TT Meet 2012 - Crewe - 25/08/12 - FINAL PREPARATIONS

yorkie · **Joined:** Mon Oct 11, 2004 12:38 am **Posts:** 185

47434 wrote:

£22.80 isn't too bad from Huddersfield, and that's an OPR. Might be able to get it down a bit more nearer the time. Will see you there barring hell or high water (or a cruel draw for next season's fixtures!)

There isn't an OPR for that flow, that's an SVR :wink:

You can reduce the price by combining a Huddersfield - Manchester Stns CDR plus a Manchester - Crewe CDR on Virgin, but this only saves £2.60 so may not be worth it for the reduced flexibility of not being able to take Northern or XC. You could save a further 40p going via Hebden Bridge, but again not worth the saving.

As for that £46 ticket, I am sure that can be reduced if that's the normal price, as there's nearly always a way round expensive fares :twisted:

47434 · **Posted:** Tue May 29, 2012 12:23 pm

yorkie wrote:

47434 wrote:

£22.80 isn't too bad from Huddersfield, and that's an OPR. Might be able to get it down a bit more nearer the time. Will see you there barring hell or high water (or a cruel draw for next season's fixtures!)

There isn't an OPR for that flow, that's an SVR :wink:

You can reduce the price by combining a Huddersfield - Manchester Stns CDR plus a Manchester - Crewe CDR on Virgin, but this only saves £2.60 so may not be worth it for the reduced flexibility of not being able to take Northern or XC. You could save a further 40p going via Hebden Bridge, but again not worth the saving.

As for that £46 ticket, I am sure that can be reduced if that's the normal price, as there's nearly always a way round expensive fares :twisted:

Sorry, I was using OPR as short-hand for Off-Peak Return, forgetting that it's an official abbreviation for Super-Off-Peak Return (Simplification? Really??? :shock:

). I did consider splitting at Manchester, but as you say that's Virgin only- and as far as I can tell the quickest overall journey time is combining FTPE with Arriva Wales anyway thanks to a better connection at Piccadilly. I'll stick to the walk-on fare I think, because there's every chance I'll stop off with mates in Manchester on the way back.

Of course, advance tickets split at Piccadilly could see it as low as a tenner, but I'd rather pay a bit more for the flexibility. (and this coming from a Yorkshireman!) :lol:

Dave W · **Posted:** Tue May 29, 2012 1:24 pm

My ticket's to Wem, valid via Crewe. Couple of quid cheaper TUT!

orudge · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 11:36 am

So, depending on who you book with, tickets are available now for the 25th and a day or so either side. You have been reminded.

Having perused quite a large variety of options for me to get from here to my Grandad's at North Wales, and from there to Crewe and back, however, I have decided that the practicality, speed and convenience of the car does win out against the comfort of the train (I was looking at advance first class tickets generally). Unfortunately, most of the train journeys take quite a few hours longer than my trip by road would (or, more specifically, I'd have to sit and wait in several stations for a couple of hours each way, which would be tedious). Price-wise, they work out about the same (with a railcard, which I'd need to buy a new one of).

Incidentally, flying also works out to be a similar price, but is more of a faff in terms of getting from Banchory to Aberdeen Airport, and getting from Manchester Airport to Crewe.

Geo Ghost · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 11:57 am

I'll probably do the booking later in June. Mainly because I'm seriously considering making an APT documentary at the moment so going to be working out whether to do a stop-over at Crewe for a couple of days or whether I'm going to do it before August

Dave W · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 12:19 pm

orudge wrote:

Manchester Airport to Crewe.

Direct train you fool!

orudge · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 1:47 pm

Dave W wrote:

Direct train you fool!

Well, I am aware of that, yes, and it isn't particularly expensive, either. Banchory to Aberdeen Airport, however, is still a bit of a faff, in that it either requires me to drive and pay a fortune for parking (depending on how long I'm away for), or involves Jen having to drive me there and back at potentially awkward times!

Anyway, the car will be fine, and it looks like there's free parking at the Heritage Centre and cheap parking at the Crewe Arms, should that be where we decide to take up residence. (There's also a Wetherspoons that was suggested, I believe, which is a half mile walk from the Heritage Centre.)

Dave W · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 2:18 pm

orudge wrote:

Dave W wrote:

Direct train you fool!

Well, I am aware of that, yes, and it isn't particularly expensive, either. Banchory to Aberdeen Airport, however, is still a bit of a faff, in that it either requires me to drive and pay a fortune for parking (depending on how long I'm away for), or involves Jen having to drive me there and back at potentially awkward times!

Anyway, the car will be fine, and it looks like there's free parking at the Heritage Centre and cheap parking at the Crewe Arms, should that be where we decide to take up residence. (There's also a Wetherspoons that was suggested, I believe, which is a half mile walk from the Heritage Centre.)

Haha save the planet!!

JamieLei · **Posted:** Wed May 30, 2012 9:30 pm

Dave W wrote:

orudge wrote:

Dave W wrote:

Direct train you fool!

Well, I am aware of that, yes, and it isn't particularly expensive, either. Banchory to Aberdeen Airport, however, is still a bit of a faff, in that it either requires me to drive and pay a fortune for parking (depending on how long I'm away for), or involves Jen having to drive me there and back at potentially awkward times!

Anyway, the car will be fine, and it looks like there's free parking at the Heritage Centre and cheap parking at the Crewe Arms, should that be where we decide to take up residence. (There's also a Wetherspoons that was suggested, I believe, which is a half mile walk from the Heritage Centre.)

Haha save the planet!!

He'd do it if he could get Avios points in the process!

orudge · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2012 9:29 am

Well, every time I fill up with petrol at Tesco I get 1% back in Clubcard points, with each point turning into 2.4 Avios. So a £40 spend gives me a whopping 96 Avios.

I also get 3% cashback on petrol (at any petrol station) with one of my credit cards. Due to a combination of this credit card, my Clubcard and a 5p/litre off voucher, I effectively filled up for 120.9p/litre the other day, with the pump price being 130.9p/litre.

I can earn miles when on the train too, though. If I were to book my train tickets with my Amex, I'd get 1 Avios per pound. If they don't take Amex, though, then I have to use my Clubcard credit card, and we're talking about 2.4 points per £4, or effectively 0.6 points per pound (but if you spent £3.99 even a million times, you'd earn zilch.)

I don't think I've used a debit card (or cash) to pay for much in the past few years (with some obvious things excepted - I don't whip out a credit card every time I want to buy a pint in the pub!). It slightly pained me recently when Jen spent lots of money on some stuff, and paid for it with a Maestro card... just think of the lost earning opportunities!

Disclaimer to people: if you actually get into debt on a credit card, the interest payments far, far outweigh any benefits you may earn. So be sensible and pay off your balance every month, and make the credit cards work for you.

orudge · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 1:53 pm

Sorry for the double post, but actually, I've just gone and booked 8 train tickets, which will get me to and from North Wales (and from there to and from the meet) in reasonable comfort for more or less the same cost as driving would. And, surprisingly, on the return journey at least, it'll actually be just about as quick as driving, due to some decently-aligned connections for once.

Friday:

ScotRail from Stonehaven to Edinburgh (standard class)
Virgin from Edinburgh to Crewe (first class)
Arriva Trains Wales from Crewe to Flint (Cardiff - Holyhead premier service in first class, for all of 45 minutes)

Saturday:

Arriva Trains Wales from Flint to Crewe, and back (day return, standard class)

Monday:

Arriva Trains Wales from Flint to Warrington Bank Quay (standard class)
Virgin from Warrington Bank Quay to Haymarket (first class)
East Coast from Haymarket to Stonehaven (first class)

Now I just need to renew my railcard... shall have to do this on or around my birthday. Next year I'll need to renew it just before my birthday I guess, as I shall be turning 26 then.

Ameecher · **Posted:** Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:13 am

You live in Banchory? I was there the other day!

orudge · **Posted:** Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:00 am

I do indeed, as of a couple of months ago.

Ameecher · **Posted:** Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:55 pm

orudge wrote:

I do indeed, as of a couple of months ago.

The B974 is a fun road.

orudge · **Posted:** Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:51 pm

It's quite awesome. Much, much more fun than the tedious old A90.

47407 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:24 pm

It now looks unlikely that Ill attend the meet because of personal issues.

Ill be recategorising myself now... :cry:

orudge · **Posted:** Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:33 pm

Might I suggest that those who have booked transport already please update the wiki page with their arrival times? This way it'll let me know what sort of time I should be there.

I'm aiming for an 11:18 arrival at Crewe, and departure again at 16:23. However, I can get any trains on the day really, so I could arrive a bit earlier if necessary.

Geo Ghost · **Posted:** Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:33 pm

I'll be working on mine when I come back. Trying to plan a possible documentary that will be filmed in Crewe. So if that goes ahead, I'll be staying up there longer. So may as well wait to see if I can get that of the ground and around the same date first.

SHADOW-XIII · **Posted:** Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:29 pm

I think I will be sitting this one down unless I find few people traveling from London :wink:

SkeedR · **Posted:** Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:42 pm

I've made plans to be at this for once. Traveling from Wolverhampton so if anyone wants to meet me at Wolverhampton station please PM me.

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TT Meet 2012 - Crewe - 25/08/12 - FINAL PREPARATIONS

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