Travel advice: Milton Keynes > London > Portsmouth > Isle of Wight

[DarloRich]

This weekend ( Easter) my partner and I are off to Portsmouth via an exhibition in Brick Lane in London. We are travelling from Milton Keynes. We will have overnight bags. Could I ask the RUK hive mind for advice on the following topics:

• How to get from St Pancras to Brick Lane - I think Victoria Line to Highbury and Overground from there to Shoreditch High Street
• how to get from Brick Lane to Waterloo - Aldgate East > Embankment > Waterloo?
• Tickets Portsmouth to IOW bus ( We will get the flyer from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde and the train to Shanklin and the bus from there - What is the best type of ticket for this? Is there a combined train, Boat, Bus ticket available? )
• IOW Bus - is there a day rover? We want to go to various points and will use the bus

 

[telstarbox]

1 - you could do the Hammersmith & City Line from Kings Cross St Pancras to Aldgate East, which is close to Brick Lane (especially if it's the Van Gogh exhibition).

 

[yorkie]

How are you getting to St Pancras; are you meeting there and not wanting to set off from Euston?

There are a few options which are quite marginal so it may depend slightly on which part of St Pancras you are starting from and more importantly by Brick Lane do you mean near Brick Lane market or a different part?

If coming from the front of St Pancras towards the south end of Brick Lane, then the quickest will in that case be the H&C to Aldgate East. However for the north end, the Vic + Overground option may be best (despite being a long away round)

205 bus might be an option if travelling at a time when traffic is light, but that depends on timings as if there is heavy traffic that won't be a good option

 

[duncanp]

How are you getting to St Pancras; are you meeting there and not wanting to set off from Euston?

Engineering work over the Easter weekend means that there are no trains at all to and from Euston.

From Milton Keynes, there are buses to Kettering or Bedford to connect with trains to St Pancras.

For information about bus services on the Isle of Wight have a look at https://www.islandbuses.info/

There are a range of tickets including a day rover, and you can also use contactless payment with daily capping.

 

[Gloster]

There are various possibilities, but as understanding them, let alone explaining them, is beyond my non-technical brain I suggest you look at the Southern Vectis website: .islandbuses.co.uk . Under fares & tickets you can try Tap on Tap off contactless payments, Day and Night tickets and Cross Solent tickets.

 

[michael8]

You can buy one ticket from Milton Keynes Central to Shanklin, which would either include the crossing on the Wightlink FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour station, or it would include the Hovercraft crossing from Southsea Hoverport (which is accessed by Hoverbus from Portsmouth & Southsea station, included in the ticket). I just searched on NRE as an example and an off-peak return for this weekend would be £90.70 (via Hovertravel). You have to make the choice of either Wightlink or Hovertravel when you buy the ticket. It's complicated to see the two options on Nationalrail.co.uk so I advise you go to your local ticket office to enquire, or phone NRE for advice. For the onwards bus travel, either include PlusBus when you buy the train ticket, or once on the island you can buy a 24 hour Rover ticket from Southern Vectis for £10 for travel on all bus services on the island (except the Needles and Downs Breezers which are open top special buses).

 

[ainsworth74]

IOW Bus - is there a day rover? We want to go to various points and will use the bus

£10 per day bought from the driver there are some season services that they also run (such as up to the Needles from Yarmouth) which are only included if you buy the Rover+Breezer ticket which is £14. There's also a Nightrider which is valid 7pm - 7am for £6.50 (more useful than you'd think as Southern Vectis run an extensive night bus network).

Depending on what you're doing it might be worth getting their App as they offer a bundle of 5 day tickets for £31 (which includes the seasonal services) and the tickets can be used any time up to year from purchase.

 

[yorkie]

If you will already be on a Thameslink train, and if it is the south end of Brick Lane you require, it would definitely be quicker to change at Farringdon for Aldgate East.

 

[Gloster]

Two points to note:

The night network only runs Friday/Saturday and Saturday/Sunday. However, the main routes do run until after midnight.

Ryde bus station is still a building site with the buses running from further along the Esplanade. It is still taxis between Pier Head and Esplanade, with the ‘rank’, at least for those going to the Pier Head, a fair way away at the bottom of Union Street.

 

[michael8]

Two points to note:

The night network only runs Friday/Saturday and Saturday/Sunday. However, the main routes do run until after midnight.

Ryde bus station is still a building site with the buses running from further along the Esplanade. It is still taxis between Pier Head and Esplanade, with the ‘rank’, at least for those going to the Pier Head, a fair way away at the bottom of Union Street.

Good point - I recommend going via Hovertravel for the foreseeable future - the Hoverbus from Portsmouth & Southsea station is very straightforward.

 

[DarloRich]

Thanks all - very helpful!

How are you getting to St Pancras; are you meeting there and not wanting to set off from Euston?

Replacement bus to Bedford and an EMT/Thameslink form there sadly - i really should have checked that before booking the hotel!

If coming from the front of St Pancras towards the south end of Brick Lane, then the quickest will in that case be the H&C to Aldgate East. However for the north end, the Vic + Overground option may be best (despite being a long away round)

It is at the very northern end - which i don't know as well as the Aldgate end.

For information about bus services on the Isle of Wight have a look at https://www.islandbuses.info/

Thanks - i found that a really confusing site. Might just be my brain at present!

£10 per day bought from the driver there are some season services that they also run (such as up to the Needles from Yarmouth) which are only included if you buy the Rover+Breezer ticket which is £14. There's also a Nightrider which is valid 7pm - 7am for £6.50 (more useful than you'd think as Southern Vectis run an extensive night bus network).

Depending on what you're doing it might be worth getting their App as they offer a bundle of 5 day tickets for £31 (which includes the seasonal services) and the tickets can be used any time up to year from purchase.

thanks - i think we will need the + Breezer option

It is still taxis between Pier Head and Esplanade,

Are you allowed to walk it?

You can buy one ticket from Milton Keynes Central to Shanklin, which would either include the crossing on the Wightlink FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour station, or it would include the Hovercraft crossing from Southsea Hoverport

We are staying in Portsmouth so i think MKC > Portsmouth return and then a Portsmouth > Shanklin ticket might be the best option ( unless i can do an overnight break of journey which i dont think i can in this case )

 

[Gloster]

Are you allowed to walk it?

Yes, you can. I am presuming that you will not have your cases with you, so there shouldn’t be any problem negotiating the building site.

 

[yorkie]

You are probably best changing at Farringdon onto Crossrail. You can either take the bus from Liverpool St to Brick Lane (Stop SA) or change at Whitechapel for London Overground; which is quickest will depend on traffic, which stop is closest to your actual venue and your luck with the connections!

If you want to go for the bus option, you might be better taking the Met to Liverpool Street; there are 2 extra stops but it's less walking. Again it will depend on your luck with connections.

The Victoria Line is probably not the best way to go, because of the long walk at St Pancras.

 

[michael8]

You can do a Hover Rover Bus for £34 which includes return Hovercraft from Southsea and unlimited use of Southern Vectis buses (including Breezers etc) or a Hover Rover Rail for £29.40 which includes return Hovercraft from Southsea and unlimited use of the Island Line trains, then buy the 24 hour Southern Vectis Rover+Breezer ticket to do unlimited bus travel as well. These are only available online from Hovertravel. Or you can buy a day return from Portsmouth & Southsea to Shanklin for £23.70 (off peak) via Hovercraft or £24.20 (off peak) via Wightlink FastCat (although not the easier option at the moment as the pier is undergoing construction work as previously mentioned) and then buy the Southern Vectis Rover+Breezer. Plusbus isn't an option on the Isle of Wight sadly.

 

[DarloRich]

thanks all - that is fantastic and very helpful information.

I am presuming that you will not have your cases with you,

No - just a day bag

You are probably best changing at Farringdon onto Crossrail.

thanks - I think we will do this.

 

[Verulamius]

No central Crossrail this Easter I believe.

What about change at West Hampstead (assuming Thameslink rather than EMR from Bedford) and switch to Overground from there?

 

[A0]

You are probably best changing at Farringdon onto Crossrail. You can either take the bus from Liverpool St to Brick Lane (Stop SA) or change at Whitechapel for London Overground; which is quickest will depend on traffic, which stop is closest to your actual venue and your luck with the connections!

Surely it would be easier to change to the Met / H&C at Farringdon for the couple of stops to Liverpool St ?

The distance to the Met / H&C platforms from Thameslink at Farringdon is negligible and it's only 1 more stop (Barbican) - so the journey time's going to be pretty much the same.

And if @DarloRich is arriving into St P on an EMT service - there is the choice of going down to Thameslink which is underneath the EMT platforms, or walking to the H&C / Met platforms at St Pancras, which are probably the easiest tube lines to access at St P.