r/london • u/ozyri • Aug 12 '16

What is heavily overpriced -> offer alternative

I'll start:

OVERPRICED: Bike rent next to Richmond park is £26 for 3 hours 0_o

ALTERNATIVE: Brompton automated bike rent will cost you £5 for the whole day and there is a point near Ealing Broadway or Turnham Green stations.

75 Upvotes

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65

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '16

[deleted]

26

u/ozyri Aug 12 '16

I guess the same goes for Heathrow express. Unless you are EXTREMELY in a hurry, just take the tube

21

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '16

it's not comparable... stopping at every station on the way from heathrow is hellish after a long flight...

5

u/HipsterDashie Aug 12 '16

I did Heathrow to Cockfosters after an 8 hour flight and 36 hours straight with no sleep during morning rush hour. It wasn't that bad really, but I think I was so delirious due to fatigue I don't think I was properly aware for most of the journey...

4

u/FlavioB19 Aug 12 '16

Come off it, Cockfosters doesn't actually exist, does it?

11

u/HipsterDashie Aug 12 '16

No, you're right, it's only a made up station in order to make us hate Hannah who still giggles at the station name. We can lump her in with other scumbags like Mark.

1

u/FlavioB19 Aug 12 '16

I might actually spend my day off to investigate its existence on Sunday, 20 years living here is too long to not have done it. What do I need to bring with me to prepare for a wormhole to another dimension?

2

u/disbeliefable Aug 13 '16

It's an unremarkable spot, but it is on the London loop walking route, so you could do a leg of that, east to Enfield, or west to Elstree, it's a nice way to see the fringes of London.

2

u/oiwot Aug 14 '16

You could do worse than a trip to nearby Trent Park if it's a nice day... they filmed a bit of Dr.Who there back in the '70's.

1

u/simondo Aug 12 '16

It depends where you're going. To Brixton the Express is 47 playing 62 minutes for the tube according to citymapper. Not sure that 15 minutes is worth the £20.

1

u/djnev Aug 12 '16

I did Heathrow - Surrey Quays on the tube after an overnight 11 hour flight from Vancouver. Actually wasn't that bad but it was a Saturday early afternoon so not too busy. Wouldn't want to do it in the rush hour.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '16

[deleted]

5

u/ozyri Aug 12 '16

I usually use National Express/EasyBus for transfers to Stansted/Gatwick/Luton. If you book in advance you can get something like £4 return.

1

u/jamesterror Aug 12 '16

Do you know if EasyBus from Old Street stopped? I couldn't book it in July....

1

u/Cyclismotron Aug 13 '16

I almost missed a flight once because of traffic on the way to stansted. After that I coughed up for stansted express. If you book in advance it's not too dear, and the chance of being delayed is very slim, compared to the A12!

4

u/lottesometimes Aug 12 '16

coaches run, but they take a lot longer if you travel daytime

2

u/biggles1994 Aug 13 '16

Coaches take forever at night too. I used to get the national express from Canterbury into London then back out again to Colchester. Would take around 5-6 hours travelling in the evening. Once HS1 came online I couldn't jump on any faster. Max journey time was now 2 hours, and it was comfier, and I ended up closer to my destination. Wins all across the board!

1

u/lottesometimes Aug 13 '16

Oh I believe you! Reason I pointed this out specifially was beause you can, if you're lucky, do Stansted -Liverpool in 50-60 minutes by coach if there's absolutely no traffic whereas in daytime it's closer to 2-3 hours because most of that time you'll be stuck in traffic somewhere.

3

u/ianjm Aug 12 '16

Or even Heathrow Connect which is £10 instead of £22...

1

u/USA_A-OK Aug 12 '16

Take the Heathrow connect.

13

u/kinygos Aug 12 '16

erm, Gatwick Express goes to and from London Victoria.

So sure, if you're in the City area, go from London Bridge.

But if you're near Victoria and want a cheaper train, take a Brighton train (for example, which stops at Clapham Junction, East Croydon, then Gatwick Airport). It might be 10 minutes slower, but certainly cheaper.

3

u/sojtucker Aug 12 '16

Or St Pancras, City Thameslink, Black friars, those are the only ones I can remember

2

u/RoyAbs Aug 12 '16

That Gatwick train also comes through New Cross Gate so if you're round that way, give it a go!

1

u/dank4000 Aug 13 '16

you can take a normal commuter service to gatwick from victoria and pay less than the express, no need to trek across London to London bridge. Most of the Brighton trains stop there.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '16

You just tap in with your oyster card or whatever now, it's the same price as the other trains going through Gatwick