boomhead Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 I am looking for some advice from anyone in the UK or who has relevant travel experience there. I am traveling as part of a 3 person crew with gear for 5 days later this month. Our producer has us flying in and out of London and taking trains to Cambridge and Liverpool and then back to London. This seems crazy to me. In the US one would rent a minivan for this kind of thing. Any thoughts? Also, Liverpool or Everton? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 go with the flow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Gilbert Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 Trains are nice, you'll have a great time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Thomas Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 Trains London-Liverpool are faster than driving Everton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Woodcock Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Everton<br /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Cambridge too. Under an hour on the train. Far more convenient than driving, and the sausage rolls at the station are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Our producer has us flying in and out of London and taking trains to Cambridge and Liverpool and then back to London. This seems crazy to me. Also, Liverpool or Everton? Ever drive in England? You do not want to be in a minivan on that 500 mile excursion. Enjoy the train. Hartlepool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 I will second that - the trains are superb. except the eurostar which is superbly cramped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Nault Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 I have a small fold up Trikart fold-up travel cart that is invaluable on most trips, but would be indispensable for moving about from airport to station to station etc. One like this: http://www.adorama.com/RETK800.html Cheers, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundmanjohn Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Get your producer to go online and book the train tickets in advance, especially the Liverpool journey. With the money saved by doing this, he/she can upgrade you to first class, which is a much more enjoyable experience. Booking two first class single trips out and back in advance will often be less expensive than a standard, bought-on-the-day return fare and you get free snacks and drinks. However, there's not much luggage space on the Virgin (Liverpool) trains, so it's not advisable to turn up at the last minute if you're carrying a lot of gear. In any event, you should avoid buying tickets on the day, as the prices are insane. The ticket pricing system in the UK is arcane as there are half a dozen different train operators, all with different deals and prices, but by judicious use of various web-sites and travelling at off-peak times, you can get bargains. My recent Liverpool trip, first class both ways (but with a Senior Discount Card) cost £67, but my best (pre-senior) round trip was London to Manchester, Manchester to Glasgow, Glasgow to Oban, Oban to Glasgow, Glasgow to London, all first class except the Oban leg which doesn't have a first class, for £80. They also screwed up the train from Glasgow to Oban, so I got a cab at their expense, door to door. I just did a quick check and an advance purchase first class single to Liverpool can be had for £38 if you pick the right time of day to travel. A standard class bought on day of travel single is just over twice that amount. I use the East Coast Rail web-site at http://www.eastcoast.co.uk for ticketing across all the networks in the UK with no booking charge, but there are others that work just as well. Anything else you want to know, just ask, especially about Liverpool, where I've just spent the last ten days. Best wishes, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 I am looking for some advice from anyone in the UK or who has relevant travel experience there. I am traveling as part of a 3 person crew with gear for 5 days later this month. Our producer has us flying in and out of London and taking trains to Cambridge and Liverpool and then back to London. This seems crazy to me. In the US one would rent a minivan for this kind of thing. Any thoughts? Also, Liverpool or Everton? Your minivans are bigger than our minivans but if you were travelling with lots of gear it maybe easier by minivan (or 2), otherwise you will definitely be more comfortable on the train. Liverpool is the city and football team, Everton are a football team, both teams/stadiums are in Liverpool (the city) and very close to each other. Liverpool (the city) is in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. Do mention: The Beatles, the Hillsborough disaster (respectfully), 'Brookside'. Don't mention: (grieving for) Margaret Thatcher (or the tories). Hopefully you will get a night out in Liverpool as it will be quite fun (no recommendations, sorry). atb, dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Math Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Dan - not sure how much of Liverpool is grieving for Thatcher... soundmanjohns advice is excellent, i'd suggest forwarding it on to your producers as it will make a big difference to how pleasant your journeys are. Try http://www.thetrainline.com/ for tickets in advance and good prices. And Liverpool or Everton? Neither of them play cricket do they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 The only thing is that trains are not really geared up for making the handling of camera / sound equipment easy and they can be quite / very crowded. You can either put the kit in a fairly insecure guards carriage, which takes time to find (which end of the train) or try and be ahead of other passengers and take up the available luggage space which can often be over- subscribed and may not be in eyesight of your seats. The overhead luggage rails are quite limited in height. You might also have to find and return trolleys perhaps, not so plentiful as at airports. I thread a long wire bicycle lock through the handles of flight cases and luggage rails when traveling by train just to deter the casual / opportunist thief (getting off at any stop on route) as I'm fairly certain an insurance company might ask questions about whether any measures were taken. If the train is being boarded not at a terminus you might well have less time than you might like to actually get everything on the train and find somewhere to put it, and don't be tempted to put it in the large inviting wheelchair spaces as it will be moved in a non-sympathetic manner. So if you can and want to minimize kit handling stress, try and make sure you have plenty of time to deal with the logistics and then enjoy the train ride through the landscape, and the taxi rides from stations to locations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Dan - not sure how much of Liverpool is grieving for Thatcher... Exactly, hence "Don't mention... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Math Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Exactly, hence "Don't mention... Ah! Yes - i see, i read (grieving for) as don't mention her as they are grieving for her. you are spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomhead Posted April 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Thanks everyone for the great responses. Lots of very helpful info that I'm going to consider and share with my producer. I do indeed enjoy a good train ride but schlepping luggage in/out of stations not so much. I've been mentally pairing down my kit all day, especially after the cameraman told me his two Epic's have been reduced to 5D's. At least I don't have a tripod case! My other main concern is waking up in Liverpool with a 12:30p flight out of Heathrow heading back to San Francisco. Perhaps I should bill that as a double day. re: Everton - I have a keen interest in following fellow American Tim Howard though I respect the history of Liverpool FC. I'm actually a Fulham supporter. re: Thatcher - I subscribe to the politics of Billy Bragg but prefer to talk about football. cheers, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundmanjohn Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 There's an early morning (06.05) train that will get you into London at around 08.22. A short cab ride to Paddington and then the Heathrow Express to LHR should get you to check-in by 09.30, if all goes well. Pre-booking tickets will save you time as well as money and you can book Heathrow Express tickets that way as well. If you're flying from Terminal 4, you have to change trains at Heathrow Central, which is a pain, but if you're travelling from terminal 5, it's a doddle, about 20 minutes on the train and then a short schlep to the departure gates. Regards, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Woodcock Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Fullham FC Run by an idiot or a mad man can't decide<br /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Miramontes Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Since you're going to the UK can you pick up some lug nuts for me? hehe I have a British car that requires certain lug nuts that are really only sold in the UK. Shipping is soooo expensive. Just throwing it out there. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 I have a British car that requires certain lug nuts that are really only sold in the UK You can't find what you need from Moss Motors? http://www.mossmotors.com/ What do you have? A Riley? Morgan 3-wheeler? Just curious. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 My other main concern is waking up in Liverpool with a 12:30p flight out of Heathrow heading back to San Francisco. Perhaps I should bill that as a double day. Ouch. Don't do it. You have to get to Heathrow three before departure which means a departure from Liverpool sometime around 5AM. Then all you have to do is worry about your trains being on time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 I subscribe to the politics of Billy Bragg but prefer to talk about football. The CBC's "As It Happens" did a great report about Thatcher's death and managed to get Billy's thought on the woman as he was on tour in Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/As+It+Happens/ID/2374103751/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Miramontes Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I have a British car that requires certain lug nuts that are really only sold in the UK You can't find what you need from Moss Motors? http://www.mossmotors.com/ What do you have? A Riley? Morgan 3-wheeler? Just curious. David I have a 69 Riley Elf. There's a pic of it on my Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. In my experience most of the domestic parts suppliers have the lug nuts I need however they want close to $5/each. Maybe I'm being cheap but I'm having a hard time spending $100 for lug nuts. I have original Dunlop D1's for it so maybe this is the only route I can go since these wheels are hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimPitot Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Anybody in the UK know where to get those Remin Trikarts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sounddguy Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 B&H, Adorama, Amazon. Just drop Remin Tri-Kart 800 in your search engine. Great carts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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