Help me work out how to get my granny to Leeds, PLEASE!!! <winsome smile>

[BroccoliSpears]

Granny can easily get to Leominster station, and less easily get to Hereford station.

I live in Leeds and can pick her up from any nearby station (Leeds, York, Harrogate etc).

Granny is too frail and blind to change trains so we need a direct train from somewhere near her to somewhere near me. I can't find anything closer than Manchester!

I've spoken to the helpline and they weren't terribly helpful so now I'm wracking my brain and playing on the National Rail Website to no avail.

Can anyone with a better grasp of UK geography than me, and L33t web searching skillz help?

The trainline.com helpline was very helpful when I was sorting out tickets to London a couple of weeks ago.
Might be worth giving them a call.

Hmm, Leominster not a main line station so don't think this is doable without at least 1 change.

She might be better on National Express?

Oh, coach! That's a thought. Will investigate.

Will also call trainline.

Thank you.

or call leominster station and ask where they travel directly to in Yorkshire?

Hereford to Leeds takes 6 hours on Nat express

You can't call stations now, but nat rail enquiries line will tell you.

At a big station like Manchester you should be able to arrange for staff to help her do the change, if that would help. From the national rail site - "Arrangements can be made for disabled passengers. We can usually arrange for staff to meet you at your departure station, accompany you to the train and see you safely on board. Similar arrangements can be made at your destination station and other stations if you need to change trains."

If changing is completely out of the question then can she travel for longer and go on the coach? The national express coach does hereford to leeds (couldn't find leominster on there and don't know the area) with no changes in 6hrs 45 - a long time I know but if she's happy sitting it may be an option.

Check out the "Assisted Passenger Reservation" service run by the train companies that serve yur granny's area. It is a bit patchy and doesn't always work, though.

X-posted with several people That's what you get for a ds running round stripping while you surf!

can you organise a taxi to a bigger station?

Even with pssgr assistance a change is a no-no. We tried that but she still has to get off by herself, and then she didn't see the 'Wait Here For Assistance' sign so no one helped her.

I think 6 hrs on a coach wd be okay (tho gawd help whoever sits next to her !!). Just trying to find out if there's anywhere closer than Hereford.

Scuse typing. Bfing.

My mum used to come down to visit me and if we got her a cheap first class ticket, she was always helped on and off the train by the staff, if that's any help?

the assistance thing is a waste of time. i've tried that with my gran before. my only solution is going to pick her up or us going to her.

wouldn't be so bad to pick her up from manchester though if you're in leeds. straight across on m62.

Is there anyone else in the family that can chaperone her as far as Manc and make sure she gets on the right train there?

or any nice mancunian MNers you know who would be prepared to meet her train and put her on the next one?

Train from leeds to manchester is easy - could you get a return ticket and go on a train to manchester to meet her, then both get on train from manchester back to leeds IYSWIM? It might be the easiest way if you can't face driving (across on the M62 is a horrid journey by car). Actually - 2 singles is usually cheaper than a return. Even with a baby in tow, it is doable.

Was about to post exactly what noavailablename said (except have never tried it with a baby in tow). That's what I'd do. Parking is cheaper at Dewsbury than at most mainline stations and the Manchester trains all seem to stop there.

Parking at mirfield might even be free. Leeds/manchester trains stop there too.

Free???? Blimey!

Except that granny might not be able to negotiate the steps at mirfield - dewsbury is flat and hardly any walk from platform to carpark.

lol I hadn't even considered the obvious one of you going to Manc to get her.

Leeds to Manc off peak return isn't too expensive.

but from manchester to dewsbury she'd be the platform on the other side of the bridge. that's a lot of steps. not sure the lift always works either.

LOL at us W. Yorks train station experts...

Wakefield westgate? Or is that wrong side of platform too?