London to Burton-on-Trent and onto Dover

[Kukiz]

Could anybody help with information regarding transportation from London to Burton-on-Trent and than from Burton-on-Trent to Dover.

 

Are there any trains that go that route or maybe a bus?

 

Would like to avoid renting a car; not keen on driving on the wrong side of the road.

 

Any information will be appreciated.

 

Thank you!

 

Any idea of the cost?

[uktraveller]

It is not going to be an easy journey since Burton is a relatively small place. Used to live a few miles from there in the 1980s- famous for its breweries but definitely not a tourist destination!

For trains,try looking at nationalrail.co.uk. I had a quick look and you can get from London to Burton on Trent but you have to change at Derby. Prices vary enormously but booking a specific timed train well in advance will usually get you the lowest fares. The Burton on Trent to Dover route is a lot more complicated and involves changing trains in Birmingham and London.

As far as the bus goes, try looking at nationalexpress.com. You will probably have to change at least once on the way up there and more than once on the way back to Dover.

Best of luck!

[Kukiz]

Sounds like it's easier to go directly from London to Birmingham. I have friends living near Burton-on-Trent and would like to visit their home prior to our cruise.

 

Wanted to surprise them with our visit, but that may not happen as it sounds very complicated for our first time visit. How far is Burton-on-Trent from Birmingham?

 

Also in order to get from Birmingham to Dover do you have to go back to London and than go London to Dover. Is there a direct route via train or bus to Dover from Birmingham?

 

Got a ton of questions, I appreciate you helping.

[uktraveller]

Hi Kukiz,

Birmingham to Burton on Trent is about 30 miles.

It doesn't look like you can get to Dover either by bus or train without going via London (although I am not claiming to be an expert on public transport).

 

Your journey would be simpler if you terminated at Birmingham and perhaps got your friends to meet you there?

 

You can get a direct coach(bus) from London to Birmingham and on the return you would simply have to change at Victoria coach station in London to get to Dover. The downside of the coach is the slow journey time!

 

On the trains you can get a direct service between London Euston and Birmingham(New Street) and on the return journey take the same route back to London, change from Euston station to Charing Cross, and get a direct service to Dover. Train will be more expensive but much quicker and more comfortable.

 

Even 'tho it is your first time visit, that sounds pretty straight forward. I wish you the very best of luck:) - let me know if I can help more.

[Kindlychap]

Hi Kukiz,

Birmingham to Burton on Trent is about 30 miles.

It doesn't look like you can get to Dover either by bus or train without going via London (although I am not claiming to be an expert on public transport).

 

Your journey would be simpler if you terminated at Birmingham and perhaps got your friends to meet you there?

 

You can get a direct coach(bus) from London to Birmingham and on the return you would simply have to change at Victoria coach station in London to get to Dover. The downside of the coach is the slow journey time!

 

On the trains you can get a direct service between London Euston and Birmingham(New Street) and on the return journey take the same route back to London, change from Euston station to Charing Cross, and get a direct service to Dover. Train will be more expensive but much quicker and more comfortable.

 

Even 'tho it is your first time visit, that sounds pretty straight forward. I wish you the very best of luck:) - let me know if I can help more.

 

Burton is also available via St. Pancras and Midland Mainline (www.midllandmainline.com) although they are losing the franchise in a week or so. It may be cheaper that way - and there are some direct trains to Burton (I'm sure the 18:00 is one from memory, but I haven't checked)

 

Matthew

[Kukiz]

Thanks for all the information. I will start looking into all of the options you both suggested.

 

Do you think instead of all the hassle of changing trains and/or buses it would be easier to rent a car? I won't drive in England, scared I might make a wrong turn and land on the wrong side of the road but my DH said he's o.k. with driving on the opposite side of the road.

 

I checked with Hertz and they have a drop off in Dover and we can pick the car up at Gatwick. When I did MAPQUEST it is about a 4 hour drive from Burton-on-Trent to Dover and it wasn't a straight shot, looks like one could get lost very easily.

 

Not sure of the prices on the train/bus, but the car would cost about $200 U.S. plus taxes for 3 day rental and would need to consider the price of gas which I understand is quite expensive in England.

 

Still have lots of time to look into our transportation options and decide which is the best way to get to our destination, half the fun is planning the trip.

 

Thanks all for your input.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

It's always adviseable to drive on the correct side of the road according to the local highway laws.

 

So, if you hire a car in UK, Ireland, Japan, etc do remember that they drive on the left. Do this and you shouldn't present any problems.

[uktraveller]

As far as driving goes, a tank of petrol for a midsize car will cost you about $80-90. That's probably an :eek: to you! LOL.

BOT to Dover is actually a fairly straightforward route involving mostly dual carriageway and motorway driving, using the M1, then round London on the M25 and finally the easy bit down the M20 to Dover. Please be aware 'tho that the M1 and the M25 are very congested motorways so you will need to allow extra time for your journey!

Driving on the opposite side of the road is quite easy when you get used to it - especially when you have the steering wheel on the correct side!

[RayF]

Kukiz,

 

I live in Derby so know the area well. Burton-on-Trent is not on a direct road or rail line to London. The best route might depend on which side of Burton your friends live. Do you know the actual place where they live ?

 

Hiring a car would probably be easiest overall, if you don't mind driving. But you'll be jet-lagged when you arrive and that's probably not the best time to be driving in a strange car on the wrong side of the road.

 

The best route by rail from Gatwick to Burton is to take the Thameslink service from Gatwick to Bedford and then a train from Bedford to Derby. That way you avoid having to cross Central London. Burton is about 10 miles from Derby, so a cab from Derby to your friend's house should not be too expensive.

[Kukiz]

Kukiz,

 

I live in Derby so know the area well. Burton-on-Trent is not on a direct road or rail line to London. The best route might depend on which side of Burton your friends live. Do you know the actual place where they live ?

 

Hiring a car would probably be easiest overall, if you don't mind driving. But you'll be jet-lagged when you arrive and that's probably not the best time to be driving in a strange car on the wrong side of the road.

 

The best route by rail from Gatwick to Burton is to take the Thameslink service from Gatwick to Bedford and then a train from Bedford to Derby. That way you avoid having to cross Central London. Burton is about 10 miles from Derby, so a cab from Derby to your friend's house should not be too expensive.

 

My friends live in Roliston, South Derbyshire, their zip code is DE12.8JQ

Are you familar with this area?

 

Hiring a car does seem like the best way to get to their home. Since we will be flying to England a few days days prior to our cruise, we probally will stay overnight in London, get some rest because of jet lag and wake up early the next morning and drive to their home.

 

The day of our cruise, we will need to leave early morning from their home to get to Dover. But I think we will have plenty of time to get to the port as the ship does not leave until 7:00 p.m.

 

We still haven't ruled out taking the train entirely, but seem to be leaning towards renting a car.

[RayF]

My friends live in Roliston, South Derbyshire, their zip code is DE12.8JQ

Are you familar with this area?

 

Hiring a car does seem like the best way to get to their home. Since we will be flying to England a few days days prior to our cruise, we probally will stay overnight in London, get some rest because of jet lag and wake up early the next morning and drive to their home.

 

The day of our cruise, we will need to leave early morning from their home to get to Dover. But I think we will have plenty of time to get to the port as the ship does not leave until 7:00 p.m.

 

We still haven't ruled out taking the train entirely, but seem to be leaning towards renting a car.

 

Thanks for the postcode (zip code), that was useful. The village is actually called Rosliston and is about 5 miles south of Burton upon Trent. Confusingly, there is another village called Rolleston just north of Burton. You don't want to end up in the wrong place :)

 

Hiring a car certainly looks your best option. The route from Gatwick is all on motorway except for the last few miles. The route I would recommend is M23 towards London; M25 towards (and past) Heathrow; M40 towards Birmingham; M42 towards (and past) Tamworth. Leave the M42 at junction 11 and take the A444 towards Burton. Rosliston should be signed off this road on the left before you reach Burton. (Motorway exits in the UK are numbered, usually counting up as you go away from London. The numbers are shown clearly on the exit signs and we tend to refer to the exits by number rather than the the name of a town or a road number). The journey should take 3 to 4 hours depending on traffic.

 

It is not a tourist area, but your friends should be able to show you some places of interest. You will be very close to the National Memorial Arboretum http://www.nationalmemorialarboretum.org/ where the Queen recently opened a memorial to all the British Service personnel killed since the end of WW2. There are also several historic houses nearby and Stratford is only about an hours drive away.

 

For your journey to Dover, I'd suggest that you return the same way M42, M40, M25 south of London then M26 M20 and A20 to Dover. This is slightly longer than taking the M25 to the north of London but probably less busy. This should take 4 to 5 hours.

 

I hope that you enjoy your visit.

[Kindlychap]

The best route by rail from Gatwick to Burton is to take the Thameslink service from Gatwick to Bedford and then a train from Bedford to Derby. That way you avoid having to cross Central London. Burton is about 10 miles from Derby, so a cab from Derby to your friend's house should not be too expensive.

 

The 18:00 and 19:00 from St. Pancras are direct. Other than that, as you say change at Derby (or cab, as you say)

 

I'd avoid Thameslink like the plague. Often terribly busy, especially at rush hour, and slow. I'd take the Gatwick Express to Victoria, cab to St. Pancras and then train to Derby - unless it was early evening, of course, when I'd take one of the two trains mentioned.

 

I used to commute from Bedford, so am well aware of the limitations of Thameslink (or First Capital Connect, as it is now). Midland Mainline has been much better, and I used them from Bedford as often as I could.

 

Matthew