London Station Basher Planning

[crispy1978]

This is carried on from post 12 (I think) from this post

Basically I'm travelling from Scarborough to Kings Cross arriving around 0940, departing 1900ish on a Saturday after the clocks forward.

Plan is to use reward points from York to London (first class one way, standard on way back)

My aim is to hit as many National Rail stations as I can. I will use the Underground if it helps but I aren't interested in Underground stations per se.

I've done limited amounts (St Pancras down Thameslink and Victoria towards Bognor) before, but I'm a relative novice in the London area!

I've spent a couple of hours trying to come up with something but keep deleting my plans!

I'm looking at a Travelcard - I get the impression Z1-4 and Z1-6 are both £12.

I'd like to use different ToCs, but generally want to hit as many stations as I can.

I'm struggling to come up with anything which involves major backtracking up and down the same lines.

Mm the previous thread posted a few ideas but I was wondering if anyone could give me a few pointers as I don't want to waste my day out!

 

[causton]

Off-peak (after 09:30) is £12 for Z1-6, which will get the most in.

Personally I would get one with all zones, 1-9 and Watford Junction, for £16.80, go out of Euston to Watford Junction on it. Walk, run or taxi to Watford Met (or you can get a local bus to Croxley/Rickmansworth, not included on the T/C though), head from Watford Metropolitan to Moor Park, up to Amersham and back on a Chiltern train to Marylebone.

Other ones to consider are going out of Moorgate to Enfield Chase, going across to Enfield Town and into Liverpool Street (or the other way round).
Also out from Liverpool Street to Romford, across on the Romford to Upminster line, back on c2c to Fenchurch Street (or Barking, then do the London Overground!)

So as a rough guide to journeys that could be doable if you had a bit of time...

Kings Cross - Finsbury Park on Tube/Great Northern
Finsbury Park - Enfield Chase on GN
Enfield Town - Liverpool Street on Greater Anglia
Liverpool Street - Romford on GA
Romford - Upminster on GA
Upminster - Barking on c2c
Barking - Gospel Oak on London Overground
Gospel Oak to Clapham Junction* on LO
Clapham Junction* to Watford Junction on Southern
Watford Met - Moor Park on the Metropolitan line
Moor Park - Amersham on the Metropolitan line
Amersham - Marylebone on Chiltern
Marylebone - West Ruislip on CH
West Ruislip - Greenford on the Central line
Greenford - Paddington on First Great Western

*Service from Clapham Jn - Watford Jn is only hourly, so you may wish to either go from Gospel Oak - Highbury and Islington - Euston - Watford Jn, or Gospel Oak - Willesden Jn - Watford Jn on the Overground. Overground counts as National Rail right, even if TfL forget it is sometimes

Just a start, and depending on how times work out that could be a day's worth, but an idea of trips I have done before!

 

[Techniquest]

I don't recommend Watford to Rickmansworth on the bus, £4.20 single for that short journey when I did it last year!

causton has posted quite an interesting plan there, it could work quite well in the time you've given yourself in London.

You could clear most of the stations just hopping from one stop to the next (if not all the stations) on the North London Line (Stratford to Richmond), but that would be rather boring. Trains every 7-8 minutes but it would still take a good few hours. That just gets one line in though, not really worth the effort.

 

[postye]

You could try the loop from Cannon St or London Bridge via Sidcup/Slade Green/Greenwich, takes about 75 minutes and passes through 24 stations

Also the London Bridge - London Victoria, 13 stations in 45 minutes.

theres also the Thameslink Wimbledon loop that takes abt 90 minutes

Hope that helps

 

[Kite159]

East London Line Core, trains every 3-4 minutes, so easy enough to alight at each of the stations

 

[crispy1978]

Cheers - some good ideas there.

My criteria is merely stopping at stations. I'm not bothered about alighting/departing at every station.

Also not too keen on buses and jumping between stations when I don't really know where I'm going.

 

[Techniquest]

If it's just stopping at stations, rather than just getting off at them, that makes things easier. I'll try and figure out some ideas, certainly could do quite a bit on SWT and Southern in a looping fashion!

 

[AM9]

If it's just stopping at stations, rather than just getting off at them, that makes things easier. I'll try and figure out some ideas, certainly could do quite a bit on SWT and Southern in a looping fashion!

Unfortunately, even with a Zones 1-9 Travelcard, you can't do a SWT/Southern loop via Epsom nor a loop from Bexleyheath to Sidcup lines via Dartford as both of those turning points are outside the zones.

 

[crispy1978]

Unfortunately, even with a Zones 1-9 Travelcard, you can't do a SWT/Southern loop via Epsom nor a loop from Bexleyheath to Sidcup lines via Dartford as both of those turning points are outside the zones.

Yeah there certainly seems to be quite a few multi-connections over there.

I've got some maps printed, so going to try and sit down this week and formulate some plans on an evening. But more ideas will give me food for thought

 

[Techniquest]

I wasn't thinking of the Epsom looper, more something like Victoria > Clapham Junction > Hounslow via Barnes Bridge > Twickenham > Raynes Park via Kingston > Chessington South > Worcester Park > Ewell West > walk to Ewell East > Sutton > Clapham Junction via Mitcham Junction > Waterloo

Just a thought

 

[AM9]

I wasn't thinking of the Epsom looper, more something like Victoria > Clapham Junction > Hounslow via Barnes Bridge > Twickenham > Raynes Park via Kingston > Chessington South > Worcester Park > Ewell West > walk to Ewell East > Sutton > Clapham Junction via Mitcham Junction > Waterloo

Just a thought

So you must like travelling in 455s then!

 

[Techniquest]

I wasn't thinking of the Epsom looper, more something like Victoria > Clapham Junction > Hounslow via Barnes Bridge > Twickenham > Raynes Park via Kingston > Chessington South > Worcester Park > Ewell West > walk to Ewell East > Sutton > Clapham Junction via Mitcham Junction > Waterloo

Just a thought

So you must like travelling in 455s then!

Always a good chance of Ewell East to Clapham Junction being in the hands of a 377, to be fair. I do like 455s it must be said, although at some point on such a journey I'd have to break at a station to use the facilities!

 

[Kite159]

Unfortunately, even with a Zones 1-9 Travelcard, you can't do a SWT/Southern loop via Epsom nor a loop from Bexleyheath to Sidcup lines via Dartford as both of those turning points are outside the zones.

That is where BZ tickets come into play (until Dartford is introduced to the zones)

You can still do a Southeastern loop around those lines which avoids Dartford (London Cannon Street to London Cannon Street)

 

[crispy1978]

Travelling on a Saturday, would I be better going First Class down to London (8am ish) or on way back (1930ish)?

Also - do any of the services down there have phone charging on board?

 

[causton]

Travelling on a Saturday, would I be better going First Class down to London (8am ish) or on way back (1930ish)?

Would probably say going back, as you could then have the free food instead of a meal. Even after a Saturday breakfast on EC I'm still hungry so if I had the chance, coming back!

Also - do any of the services down there have phone charging on board?

In standard class, only really the new Southern 377s and Thameslink 387s within the zones. The Thameslink ones run anywhere between Bedford and Brighton and the Southern ones run between Milton Keynes and Croydon (although only half the trains are the new ones with sockets) and various south London branches out of London Bridge and Victoria.

(Some Thameslink 377s have them in a small part of the train, if you get a 377/5 and find the end of the train that used to be first class but isn't there's a socket or 2 there)

 

[Hadders]

That is where BZ tickets come into play (until Dartford is introduced to the zones)

You can still do a Southeastern loop around those lines which avoids Dartford (London Cannon Street to London Cannon Street)

Although Dartford is due to get Oyster I doubt it'll be inside zones 1-6 so there'll still be a need for BZ tickets.

For example, you can still get Boundary Zone 6 to Grays and Boundary Zone 6 to Amersham even though these places accept Oyster.

 

[telstarbox]

Travelling on a Saturday, would I be better going First Class down to London (8am ish) or on way back (1930ish)?

Also - do any of the services down there have phone charging on board?

Have you considered an external battery? I bought a PNY one recently, it does two full charges and it's the size of a credit card so easy to carry on trips. Means you can charge on the move as well even if there are no plugs on the train.

 

[Kite159]

Although Dartford is due to get Oyster I doubt it'll be inside zones 1-6 so there'll still be a need for BZ tickets.

For example, you can still get Boundary Zone 6 to Grays and Boundary Zone 6 to Amersham even though these places accept Oyster.

Makes sense as TFL are trying to push passengers onto Oyster/Contactless cards rather than paper travel-cards. Will be in it's own special zone (like Grays, Shenfield etc)

 

[crispy1978]

11 April is going to be my date of choice subject to engineering works and/or major events which will cause problems.

If anyone knows of anything, please give me a shout!!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Found buses at Upminster on my first proper plan I've made.

 

[Kristofferson]

Some interesting route suggestions there - enjoy the trip