Llandudno Wales to Southampton

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

We are booked for next June and leave on a Monday. We are staying on the Sunday night in Southampton at Ennios but I need some advice on how to get from Llandudno to Southampton.

From what I gather you can take 2 trains and a tube plus 6+ hours later arrive in Southampton or you can take a train or taxi to Manchester and using FLYBE get a flight direct to Southampton taking about 1 hour.

 

What are the pros and cons of train travel and air travel to Southampton from Wales ? Dave

[insanemagnet]

Or go by train via (or from Llandudno Junction) and change at Crewe and Wolverhampton, and then you avoid needing to cross London, as the Wolverhampton train goes to Southampton.

[Bob++]

That's curious. Google is usually pretty good at calculating train routes but it really doesn't like the one insanemagnet describes above. If you put it in as two legs - Llandudno>Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton>Southampton, it's OK but for some reason it doesn't conflate the two.

 

If you choose the train option you need to check with nationalrail and look through the many options carefully. It looks as if it would work well on a weekday, but weekends might be more problematic. I see one train leaving tomorrow (21st) at 07:25 that goes via Newport (with a 40 minute layover) and arrives at Southampton Central at 14:04. This would be only one change and a reasonable fare of £60.10.

 

On a Sunday, I doubt that the train would be feasible.

 

That route would also take you through some very pretty parts of the country.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Bob++

[John Bull]

Yikes, Bob, yes this one is a toughie. :(

As an Irish friend of mine would say, the best way to get to Southampton on a sunday would be not to start from Llandudno.;)

 

The one sensible option is that 08.30 train from Llandudno, which involves just the one change at Newport (South Wales), and gets the traveller to Southampton at 3.04pm.

But not available on a sunday, and with that arrival time it'd be unwise to travel down on the Monday, cruise day.

And it appears that Llandudno town station doesn't operate at all on as sunday.

A short taxi ride to Llandudno Junction station gets you onto the sunday network, but that via-Newport option isn't available on sundays.

 

So on a sunday the only option by train is from Llandudno Junction via London :

10 minute taxi hop from your Llandudno base to Llandudno Junction rail station. Trains approx. hourly to London's Euston station, that part of the journey about 3 hours.

Best value is the 12.35 or the 1.36pm, which get you to Southampton at around 6.30 or 7.30pm respectively.

Total journey fare around £56. Earlier trains cost about double :eek:.

You then have to cross central London from Euston station to Waterloo station for Southampton trains. A tube (metro) ticket is included in the quoted fares, and there's a direct tube line from Euston to Waterloo. The tube's no great fun with baggage, but at least it's a sunday. If you don't fancy the tube, a taxi will take under 15 minutes on a sunday, & cost I guess around £15.

Plenty of direct trains from London Waterloo to Southampton central station, journey time about 90 minutes.

Then a 20 minute walk or approx. £7 -- £8 taxi fare to Ennio's.

 

Train details on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

=====================================

 

By air's not easy either, the nearest airport offering flights to Southampton is Manchester.

http://www.flybe.com/ operate 3 flights from Manchester to Southampton on a sunday, all sensibly timed.

Because it's a sunday, you start with a ten-minute taxi ride to Llandudno Junction.

Plenty of trains from there to Manchester airport even on sundays, but the journey involves one change of trains (you should find a suitably-timed train which doesn't involve two changes). Train fare approx. £18

Flybe flight to Southampton - Flybe are a budget airline and like most others has fluid pricing, so book early for best prices. Do a dummy booking to check the effect on price of luggage etc.

From Southampton airport, frequent (even on sundays) train for the £4 / 10 minute ride to Southampton Central, then a 20 minute walk on level ground to Ennio's. If you don't fancy the walk, rather than train plus taxi life will be simpler and only a little more expensive by taking a cab from airport to hotel - about £20 from the ranks, or save about a fiver by pre-booking with http://www.westquaycars.com

 

==============================

 

One journey I'd consider by renting a car. But again a sunday limits the opportunities, especially in a small (very pleasant, I like the place, but it's a bit off the beaten track) seaside resort like Llandudno.

But might be worth checking car rental sites.

 

JB :)

Edited October 21, 2015 by John Bull

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thank you Bob++, Insanemagnet and John for you input and advice. I do have the luxury of having my cousins able to drive me to Manchester if that would make it any easier for the train. Also with the flight leaving from Southampton I did check their prices at SUN, March 20, 2016 as that was the furthest out I could book. The luggage stipulations were 20 kg for checked bag and 10 kg for carry on for the "GET MORE TICKET" at a cost of $143.26 Cdn pp which I thought is pretty good considering the hassle you would have with the luggage on the train and the higher cost as well as the increased time to get there.

 

Do you guys agree with my analogy ?

 

Yikes, Bob, yes this one is a toughie. :(

As an Irish friend of mine would say, the best way to get to Southampton on a sunday would be not to start from Llandudno.;)

 

The one sensible option is that 08.30 train from Llandudno, which involves just the one change at Newport (South Wales), and gets the traveller to Southampton at 3.04pm.

But not available on a sunday, and with that arrival time it'd be unwise to travel down on the Monday, cruise day.

And it appears that Llandudno town station doesn't operate at all on as sunday.

A short taxi ride to Llandudno Junction station gets you onto the sunday network, but that via-Newport option isn't available on sundays.

 

So on a sunday the only option by train is from Llandudno Junction via London :

10 minute taxi hop from your Llandudno base to Llandudno Junction rail station. Trains approx. hourly to London's Euston station, that part of the journey about 3 hours.

Best value is the 12.35 or the 1.36pm, which get you to Southampton at around 6.30 or 7.30pm respectively.

Total journey fare around £56. Earlier trains cost about double :eek:.

You then have to cross central London from Euston station to Waterloo station for Southampton trains. A tube (metro) ticket is included in the quoted fares, and there's a direct tube line from Euston to Waterloo. The tube's no great fun with baggage, but at least it's a sunday. If you don't fancy the tube, a taxi will take under 15 minutes on a sunday, & cost I guess around £15.

Plenty of direct trains from London Waterloo to Southampton central station, journey time about 90 minutes.

Then a 20 minute walk or approx. £7 -- £8 taxi fare to Ennio's.

 

Train details on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

=====================================

 

By air's not easy either, the nearest airport offering flights to Southampton is Manchester.

http://www.flybe.com/ operate 3 flights from Manchester to Southampton on a sunday, all sensibly timed.

Because it's a sunday, you start with a ten-minute taxi ride to Llandudno Junction.

Plenty of trains from there to Manchester airport even on sundays, but the journey involves one change of trains (you should find a suitably-timed train which doesn't involve two changes). Train fare approx. £18

Flybe flight to Southampton - Flybe are a budget airline and like most others has fluid pricing, so book early for best prices. Do a dummy booking to check the effect on price of luggage etc.

From Southampton airport, frequent (even on sundays) train for the £4 / 10 minute ride to Southampton Central, then a 20 minute walk on level ground to Ennio's. If you don't fancy the walk, rather than train plus taxi life will be simpler and only a little more expensive by taking a cab from airport to hotel - about £20 from the ranks, or save about a fiver by pre-booking with http://www.westquaycars.com

 

==============================

 

One journey I'd consider by renting a car. But again a sunday limits the opportunities, especially in a small (very pleasant, I like the place, but it's a bit off the beaten track) seaside resort like Llandudno.

But might be worth checking car rental sites.

 

JB :)

Edited October 22, 2015 by D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL

[John Bull]

Thank you Bob++, Insanemagnet and John for you input and advice. I do have the luxury of having my cousins able to drive me to Manchester if that would make it any easier for the train. Also with the flight leaving from Southampton I did check their prices at SUN, March 20, 2016 as that was the furthest out I could book. The luggage stipulations were 20 kg for checked bag and 10 kg for carry on for the "GET MORE TICKET" at a cost of $143.26 Cdn pp which I thought is pretty good considering the hassle you would have with the luggage on the train and the higher cost as well as the increased time to get there.

 

Do you guys agree with my analogy ?

 

If you are travelling on the sunday, the realistic options are:

 

By train

- cousin's taxi service to Llandudno Junction, direct train to London Euston, cross central London to London Waterloo, direct train to Southampton Central.

It's pointless for cousin to drive you any further - cross-country train routes to Southampton are fraught on a sunday, even from any station within 75 minutes or more of Llandudno. Here's the network map http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/css/OfficialNationalRailmaplarge.pdf

Manchester is a 75 minute drive from Llandudno, and driving there achieves nothing - it just means boarding a London Euston-bound train from there rather than from Llandudno Junction.

 

By air

- yes, if cousin can be persuaded to drive you the 90 minutes / 76 miles to Manchester airport (very easy on a sunday), that would save you a tedious two-change train journey of 2hrs 30 to 3hrs 15 and with those train fares at £23 - £36 pp you could fill cousin's gas tank to overflowing, even at UK gas prices of £5 per gallon (vaguely 17 pence per mile).

We've only ever flown Flybe with hand luggage (long weekend trips), so I can't be of much help re baggage costings.

But I'm reading the same "get more" price of 143.26CAD pp for the same date, plus 66CAD pp if you want to increase your checked luggage allowance from 20kg (one bag) to 40kg (2 bags).

 

Or, just a thought - a "private transfer" (at mates' rates ;))

- I don't know cousin's circumstances, but if they wanted a mini-break in Southampton, you could probably cover their fuel and a night's accommodation (probably even at Ennio's) for less than train or air fares.

By car, 277 miles, about 4.5 hrs.

Like I said, just a thought.

 

JB :)

Edited October 22, 2015 by John Bull

[Nigella]

Just to input about FlyBe from Manchester, they have a lot of punctuality issues from MAN. Believe me, I know about this:(

If you don't need to be in Southampton on a deadline, no worries, but be cautious if you do. Of course, the chances are they'll be right on time, but who knows.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

John, Thanks for such a detailed analysis for my transportation to Southampton. I still have a few months before I make a final decision on how I'm going to get to Southampton, but your input has helped immensely. Thank You ..... Dave

 

If you are travelling on the sunday, the realistic options are:

 

By train

- cousin's taxi service to Llandudno Junction, direct train to London Euston, cross central London to London Waterloo, direct train to Southampton Central.

It's pointless for cousin to drive you any further - cross-country train routes to Southampton are fraught on a sunday, even from any station within 75 minutes or more of Llandudno. Here's the network map http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/css/OfficialNationalRailmaplarge.pdf

Manchester is a 75 minute drive from Llandudno, and driving there achieves nothing - it just means boarding a London Euston-bound train from there rather than from Llandudno Junction.

 

By air

- yes, if cousin can be persuaded to drive you the 90 minutes / 76 miles to Manchester airport (very easy on a sunday), that would save you a tedious two-change train journey of 2hrs 30 to 3hrs 15 and with those train fares at £23 - £36 pp you could fill cousin's gas tank to overflowing, even at UK gas prices of £5 per gallon (vaguely 17 pence per mile).

We've only ever flown Flybe with hand luggage (long weekend trips), so I can't be of much help re baggage costings.

But I'm reading the same "get more" price of 143.26CAD pp for the same date, plus 66CAD pp if you want to increase your checked luggage allowance from 20kg (one bag) to 40kg (2 bags).

 

Or, just a thought - a "private transfer" (at mates' rates ;))

- I don't know cousin's circumstances, but if they wanted a mini-break in Southampton, you could probably cover their fuel and a night's accommodation (probably even at Ennio's) for less than train or air fares.

By car, 277 miles, about 4.5 hrs.

Like I said, just a thought.

 

JB :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

One other thing to be aware of, which I don't think has been mentioned, is that weekends, and particularly Sundays, are prime time for railway engineering works, leading to changes to the already reduced timetable (compared to other days of the week) up to cancellation and replacement by road services. These are publicised well in advance and will show up in the National Rail planner..

 

I am not familiar with routes you would be travelling on to know if there are major long term programmes of work on them, but even if not, local things crop up from time to time.

[Bob++]

Or, just a thought - a "private transfer" (at mates' rates ;))

- I don't know cousin's circumstances, but if they wanted a mini-break in Southampton, you could probably cover their fuel and a night's accommodation (probably even at Ennio's) for less than train or air fares.

By car, 277 miles, about 4.5 hrs.

Like I said, just a thought.

 

JB :)

 

4½ hours is the shortest and most boring route via M6 and M40. Since you would have all day, you could head South through Shropshire and Worcestershire; Marlborough and Salisbury. A lot more driving but a much prettier route.

 

One way car rental is feasible if your relative could take you to Chester. You would have to drop the car off on the Monday morning as they close at 4pm (if they open at all on a Sunday). Cost from Enterprise for a Ford Mondeo for example would be around £75 plus fuel.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Bob++

[kerryincork]

Have you checked out parking in Southampton? Maybe driving to and parking in Southampton would be the easiest option. It would also mean you could bring as much luggage as you want. If you fly you are going to be very restricted on luggage & if you go by train you are going to have the stress of getting your luggage on and off the trains. If you can manage with hand luggage only this might not be an issue.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Have you checked out parking in Southampton? Maybe driving to and parking in Southampton would be the easiest option.

 

The OP is from Canada, so I don't think they have that option :)

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

I just got back from London, England and would not even consider driving. I was looking the wrong way a few times when crossing roads and even when driving with my cousin and could see myself on the wrong side of the road.

I'd be stressed out the entire way if I had to make multiple turns or use round abouts.

 

Thanks to you all for bringing up the many issues that could occur with the rail routes on the weekend.

 

Luggage is not an issue on FLYBE as we are allowed 10kg for carry on and 20 kg for checked bag.

 

We have time on the Sunday to get to Southampton but my biggest concern with the trains is the numerous connections and lugging our checked + carry on bag on and off trains that could be very busy.

1ST Class rail travel could be another option but it is so much more in price and that's why we were considering flying as an alternative.[

 

 

QUOTE=Cotswold Eagle;48095317]The OP is from Canada, so I don't think they have that option :)

[John Bull]

 

Luggage is not an issue on FLYBE as we are allowed 10kg for carry on and 20 kg for checked bag.

 

Yes, I just realised - you're not American :p :D

 

JB :)

[tellyaddict]

Hi I live in Llandudno and have looked at the train options mused on a sun and came to the same conclusion as John bull. We always go private transfer and pay around 600 pound return for a 7 seater taxi.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Hi I live in Llandudno and have looked at the train options mused on a sun and came to the same conclusion as John bull. We always go private transfer and pay around 600 pound return for a 7 seater taxi.

 

I would only need 1 way but even half or 300 pound is pretty expensive when you look at the rail and flight options. For 75 pounds each or 150 for the both of us, flying would be the obvious choice since the luggage weight limits would still be fine and you are there in just over an hour. I am just concerned about the negativity about flying FLYBE. Are they really that bad ?

[Bob++]

Flybe are not all that bad. The main gripe is that they advertise one price, but when you come to pay, there are extras added on. They are small planes and the seats are not generous but you aren't in them all that long. My daughter flew from Southampton to Jersey with them a couple of years ago and she had no complaint.

[John Bull]

We 've used Flybe several times So'ton / the Channel Islands and So'ton / Amsterdam, and haven't encountered any problems or delays. :)

 

JB :)

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

We 've used Flybe several times So'ton / the Channel Islands and So'ton / Amsterdam, and haven't encountered any problems or delays. :)

 

JB :)

 

Thanks to John, Bob and others. When the time comes when we can book tickets it looks like we will choose FLYBE vs the rail or driving. Knowing you are there in an hour is a nice feeling as well as not lugging our luggage around.

When will seats be available to book on FLYBE for Sun, June 12/16 ?

[John Bull]

When will seats be available to book on FLYBE for Sun, June 12/16 ?

 

Judging from their website, it looks like from about 5 months out.

 

Altho the tickets you're planning to buy are amendable, I don't think they're cancellable - and amendable won't be much use if you have to cancel your cruise. So best to have your travel insurance in place before you book.

 

JB :)

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Judging from their website, it looks like from about 5 months out.

 

Altho the tickets you're planning to buy are amendable, I don't think they're cancellable - and amendable won't be much use if you have to cancel your cruise. So best to have your travel insurance in place before you book.

 

JB :)

 

Thanks for the info on flights. When I checked the furthest out I could book was March 20th so your 5 months out is pretty accurate.

I was not going to purchase the ALL IN tickets at $350 CDN more pp.to have cancellation privileges. We buy the annual multi trip cancellation insurance which will cover us and is cheaper than the increased cost for the flights.

[Ellan Vannin]

Flybe flights are now available for June if you are still looking for that option. As a general rule the earlier you book the cheaper it is.

 

I use Flybe several times a month and generally they are fine although like any airline they have awful days. I notice that they have 3 flights on a Sunday to Southampton so plenty of options.

 

You also could just book the basic fare and add your luggage to that, that works out cheaper than the Get more fare but you don't get to choose your seat in advance and the change penalties are greater.

 

Also, the aircraft used usually is a Bombardier Q400 which are made in Toronto but do not have very large overhead lockers, keep that in mind when considering hand luggage as a lot of the standard cabin bags do not fit in the lockers so they end up under your seat.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thanks Ellan for that info on Flybe. I did check today and you can actually get the flight only and pay for 23kg checked bag for almost the same price as the GET MORE option. I'm just checking with my cousins before I book but would prefer the 10:25 am flight.

 

Flybe flights are now available for June if you are still looking for that option. As a general rule the earlier you book the cheaper it is.

 

I use Flybe several times a month and generally they are fine although like any airline they have awful days. I notice that they have 3 flights on a Sunday to Southampton so plenty of options.

 

You also could just book the basic fare and add your luggage to that, that works out cheaper than the Get more fare but you don't get to choose your seat in advance and the change penalties are greater.

 

Also, the aircraft used usually is a Bombardier Q400 which are made in Toronto but do not have very large overhead lockers, keep that in mind when considering hand luggage as a lot of the standard cabin bags do not fit in the lockers so they end up under your seat.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thanks to my cc friends for their valued input.

 

After checking with my cousins on the weekend I have booked the 10:25 am flight on the Sunday morning. I took the flight only option and paid the extra $50 Cdn for the 23 kg checked bag pp. It's nice knowing we will be in Southampton before noon.