Getting to Guernsey
Jun 6th, 2005, 09:01 AM
#1
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Getting to Guernsey
I'm thinking of joining some friends of mine for a September get-together, and I'm deciding among known ways of getting there from London (I nailed down a $493 r/t on BA):
1. Eurostar to Paris, train to St-Malo, ferry to St. Peter Port
2. Train to Portsmouth, ferry to St. Peter Port
3. Train to Bournemouth or Brighton, fly to St. Peter Port via Alderney
All routes cost about the same. Your experiences or considerations are appreciated.
1. Eurostar to Paris, train to St-Malo, ferry to St. Peter Port
2. Train to Portsmouth, ferry to St. Peter Port
3. Train to Bournemouth or Brighton, fly to St. Peter Port via Alderney
All routes cost about the same. Your experiences or considerations are appreciated.
Jun 6th, 2005, 09:26 AM
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Or train to Poole, by Bournemouth, then a 3-hour fast ferry ride on Condor ferries to Guernsey seems to be the quickest; ferry boats from Portsmouth seem to take several hours. can't see how the eurostar to Paris, change stations and then St Malo and change to boat would be nearly as conveninet or as cheap.
Jun 9th, 2005, 12:18 PM
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Looks like I can save $100 by taking the £10 train to Portsmouth. But it means 6 hours on the water each way. On the other other hand, I can save one hotel night on the overnight. Decisions, decisions.
Anybody want to guess why the ferry costs almost twice as much out of Weymouth than out of Portsmouth? The cheaper route takes three times as long. Just competition?
Anybody want to guess why the ferry costs almost twice as much out of Weymouth than out of Portsmouth? The cheaper route takes three times as long. Just competition?
Jun 9th, 2005, 12:27 PM
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cheaper longer route is probably a car/truck ferry where they make their money on vehicles and freight - the highspeed is probably a catamaran that gets their money only from passengers. Don't know but that's my theory.
Jun 9th, 2005, 09:13 PM
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Why do you want to go to Southend? Almost impossible to get to, unless you live in Essex, and it's only got flights to Jersey (and that only one day a week). If you mean Southampton, you need the Railair coach to Woking, whence reasonably frequent trains direct to Southampton airport (which is a great deal easier to get to from central London than from the other regional airports).
Luton and Gatwick are both 70-90 mins by bus, though this depends heavily on traffic. About every 15 mins to Gatwick, roughly hourly to Luton.
The quickest way to City is probably to fly to Paris or Amsterdam and catch a connection back. Otherwise, HEX to Paddington, Circle or H+C tube to Liverpool Street, bus to LCY. Or get yourself by your favourite means to Canary Wharf, then get the bus. City is emphatically NOT designed for connections with other airports: it's there to let businesspeople in Europe's minor centres get to their financial capital quickly.
Luton and Gatwick are both 70-90 mins by bus, though this depends heavily on traffic. About every 15 mins to Gatwick, roughly hourly to Luton.
The quickest way to City is probably to fly to Paris or Amsterdam and catch a connection back. Otherwise, HEX to Paddington, Circle or H+C tube to Liverpool Street, bus to LCY. Or get yourself by your favourite means to Canary Wharf, then get the bus. City is emphatically NOT designed for connections with other airports: it's there to let businesspeople in Europe's minor centres get to their financial capital quickly.
Jun 10th, 2005, 12:05 AM
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Have a look at the Channel islands airline, Aurigny, with reasonable prices from several airports:
http://www.aurigny.com/
We have been to Guernsey for a weekend break, the last 2 Easters and love the place. The quiet pace of life is like stepping back in time and the scenery is beautiful, from huge sandy beaches in the north, to the coastal cliff path in the south and pretty villages in between. Well worth a visit.
http://www.aurigny.com/
We have been to Guernsey for a weekend break, the last 2 Easters and love the place. The quiet pace of life is like stepping back in time and the scenery is beautiful, from huge sandy beaches in the north, to the coastal cliff path in the south and pretty villages in between. Well worth a visit.
Jun 10th, 2005, 01:08 AM
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All the ferries from the UK, from Portsmouth, Poole and Weymouth, are run by Condor Ferries (www.condorferries.co.uk). Services from France are also run by Emeraude Jersey Ferries and Manche Iles Express (www.emeraude.co.uk and www.manche-iles-express.com).
Jun 10th, 2005, 03:53 AM
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Don't waste your time or money on a ferry or train or any such nonsense.
The only way to do it sensibly is to fly. I believe that it's the smaller London airports (I haven't done this journey for many years now) that serve this route. British European (BE) are probably your best bet. It's pretty hassle free.
The only way to do it sensibly is to fly. I believe that it's the smaller London airports (I haven't done this journey for many years now) that serve this route. British European (BE) are probably your best bet. It's pretty hassle free.
Jun 10th, 2005, 09:22 AM
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All other things being equal, I <u>prefer</u> traveling by train and ferry, so I guess what constitutes "sensible" is a highly subjective judgment. Considering the costs and schedules of train/ferry vs. air connections, however, I think the former is a non-starter.
flanner, the reason I asked about Southend is that all of the London airports I mentioned are served by flybe. Thanks for the info.
I'm just looking for a comfortable way to get from Heathrow to Guernsey that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount. Since I can get to Southampton for £10, and the fare to Guernsey is £15.04 from there, I guess that's my route (unless someone says something really negative about Southern trains).
flanner, the reason I asked about Southend is that all of the London airports I mentioned are served by flybe. Thanks for the info.
I'm just looking for a comfortable way to get from Heathrow to Guernsey that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount. Since I can get to Southampton for £10, and the fare to Guernsey is £15.04 from there, I guess that's my route (unless someone says something really negative about Southern trains).
