On Jun 30, 4:45*pm, "
wrote:
I want to go in july 2011. i have an oyster card with no value bought
in dec 2008 . Can I use this card to get to tilbury ?

Afraid not. Whilst on c2c (that's the London, Tilbury & Southend route
in old money), there is a small extension of the Oyster Pay-as-you-go
area beyond zone 6 for which special fares are charged, this is only a
*small* extension - it consists of only four stations - Ockendon,
Chafford Hundred, Purfleet and Grays, so doesn't take one very much
further towards Tilbury at all - certainly not spitting distance!

See the "Oyster Rail services in London" map here - in particular the
eastern edge of it (PDF):
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...rvices-map.pdf

The above being reached via the TfL maps page,)

There's also this information page on the c2c website:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/Using-Oyster-PAYG-on-c2c

Ticketing wise, I s'pose you're best off using Oyster PAYG for your
Tube journey into central London (or West Ham - see below), then
buying a conventional rail ticket.

The other option of buying a Day Travelcard then an extension from the
edge of zone 6 to Tilbury would I think only make sense if you were
coming back into London later that day.

One thing I am rather ignorant of is the purported ability of (at
least) some Tube stations to sell tickets to rail destinations beyond
London (e.g. in the former Network South East area) - i.e. from
Heathrow through to Tilbury. However given the manic queues that seem
to pretty much always exist at Heathrow T1,(2,)3 Tube station I'm not
sure this is necessarily the best place to try it out!

Instead head for the TfL Travel Information centre opposite the
entrance to the T1,(2,)3 Tube station, which always seems a far more
civilised and less hectic place - I don't think they'd be able to sell
any fancy through Tube & rail ticket to Tilbury, but they can
certainly top-up your Oyster card (as well as furnishing you with maps
and other advice as needed).


what would be best route?

I'd think Piccadilly line to Barons Court, District line to Tower
Hill, walk round the corner (and it literally is just that) and then
the c2c rail line from Fenchurch Street to Tilbury. From Tower Hill
you are directed around the corner and enter Fenchurch St via the
'back entrance' rather than the more magisterial front entrance.

Alternatively Picc to Green Park, Jubilee to West Ham, then pick up
the c2c line from there - however I don't think all the Tilbury bound
trains necessarily stop at West Ham.

Regardless, you'd be well advised to check whether any Tube lines
might not be running ahead of your trip - see:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravel...e/default.html
(click on the "This date" link to bring up a pop-up calendar)