British Chess Championships - Public Travel Options

[David Clayton]

Hello

I have been doing some research on rail travel to Canterbury from London on the High Speed London rail link.

I have found a good deal called group save which may be interesting for some. 4 people travel for the price of 2 off peak, which works out at £13.90 each for a return.

Can anyone better that?

The information I have found is below, of course, it's only my summary on what I think is available as things stand today. So please check with SE trains before making a decision on your travel plans.

There are also some good deals on the local stagecoach bus (one of our sponsors), daily and weekly tickets.

Any feedback on my notes would be welcome.

Regards

David


Traveling to the British Chess Championships by High Speed Rail
Below is a summary of fares available from Southeastern’s High Speed rail service.

The service operates from London St Pancras International to Canterbury West on the new High Speed rail line. Other fares, with longer rail journeys from other London Railway stations are available.

High Speed rail journeys take less than 1 hour from London to Canterbury. The High Speed trains also stop at Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International railway stations. There is generally one direct High Speed train per hour and one High Speed Train requiring a change of train.


Day Return Tickets
• Anytime Day return ticket from St Pancras International to Canterbury West is £31.50.
• Off Peak Day return costs £27.90. The first Off-Peak Day Return train (Monday to Friday) from of St Pancras
International is the 09.49 service. No restriction Saturday or Sunday.
• If you intend to travel by the frequent bus service to the university from the Railway station, ask for a Canterbury
Plusbus ticket when you purchase your rail ticket in the morning at the booking office. Information is available from
the Plusbus website - http://www.plusbus.org - some fare information below:

o Canterbury Plusbus day tickets:
 Adult £1.80
 Child 90p
 Railcard holder £1.20


Cheap Advanced Fares
Please note, unlike a lot of other rail fares, there are no cheap train fares if booked in advance when travelling solely on the Southeastern network, i.e. from London to Canterbury.


GroupSave
If you are travelling down with friends or family, this is an ideal ticket to save you money. Groups of three or four can travel Off Peak for the price of two.

• GroupSave 3 is available for combinations of:
o 3 adults
o 2 adults and 1 child
o 1 adult and 2 children

• GroupSave 4 is available for combinations of:
o 4 adults
o 3 adults and 1 child
o 2 adults and 2 children
o 1 adult and 3 children

Each adult using GroupSave 4 will pay only £13.90 for a day return from London to Canterbury.

It is available from any ticket office (but not online nor from the ticket machines), you don’t need to book ahead, just ask for the ticket on the day you travel.

The first Off-Peak Day Return train (Monday to Friday) from St Pancras International is the 09.49 service. No restriction Saturday or Sunday.

GroupSave is also valid on Off-Peak Returns for return within one calendar month.

Canterbury Plusbus tickets are also available with this ticket.

Please remember – You all have to travel together.


Weekly Highspeed ticket
A weekly Highspeed ticket (valid for 7 days, no time restriction) from London to Canterbury costs £115.20. Plusbus 7 day ticket costs £9.

• For 5 days, the daily return fare, including the Plusbus ticket is £24.84.
• For 7 days, the daily return fare, including the Plusbus ticket is £17.74


Railcard Reductions
There are no Railcard reductions with Highspeed tickets.


When Returning back to London
Please remember, there are two train stations in Canterbury, Canterbury West and Canterbury East. All High speed trains use Canterbury West; this is the closest station to the British Championships.

Canterbury Mega Rider Bus Tickets
If you wish to travel around Canterbury and the surrounding area, including travel from Canterbury to the university, you may wish to purchase a Mega Rider bus ticket, daily and weekly versions.

[Ben Purton]

Clayton, how much is accomdation for this event matey, I fly out for my Krav maga fighting competition 2 days after British so if i played id need to be able to go to uni training rooms etc for good 3-4 hours a day before my game.

Tmb Ben

[Ljubica Lazarevic]

You might be able to add a network railcard/young persons rail card to that too, takes another 1/3 off

[David Clayton]

Railcard Reductions
There are no Railcard reductions with Highspeed tickets.

You might be able to add a network railcard/young persons rail card to that too, takes another 1/3 off

Ljubica, I don't believe this to be the case on the High Speed, but others who live in the area may know.

Regards

David

[Kevin Thurlow]

Although I won't be making use of public transport on this occasion, thanks to David for publishing his research!

[Ljubica Lazarevic]

Haha, whoops, I missed that small, minor detail . My apologies! If you go the snail's route, then you can use railcards.

[David Clayton]

For those of you travelling from various parts of the country, here are some cheap advanced rail fares.

All are depart on Sunday 25 July and return Saturday 7 August

Manchester dep. 12:35, Canterbury arr. 16:39
Canterbury dep. 10:25, Manchester arr. 14:07
Single fares: £20

Doncaster dep. 12:10, Canterbury arr. 15:39
Canterbury dep. 10:25, Doncaster arr. 13:52
Single fares: £31

Bristol dep. 13:30, Canterbury arr. 17:21
Canterbury dep. 10:35, Bristol arr. 14:04
Single fares: £14.50 (1st £32:50)

and for Alex
Birmingham dep. 13:30, Canterbury arr. 16:39
Canterbury dep. 11:25, Birmingham arr. 14:27
Single fares: £11.00

Go to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk for these and other fares. Remember however, these are advanced fares and will not be available closer to the British Championships.

David

[Alex Holowczak]

and for Alex
Birmingham dep. 13:30, Canterbury arr. 16:39
Canterbury dep. 11:25, Birmingham arr. 14:27
Single fares: £11.00

Thanks

[David Clayton]

and for Alex
Birmingham dep. 13:30, Canterbury arr. 16:39
Canterbury dep. 11:25, Birmingham arr. 14:27
Single fares: £11.00

Thanks

Alex

And for everyone else who has a rail card, you can reduce your fare by one third. So for example, the £11 single fare from Birmingham to Canterbury will only cost £7.25. But remember, they are advanced fares and are only available for a limited time.

David

[Alex Holowczak]

and for Alex
Birmingham dep. 13:30, Canterbury arr. 16:39
Canterbury dep. 11:25, Birmingham arr. 14:27
Single fares: £11.00

Thanks

Alex

And for everyone else who has a rail card, you can reduce your fare by one third. So for example, the £11 single fare from Birmingham to Canterbury will only cost £7.25. But remember, they are advanced fares and are only available for a limited time.

David

I don't have one of those railcards though.

I have this (what I perceive to be) superpass that lets me use any tram, train or bus in the West Midlands area at a cost of £199 per "term". This is extremely good value. Now I have to travel a bit further afield, I might look into a railcard though. They cost £26 (£65/3 years), and entitle you to 1/3 off... so if my total rail travel beyond the West Midlands exceeds £78 per year, it's worth it, because I save the £26 that I lost when I bought the pass. Now I do 4NCL stuff, as well as the BUCA stuff, it's probably worth the investment now - I hadn't bargained on all this 12 months ago!

However... my Aston University friend who qualified does have a railcard, so I shall definitely mention it to him. Although, he says he might cycle down there.