Hello, I/we am buying tickets for the train from London Paddington to Penzance (April 18th, 1 adult, 1 senior) and return (April 22) (2 adults, 2 children ages 9&10). We are also trying to coordinate between travelers in Norway, and elsewhere in the US and worrying about getting them purchased quickly. So... Is there any benefit (at this point anyway) in buying ahead of time in order to get a better price (do prices go up closer to day of travel?), or would it be more to ensure seat reservations? We want to travel standard fare, and probably sleeper car on the return and would buy point to point tickets, it looks like.
Thank you!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you book NOW at www.eastcoast.co.uk, you still can get discount fares for London-Penzance. You can do the same for Penzance-London day trains. If you wish to book the sleeper, because you will be traveling with children you will have to call First Great Western. Here is a quote from their Web site: "Sleeper service is available. However, there are children in your booking request. If you wish to book children on the Sleeper service, please call 08457 000 125 where a member of the staff will be pleased to assist you." f you decide to book over the phone, dial 011 (US international calling code) + 44 (UK country code) + 8457 000 125. The initial zero is only used for calls originating in the UK.
Posted by
Adelaide, SA, Australia
977 posts
Sarah do you mean you are looking at a sleeper travelling from Penzance to London ? Having done this trip, I wonder why you would.
Posted by
OP
Milwaukee, WI
22 posts
I am considering taking a sleeper train because I am traveling with my brother and his 2 children (ages 9,10) to London to catch flights to Norway on Saturday. My flight is at 7:55 am and one way to get there is the sleeper train arriving at 5:21 am, which gives me approx. 2 1/2 hours to get to Heathrow (Heathrow express is 15 minutes from Paddington Station). My brother's flight is later in the day and he can sight-see for a while with the kids. The other option is to travel Friday during the day, and find a cheap hotel Friday night. In that case I would still need to get up and leave for the airport by 5 or 5:30 am anyway by shuttle. It seems easier to take a sleeper and then I go directly to airport upon arrival. I also don't have to find a hotel. (I suppose my brother has to figure out where to go at 6am with 2 children...). Also, we will be leaving relatives in Cornwall, so having extra day time on Friday with them there before leaving in the evening is nice. Do you think I have enough time and trains are reliable enough to count on arriving on the airport approx. 2 hours before my fight out of the country to Norway (British Airways)? What would my brother be able to do in the very early am with 2 children upon arrival in London?
Thank you for any advice!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33847 posts
Sarah, That sounds a tad risky to me. If your sleeper from the West Country were delayed by, say, a couple of hours is your flight to Norway changeable? I don't know the on-time record of that train but I work on the railway and have seen enough trains, especially overnight ones, run late that I might be more cautious. But then I'm a cautious guy.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
How often do trains run from paddington to Heathrow at 5.21 in the morning? They suggest you need 3 hours between arrival at Haethrow and when your plane leaves. So even if your train from Penzance arrives on time- and you find the train to heathrow and the train leaves as soon as you sit down, and your check-in counter is exactly where the Heathrow Express arrives- you arent going to make it. Leave Penzance earlier, arrive by midnight, get a hotel either at Heathrow or Paddington. Your brother will nedd a hotel when he arrives in London - the kids (and adults) will probably be tired and cranky after the night train journey (although it will be an adventure for the kids). Easier to get in the night before- even if you check in very late