2011-06-20 - Rolling to the Stones - Destination Avebury

minimal? awesome, i don't think my bike will be ready by next monday so i think i'l borrow my mates geared bike. can't wait!

Alright folks,

am really looking forward to this but have just found out I am putting up some mates from stralia who arrive at heathrow at 7am on Tuesday, assuming the volcano disruptions are over by then. I don't have to meet them at the airport, they know the way to my house (Vauxhall) so reckon they will be there about 8ish, I guess they can wait in a greasy spoon for an hour or something if I'm late so I reckon I'll need to be back for 9ish.

How long do people tend to hang around the stones? Having been warned it will be freezing I will be prepared and assuming its not pissing it down in biblical fashion I think I'd be up for a couple of bevvies and soak up the yoghurt weaving atmosphere for a few hours before heading off.

Train back from Swindon seems to be the preferred route back and take about an hour it seems. I've never been to Swindon, thankfully, but it seems about 10 miles away from Avebury so if I allow an hour to get there I think I can stay at Avebury till as late as 7am.

And have you lot booked you tickets back already? All I can see on the thread is Mr Hedge is getting the 6.28 train. Don't tell me you are all cycling back??! Or are you getting tickets on the morning? I was going to do the latter so to be as flexible as possible but having just checked legalisedrobbery.com, aka Great Western Trains, I see the tickets seem to range in price from £38 to £94.50, for a hours journey, cheeky feckers. As I'm unemployed the second of these figures is well beyond my means so was about to book an advance ticket for £38 quid but just wondered if group saves is an option? I was totally unaware of this group save lark until the Cambridge ride when the now world famous Dropout introduced me to them but am a bit worried about getting stung on the day so wondered what you lot were doing and if its best if I just get an advance single for 38quid?

cheers
Dan

ps -sorry for the tl:dr-ness of this, must work on getting my questions more concise
pps -well its certainly not getting any shorter with all the ps's is it

i was thinking we would just get tickets in the morning, 38 quid still seems like quite a lot of money, but i have no idea how much a ticket should cost, group saves are the best.

I think the problem with groupsave is that the ticket office needs to be open at Swindon to do it.

Then again, maybe the ticket office will be open early at a big commuter station...

Swindon ticket office opens at 6am.

I don't understand this, I'm sure when I checked before there were walk on off peak singles for about £17 or something. Cheapest I can now find is £30 but most trains are £38.

Groupsave isn't coming up - I think this is because a 6am train into London from Swindon is the start of peak commuter time. And you couldn't buy a ticket before 6am because the office is shut, so groupsaves aren't going to happen I'm afraid.

An off peak single from Pewsey is £22, or if you wait for the 10.17 train you can get a super off peak for £18.50. Both of those can be discounted with a Young Person's Railcard.

So I suggest Pewsey. To get to Pewsey you go south, it's probably nearer than Swindon actually. The best way there is also lanes, not an A road.

Gah, Worst Late Western's website is saying the first train you can get with the £22 ticket is the 8.08.

Who to believe?

I'm just thinking book an advance ticket on the 6.25 (£20, less with railcard) and make sure I get there in time.

Anyone else fancy doing that?

^I'm up for any route back thats cheap and gets me back to London in time so good detective work Fox, I'm up for the Pewsey route.

So if there is no group save as its peak commuter time will they even allow a bunch of cyclists on these trains?

I might chill (literally) in Avebury for a while, if anyone wamts to hang out with the freaks for a while.

Where's the best station to head for?

oops Pewsey eh.

8.08 is alright, no?

we're gonna be ragged on that train. haha.

edit: Let's chant with the hippies and the supersaver 10.17...

i'm up for anything really, going with fox to get an early train or staying and getting a later one, only thing is, i don't have a credit card (or any type of card) so i can't book online at all.

I could buy a ticket for you Joe and you could pay me back. I'm easy really, just worried about hanging around for too long in the cold. This is a bit like:

YouTube - ‪cowboys herding cats‬‏

yeah, sounds good to me, you gonna go for the early train?

ok.

i'm gonna make a call and say that people should organise which or whatever transport back they feel most comfortable with.

i've got no idea how long we'll be at the stones it might be a quick stop unless the sun really comes out! i don't need to be back to london till midday or so, so happy to chill if its nice.

i will be heading to pewsey and will buy a ticket whatever the price to get me back to london.

EDIT
wow, just checked trains from pewsey.
cheaper and only a half hour slower.

pewsey it is then!

right, then.

i've booked a train from pewsey for 0625 with a bike reservation.

::Forever alone::

::Forever alone::

insert sad face here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am selling my ticket from Pewsey to London 08:08-09:21h with bike reservation for a pint at drinks as I am unable to make this ride.

http://www.lfgss.com/post2145553-6.html

gutting ludwig.

catch you soon then.....

dibs ticket then Ludwig if you definately can't make it and no one has claimed it already.

happy to pay you the full price you paid as that is still significantly cheaper than what I've seen.

i've booked a train from pewsey for 0625 with a bike reservation.

::Forever alone::

No longer alone, I've just booked tickets for me, superjoe and spybot on the 6.25 too.

Given a walk on fare on that train is £49, I'd kinda strongly recommend if you don't want to hang about till 10 you also book an advance ticket pronto...

I'm on the 0628 from swindon. Sniff

Oh sorry, I thought you meant skive would be alone. My bad.

I'm sure some other peeps will get that train.

Dtm

1. skive
   
2. bobbydazzle
   
3. smiff (as long as i am back to full health by then)
   
4. fussballclub
   
5. laner
   
6. 105champ
   
7. Skully
   
8. Stonehedge
   
9. Drop the Druid
   
10. 
    
11. ashleyisdabest
    
12. jedininja
    
13. youramericanpagan
    
14. blue fleet
    
15. danns
    
16. Branwen
    
17. CTML
    
18. spybot
    
19. Fox
    
    

i think i'm going to have to bail so i'll do it now while i remember, busy weekend and too much on next week. there's a chance i might still decide to make it, if i do i'll see you at Hyde Park.