On May 17, 7:09*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Mon, 17 May 2010 10:11:17 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:

On May 17, 5:04*pm, Jarle H Knudsen wrote:
My annual London vacation is coming up, and this time I will be joined by a
friend who will arrive a few days later than me. This is his first visit to
London, so he is a bit nervous about travelling in the big city. We have
agreed to meet in a Central London station since travelling down to Gatwick
to meet him is deemed to expensive and time consuming. I haven't done that
journey myself, so can you advice on how to

- buy the correct ticket
- get on the right train
- get off at the right station

He will be arriving at Gatwick Airport around 2pm on Monday June 14. We are
staying near Walthamstow Central. My research shows that the cheapest fare
is £17 return with FCC to St. Pancras, which is convenient for the Victoria
Line.

OK, first thing to say is that ticketing between Gatwick and London is
mindbendingly mindboggling!

I don't like to disagree with you but why would you put anyone on a FCC
train on a FCC specific ticket at Gatwick to reach central London?

Because it was Jarle who mentioned the FCC-only £17 fare!


Surely the simplest option is to pay a wee bit more and just get a
ticket that covers both bases in terms of Southern and First Capital
Connect? *If Jarle's friend is a bit flush with cash then he go the
whole hog and opt for Gatwick Express.

I merely took my prompt from Jarle's question - he mentioned that he'd
identified the "cheapest fare", so I assumed that might be what he was
looking for, and he didn't mention the flushness-or-otherwise of his
friend!

But as we're here I'll mention the other options... an Anytime Return
'route: not via Gatwick Express' - i.e. valid on Southern or FCC -
costs £23.60 (so that's £6.60 more - which is a bit more than a "wee
bit more" in my books, but maybe that's just because I'm a bit of a
skinflint!).

A return on the Gatwick Express (GatEx) meanwhile costs £25.80 - my
understanding is that GatEx tickets are now valid on Southern services
too, but they're not valid on FCC services.

(Furthermore, AIUI the only fully interavailable fares on this route -
i.e. valid on Southern, FCC *and* GatEx - are the pricey Off-Peak and
Anytime Day Travelcards at £27 and £32.80 respectively - obviously
they only allow for a day return though. Do note however that there
are cheaper FCC-only, Southern-only, and 'not GatEx' Day Travelcards
also available. So, all nice and simple...which is presumably why many
weary travellers just get on the GatEx and pay the premium fare on-
board.)


While we can debate which station is more confusing I think it is
preferable to aim for Victoria where there is a single gateline which
everyone off a Brighton line train has to get through. Jarle should not
have an issue with meeting his friend in that area - assuming they're
not arriving in the middle of the AM Peak!

Hmm - there's also only a single gateline out of the low-level FCC
Thameslink platforms at St Pancras, and it looks like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/2097985575/

Of course Jarle needs to find his way there in good time to meet his
pal.

FWIW my initial thought was that Victoria would be simpler, but then I
thought about it again and wasn't so sure it was so clear cut.


The Vic Line to Walthamstow is only a few minutes away and it's a direct
tube.

I think the morass of the Kings Cross St Pancras complex and very poor
signage at St Pancras is far more risky in terms of someone getting very
lost indeed.

Well Jarle - it's your call!


Oh and to Jarle - waves from Walthamstow

What's the Paul C tip-top E17 recommendation for him then? I'm
thinking a food establishment of some sort, but it could be anything...