"We are flying back into LGW though...timing was everything, we wanted as much time in PRG but as we have to catch the HEx into Paddinton then get a train up to Nottingham, we needed mid-afternoon arrival. "

Coming into Gatwick does make your trip to Nottingham simpler than from Heathrow

When you arrive at LGW don't take the Gatwick Express. Hop on the Thameslink Service to Bedford ( runs every 15 minutes ) and change either at Kings Cross Thameslink or Luton to connect to the train to Nottingham. If you change at Kings X Thameslink, there is about a 500 metres walk across to St Pancras where you can then wait in the 1st Class lounge for your train to Nottingham. If you change at Luton, the connection is shorter ( at worst you may have to change platforms ) but no lounge

Dave

So can we expect an update in the sticky thread about F lounge booze being offered at St Pancras?

Heh. Well, I went to the F lounges at Kings Cross, Edinburgh, Paddington, St Pancras and Derby. Although they have complimentary coffee, orange juice and bottled water ( still and sparkling ) together with snack food , they charge for alcoholic libations so didn't feel it worth mentioning in the F lounge thread :)

Dave

Kudos to Dave Noble
 

That's what Mrs QF WP, Chief Bridesmaid and I all thought too...

Oh Mr Noble, you have just been elevated to 4.5 :-:'s for that little gem...

I would not suggest going through to Luton as that will add a further changes/time to your journey and a less frequent service to Nottingham.

I would suggest as Dave has getting the Thameslink from LGW to Kings X Thameslink and then make the walk to the Interim St Pancras station. I presume it is signposted cleary but it is located just up the line from the original St Pancras.

If you were travelling this in 2007/08 when the refurbished St Pancras opens you would be able to transfer seamlessly from the Thameslink to either the Midland Mainline or Eurostar services who will all use the one station. In the meantime lots of building work going on. :mad:

"I would suggest as Dave has getting the Thameslink from LGW to Kings X Thameslink and then make the walk to the Interim St Pancras station. I presume it is signposted cleary but it is located just up the line from the original St Pancras."

I would be inclined to change here unless carrying lots of luggage since changing at Luton does avoid the walk to St Pancras. It is clearly marked and easy to get to. Had no problem finding it on wednesday

Dave

Update...Flights locked and loaded
 

Well, booking has been locked (ticketed) and loaded (with the U seats waitlisted on QF51, Q9 and QF128). Thanks to a lovely CSA on Premium Desk, I have been able to get the BNE/SIN/LHR as a Zone 5 redemption (90K each) rather than separate Zone 3 & 4 calculations (45K & 70K) (I wasn't sure whether it would be counted as two flights or able to be viewed as one?) - now I only have to spend 180,000 points (thus saving me 50K FFP's).

Still to decide on the train from LGW to Newark - whether the easier access at Luton (but poorer connections to Newark) is more desirable than longer walk St Pancreas but faster train to destination. Looks like getting off at Luton will mean we get to Newark later...slower train and waiting longer to get on it. Hmmm, no easy answer - leave that one to Mrs QF WP's choice...

Over the weekend, we finalised most of our other travel arrangements - hiring a Hertz car for 8 days (starting from York, down to Devon and across to Croydon), staying at 2 Travel Inns (thanks for the tip, NM) instead of Hilton Croydon or Selsdon Park (Dave Noble's suggestion) + a B&B. I'm saving GBP 120 in the process - but no FFP's other than on the CC :( . Might be standard accomodation, but I'll have to live with that :eek: . Mrs QF WP doesn't know about the" upgraded" aircraft accomodation yet ;) (I'll call it a belated birthday present to her, as it's her 30+ birthday later this week)...

Also chose my "free" inner London night at the Conrad Hilton (they were the only ones who wanted to take my 40K points from me) - yes, it's a little out of the way (like a Black Cab from Earls Court), but it's only a place to put my head after the FT meeting (still to arrange).

Looks like the AMEX will be getting lots of work over the next 7 weeks. Already loaded up with the airfares...

Thanks to all the FT'ers who have helped me in the process thus far.

Whaaat?

I know of no woman who is (publicly) over the age of 29....

:)

QF WP - you should pick a black cab up easy at Kings X Thameslink - for the drive around the corner to the interim station. Should be less than a fiver.

I wouldn't recommend that at all. If you have little enough luggage to make the connection sensibly, then the last thing you need is a taxi to take you the short trek; the snickering from the taxi driver that would be likely would be enough to put me off it :). There are longer walks around airports than the one between these stations.

If you are going to Newark, then change at Kings Cross Thameslink. The services to Newark go from Kings Cross rather than St Pancras. Kings Cross is about 200 metres from Kings Cross Thameslink. My original suggestion was based on your stated intent to go to Nottingham which is served by Midland Mainline rather than Newark which is a GNER service

Dave

And here I was thinking that QF WP was trying to catch a train from Kings Cross to Newark, NJ (I don't think the airtrain quite makes it to Kings Cross yet) .... but then I found there is a place in the UK called Newark. You learn something new every day :)

I agree with Dave - Thameslink is definitely the way to go here. I would have no troubles walking it except if I had a ridiculous amount of luggage.

Whilst it is the quickest, can someone please tell me why the Thameslink takes 15 minutes to get from London Bridge to Blackfriars (a journey of about a mile) - I know it's in the timetable, but that must be one of the most painfully long train journeys by distance anywhere in the UK.

It isn't normally timetabled as 15 mins between London Br and Blackfriars, it's typically 7 minutes. e.g. 16:00 arrives 16:07. There are a couple of peak services where it extends up to 12 minutes. This is due to the platforming of thameslink services. They depart London Bridge from Platform 6 but then has to cross across all the other lines to hop onto the line towards Blackfriars. Due to the number of trains coming down from Charing Cross and Cannon Street, it takes a while. This is the reason why there are so few Thameslink services which service London Bridge during the peak hours

Dave

And Dave Noble has an answer for everything !!! Yes - the 15 minutes was maybe an exaggeration, but I'm sure you get my point :)

Nerd hat on - the train also changes over power sources at Farringdon, which takes a couple of minutes. Nerd hat off.

And yes, for Newark the train from Kings Cross is a better option - if with less frequent service.