train help

[tenoraddict]

Hi all,
I'm traveling to England in May with DH and DSs (12,10, 7). We're going to be in London for a few days and Stratford-Upon-Avon for a few days. At one point many months ago, I found a $30 fare to Stratford (that would be about 20 GBP or so), but now what I'm finding costs several hundred dollars and routes us through Birmingham! I can't remember where to go on the web to find that low rate... Will you please tell me how to find the least expensive way to get from London to Stratford and then back to Heathrow? We'd like to stick with the train, but if we can't find reasonable ticket prices, we'll just rent a car.

Thanks!

Becky

National Rail enquiries will give you the best routes by train (i.e. not via Birmingham).

www.nationalrail.co.uk

If there are 5 of you, it might work out cheaper to hire a car when you leave London, drive to Stratford and then back to Heathrow. However, depending on where you're staying I would avoid having a car whilst actually in central London as most hotels dont have free parking and you can't park on the street in many areas unless you're a resident.

I've just done a quick search on www.nationalrail.co.uk and found total fares for the family at £65 ($40?) Might also be worth getting a family railcard- you pay a £26 fee then receive 1/3 off adult fares & 60% off childrens fares.

Also, the rail company you are likely to be using is Chiltern Rail - They may offer company specific group/family discounts - worth checking their website.

Avoid travelling during peak times to get cheaper fares (after 930am and not between 1630-1830pm) - travelling in the peak often costs £100s for relatively short routes.

When you last checked, you may have been routed through B'ham due to the starting station you selected. I think you can travel direct from London Marylebone with Chiltern Rail.

Hope this helps

Thanks so much for your help, mums! It was, indeed, National Rail, where I first found the inexpensive fare. Brit Rail is the one that cost several hundred dollars. The problem I have now is that there isn't a train that gets us into Heathrow from S-u-A in time to catch our flight. It looks like I'm off to find the best deal on a rental car... Arctic Fox, thanks for the parking advice. The tube is so great that we wouldn't need a car in London, but I might have been tempted to get one for the week if the rate was the same.