London appointment on 3rd Jan - no trains. No way round it?

[MulledWineAndMingePies]

We have been waiting for this appointment for about 6 years.
It's a huge huge, life changing, potentially life saving appointment and I've just seen there is train strikes on that day.

Im trying to figure out coaches or buses but and I'm searching and Googling but getting no answers.

Can anyone help? It's Brighton to London waterloo, or specifically St Thomas hospital.

Are there coach replacements or is that not ok because that's usually provided by the rail isn't it?
I can't believe our bloody luck

National Express?

Railway will not provide coach replacements on days of strikes. Look at National Express/Green Line.

Can you drive? There’s a carpark

National Express would be my suggestion. Or can someone drive you to the outskirts where you can pick up a tube?
hope you can solve getting there

I'm not in the UK. But in similar circumstances I went up the day before and stayed within walking distance of the hospital.

There are National Express coaches that day to Victoria.

Could you travel up the day before and stay in a Premier Inn nearby?

I'd drive.

My advice would be to go up earlier and stay up there. If it’s that life changing I’d just suck up the expense.

Look at Traveline and exclude trains. e.g. there’s a coach (25) from Pool Valley Coach Station to Heathrow, then take the Piccadilly line tube. Takes over 3 hours though.

There are some limited trains running london to Brighton that day it might take longer but it would depend on timings etc

If you can't drive, then I'd look into booking a taxi. It might be expensive, but surely worth it if you've been waiting for so long for the appointment?

Yes just drive, there's parking.

Failing at national express so far

Drive.

As this appointment us so important, I'd travel the day before and stay in London. There's a Premier Inn in City Hall which is literally just over the road from St Thomas, plus quite a few others a short walk away round Waterloo Station.

You'll need to book asap, as they tend to fill quickly with corporate bookings for otherwise stranded commuters

The 6.45 and 8.05 morning coaches have tickets - as do plenty of other times.

Taxi

Failing how? There's availability on all coaches except the 9 and 11am departures

Loads of Premier Inn availability - the one directly by St Thomas’ is £104 for the night of Jan 2nd right now.

Or National Express return from Brighton to Victoria on 3rd is £60 for two people - three hours each way and some outbound journeys are sold out so you need to hurry. It’s a 20 min or so walk from Victoria bus station to St Thomas’ (depending on your physical ability) or a bus ride.

I would just book a taxi. A company will take you no problem and hotel will be just as expensive.

If you don’t know London, maybe you don’t realise how close the bus station and Waterloo are? The OP might be looking for a bus to somewhere too specific?

The coaches go in to Victoria Coach Station, you might struggle to get across London. For something so important I’d stay the night before near the hospital and get a coach back.

OP your post makes no sense at all. Seats are available on National Express’s website. Dep Brighton 0535, returning same evening for £30. What’s the problem?

But then we would be stuck in London. There's strikes on 3rd, 4th, 6th