Oxford to Central London (starting in Amersham)

[Mystic Force]

Thank you for any advice in advance.

I am traveling back to the UK after along absence with my children. I will be staying with my brother in Oxford (Kidlington) for a few days and want to take 2 adults and 3 children (11, 8, 6) into London to do "tourist stuff" on a Monday so was trying to figure out the best way. I will have a rental car as I will be spending the rest of my time in the West Country and will need a car.

So I was thinking that I could drive to Amersham or close by, park for the day and then travel into London with travel cards but I am confused on who needs one, or should I do Oyster and who would need one? Can I use Chiltern or do I have to use Underground service only to central London. None of the online stuff seem especially consistent.

After reading all the prosecution stuff on the forum, you have made me paranoid about not screwing this up! I am open for other suggestions of how to get there too on other public transport or driving to a different location. I will need a travel card or equivalent oyster cap anyway for travelling around central London.

Again Thanks!

 

[sammyg901]

Unless you are really cost conscious I would just drive to Oxford Parkway and take Chiltern from there. They are all fast trains and you'll have a decent run into London sooner than you'd drive to Amersham even, and it's quite a trundle from there, even on Chiltern vs the tube

The two youngest are free once in London - just go through the manual barrier

So "groupsave" Travelcards for 2 adults + 1 child will be 59.25 + 25.60 for 2 child returns just to Marylebone - total 84.85.

These will be valid on or after the 09:16 - you can buy at chilternrailways.co.uk or buy on the day at the station, there are no reservations on Chiltern. Coming back they are valid at any time

The other benefit is that you'll also be eligible for 2-4-1 offers with national rail tickets - https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

If you did want to go from Amersham then a travelcard for two adults + one child is 32.70. If you bought online and had them posted they'd be train tickets and you'd get away with using them for the 2-4-1 offers

 

[higthomas]

Also bear in mind that I you're cost conscious the Oxford tube or the X90 are coaches which go regularly (every 15-20 minutes) from Oxford to London (Victoria, Marble Arch) and back. Also if you get the number 2 bus from Kidlington into Oxford (every 5 minutes) and ask for an onward ticket to London, you only pay the cost of the Oxford to London ticket. (See the Capital ticket or the Tube connector.)

The cost will be £36 to get to London (the kids will go for free with adults on Mondays) plus a travelcard or oyster. See below for more information.

I will say the coaches are actually really not a bad option, and I am saying this on a rail forum!

Edit: If you look here the 6 and 8 year olds should get around London for free, so you don't need to worry about them. The 11 year old can get a discount loaded onto an oyster card, which can be done at any tube station. This will give them half priced travel.

You can buy oyster cards at any tube station, otherwise you can use contactless. If you all hit your daily caps and only use zones 1-2 that will be £16.50. Therefore the total cost would be £52.50 total.

Edit #2: Actually that family travelcard below looks very good value, I'd probably just use that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

So "groupsave" Travelcards for 2 adults + 1 child will be 59.25 + 25.60 for 2 child returns just to Marylebone - total 84.85.

First off, GroupSave does not give discount on child fares.

Secondly, don't do that. The Family Travelcard is better value even if it effectively duplicates "tickets" in London.

From Oxford Parkway:

2 adults = 2 x 24.00 = 48.00
3 children = 3 x 1.00 = 3.00

Total 51.00

 

[Joe Paxton]

OP - the Family Travelcard is mentioned on this Chiltern Railways webpage (scroll down).

Buy on the day at the ticket office.

 

[nickswift99]

Alternatively, you could drive to Park Royal (right by the A40), park for free on local streets and use contactless payments or Oyster (Daily cap is £7.70 for Zones 1-3).

 

[sammyg901]

Just goes to prove what a nightmare our fares system is - I checked the booking engine and am well travelled on that route and I hadn't heard of that ticket before! Looks great though, will definitely use in future

 

[JBuchananGB]

Greater Anglia do something similar. Details here

 

[LordCreed]

If you want to do it really cheap, megabus offer a number of £1 fares on the Oxford Tube: https://uk.megabus.com/

 

[swt class 450]

Probably the quickest and easiest option is just to get a train from Oxford to London. They run very frequently on both routes.

You can get an Off Peak Oxford to London Zones 1 to 6 Travelcard ticket - http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=OXF&dest=0035&expert=on&flow=0&multi=0&fare=7&tkt=ODT - for £30.00 each. This ticket allows you to travel from Oxford to London and back again on either Chiltern Railways via High Wycombe or on Great Western Railway via Reading. You can also break your journey on route if you wish.

Once you are in London you get unlimited travel with this ticket in Zones 1 to 6 on all London Underground (all lines) / South West Trains / Southern / Southeastern / Thameslink / Great Northern / London Midland / Chiltern Railways / Great Western Railway / London Overground / TFL Rail / Abellio Greater Anglia / C2C / Docklands Light Railway / Croydon Tram / London Buses with Zones 1 to 6.

 

[Romilly]

Except that, as the OP will be staying in Kidlington, Oxford Parkway station (rather than Oxford station) will be much more convenient: 55 minutes to Marylebone on a Monday on the 0946, and the family travelcard suggested above is better value.

 

[Hadders]

Just goes to prove what a nightmare our fares system is - I checked the booking engine and am well travelled on that route and I hadn't heard of that ticket before! Looks great though, will definitely use in future

The system could be simplified by removing the good value fare.

Be careful what you wish for...

 

[cactustwirly]

Didcot Parkway is another suggestion, the trains are a bit more frequent 3tph instead of 2tph from Oxford Parkway, and Paddington has better underground connections.

The travelcards are a little bit more expensive though (29.90 for adults and £1 for children)

 

[PeterC]

The Met line car parks are becoming very popular. I have yet to find Chalfont full but its pretty close at times.

From Kidlington I would also recommend bus to Oxford Parkway then the train. You can also park at Oxford Parkway (busy but not quite full when I went there) or, if you want the coach and don't want to take a bus into central Oxford then you can drive to Thornhill Park and Ride where both routes pick up.

 

[Metrailway]

Thank you for any advice in advance.

I am traveling back to the UK after along absence with my children. I will be staying with my brother in Oxford (Kidlington) for a few days and want to take 2 adults and 3 children (11, 8, 6) into London to do "tourist stuff" on a Monday so was trying to figure out the best way. I will have a rental car as I will be spending the rest of my time in the West Country and will need a car.

So I was thinking that I could drive to Amersham or close by, park for the day and then travel into London with travel cards but I am confused on who needs one, or should I do Oyster and who would need one? Can I use Chiltern or do I have to use Underground service only to central London. None of the online stuff seem especially consistent.

After reading all the prosecution stuff on the forum, you have made me paranoid about not screwing this up! I am open for other suggestions of how to get there too on other public transport or driving to a different location. I will need a travel card or equivalent oyster cap anyway for travelling around central London.

Again Thanks!

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't drive to Amersham; instead I would drive to Hillingdon station as it is just off the M40. There is a decent sized car park at the station. I usually find it quicker to drive to Hillingdon than to Amersham from Warwickshire at peak times.

Assuming you do not have Oyster, the tickets from Hillingdon would be:

• 
  Z1-6 Off Peak Travelcard (Adult) - £12.30 X 2

• Z1-6 Off Peak Travelcard (Child) - £6.20 X 1

Total: £18.80

Your kids aged 8 and 6 would be able to travel free on London Underground accompanied with an adult holding a Travelcard as they are under 11s.

 

[Joe Paxton]

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't drive to Amersham; instead I would drive to Hillingdon station as it is just off the M40. There is a decent sized car park at the station. I usually find it quicker to drive to Hillingdon than to Amersham from Warwickshire at peak times.

What's the parking situation like at Hillingdon station car park... there's 283 spaces, but I thought it was liable to getting full up at busy times?

If so, there is also Ickenham station just up the road (next stop along the Met line), which has a 176 space car park.