Expert: Alun Hill MCIJ - 3/31/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I am flying in from Canada with a group and we are planning a trip to London for about 8 days.  However, we will be residing in Stevenage.  We are having problems working out the travel planning from Stevenage to London.  We are looking for the most cost efficient method to travel daily from Stevenage to London.  We will also want to tour london so an unlimited week pass to travel in london would be nice.  The major problem is how much it costs to travel to london from stevenage.  So again, we're looking for the most cost efficient way to travel, especially from Stevenage to London.  This includes any special offers or weekly discount cards we could get.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.


Thank You

ANSWER: Hi - thank you for your question!

You'll be pleased to hear that there is a superb rail service from Stevenage, with trains at least every 15 minutes, direct into London's Kings Cross station.

Kings Cross also has more tube (underground railway, known outside the UK as the subway - but never called that here!) lines than any other station in London, making connections to any part of London very easy!

You will need to buy a return from "Stevenage to London with a Zone 1 and 2 travelcard".

This will give you the return train from Stevenage to London and then unlimited travel on the tubes and buses in London for a full day, at no extra cost, within zones 1 and 2.

London is divided into zones for travel purposes, with zone 1 being at the centre, and zone 2 surrounding it - it is unlikely that you will need to venture further out than this, but if you want to do so, just ask for a ticket to include the extra zones - it's only a pound or so extra.

So, that inevitably brings us to the cost!

To buy this ticket on a daily basis is £19.50, but you can buy a 7 day "season ticket" with the same validity for just under £80. This will give you unlimited travel both back and forth to Stevenage and on the tubes and buses within the chosen zones.

You can download a series of free maps (the map showing the zones is the second one down) at
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1108.aspx

Incidentally, if you're interested, on the way into London, if you sit on the right a few minutes before arriving, look up and you'll see Alexandra Palace, where the world's first TV transmissions were made from, and on the left you'll see the new Arsenal football club stadium.

Do also take a look at the newly restored St Pancras station, just next door to Kings Cross, from where the international trains for Europe depart - it really is now one of the most gorgeous buildings in London! Do go inside and have a look!


Does this help, please?

Alun Hill MCIJ

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello,

Would it be possible for me to purchase the weekly rail card that includes zones 1 and 2 in advance? (web site/phone)

Also, if i wanted to go to zone 1 then to zone 6 with my rail card from stevenage during one of the days in my stay, how would i go about doing that and how much would it cost me?

ANSWER: There's no need  to apply or order your ticket in advance, as many hundreds of people use this way of commuting into London daily.

You can buy the ticket at the station from the ticket office or from the machines at the station - I'd advise buying at the ticket office, just to be totally sure you order the right ticket.

You could actually buy it at any "mainline" (i.e. not a tube) station, and if you are arriving at, say, Heathrow, just buy a single ticket to London Kings Cross (direct on the Piccadilly line from Heathrow) and then buy your weekly ticket at Kings Cross, from where you travel direct to Stevenage.

If you wish to travel further out on occasion, just go to the ticket office at the start of your London journey and buy an extension ticket (ask for a return for the best value). It won't cost more than about £3 or £4 (return / round trip) and should be lower than that, depending on how far you go. Do remember that there are often queues at the tube stations, so be prepared for a bit of a wait, please.

Do make sure that you always get the tickets before your journey, as there are inspections on the trains and tubes - and the "penalty fares" are deliberately high.

Does this help, please?

Alun Hill MCIJ

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello,

You have been very helpful to me and i really appreciate your time.  I have one last question.  Is there an age limit for entering the UK if I'm traveling overseas from Canada?  I have heard that there might be an age minimum of 18 or 19 to travel to the UK.  This is very important because i may be traveling with a few people under that age.

Thank You

Answer
Hi - anyone of any age is very welcome to enter Britain, especially from Canada.

However, anyone under 18 would need the written permission of a parent or guardian, so do make sure that is in your / their possession, as it's likely to be asked for.

This tends to be the case for any country, because of child-trafficking laws.

Happy to help!

Alun Hill MCIJ
http://www.IndependentTravelWriter.com