pantelia

I decided a couple of weeks ago to cancel my solo trip to Florence and Venice in January. Now I have a credit with USAir (through Orbitz). I'd like to take my mom to England for a long weekend, in March.

I've found great prices on Orbitz for USAir, which works for me, because I can use my credit for my ticket, and my mom's ticket would only be about $487 (TPA to LGW). We would be heading to Keighley (West Yorkshire) via National Express as soon as we land. I know it's not the best option, but it works well for my budget, and neither my mom or I mind the bus.

My question is...I'd like to get my mom to Salcombe the day before we are due to fly home. Her father is buried in a Royal Navy cemetary there, and her mother's ashes are buried at his headstone (I believe a cousin of mine did this, rather than scattering them as it was windy that day). I've been to the cemetary once, and my mother has never been. My grandfather died in the war, when my mom was 3 and my nana died in 1993. When I went, a friend drove me, so I have no clue about public transport to and from Salcombe from London.

I haven't really looked online (shame on me, I know) and thought I'd start here. I'm going to check some sites now, but wanted to post here first.

Thanks so much!

chartley

You can check timetables for journeys by public transport using the Transport direct section of the U.K. Government website at www.direct.gov.uk/Homepage/fs/en. Select "Journey Planner" under "Travel and Transport". I had no difficulty finding a journey from London to Salcombe using trains and buses.

alanRow

If cost is really a major problem then you'll find that it's cheaper to buy Gatwick to London & London to LEEDS as separate tickets. Then once in Leeds make your way to the train station and get a local train to Keighley - a one way fare could be as little as £11 in total

fuzzylogic

Hello,

Keighley, Yorks to Salcombe, Devon - that's a hard one. And you say you want to visit the day before you need to be back in London to fly out.

I would doubt very much that you could make it by public transport (any form) from Salcombe to London Heathrow, or Gatwick, on the same day unless you left VERY early and your flight departed very late. Travelling cross country - ie not city to city can be very time consuming in the UK even though it is such a small place.

The best I can do is suggest you get a good map on paper so you can try and work out likely combinations. And see the making of the trip Keighley - Salcombe - London as part of the holiday - ie. plan some intermediate stops that you will enjoy.

Try www.viamichelin.com for maps and driving instructions (a clue to likely transport nodes).

And www.seat61.com for everything you always wanted to know about trains.

I wish you luck - it will take loads of effort on the net to find the best option - and whatever you come up with will be a time consuming. So again, make it a journey for its own sake rather than one to just get from A to B.

Bristol might be a good stopping point.

I wouldn't recommend driving it unless you stop - but that could also be an option - there might be reasonable deals for one way rentals if you pick up a car from a major centre (Manchester, Leeds) and leave it at the airport.

Cheers.

janisj

your itinerary is one of the most challenging I've seen posted on here. London &gt; Yorkshire &gt; Devon &gt; London, over a <b>long weekend</b> no less. This would be difficult driving yourselves and I'd guess nearly impossible by public transport. Taking a long distance coach right after landing would not be my choice for sure. But also delays are very common on the trains on weekends since they tend to do repair work then.

I think you really need to decide which is more important to you -- Keighley OR Salcombe -- and pick one.

pantelia

I knew this would be challenging, and since my mom's from Keighley and that's where the family is...I guess I'll have to drop Salcombe. I had a terrible time last night and this morning, trying to figure it out with public transport.

Thanks for the help! Happy Travels!