tkridge

We are family of 4 (2 teens) flying to Heathrow on June 28th. We plan to stay in London until July 1st, then take train to Reading, England. Our 18 year old son will travel ahead of us to prepare for competitive rowing in Royal Henley Regatta. Can you give us insight on 2 things?

1. We don't need car in London, and plan to take one-way train to Reading on July 1st. Do we need to get train tickets ahead of time?

2. Should we rent car in Reading, or just take train/taxi back and forth to Thames rowing location? We are staying in Reading because all other locations closer to race site are full. (We are accustomed to driving on right side of road...can we adapt easily or is it too difficult for average American tourists like us?)
Thank you!

BTilke

I answered these questions on your other posts.

You do not need to get tickets in advance for trains between London and Reading. You can, though, to save time waiting in line. Trains to Reading are quite frequent.

As I noted in your previous threads, renting a car is not the best way to enjoy the regatta...you will have to deal with traffic jams, irritable drivers, and overflowing parking lots.

It's very easy to catch a train from Reading to Twyford (just one stop), then change over to for the short local train ride to Henley.

tkridge

Thank you for all your insight! Very helpful. Another parent will be flying into Heathrow around 10pm on July 1st and wants to get safely from airport to Reading also. Does train go directly from Heathrow or only from selected areas in London? Also, do you think train at night is quite safe for single woman travelling alone or another alternative?
Thank you!

janisj

There is no train from Heathrow to Reading - but there is a frequent express bus.

BKP

tkridge - we took a taxi from Heathrow to the Reading area - it cost 75 pounds. I know you can do it cheaper -- I just wanted to give you something to compare.

BTilke

A pre-booked car service should cost much less, probably about £40. I can get car services between Maidenhead to Heathrow, for example, for around £20 to £35, depending on who I call and what time I travel (mid-week rush hour travel costs more).

Re hotels, did you try the Holiday Inn in Maidenhead? It runs good specials and it's near a bus stop that will take you to the Maidenhead train station and town center. Plus there are a few pubs nearby (drinks only) and a good restaurant. (There is also Fredericks, an upscale hotel, but it's way overpriced IMO.)

Re Reading, there's an Ibis (or Novotel, I forget which) in central Reading. It seems modern and comfortable. Although I'm not crazy about central Reading, a decent restaurant there is Prezzo, part of a small chain serving pretty good Italian and also very good rotisserie chicken.

Nonconformist

For the single person, the Rail-Air link bus from Heathrow to Reading is the way to go - perfectly safe, pretty frequent, and much cheaper than a car service for one person. It will take her from Heathrow to Reading station. If her hotel is at all far from the station and it's late, I'd get a taxi at the rank there - I don't much like walking around Reading late at night.

http://www.railair.com/

BTilke

Normally the Rail-Air link is a good suggestion, but a few things to keep in mind...if the plane lands (on time) at 10 pm, the parent will still need time to get through passport control, pick up bags (if any were checked) and then make her way to Heathrow's Central Bus station, which is a ways away from T4 or T5 (if she's coming into those). At the earliest, she'd be catching the 11:05 pm bus and that wouldn't get her in to Reading until near midnight. If she misses that one, she'll have to wait another hour for the last bus (leaving just after midnight), which gets her in to Reading at nearly 1 am. IMO, that's too late for a solo woman traveler to be arriving at Reading station if it's her first time there and she's not sure where to go.

Better to take a car service, which will provide door to door travel cheaper than taking a taxi. I can pass on some car service numbers if you'd like them. She should book at least a day ahead and make sure the car service has her flight details (flight number, arrival terminal, arrival time).