not the cheapest but sometimes convenience and less stress trumps price.

Given the logistical challenges presented by traveling on Sunday, consider eating the cost of the Sunday lodging in Conwy (if it's prepaid) and stay overnight in London and then travel on Monday.

Thanks to everyone for the help.

We are going to move forward with the Frank II "you live and learn" statement.

We have decided to use one of the higher rated car services and pay the $550ish to arrive in Conwy at about 4 pm. Less stress, we get in at a more than reasonable time, and it takes the thought process out of using the train after a 7 hour overnight flight.

And after calculating and comparing getting a hotel on Sunday, eating the cost of the room in Conwy, train and bus fare, and the arrival times into Conwy, the cost is only going to be an extra few hundred and much more relaxing.

There are about 3 to 4 highly rate services to choose from, so we are going to book one of those and just move forward.

Thanks again.

Vin