Hi all,

I'm trying to plan my holiday travels but am a bit confused. I want to fly out of Valladolid or Madrid to London and then take a train to Ediburgh, via Newcastle. Does anyine out there know which airport I should look to fly into? I will only be carrying my backpack so commuting shouldn't be difficult. I just don't want to end up 20 miles from the train station w/ no public transportaion option.

Any advice from you world travellers will be appreciated!

Gracias!

Rebecca
P.S. - Jer, are there any events before the 17th where I can get you Gordo money or should I just Paypal? thx again.

hey Rebecca.

no event as far as i know so may just want to paypal the 11 euros.

when i go to visit my bro in uk (he is an american ex-pat too but got the short straw and settled in england ), i fly madrid to gatwick.

there are trains at gatwick to the south where he lives so i can only assume they have trains north as well.

you could always go into london and take a train from victoria station, they have trains everywhere.

now that's a kick in the ass, living in spain and heading to uk for vacation

saludos,
jer...

Hi Jarbacky.

You could do as I have been doing this year, and fly on Ryanair between Zaragoza or Valladolid and London-Stansted, which has the A6 Airbus direct and (almost) non-stop to Victoria staion, is very cheap, £7.00 single, and very fast, takes on average about 90 mins to Victoria from right outside the arrivals lounge, and it stops in Baker street to pick up & let out people, which is great for me, as I live right next to Baker street.

The Airbus A6 is really cool, no need to struggle with cases etc, the guy puts it all inside the luggage area undrneath, and pulls it out again for you when you get off.

As Jer said, from Victoria you can get to Kings X or St Pancras, or Euston stations in a short space of time, and then basically take your pick of routes going north, north west, north east, etc, or in fact you could get off at Baker street and take the Bus or Tube for a couple of stops on the Hammersmith & City Line, to either Kings X or St Pancras or Euston stations.

The flights that I have been getting on http://www.Ryanair.com have been the cheapest tickets to Spain that I have ever seen, I've been getting them for a little as £14.99 single (not including Tax etc) and for me I found Stanstead is not so much of a nightmare as either Gatwick or Heathrow, my trip to Zaragoza in September went like a dream, in through Stanstead like I didn't even sit around for ages, like you do at Heathrow & Gatwick.

I think you might likely get a much cheaper ticket from Ryanair to Stanstead, and go from either Valladolid or Zaragoza, which you can get to by Renfe from Atocha in no time at all these days.

Anyway, hope that info helps a little.

National Express U.K. http://www.nationalexpress.com information line :: 08705 80 80 80 (from Spain : 0044 8705)

If you're going straight onto Edinburgh, may be advisable to take an Easyjet or Ryanair flight from Stansted or Luton. Not only will it be a lot quicker (50 minutes flight, prob 5-6 hours on train); if you book ahead chances are it will be cheaper too.

Hey Rebecca,

Hope you enjoyed thanksgiving at home. I left J and J's that Friday evening we met without paying!!!. I realised after about 20mins but was miles away by then. I paid my debts the following week.

If you want to go to Edinburgh via Newcastle I suggest Easyjet from Stansted to Newcastle. There are about 4 flights a day and at the moment most are under 30quid for December with out taxes! You didn't say when you wanted to go. Then from Newcastle a bus or train journey to Edinburgh.

There are no direct flights to Edinburgh from Stanstead. People I know who fly from Madrid to Edinburgh have to change in Amsterdam or Paris and its not cheap.

On another note... the snow is falling at last but at the moment there are high winds..I hope you meant what you said about coming skiing in the New Year. It should be an experience compared to what you're used to.

Have a nice time in Edinburugh.

Tullie

I agree about flying from Stansted or Luton to Edinburgh. A lot less hassle if the price is right.

If you really want to take a train to Edinburgh (via Newcastle) check out GNER. Its the fast train on the east coast from London King's Cross to Edinburgh. The price might be too high so compare with the flights. Rail travel in the UK is very over-priced.

Slight change in plans. I will be meeting a friend in London for a day or two so can relax for a while on getting to the EDI train info.

HOWEVER, of course I have one more question: of Luton and Gatwick which is easier/cheaper to get from airport to central London and do you recommend bus/shuttle/etc.? I know they don't have tubes from those stations. Maybe I can bus to the closest tube then scoot from there. hmmmm, what to do, what to do.

Thoughts?

and THANKS so much for all your advice so far. I feel a lot more confident now

PS - Santiago, are you in UK/London?

Hi again,

You know what, I'm not sure that there is all that much difference between the two, I mean, from Luton Airport on the Airbus, it's a little cheaper, quite fast into central London, also there are trains from the town centre, but not really worth the bother, or expense, and as for Gatwick, well I've been to & from that one and Victoria a ton of times, and it is pretty fast, uncomplicated, on the Gatwick express, a little more pricey, at around £11.00 or so (single ticket) but does get you into Victoria station in about 30 mins, non stop, no traffic jams or pile-ups on the motorway/freeway to worry about, or general congestion when hitting the central London traffic chaos. So in a way I guess the Gatwick express would seem to be the logical choice over the Airbus from Luton, if you're really more interested in getting in to central London with ease, quickly, and for what it's worth, not too expensively, at just £11.00 pounds for the ride, it's a darn sight cheaper than a London Taxi, (the black ones) which would charge you the same money for barely 20 minutes in his cab, so don't use them whatever you do.

My advice, go for Gatwick, and use the express train to Victoria station, I don't like Luton anyway, never have, worked there once, (hated it) stayed there once, went shopping there on & off for several years, still don't like the place or the people, (mostly London over-spill) but apart from that, the Airport is so-so, a bit small, gets lots of flight problems, especially with "Easy-Jet". Stanstead & Ryanair's service I much prefer, even though it is much further/farther away from London than any of the other London Airports, I don't mind the 90 odd minutes in the Airbus for just £7.00 each way, and the Bus is absolutely reliable, but I can't vouch for the Bus from Luton, but wouldn't trust it either, and to get to the train from Luton is more tricky as I recall, and not worth the extra effort. So, Gatwick it is then!!

Yes, I live here in the big smoke, London England, but not for much longer if I can help it, I’ve had 46.5 years of this place, and desperately need to get out, but need to be a little more patient, for just a little longer. It's a great place to visit, but I don't rate living here very much, I'd much rather live in a place more like Zaragoza, which is exactly why I'm going to be going back again very soon, and will be spending all of Christmas through to the new year there, which is a great escape for me from the major refurbishment of my apartment block, which has been horrendous.

Anyway, enough yakking from me now, enjoy your trip to London, via Gatwick & Victoria.

Okay, bad news... am flying Easyjet into Luton arriving @ 10:30pm Xmas eve. Oy! Our hotel is in Old London (?) near Moorgate. I'm still investigating travel options, which is difficult since I've no idea about the Xmas schedules. Made the booking before getting your advice. Sigh, well at least it will be an adventure. Do you know the closest UNDERGROUND to Luton and how late the tube stops running? How do folks feel about hitchhikers in the UK?

I really wish you were going to be in London so we could have a "brew". I'm disappointed but glad you're off to Zaragoza. Have a brilliant holiday and I'll let you know the end result. (I'm just glad I'm travelling with only a carry-on!)

Happy Holidays!
Jar

Well okay, easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy-Jet it is then. So, in that case, don’t worry about it, the Airbus from Luton Airport will whisk you right into the heart of the Capital in about an hour on Christmas eve, you won’t be getting an real traffic in central London on that day in any case, simply because most of the offices in central London will be closed for about a week or more, and many other businesses too, and so there will be much less traffic about.

The nearest "UNDERGROUND" station, (as you put it) you won’t see until you get into London, cos Luton ain’t got any, (not too many other places in the U.K. either) but you will find yourself right outside of the oldest Tube station in the world in a very short space of time, and that will be the world famous BAKER STREET STATION, where I believe the Airbus stops, just minutes walk from Oxford street, and I think it also goes on down towards Euston station, then the Ancient St Pancras station, (which sits on the site of a former plague pitt) which is right next door to the equally famous Kings Cross, that puts you right in the middle of one of the most famous parts of London, and in fact, England itself, and from there you’ve got busses & trains to every part of the city.

You won’t feel alone or left out around that area, it is seething with visitors day & night, 365 days per year, and a lot of local people too, like me, I’m a local, but as you say, it’s unfortunate that I won’t be around when you arrive on Christmas eve, as I too will be flying out from Stanstead, over to Zaragoza, I’ve been having my Christmases in Spain for years now, sorry about that, but I’m sure you’ll be okay finding your way around, there are millions of places to eat, drink and be merry, everybody is going to be in party-mode, and so the atmosphere will be pretty good all round.

I know you say you’ll be staying in the Moorgate area, but that’s no problem, on the Tube, you’re talking in terms of 10 to 15 mins on the Metropolitan Line, between Baker street and Moorgate, which is just 6 stops.
Here is the Tube network map :: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/colourmap.gif

Transport for London - Tube Maps : http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tube_map.shtml

London Tube map - Google Search :: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=London+Tube+map&...=Google+Search&meta=

The London Undergound system, generally has knocked it on the head by about 1:00am (I mean the gates are pulled across, and they are closed), but, there are almost as many night busses as there are day busses, so no problema with that either, there is a lot of night life in London, it never sleeps, always plenty of Taxis around, but DO NOT take an offer of a lift from any other kind of car, calling themselves "cabbies" or "minicabs" they will clean you out, and many of them are not licensed to carry, like the Taxis are.

As for hitching, I wouldn't if I were you.

Anyway, que tenga un buen viaje, y feliz navidad.

Just noticed this thread. From Luton Airport to Moorgate is a Rail journey. The THAMESLINK rail does this route. http://www.thameslink.co.uk/ At the airport you have to get on a shuttle bus that takes you to Luton rail station then get the first train to London. Are you staying at OLD STREET ? You will need to know which station is best to head for.
Moorgate is in the business district (the City) so the streets will be very quiet late Xmas Eve as well as Christmas day and Boxing Day and the Tuesday is also a Public Holiday so very few people around. Obviously more 'life' in the West End of London.

Sorry, but I just have to say this, but, as they say on the Sopranos…..”forget about it” don’t even think about it, I know what’s involved, and it ain’t nice, it ain’t quick, and it ain’t cheaper, and I believe Jarbacky intends to keep her travelling expenses down to a reasonable minimum, so I still say stick with the Airbus direct from the terminal building, straight in to central London, right outside of Baker street station, for one reasonable price, which is without question cheaper than any train into London.

To queue up to take a shuttle bus into Luton town centre, to take a train from there, is not only much more of a headache and aggravating (from bitter past experiences) it costs more money, both for the bus and the train, and all in all takes a hell of a lot longer, whereas the Airbus is right there, non stop into London, no extra waiting, or schlepping of her baggage up & down stairs & walkways etc.

No, I’m adamant, it has to be the Airbus direct to Baker street, it cost’s half as much and gets you there in less than half the time, and as I already pointed out above, she can take the Metropolitan line from there straight into Moorgate, but after having had time to, perhaps, have a little lunch at Baker street, a drink in one of it’s many wonderful bars, relax for a while after her journey, and then perhaps even take a short walk down Baker street, looking at some of it’s shops, then hop back into the station, and off to Moorgate, and in no time at all she will be at the Hotel.

Don’t forget, I speak from experience, I have both worked in Luton and stayed there for a time while I was working there, and even for years after I still went up there to the Arndale centre (big shopping mall) in the town centre, and used the train station a lot, and didn’t like it, then later on I started driving there, and it was still a headache, that station may have changed cosmetically somewhat since those days perhaps, but it was a real pain when I used it, and now it's even busier than ever before, and no visitor wants to have that kind of ordeal when they arrive, things should be as easy & cheap as possible. I guess that’s why she chose “EasyJet” (just kidding) \0/..lol

Take it easy girl, enjoy the Airbus.

Saludos

Now boys, don't fight over me

Santiago is right, I do need to save as much $ as possible. And, yes, I am staying on Old Street (am very impressed that you surmised that (and am also very impressed that I used the word "surmised" though I probably misspelled it))

I looked into "Airbus" and the only info I get is that it is an airplane I did find info on Easybus, which stops running early, and the GreenLine, which I need to investigate further. Is this what you mean by airbus, Santiago?

I hate being so ignorant but I look forward to helping other lost souls in the future with all my "experience" after this trip.

Thx,
Jar

Interested in what Santiago said about moving to somewhere like Zaragoza. Are you serious, it's just I imagined you would be off to Andalucia with your interest in Flamenco. Plus it gets cold in Aragon in winter (colder than England), although this may be a blessing if you frequent ski slopes. Have to admit that spring there (when it arrives) is something special.

Here ya go, this is it, the 757 LUTON AIRPORT EXPRESS BUS.


London Luton Airport :: Coach and Bus Tickets etc; click below.....

http://www.london-luton.co.uk/en/content.asp?area=3&id=187

I'm not sure why I neglected to put this link in before, I guess it must be because I was so irritated by something, but anyway, there's the Info that you need for the 757.

Mark, I can assure you, there are infinitely better places to live in this world, than London, even Alaska wouldn't be too cold, and yes, I am seriously thinking of moving to Zaragoza, if I can just sort out a few things that I have in mind, and with a certain degree of luck, and a little more money, I can really get things going over there, and I really like Zaragoza very much, without drawing comparisons between Zaragoza, Madrid, and/or Barcelona, I think & feel that it would suit me nicely, and is the right place for me to get started in Spain, and I don't mind the cold so much, I just can't take the burning heat of summer these days, so being further north and closer to the Pyrenees, I figure I would be in an easier going climate, and going by the kind of weather that I have experienced there before, I found it to be quite nice, tolerable in August/September, and an acquaintance of mine there, who lived & worked in London for a long time, assures me that the winter in Zaragoza is no worse than in London, about the same she said, so I’m already well used to that after almost 47 years over here. I feel sorry for one of my brothers over in Canada, his place is on the coast, and for the last two weeks, they’ve been under 3 feet of snow, with minus 5 to 15 Celsius, now that’s what I call extreme, but then I suppose he was extremely desperate to get out of London and find a better life, and that’s what I think I’ve found in Zaragoza, there’s no Metro, but I like it, it feels more like home to me than either Madrid or Barcelona. You must visit Zaragoza when the spring comes round.


Now.......back to the records...