Expert: Alun Hill MCIJ - 3/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: I am an American traveling to London this coming May.  I will be staying at the
Bayswater Inn Hotel in London and I would really like to take a train to Old
Trafford to see the Man Utd/Arsenal game.  Would you be able to tell me what is
the best train/route/station to use for this trip?  Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi - as you may know, I hope you've already got a ticket - they sell out amazingly fast!

You'll be pleased to hear that it's a simple enough journey - if only because of the vast number of fans who will be making the same journey with you1

You would take the tube to Euston, then a train to Manchester Piccadilly, which is a little over 2 hours.

There is then a tram from there to Old Trafford.

You simply reverse the journey to get home, following the huge fans, as before.

Do try and get the rail tickets in advance, as this will be much cheaper.

Incidentally, I'm not sure which team you are supporting, but the Police will segregate the 2 sets of fans at all stages and the ground will be separated into 2 sections, one for each teams' fans - so make sure you follow their directions - and do get a ticket for the right side of the ground!

Is this sufficient, please, or can I help more?

Alun Hill, MCIJ

Twitter: alunhill

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

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your assistance.  I would like to ask a follow up
question if you don't mind.  You said to take a "tube" to Euston and from
there I would take a train to Manchester Piccadilly.  This might seem like a
silly question but what is a tube?  Also, would I be in walking distance to the
Euston train station from my hotel?  How about walking distance to Old
Trafford from Manchester Piccadilly?  I am a big Utd fan so I am a little weary
about wearing my Utd Jersey from London.  My wife wants to be on the safe
side and would rather buy a Man Utd jersey at the stadium when we get
there.  Thanks again for taking the time to answer my question.  I really
appreciate it!

ANSWER: Always happy for follow-up questions - and there's no such thing as a "silly" question - promise!

The only way I can learn what people need to know is by them asking questions, so thank you!

The trouble from my side is that I never know where people are from or what they know.

For example, the "tube" is the London Underground railway - some 300 stations, and huge - but only familiar to people who live in / visit big cities and are used to such a thing!

London itself is huge - around 10 million people live here, with many more commuting in to work every day from up to 100 miles around.

Your hotel is maybe 45 to 60 minutes walk from Euston  - and Old Trafford is at least that from the centre of Manchester, so walking really isn't much of an option.

You'll be surprised at how many Man Utd shirts you'll see in London, incidentally!


I should say that the shop at the football ground will be hugely busy on match day, so do consider buying one n advance -and you'll get the opportunity to talk to other fans on the train up there - which you'll really enjoy, I promise - there'll be fellow fans from all over the world for you to meet!


Let me know where I can help further, please!

Alun

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

QUESTION: Thanks again for your help.  Just a couple more questions to ask if you don't
mind.  I'm a little worried about taking the tube, I'm afraid that I might miss
my stop or things of that nature (I'm from Southern California and subway
isn't in our dictionary!).  So I guess my questions are a) how much is the fare
for the tube, b) is it easy to miss my stop, c) do I need to buy tickets in
advance for the tube, e) would you happen to know how much the fare is for
the trolley in Manchester and where would I buy tickets for the trolley?  Now
I'm going to ask a question from left field here, do you have any suggestions
of places to visit while in London that many tourists don't know about?  My
wife and will have a spare day with nothing planned and we want to do some
sightseeing.  Well, she wants to do some shopping and I want to sightsee.  
Any cool suggestion on where to shop, visit, eat, etc?  You have been a
tremendous help and I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.  
Thanks again!

Answer
Hi - I must say right away that you will find it very difficult to sightsee around London without taking the tube - it's a huge city, with most streets laid out out over 400 years ago - so not in the "grid" pattern you may be used to.

If you plan to walk, you'll get a great view of London - but spend almost no time seeing the main sights.

Every underground train has a map of the line and stops are announced both on screens in every carriage and by voice.

Stations are only a minute or so apart, so even if you were to miss your stop, you just get off at the next one, cross over and go one stop back - and with over 2 and a half million of people using the system every day, you can just ask - people will happily tell you where to alight.

There's a great article on the history of the tube at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground

The tube fare is normally £4 each, but if you buy an Oyster card on arrival, your fares will be greatly reduced. Remember, we have 8,000 buses, too, but the traffic can be very slow, but the double-deckers are also a great way of getting around.

I'd love to tell you about hidden London, where to shop etc, but I  have no idea of your ages, budget, or likes and dislikes - so with some 6,000 restaurants alone, this will be an impossible job - trust you understand!

DO feel free to let me know more detsisl of your interrests, budgets etc, and I'll be happy to help1

Alun Hill, MCIJ

Twitter: alunhill