Hello,

My sister and her 16-year-old daughter, both from Newcastle, are stopping over briefly at mine in Croydon before departing for Heathrow - their plane leaves at 12:30pm on Tuesday 16th June 2015 from Terminal 5, and they need to arrive 2 hours beforehand. Not being Londoners, they don't have any relevant travel passes.

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

1] Tube: Piccadilly Circus to Heathrow. Also, why does everything on the internet say depart from Piccadilly Circus for Heathrow? They'd be arriving at Victoria Station from East Croydon, so getting the Tube from there to South Kensington would get them on the route, surely?

2] The X26 express bus from Whitgift Centre. How reliable is this? Does it get packed? Does anybody know the typical prices for one way: Croydon to Heathrow?

3] Tube from Victoria then train from Paddington. This sounds to me the most circuitous route, but I could be wrong. Possibly the most expensive too?

In article ,
LID (phil88) wrote:

Hello,

don't have any relevant travel passes.

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

there to South Kensington would get them on the route, surely?

to Heathrow?

Croydon's a big place. Whereabouts there?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In message , at 21:03:23 on Sat, 13
Jun 2015, phil88 remarked:

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

The TFL journey planner is very reliable for this sort of query, if what
you want is fastest/easiest, rather than cheapest.
--
Roland Perry

"phil88" wrote


My sister and her 16-year-old daughter, both from Newcastle, are
stopping over briefly at mine in Croydon before departing for Heathrow -
their plane leaves at 12:30pm on Tuesday 16th June 2015 from Terminal 5,
and they need to arrive 2 hours beforehand. Not being Londoners, they
don't have any relevant travel passes.

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

2] The X26 express bus from Whitgift Centre. How reliable is this? Does
it get packed? Does anybody know the typical prices for one way: Croydon
to Heathrow?

Undoubtedly the cheapest £1.50 per head flat fare paid by Oyster or
Contactless (need card per head).
But it doesn't go to T5 so you will have to change, eg to the 490, at Hatton
Cross.
This is within the Heathrow Freeflow zone so free.


Reasonably reliable and not packed from Croydon but every 30 minutes so take
care not to cut it fine.

--
Mike D

phil88 wrote:
Hello,

My sister and her 16-year-old daughter, both from Newcastle, are
stopping over briefly at mine in Croydon before departing for Heathrow -
their plane leaves at 12:30pm on Tuesday 16th June 2015 from Terminal 5,
and they need to arrive 2 hours beforehand. Not being Londoners, they
don't have any relevant travel passes.

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

1] Tube: Piccadilly Circus to Heathrow. Also, why does everything on the
internet say depart from Piccadilly Circus for Heathrow? They'd be
arriving at Victoria Station from East Croydon, so getting the Tube from
there to South Kensington would get them on the route, surely?

2] The X26 express bus from Whitgift Centre. How reliable is this? Does
it get packed? Does anybody know the typical prices for one way: Croydon
to Heathrow?

3] Tube from Victoria then train from Paddington. This sounds to me the
most circuitous route, but I could be wrong. Possibly the most expensive
too?

The bus is fine for getting from eafrow to Croydon, but it's a brave man
who relies on a bus to get them TO the flight on time...

East Croydon/Victoria/Oxford Circus/Paddington is actually pretty easy
because of the cross-platform interchange between Vic and Bakerloo at OC,
and avoids the horror of the Picc.

Alternatively, East Croydon/Victoria/Hammersmith/Piccadilly Line. Much
easier (cross platform) interchange at Hammersmith than South Ken.

phil88 wrote:
Hello,

My sister and her 16-year-old daughter, both from Newcastle, are
stopping over briefly at mine in Croydon before departing for
Heathrow - their plane leaves at 12:30pm on Tuesday 16th June 2015
from Terminal 5, and they need to arrive 2 hours beforehand. Not
being Londoners, they don't have any relevant travel passes.

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

1] Tube: Piccadilly Circus to Heathrow. Also, why does everything on
the internet say depart from Piccadilly Circus for Heathrow? They'd be
arriving at Victoria Station from East Croydon, so getting the Tube
from there to South Kensington would get them on the route, surely?

2] The X26 express bus from Whitgift Centre. How reliable is this?
Does it get packed? Does anybody know the typical prices for one way:
Croydon to Heathrow?

3] Tube from Victoria then train from Paddington. This sounds to me
the most circuitous route, but I could be wrong. Possibly the most
expensive too?

With luggage? If so I'd avoid the interchange at South Kensington. I
generally change between District and Piccadilly at Baron's Court where
it's across the platform. But others may well know a better plan.

PS
There is a useful guide to where to avoiding steps at
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downlo...tube-guide.pdf
for wimps like me who no longer fancy lugging c.50kg up and down stairs



--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

"Robin" wrote:
phil88 wrote:
Hello,

My sister and her 16-year-old daughter, both from Newcastle, are
stopping over briefly at mine in Croydon before departing for
Heathrow - their plane leaves at 12:30pm on Tuesday 16th June 2015
from Terminal 5, and they need to arrive 2 hours beforehand. Not
being Londoners, they don't have any relevant travel passes.

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

1] Tube: Piccadilly Circus to Heathrow. Also, why does everything on
the internet say depart from Piccadilly Circus for Heathrow? They'd be
arriving at Victoria Station from East Croydon, so getting the Tube
from there to South Kensington would get them on the route, surely?

2] The X26 express bus from Whitgift Centre. How reliable is this?
Does it get packed? Does anybody know the typical prices for one way:
Croydon to Heathrow?

3] Tube from Victoria then train from Paddington. This sounds to me
the most circuitous route, but I could be wrong. Possibly the most
expensive too?

With luggage? If so I'd avoid the interchange at South Kensington. I
generally change between District and Piccadilly at Baron's Court where
it's across the platform. But others may well know a better plan.

PS
There is a useful guide to where to avoiding steps at
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downlo...tube-guide.pdf
for wimps like me who no longer fancy lugging c.50kg up and down stairs

You can tell the journey planner to avoid routes with steps.

"Roland Perry" wrote

Which route would you recommend for speed and/or cheapest tickets?

The TFL journey planner is very reliable for this sort of query, if what
you want is fastest/easiest, rather than cheapest.


The SE Travel Planner is less inclined to order you to cross a dual
carriageway with no light controlled crossing.

http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk..._TRIP_REQUEST2

--
Mike D

Thank you very much for all your replies. There is plenty to ponder there. I will let my sister choose, as she is travelling, not me.

To Colin Rosenstiel, who wrote:

"Croydon's a big place. Whereabouts there?"

Not that it matters, but I live more or less opposite South Croydon railway station, so it's a relatively short journey to Victoria, and the Whitgift Centre is a mere bus ride away.

In message , at 23:30:12 on
Sat, 13 Jun 2015, Paul Corfield remarked:
Your friends will need an Oyster Card or to use a Contactless Bank /
Credit card for the bus.

One each, you can't pay for two trips on the same card (of either kind).

The fare is £1.50. They CANNOT pay a cash
fare on the bus.

--
Roland Perry