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Post by floridastorm on Nov 3, 2010 17:10:18 GMT
My wife and I are flying in from the US to Gatwick. We'll be taking the Easybus from Gatwick to West Brompton station, thence from West Brompton by Overground to Fiinchley Road & Frognal.
Two questions:
Since each of us has a medium sized suitcase, with wheels and extendable handle, will it be difficult to negotiate the platforms in the stations, including the stairs, and on the trains?
I understand that we must change trains at Willesden Junction for Finchley Road & Frognal. How can we best tell what connecting train we would take and what platform it is on?
If this seems like too much of an undertaking for senior citizens in good shape, would taking a taxi from West Brompton to Hampstead be preferable?
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Post by harlesden on Nov 3, 2010 17:28:40 GMT
London Overground from West Brompton to Willesden Junction and remain on the same platform for a Stratford train. If you arrive at West Brompton in the peak hours, your Willesden Juncion service might well actually be a Stratford service
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 3, 2010 18:41:13 GMT
In other words the Stratford train, with a stop at Finchley Road and Frognal, will come right behind the train that we get off. We are traveling on a Saturday.
Any problem with the suitcases?
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Post by norbitonflyer on Nov 3, 2010 20:16:12 GMT
As I recall the only access to West Brompton is by stairs.
Not sure why you're taking such a complicated route. You can use the train from Gatwick to West Brompton (change at East Croydon). All platforms at EC have ramp access, so wheeled cases shouldn't be a problem, and it will be same-platform interchange at both West Brompton and (if required) Willesden Junction.
(Instead of WB you can change at any other station between Imperial Wharf and Shepherds Bush - there's not much to choose between them in terms of facilities)
Another option is main line train to London Bridge and then the Jubilee Line to Finchley Road, just down the road from FR&F. The Jubilee Line at LB has lifts (elevators) to the platforms.
Do check the TfL site for service changes, as these are common at weekends. Unfortunately, as it's a Saturday, the most obvious route (direct train from Gatwick to West Hampstead, again very clsoe to FR&F, isn't available - although worth considering for your return if its on a weekday).
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Post by peterc on Nov 3, 2010 20:17:56 GMT
West Brompton has wheelchair access so should be no real problem for wheeled suitcases. Finchley Road and Frognall is in a cutting with stepped access only.
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Post by norbitonflyer on Nov 3, 2010 23:26:36 GMT
West Brompton has wheelchair access so should be no real problem for wheeled suitcases. . Sorry, my information was out of date - it's 18 years since I used WB regularly. |
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Post by edwin on Nov 4, 2010 2:26:49 GMT
Better not to bother with the Easybus. Get the Thameslink to West Hampstead from Gatwick Airport (plenty of lifts) and then change for a one stop trip on the Overground to Finchley Road & Frognal. However the change at West Hampstead has no lifts so it's all stairs.
If the Thameslink is down in the centre (which it often is on weekends) then change for the Jubilee line at London Bridge and get off at Finchley Road (which is quite near Finchley Road & Frognal). There are lifts at London Bridge but none at Finchley Road.
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Post by edwin on Nov 4, 2010 2:28:37 GMT
Basically what norbitonflyer said...
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 4, 2010 19:24:55 GMT
Better not to bother with the Easybus. Get the Thameslink to West Hampstead from Gatwick Airport (plenty of lifts) and then change for a one stop trip on the Overground to Finchley Road & Frognal. However the change at West Hampstead has no lifts so it's all stairs. If the Thameslink is down in the centre (which it often is on weekends) then change for the Jubilee line at London Bridge and get off at Finchley Road (which is quite near Finchley Road & Frognal). There are lifts at London Bridge but none at Finchley Road. From what I can determine, the Thameslink from Gatwick south terminal is one change of trains to West Hampstead during the week and two change of trains on the weekend. Also, I am flying into the north terminal. I would take the Gatwick Express and then the tube from St. Pancreas. However, I consider it much too expensive and I hate waste money when I don't have to. Unfortunately I'm flying in on a weekend. Is the Easybus really not recommended or is it that it may be more convoluted? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 22:43:38 GMT
North terminal, south terminal, no different. Gatwick rail station is attached to the south terminal so you'll need to get the fancy new inter-terminal transit.
Also Gatwick Express goes to Victoria and doesn't pass through the Thameslink tunnel. From Victoria, you can get the Vic to Finsbury Park and the North London Line to FR&F. Don't think that route is step free though.
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Post by slugabed on Nov 4, 2010 22:49:00 GMT
From Victoria, you can get the Vic to Finsbury Park and the North London Line to FR&F. Don't think that route is step free though. Victoria Line to HIGHBURY & ISLINGTON not Finsbury Park. Then change to the North London Line. Definitely several flights of stairs by this route,though. Step-free,best to go via Willesden Jct. |
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Post by edwin on Nov 5, 2010 4:14:01 GMT
North terminal, south terminal, no different. Gatwick rail station is attached to the south terminal so you'll need to get the fancy new inter-terminal transit. Also Gatwick Express goes to Victoria and doesn't pass through the Thameslink tunnel. From Victoria, you can get the Vic to Finsbury Park and the North London Line to FR&F. Don't think that route is step free though. There are new lifts to the Overground platforms at Highbury & Islington but from the Victoria line you'd have to go up a short flight of stairs and then an escalator and then take the lifts. I really think getting National Rail to London Bridge and then taking the Jubilee line to Finchley Road is your best bet. If you're going on a Sunday there isn't any service from Shepherd's Bush to Willesden Junction meaning you'd have to get the Tube from West Brompton. |
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 5, 2010 11:25:23 GMT
Appreciate all of the information. It's been very helpful to this Yank.
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Post by norbitonflyer on Nov 5, 2010 11:27:44 GMT
Unfortunately I'm flying in on a weekend. Is the Easybus really not recommended or is it that it may be more convoluted? You don't say which Saturday you are travelling, but the routes below all work tomorrow All I know about Easybus is what I see on the website, but 1. It's name starts with "Easy....." and has the dreaded orange trade mark. Personally I would never use Stelios's services unless the only alternative was Ryanair. 2. the one hour timing between Gatwick and West Brompton is wildly optimistic for any road journey except a motorbike. 3. it is very vague about exactly where in West Brompton you will be deposited - it just says "Earls Court/West Brompton" which probably means not very near either! 4. the £2 fare looks attractive until you notice that is for one specific service. If your plane is late you will pay £10. (It's not clear whether your unused £2 advance booked ticket would be refunded) If that ahppens, once you've added the £3.50 from WB to FR&F (I assume you haven't got an Oyster card) you have only saved 40p over the train fare from Gatwick to Zone 2 (£13.90) - that fare applies whether you go via Willesden Junction, London Bridge or Victoria. Indeed, if you buy a ticket to Clapham Junction, and re-book there for FR&F (via Willesden Junction) the total fare is only £9.20 + £3.50= £12.70. (Note that, unlike East Croydon, you would have to use the stairs as the lifts to and from the platforms at CJ are not yet in service - you would need to transfer from platform 12 to platform 2 via the underpass rather than the bridge if you want to use the ticket office) Journey times according to TfL's website: Easy bus to West Brompton, then Overground - 93 minutes plus transfer time, if Easybus's 65 minute schedule is to be believed Train via Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction - 72 minutes Train to London Bridge and Jubilee Line (to Finchley Road) - 62 minutes |
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 5, 2010 18:19:00 GMT
Unfortunately I'm flying in on a weekend. Is the Easybus really not recommended or is it that it may be more convoluted? You don't say which Saturday you are travelling, but the routes below all work tomorrow All I know about Easybus is what I see on the website, but 1. It's name starts with "Easy....." and has the dreaded orange trade mark. Personally I would never use Stelios's services unless the only alternative was Ryanair. 2. the one hour timing between Gatwick and West Brompton is wildly optimistic for any road journey except a motorbike. 3. it is very vague about exactly where in West Brompton you will be deposited - it just says "Earls Court/West Brompton" which probably means not very near either! 4. the £2 fare looks attractive until you notice that is for one specific service. If your plane is late you will pay £10. (It's not clear whether your unused £2 advance booked ticket would be refunded) If that ahppens, once you've added the £3.50 from WB to FR&F (I assume you haven't got an Oyster card) you have only saved 40p over the train fare from Gatwick to Zone 2 (£13.90) - that fare applies whether you go via Willesden Junction, London Bridge or Victoria. Indeed, if you buy a ticket to Clapham Junction, and re-book there for FR&F (via Willesden Junction) the total fare is only £9.20 + £3.50= £12.70. (Note that, unlike East Croydon, you would have to use the stairs as the lifts to and from the platforms at CJ are not yet in service - you would need to transfer from platform 12 to platform 2 via the underpass rather than the bridge if you want to use the ticket office) Journey times according to TfL's website: Easy bus to West Brompton, then Overground - 93 minutes plus transfer time, if Easybus's 65 minute schedule is to be believed Train via Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction - 72 minutes Train to London Bridge and Jubilee Line (to Finchley Road) - 62 minutes Actually we are traveling to London from Gatwick on Saturday, November 13th and returning back to Gatwick on the 18th. Easybus quoted 18.48 pounds R/T for the two of us. They also pick-up from the North Terminal. I believe that the trains go from the South Terminal only. That was a convenience I have considered when comparing the two options. Easybus does state that they deposit and pick-up within a few meters of the Overground station. I think that the Earls Court station may be a bit farther to walk. We have Travelcards already so can use them for other transportation such as the Overground and Tube. I've also considered taking a black cab from West Brompton station to my destination in Hampstead. The reason for this is that I have my wife with me and both of us have one suitcase each. Considering the weather, going up and down stairs, and walking about 10 to 15 minutes to the flat from Finchley Road station, may make the cab expense worthwhile, which would be 26 pounds. Not cheap but...... However, since I still have time I will look into taking the various routes that you suggested. Life's an adventure, isn't it? Especially when your as old as I am. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2010 20:08:14 GMT
easyBus run the the MPS building Empress State which is just over the bridge. If headed to that neck of the woods, it's quite a good decision, they normally go on the M23 M25 then via Chessington and the A3. And for what it's worth, easyJet is not a bad airline for a low cost carrier! You don't say which Saturday you are travelling, but the routes below all work tomorrow All I know about Easybus is what I see on the website, but 1. It's name starts with "Easy....." and has the dreaded orange trade mark. Personally I would never use Stelios's services unless the only alternative was Ryanair. 2. the one hour timing between Gatwick and West Brompton is wildly optimistic for any road journey except a motorbike. 3. it is very vague about exactly where in West Brompton you will be deposited - it just says "Earls Court/West Brompton" which probably means not very near either! 4. the £2 fare looks attractive until you notice that is for one specific service. If your plane is late you will pay £10. (It's not clear whether your unused £2 advance booked ticket would be refunded) If that ahppens, once you've added the £3.50 from WB to FR&F (I assume you haven't got an Oyster card) you have only saved 40p over the train fare from Gatwick to Zone 2 (£13.90) - that fare applies whether you go via Willesden Junction, London Bridge or Victoria. Indeed, if you buy a ticket to Clapham Junction, and re-book there for FR&F (via Willesden Junction) the total fare is only £9.20 + £3.50= £12.70. (Note that, unlike East Croydon, you would have to use the stairs as the lifts to and from the platforms at CJ are not yet in service - you would need to transfer from platform 12 to platform 2 via the underpass rather than the bridge if you want to use the ticket office) Journey times according to TfL's website: Easy bus to West Brompton, then Overground - 93 minutes plus transfer time, if Easybus's 65 minute schedule is to be believed Train via Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction - 72 minutes Train to London Bridge and Jubilee Line (to Finchley Road) - 62 minutes Actually we are traveling to London from Gatwick on Saturday, November 13th and returning back to Gatwick on the 18th. Easybus quoted 18.48 pounds R/T for the two of us. They also pick-up from the North Terminal. I believe that the trains go from the South Terminal only. That was a convenience I have considered when comparing the two options. Easybus does state that they deposit and pick-up within a few meters of the Overground station. I think that the Earls Court station may be a bit farther to walk. We have Travelcards already so can use them for other transportation such as the Overground and Tube. I've also considered taking a black cab from West Brompton station to my destination in Hampstead. The reason for this is that I have my wife with me and both of us have one suitcase each. Considering the weather, going up and down stairs, and walking about 10 to 15 minutes to the flat from Finchley Road station, may make the cab expense worthwhile, which would be 26 pounds. Not cheap but...... However, since I still have time I will look into taking the various routes that you suggested. Life's an adventure, isn't it? Especially when your as old as I am. |
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Post by norbitonflyer on Nov 6, 2010 11:14:30 GMT
You don't say which Saturday you are travelling, but the routes below all work tomorrow Actually we are traveling to London from Gatwick on Saturday, November 13th and returning back to Gatwick on the 18th. ..........aaah TfL's website shows a lot of closures on 13th. If you are arriving in the evening, you should note that your West Brompton to Finchley Road & Frognal route will not work after 1945, as the line will be closed between Shepherds Bush and Willedsen Junction. Because of other line closures, the simplest way from WB to Finchley Road after that seesm to be via Embankment and Baker Street (District, Bakerloo, Metropolitan) The route via London Bridge and the Jubilee Line won't work because the entire Jubilee Line will be closed. No the Victoria Line either, so going Gatwick - Victoria - St Pancras - West Hampstead Thameslink is out. You could instead use the Northern Line to bridge the gap in Thameslink between London Bridge and St Pancras. Or indeed, once on the Northern Line, you could go all the way to Hampstead station if that's convenient (it's not far from FR&F, and much nearer the top of the hill!) |
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 6, 2010 15:58:18 GMT
Actually we are traveling to London from Gatwick on Saturday, November 13th and returning back to Gatwick on the 18th. ..........aaah TfL's website shows a lot of closures on 13th. If you are arriving in the evening, you should note that your West Brompton to Finchley Road & Frognal route will not work after 1945, as the line will be closed between Shepherds Bush and Willedsen Junction. Because of other line closures, the simplest way from WB to Finchley Road after that seesm to be via Embankment and Baker Street (District, Bakerloo, Metropolitan) The route via London Bridge and the Jubilee Line won't work because the entire Jubilee Line will be closed. No the Victoria Line either, so going Gatwick - Victoria - St Pancras - West Hampstead Thameslink is out. You could instead use the Northern Line to bridge the gap in Thameslink between London Bridge and St Pancras. Or indeed, once on the Northern Line, you could go all the way to Hampstead station if that's convenient (it's not far from FR&F, and much nearer the top of the hill!) We will be leaving Gatwick at about 10 am on Saturday so we should beat the 19:45 deadline by a few hours, if we decide to take the Overground. One other thing, if you will. Would there be taxis readily available at West Brompton station or Finchley Road & Frognal station on a Saturday? Also, a few years ago taxis in London used to have a queuing process. Is that still so? |
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Post by Chris M on Nov 7, 2010 1:06:46 GMT
www.traintaxi.co.uk reports that neither station has a taxi rank or minicab office and so advance booking of cabs is essential (unless you want to try your luck waiting for a passing black cab - I have no personal knowledge of how likely this would be at either station). It lists three local cab firms that take advance bookings in the area of each station, but I've not reproduced these here. Other members may of course have their own recommendations for local firms they know to be reliable.
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 7, 2010 14:07:55 GMT
www.traintaxi.co.uk reports that neither station has a taxi rank or minicab office and so advance booking of cabs is essential (unless you want to try your luck waiting for a passing black cab - I have no personal knowledge of how likely this would be at either station). It lists three local cab firms that take advance bookings in the area of each station, but I've not reproduced these here. Other members may of course have their own recommendations for local firms they know to be reliable. Thanks so much. That traintaxi website is excellent. You sometimes wonder how much work is involved in putting sites like that together. |
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Post by younglulnerd on Dec 28, 2010 11:13:22 GMT
West Brompton has wheelchair access so should be no real problem for wheeled suitcases. Finchley Road and Frognall is in a cutting with stepped access only. I think the wheelchair access is for one of the lines only, but can't remember which. And doesn't that easybus finish at fulham broadway? I see Mr Stelios advertise it on the posters when i walk out of fulham bdy to go to stamford bridge or see my sister. so you would have to get the district line one stop. surley it would be easier to get the district line from fulham bdy to westminster then the jubilee to finchley road. all stations have wheelchair access except finchley road, so getting in to fulham bdy and changing at westminister is easier than willesden junc and frognal stns. EDIT-- didn't see what weekend you were travelling, sorry, this is the easiest route for suitcases, prams, wheelchairs etc. |
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Post by norbitonflyer on Dec 28, 2010 12:02:51 GMT
West Brompton has wheelchair access so should be no real problem for wheeled suitcases. I think the wheelchair access is for one of the lines only, but can't remember which. And doesn't that easybus finish at fulham broadway? I see Mr Stelios advertise it on the posters when i walk out of fulham bdy the tube map shows disabled access for the WLL west Brompton station, but as the southbound WLL platform is the opposite face of the n/b District Line platform there, I assume it's only the s/b District which is not "accessible" Passing the Hotel Ibis, about 200 yards west of West Brompton station, on Boxing Day, I noticed an Easybus boarding outside. so I assume that's their terminus. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2011 12:30:21 GMT
the tube map shows disabled access for the WLL west Brompton station, but as the southbound WLL platform is the opposite face of the n/b District Line platform there, I assume it's only the s/b District which is not "accessible" That is correct. |
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