Looking for Ideas - Edinburgh to Southampton

[Col1874]

As the title says, im looking for the best way to get from Edinburgh to Southampton via public transport - We don't want to drive since parking costs a bomb!

 

Flying is also out of the question.

 

There will be 4 adults, 1 teen & 1 infant in a pushchair plus a load of luggage for our 10 day cruise.

 

So far, I've got the following prices, do any of you know of a cheaper way to get to Southampton?

 

Edinburgh > London Kings Cross > London Waterloo > Southampton Central (£125) (Edinburgh to London is only £36!!)

or

Edinburgh > Manchester Piccadilly > Southampton Central (£141.50)

or

Edinburgh > Birmingham (or Wolverhampton) > Southampton Central (£168)

 

...or do any of you know where about we can park for quite a cheap price if we did decide to drive?

 

Im looking for any idea's so even if you think you have a stupid idea, just say it, it could lead to something!

[HeinBloed]

As the title says, im looking for the best way to get from Edinburgh to Southampton via public transport - We don't want to drive since parking costs a bomb!

 

Flying is also out of the question.

 

There will be 4 adults, 1 teen & 1 infant in a pushchair plus a load of luggage for our 10 day cruise.

 

So far, I've got the following prices, do any of you know of a cheaper way to get to Southampton?

 

Edinburgh > London Kings Cross > London Waterloo > Southampton Central (£125) (Edinburgh to London is only £36!!)

 

or

 

Edinburgh > Manchester Piccadilly > Southampton Central (£141.50)

 

or

 

Edinburgh > Birmingham (or Wolverhampton) > Southampton Central (£168)

 

...or do any of you know where about we can park for quite a cheap price if we did decide to drive?

 

Im looking for any idea's so even if you think you have a stupid idea, just say it, it could lead to something!

 

Check here on flights:

 

http://www.flybe.com

 

Regarding parking: some cruises on INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS includes free parking - check with your TA.

 

Instead of parking: one-way-rentals. AVIS is just 5 minutes walk from City Center Terminal and Europcar about 10 minutes.

 

As you have to change the station anyway in London:

 

Check also bus from London to Southampton on http://www.nationalexpress.com and http://www.greyhounduk.co.uk as you mention the 36 GBP for the Edinburgh - London-Portion...

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[Col1874]

Check here on flights:

 

http://www.flybe.com

 

Regarding parking: some cruises on INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS includes free parking - check with your TA.

 

Instead of parking: one-way-rentals. AVIS is just 5 minutes walk from City Center Terminal and Europcar about 10 minutes.

 

As you have to change the station anyway in London:

 

Check also bus from London to Southampton on http://www.nationalexpress.com and http://www.greyhounduk.co.uk as you mention the 36 GBP for the Edinburgh - London-Portion...

 

Regards

HeinBloed

 

Thanks - I mentioned that I don't want to fly, thats because FlyBe charge a huge amount for such a short flight.

 

I'll give the TA a call at lunch to check about parking.

 

Tried the National Express coach but they leave from London Victoria but our train goes to Kings Kross. I also tried St Pancras as that is opposite Kings Cross, but none leave from there to Southampton on the date im travelling.

[HeinBloed]

Thanks - I mentioned that I don't want to fly, thats because FlyBe charge a huge amount for such a short flight.

 

Well - but have you seen that their baggage policy changed and you can carry 40 kg per passenger???

 

https://www.flybe.com/flightInfo/baggage_policy_changes.htm

 

9.99 GBP for the first bag to 20 kg... do not feel it's too much. Maybe not everyone would need a second bag... but maybe 1 more bag for all for 29.99 GBP is a good deal.

 

You are there in 1.30 hrs and no transfer with all your family and bags...

 

Train would mean 7 hours and transfers...

 

05.50 hrs departure time... no idea when you have to wake up...

 

But some like it hot...

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[Col1874]

I know you're trying to help but like I said, Flybe are too expensive.

 

£359 for the lot of us based on us all taking 20kg (small) bags.

 

We'll need more than just 20kg for sure which bumps the cost up well over £400.

 

I don't see any point in paying way over £400 if I can get there all the same for £125 (ok more awkward but still)

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond but I really don't want to fly down to Southampton - Please don't think im having a go at you coz im not ;)

 

Any other ideas which may save time/hassle/money are welcome :)

[Twickenham]

Edinburgh > London Kings Cross > London Waterloo > Southampton Central (£125) (Edinburgh to London is only £36!!)

 

or

 

Edinburgh > Manchester Piccadilly > Southampton Central (£141.50)

 

or

 

Edinburgh > Birmingham (or Wolverhampton) > Southampton Central (£168)

 

Does the price of option 1 include your transfer from Kings Cross to Waterloo? By what method?

 

Otherwise, the ease of the direct transfer in Manchester would probably be worth the (slightly) more expensive price.

[sddsddean]

Are the prices you've quoted per person? If so, on the first one if Ed - KX is £36, the 'walk up' fare Waterloo - Soton is only about £30, so you could save £60 odd just like that! Are you planning to do this in one hit or stopping at London on the way? Globiliser will shoot me down (!), but I'm going to remind you you can get Waterloo -Soton for £1 ea at www.megatrain.co.uk . You have to pick your train, but if you allow a bit of leeway, that shouldn't be a problem. Otherwise, as Twickenham said, the change at M'cr could be worth the exta £'s. I think you will be too late for the free parking, but worth a go. I think parking at the ship works out around £8/day. I know on our 14 night a few weeks ago it would have been £126 'last minute' (though we got it for free) http://www.abparking.co.uk/search-by-cruise/?operator=22

 

Let us know if any of this helps or more detailed plans re timing.

 

Simon

[Globaliser]

Are the prices you've quoted per person?

That's my first question as well. My second question is whether they're single or return fares.

 

I can see that flybe flights from Edinburgh to Southampton start from £85.96 per adult return, including one 20kg bag each way. If the Edinburgh->London->Southampton train fare is £125 per person return, I can't see any possible rational objection to flying, which will be much faster and much less hassle.

 

If the £125 cost is a return fare for all six in the party, then that's already a very cheap way of getting that many people from Edinburgh to London and back. There couldn't be any possible objection to that price.

 

If paring costs down to the absolute minimum is a priority, then megatrain might well be worth a look, for all its disadvantages.

[frogsgirl]

As the title says, im looking for the best way to get from Edinburgh to Southampton via public transport - We don't want to drive since parking costs a bomb!

 

Flying is also out of the question.

 

There will be 4 adults, 1 teen & 1 infant in a pushchair plus a load of luggage for our 10 day cruise.

 

So far, I've got the following prices, do any of you know of a cheaper way to get to Southampton?

 

Edinburgh > London Kings Cross > London Waterloo > Southampton Central (£125) (Edinburgh to London is only £36!!)

 

or

 

Edinburgh > Manchester Piccadilly > Southampton Central (£141.50)

 

or

 

Edinburgh > Birmingham (or Wolverhampton) > Southampton Central (£168)

 

...or do any of you know where about we can park for quite a cheap price if we did decide to drive?

 

Im looking for any idea's so even if you think you have a stupid idea, just say it, it could lead to something!

 

In 2007 we drove, Manchester to Southampton & stayed at the Holiday Inn @ Eastleigh & the price of the family room was £100 for 3 of us & free parking for 2 weeks (at the hotel), with a free taxi transfer to the terminal, again organised by the hotel (not free coming back but it was £8.00 ish).

 

This year we are driving again, staying Premier Inn at Southampton airport £70 B&B for 2 rooms! (Trip Adviser give it excellent ratings) & we have free parking at the port.

 

Good luck!

[Globaliser]

...or do any of you know where about we can park for quite a cheap price if we did decide to drive?

When calculating the cost of driving, don't forget to include fuel etc. 860 miles at 35 miles per gallon is going to cost about £140 in petrol alone, before you add in oil, maintenance, depreciation and other motoring costs - the total could be something between about £300 and £500.

[MTElkwhistle]

We drive from Linlithgow, get a hotel for the night that includes parking, although we have free parking with our next one. A tank of diesel does us down and back up to Birmingham, so can do the trip with fuel costs of around £100. For 4 of us it makes sense to drive. We leave around 8, stop between penrith and manchester, then again south of birmingham and arrive around 4, go for a swim at hotel pool, then hit TGI fridays for a cocktail or 3.

[Budget Queen]

I have flown both Flybe and Easyjet in the UK, always with the deeply discounted fares. They do run sales that are very attractive. It is easy to get between Edinburgh and Glasgow, which can also have cheap specials. Just depends how you want to go.

 

As an example, my next trip in Sept/Oct, I'm taking the train Glasgow/Kings Cross for less than 45 pounds for 2. Overnight, Then I'm using National Express bus, London/Dover for 13 pounds for 2. Both of these on special fares (of which fun fares on National bus just came out). It pays to keep looking and knowing what you are looking for. (I paid 1 pound pp last year for the Edinburgh/Glasgow bus)

 

In my opinion, it's darn easy to just use the tube to get from Kings Cross to the

Victoria station, then walk the couple blocks to the bus station, of which I always do.

 

It can be a big advantage to just pack light, do some laundry during your travels. I always pack a bar of Zote laundry soap. :)

[Col1874]

Thanks for your replies.

 

The prices I quoted were only one-way prices for the lot of us, not per person.

 

We've already booked our hotel and they are refusing to amend our booking to allow us to park there :rolleyes:

[sddsddean]

Thanks for your replies.

 

The prices I quoted were only one-way prices for the lot of us, not per person.

 

We've already booked our hotel and they are refusing to amend our booking to allow us to park there :rolleyes:

 

 

On the train presumably the infant is free, so you are saying its £36 one way for 5 people effectively, Ed - KX. You would probably need 2 taxis KX - Waterloo (its just not worth the hassle hauling luggage etc on the tube) so that would be, say £30 (but might be less). Use megatrain for 5 tickets...£5, and depending where your hotel is in Soton (it might be walkable) say £20 for 2 cabs there. So you can do the whole lot for £91ish. £20 per person plus an infant for free sounds like a good deal to me (even allowing for doubling it as you have to get back home!). Just thought, what day are you planning to travel? Weekdays should be OK, but be aware of possible engineering works at weekends which might hold you up.

 

Simon

[frogsgirl]

Thanks for your replies.

 

The prices I quoted were only one-way prices for the lot of us, not per person.

 

We've already booked our hotel and they are refusing to amend our booking to allow us to park there :rolleyes:

 

Have you tried speaking to a private hire company to give you a quote for a return journey? My brother-in-law has done this type of thing before (he has a private hire minibus) and for the hassle it may work out about the same price but with a door to door service - I bet you could get some good quotes for the return journey.

[Col1874]

Have you tried speaking to a private hire company to give you a quote for a return journey? My brother-in-law has done this type of thing before (he has a private hire minibus) and for the hassle it may work out about the same price but with a door to door service - I bet you could get some good quotes for the return journey.

 

I imagine it'll cost a huge amount from Edinburgh. Im going on the basis that it costs £100 from London to Edinburgh one way, good idea though which we'd have considered if we were a little closer to the port. :)

[jazzbabe]

We are travelling down to Southampton from Durham.

 

Fares to Kings Cross--£13 each.

 

Taxi to Waterloo about £12

 

Waterloo to Southampton for 3 people--Megatrain £3 plus 50p booking fee.

[gaelsail]

My suggestion would be sleeper train from Edinburgh to London Euston then change stations for connection for Southampton.

 

Look for the bargain berths on the Scotrail- Caledonian sleeper website.

[Col1874]

Already booked.

 

Went for Edinburgh to Manchester, and Manchester to Southampton.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions though :)

[sddsddean]

Already booked.

 

Went for Edinburgh to Manchester, and Manchester to Southampton.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions though :)

 

Well at least it will be an easy change at Manchester...just walk a couple of platforms.

 

Simon