Gatwick Airport to Oxford Parkway

[HS2isgood]

What's the best way to travel, on July 15th, from Gatwick Airport to Oxford Parkway? We're 4 people and we'd prefer to do it via Dorking Deepdene, because the tickets are cheaper and we don't want to have to cross London with luggage.

 

[Watershed]

By 4 people, do you mean 4 adults?

Are you returning at any point within the next month?

 

[HS2isgood]

By 4 people, do you mean 4 adults?

Are you returning at any point within the next month?

4 adults, no we are not returning. We'll go back to London, probably by the Oxford Tube and then we'll go back to Gatwick from East Croydon

 

[PeterC]

Is Parkway cast in stone? Why not take the direct coach from Thornhill P&R?

 

[mangyiscute]

From what I can see the best fares will be around £20 if you are willing to use advance tickets restricting you to specific trains, using split tickets (search on trainsplit.com). For these, you should try and book them as early as possible - most tickets come out 12 weeks/3 months in advance so around 15th april. However, since you are potentially taking a flight into gatwick, you may want to stick to flexible tickets so that you are covered in case of any delays etc, in which case the best option is simply the not via London terminals off peak single (assuming it is after 09:00) at £32.60 per person.
However, since you are travelling as a 4, you can benefit from groupsave through GWR, which has given me a fare of £86 for an off peak single for 4 adults from Gatwick to Oxford Parkway routed not via London - imo this is definitely the best option - I have got this fare on the GWR website but in theory you can book through whatever site you wish

 

[higthomas]

Yeah, someone's alluded to it, but there is a coach from Gatwick to Oxford every hour: https://www.theairlineoxford.co.uk/

If you're being picked up by car or similar, it stops at Thornhill park and ride. If you want to get to Oxford Parkway specifically, you can change to a local bus for free using https://www.theairlineoxford.co.uk/tickets/airline-flyer/

Looking at https://www.theairlineoxford.co.uk/oxford-to-gatwick-bus/#fares a group return for £85 will cover the 4 of you.

 

[HS2isgood]

Thanks, we are taking a bus to our accomodation that stops at Oxford Parkway station. I told my mother about the bus and she didn't like it, we need the flexibility of the railway, as flights are often delayed and the price difference is small. Thanks y'all, we'll take the £86 fare when it's available.

 

[Watershed]

If you only want to change twice (at Reading and Oxford), the cheapest option is to buy a GroupSave discounted Off-Peak Day Single, costing £86 in total for the four of you.

If you're prepared to change additionally at Redhill, this opens up a slightly cheaper option involving splitting at Horley and Blackwater, provided you're departing Gatwick after 12pm or so*. This would cost a total of £79.80 for the four of you, again with GroupSave discounted singles.

It's possible that cheaper Advance tickets might become available nearer the date, but if you are coming off a flight you might not want to buy one of these, lest your flight is delayed. That being said, this doesn't have to be a problem - I typically buy Advances for around 1-1.5 hours after my flight is due to land, from a retailer that allows me to change my ticket without a fee. If my flight is starting to get delayed and I'm at risk of missing my booked train, I change the ticket to a walk-up ticket (or Advance on a later train), just paying the difference. This way at worst I pay the walk-up fare, and at best I pay less for an Advance.

*The ticket between Horley and Blackwater is an "Evening Out Single" for which you'll only obtain itineraries to depart Redhill from 12pm onwards; the first train from Redhill after 12pm which calls at Blackwater is the 12:43.

 

[Haywain]

Alternatively, you could buy returns at £124.60* which would cover all your planned journeys, albeit using train rather than bus to get from Oxford to London.


*Actually could be slightly cheaper but more complex to buy by getting tickets routed 'Not via London' and excessing them for the return legs.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Thanks, we are taking a bus to our accomodation that stops at Oxford Parkway station. I told my mother about the bus and she didn't like it, we need the flexibility of the railway, as flights are often delayed and the price difference is small. Thanks y'all, we'll take the £86 fare when it's available.

Presumably if the £86 group ticket is a normal off-peak, as opposed to an Advance tied to specific trains, then it's available now (or indeed any time until the train leaves) at the same price.

 

[Watershed]

Presumably if the £86 group ticket is a normal off-peak, as opposed to an Advance tied to specific trains, then it's available now (or indeed any time until the train leaves) at the same price.

It is; there is no point buying it now though - indeed, I don't think you'll find many retailers that will sell you walk-up tickets that far in advance for this journey.

 

[Stargull]

If you’re staying somewhere south of Parkway, I would strongly recommend getting a taxi from Oxford instead of a bus from Parkway. It’s likely to be roughly the same cost (~£10-15) as four bus fares, and will save you at least half an hour plus the faff of connecting at Oxford.

 

[FenMan]

Please be aware Groupsave tickets are not valid on xx:15 Cross Country departures between Reading and Oxford. You will need to take the GWR service which departs from Reading at xx:19.

 

[fandroid]

I'll admit that my preference (balancing cost and hassle) would be the £86 GWR Groupsave to Oxford and taxi from there. Then there's really only one change - at Reading. Four in a taxi gives good value, and four with bags on a normal Oxford bus will be a big hassle.

 

[paul1609]

Personally with 4 people and luggage I'd get a cab the whole way its only just over 80 miles (off peak 11/2 hours). This company quotes £181 for Gatwick to Oxford in a MPV

TAXI from Gatwick Airport to Oxford: Airports Pickups London

Airport Pickups London is a specialist airport taxis from Gatwick. Oxford is approximately 47 miles or 1 hour’s journey time from Gatwick.

www.airport-pickups-london.com

 

[m00036]

It is; there is no point buying it now though - indeed, I don't think you'll find many retailers that will sell you walk-up tickets that far in advance for this journey.

There is a benefit to booking in advance which is that prices will go up from the start of March... - however, as @Watershed says, it's unlikely you'll find a retailer that offers to sell you a ticket for July in any case.

 

[zero]

Personally I would take the direct coach over having to change train several times.

The coach tickets can be used for up to 24 hours after the booked time when starting at an airport, so no need to worry about flight delays.

I suppose there is a risk that the coaches may become fully booked as July will be peak holiday period - but I have used these coaches in July before covid and the fullest one I was on was only about 60% full.

I would guess that if some get fully booked those departures will no longer be able to be selected on the website. As you don't need to buy flexible train tickets until you actually get to the UK, you could see whether any of the coach departures get fully booked in the days leading up to your arrival.

 

[mangyiscute]

There is a benefit to booking in advance which is that prices will go up from the start of March... - however, as @Watershed says, it's unlikely you'll find a retailer that offers to sell you a ticket for July in any case.

If they want to buy the groupsave ticket, that one won't change price since it's an off peak ticket

 

[Haywain]

If they want to buy the groupsave ticket, that one won't change price since it's an off peak ticket

Are fares not going up in March then?