Travelcard Zone 1-9
Jun 24, 2014, 1:36 pm
#16
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Thanks for the responses all. I am trying to decide whether to stay at the HIX across the Slough station or at the Sheraton Heathrow. I will be in London from a Mon afternoon till Sun morning when I will fly out on a BA flight to CPH.
I am trying to balance cost and convenience. Will be with wife and 1 year old child and will be travelling into the city each day, except for one day when I would like to visit Stratford upon Avon & Cardiff (relatives).
From what I see there is a public bus from the Sheraton to West Drayton station which will be covered by the card. The HIX OTOH, is just across the station and has free breakfast and wifi. The HIX will cost 15K/night, and the Sheraton 5.8K/night (after including the 5th night free). SPG is quite valuable for me so I am hesitant to use it. Any recommendations for hotel?
I am considering buying a 6 day London pass - looks like it will be worth it especially with the 10% off coupon I have. In addition I think the 1 week travelcard for GBP 58 seems good, however would I be able to use from Slough (by buying an additional ticket for Slough-W Drayton) without getting off from the train at W Drayton, and entering again and possibly missing a train? Can someone explain what is meant by the bolded:
I am trying to balance cost and convenience. Will be with wife and 1 year old child and will be travelling into the city each day, except for one day when I would like to visit Stratford upon Avon & Cardiff (relatives).
From what I see there is a public bus from the Sheraton to West Drayton station which will be covered by the card. The HIX OTOH, is just across the station and has free breakfast and wifi. The HIX will cost 15K/night, and the Sheraton 5.8K/night (after including the 5th night free). SPG is quite valuable for me so I am hesitant to use it. Any recommendations for hotel?
I am considering buying a 6 day London pass - looks like it will be worth it especially with the 10% off coupon I have. In addition I think the 1 week travelcard for GBP 58 seems good, however would I be able to use from Slough (by buying an additional ticket for Slough-W Drayton) without getting off from the train at W Drayton, and entering again and possibly missing a train? Can someone explain what is meant by the bolded:
Jun 24, 2014, 7:33 pm
#17
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Travelcard Zone 1-9
Any particular reason it is limited to just the HIX slough from IHG hotels?
Anyway, "touch in-touch out":
Historically everything was a paper (card) ticket - as you would expect.
'Oyster' is an electronic card type of ticket for use in the London area - acceptance is limited to only certain rail services outside the zones, but it is accepted on all services inside the zones.
Anyway, Oyster cards can be used in two different ways. they can hold specific traditional tickets, or they can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis, where you top them up with cash which them gets depleted as you make journeys across the system, capping at daily levels.
People can also use it in a combined way, where they might have a season ticket for a certain regular journey, and then pay as they go for other journeys they make. Or have a travelcard for z1&2, but payg outside that.
There are oyster readers on the ticket barriers as you enter leave stations and also free standing readers on stations that don't have barriers.
(There are also some others on station platforms where you can touch to indicate you changed there - where fares are lower for avoiding changing in central London etc)
Anyway, what that is saying is that IF you are using oyster on a pay as you go basis, then you must remember to touch in and out as you start and complete each journey (even if no barriers or barriers are open), otherwise your ticket is not valid.
Accordingly, someone switching mid way though a journey from a paper ticket onto a different ticket where that is carried electrically on an Oyster card and is a ticket type (e.g. Pay as you go, some others) that requires you to touch in each time then you would probably need to wait for the next train by the time you had got off and gone to the ticket barrier at your station where you are changing ticket to touch in.
If you had both a predefined travelcard ticket on the Oyster card and had it setup for pay as you go, as long as you had touched in at the beginning of the journey, it would allow you to avoid this and it would only charge you the pay as you go bit for the journey component beyond your travelcard area - providing you had touched in at the beginning. (If you had not touched in, your ticket would not be valid it you traveled beyond the area covered by he travel card loaded onto it)
They encourage all oyster users to touch in all the time, but it is a far more serious problem if your Oyster card is not carrying a specific preloaded ticket rather than something that can be shown to be valid.
Currently some types of ticket must be taken as paper, some must be taken on oyster and some can be taken on either.
Anyway, "touch in-touch out":
Historically everything was a paper (card) ticket - as you would expect.
'Oyster' is an electronic card type of ticket for use in the London area - acceptance is limited to only certain rail services outside the zones, but it is accepted on all services inside the zones.
Anyway, Oyster cards can be used in two different ways. they can hold specific traditional tickets, or they can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis, where you top them up with cash which them gets depleted as you make journeys across the system, capping at daily levels.
People can also use it in a combined way, where they might have a season ticket for a certain regular journey, and then pay as they go for other journeys they make. Or have a travelcard for z1&2, but payg outside that.
There are oyster readers on the ticket barriers as you enter leave stations and also free standing readers on stations that don't have barriers.
(There are also some others on station platforms where you can touch to indicate you changed there - where fares are lower for avoiding changing in central London etc)
Anyway, what that is saying is that IF you are using oyster on a pay as you go basis, then you must remember to touch in and out as you start and complete each journey (even if no barriers or barriers are open), otherwise your ticket is not valid.
Accordingly, someone switching mid way though a journey from a paper ticket onto a different ticket where that is carried electrically on an Oyster card and is a ticket type (e.g. Pay as you go, some others) that requires you to touch in each time then you would probably need to wait for the next train by the time you had got off and gone to the ticket barrier at your station where you are changing ticket to touch in.
If you had both a predefined travelcard ticket on the Oyster card and had it setup for pay as you go, as long as you had touched in at the beginning of the journey, it would allow you to avoid this and it would only charge you the pay as you go bit for the journey component beyond your travelcard area - providing you had touched in at the beginning. (If you had not touched in, your ticket would not be valid it you traveled beyond the area covered by he travel card loaded onto it)
They encourage all oyster users to touch in all the time, but it is a far more serious problem if your Oyster card is not carrying a specific preloaded ticket rather than something that can be shown to be valid.
Currently some types of ticket must be taken as paper, some must be taken on oyster and some can be taken on either.
Last edited by David-A; Jun 24, 2014 at 7:39 pm
Jun 25, 2014, 12:07 am
#18
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Jun 25, 2014, 12:09 am
#19
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There's a back entrance to Slough station just up from the hotel:
There's also a Tesco superstore across from the main station entrance, off to the right of this photo.
Make sure you check the paid rates, too, as they have had some attractive weekend rates in the past. They did convert one of my prepaid stays to dollars once and added 3% (DCC), so just be aware of that and double check what you're charged if you do a paid stay.
There's also a Tesco superstore across from the main station entrance, off to the right of this photo.
Make sure you check the paid rates, too, as they have had some attractive weekend rates in the past. They did convert one of my prepaid stays to dollars once and added 3% (DCC), so just be aware of that and double check what you're charged if you do a paid stay.
Jun 25, 2014, 12:18 am
#20
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Award resv.
Jun 25, 2014, 12:40 am
#21
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If you're referring to West Drayton mainline rail I did look at it with Google Earth and doesn't look like there's much around there except small shops, restaurants and businesses. Nothing like a Tesco. I've not stayed that far away from LHR.
Jun 25, 2014, 1:13 am
#22
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Jun 25, 2014, 3:25 am
#23
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I remember seeing something about a weekly pass from Slough to London including an anytime travelcard within London for GBP 80+. Did i read that right? Would that include Windsor as well?
Jun 25, 2014, 3:43 am
#24
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You can check season ticket prices here:
http://tickets.firstgreatwestern.co....asonmixingdeck
A weekly season with Travelcard is £79.40.
I would assume that, if you wanted to include Windsor, you'd just buy the season ticket from Windsor & Eton Central, as Slough is en route from there to Paddington. This costs £85.10.
Now, I'm sure some would argue that, as it's a Travelcard, it's the route to the edge of Zone 6 that has to be validated, rather than the route to central London. And, let's say you wanted to travel to Feltham, then Windsor is a valid route. But, as the Windsor (all stations) to London weekly ticket is £92 or so... I suspect you'd meet some resistance. But this is way beyond my level of expertise...
http://tickets.firstgreatwestern.co....asonmixingdeck
A weekly season with Travelcard is £79.40.
I would assume that, if you wanted to include Windsor, you'd just buy the season ticket from Windsor & Eton Central, as Slough is en route from there to Paddington. This costs £85.10.
Now, I'm sure some would argue that, as it's a Travelcard, it's the route to the edge of Zone 6 that has to be validated, rather than the route to central London. And, let's say you wanted to travel to Feltham, then Windsor is a valid route. But, as the Windsor (all stations) to London weekly ticket is £92 or so... I suspect you'd meet some resistance. But this is way beyond my level of expertise...
Jun 25, 2014, 3:55 am
#25
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You can check season ticket prices here:
http://tickets.firstgreatwestern.co....asonmixingdeck
A weekly season with Travelcard is £79.40.
I would assume that, if you wanted to include Windsor, you'd just buy the season ticket from Windsor & Eton Central, as Slough is en route from there to Paddington. This costs £85.10.
Now, I'm sure some would argue that, as it's a Travelcard, it's the route to the edge of Zone 6 that has to be validated, rather than the route to central London. And, let's say you wanted to travel to Feltham, then Windsor is a valid route. But, as the Windsor (all stations) to London weekly ticket is £92 or so... I suspect you'd meet some resistance. But this is way beyond my level of expertise...
http://tickets.firstgreatwestern.co....asonmixingdeck
A weekly season with Travelcard is £79.40.
I would assume that, if you wanted to include Windsor, you'd just buy the season ticket from Windsor & Eton Central, as Slough is en route from there to Paddington. This costs £85.10.
Now, I'm sure some would argue that, as it's a Travelcard, it's the route to the edge of Zone 6 that has to be validated, rather than the route to central London. And, let's say you wanted to travel to Feltham, then Windsor is a valid route. But, as the Windsor (all stations) to London weekly ticket is £92 or so... I suspect you'd meet some resistance. But this is way beyond my level of expertise...
Jun 25, 2014, 4:09 am
#26
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The £85 fare is valid from Windsor & Eton Central only, via Slough towards London Paddington (although once you are in zone 6, you can go where you want).
The £92 fare is valid also from Windsor & Eton Riverside towards Waterloo via Feltham.
The £92 fare is valid also from Windsor & Eton Riverside towards Waterloo via Feltham.
Jun 25, 2014, 4:28 am
#27
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Also would i have to provide passport size pics for it?
Jun 25, 2014, 4:34 am
#28
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Also would i have to provide passport size pics for it?
Jun 25, 2014, 12:02 pm
#30
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