Expert: Emoor - 2/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: Our family is 3 adults and 1 child will to travelling to Blackpool and back March 09 -15 via train would you be able to advise me of the best pricing

ANSWER: Sorry, but I cannot evaluate all the prices available to you.  Coach will be cheaper than train but will take much longer.

Do you live in Purley or are you a tourist?    Trains to Blackpool from London leave from Euston Station, and you need to get from Purley.  Do you want to travel from Purley to London by train? Prices will vary depending on the time of day and of course whether you travel first class.

Various train passes, child's tickets, and pensioner's rail cards can affect how cheaply you will travel and you do not say how old everybody is, only that it is three adults and one child.

You can get better advice from a train station than I can give you.

Ed

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

QUESTION: Thank you, Yes we are tourists from Canada the adults are 52,65 and 81 the child is 13 yrs old. I have checked the rail lines and prices change all the time.  Do the British accept Canadian old age cards? would you be able to give me the web page I could go to. The place we are staying is Purley but If Euston Station is not to far we can get a ride to the station.

Answer
Purley is south of London.  To get to Blackpool by train you need first to take the train into London.  It will take you to King's Cross station.  In London you will have to transfer to Euston Station for the train to Blackpool. That can be done by tube but with luggage the tube would be extremely difficult. You will therefore need a taxi, and four people with luggage can sometimes mean you need two taxis.  Notice that this is already costing you money and you have only reached London.

I am assuming that by "Blackpool" you are referring to the large amusement and beach resort in the northwest of England.  There are several other villages by that name here and there.  The train from Euston Station will take about two hours to get you to Preston where you change for a thirty-minute train ride to Blackpool.  The return trip is just as difficult.  You will be wrestling luggage in and out of train cars both going and coming.

The website I use for planning rail travel is this one:

     http://www.rail.co.uk/ukrail/planner/planner.htm

As to whether one can use a Canadian old age card, I do not know.  Your best bet will be to visit the train station in Purley and talk to the ticket agent.  You will get the cheapest and most convenient schedule that way.

You might also visit the local coach station. National Express coaches may not leave from Purley but will from the nearest larger city. You might find a bus trip that would not require so many changes.  It will be cheaper, but take longer.