Where to go after Duxford Air Show?

[seahermit]

I hope this is not too far from the usual rail travel enquiry - perhaps should be on a site for nomads?!

Anyway, I am thinking of going from Hastings to Cambridge on 21st September, thence on the shuttle bus to Duxford aerodrome for the Battle of Britain air show. Been dying to do it for years. It will require a monthly-return through-ticket from Hastings to London Bridge/London Bridge to Cambridge (around £40 with railcard), because after an overnight stay in Cambridge I intend to buy an Anglia Plus "Three Days in Seven" Rover ticket. That will give me another 7 days to wander around Suffolk for the price of £48 (discounted for me to £32).

I don't think I can do the whole trip more cheaply - unless anyone has some bright ideas? There seem to be several rail routes to Cambridge, some faster or cheaper, but they involve several changes of train. I haven't yet worked out how one can now travel from London Bridge northwards (I'm very out-of-date) but presumably there is a link with Thameslink?

Also, I wonder if anyone has recommendations about what I should do in Suffolk - any picturesque branch lines I simply should not miss? Not sure if there are many heritage lines in Suffolk! I hope to end up at the coast if there is time, some pretty lovely Olde England towns all along there.

 

[306024]

Suffolk has many attractions, difficult to advise. Are you are physically fit for walking any distance?

Railway wise there’s not much to chose from, but I’d head straight for the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Lowestoft. That will give you access to Southwold (bus from Halesworth) and Aldeburgh (bus from Saxmundham). Stop off for an hour to see the excellent restoration of Wickham Market station (and a tea break). Woodbridge is a nice town with some good pubs.

The Felixstowe branch is worth a trip, you can combine that with a trip on the ferry to Harwich which gives excellent views of the container port, but beware the ferry is over a mile from the station. There is an hourly bus (I think) to the ferry though.

For heritage there is the transport museum at Carlton Coalville (bus from Lowestoft) but you’ll need a car to get to the small but quaint Mid Suffolk Railway. Bressingham Gardens (near Diss) has some narrow gauge steam railways. Further details on website.

Sutton Hoo has just re-opened if history is your thing. Just look all these up on the internet.

Fares, no idea, but Greater Anglia can be cheaper (but slower) to Cambridge so walk London Bridge to Liverpool St could be an option perhaps? Look at their website as they are doing an all inclusive deal for the air show.

 

[30907]

A Saver return Hastings-Cambridge will set you back about £34.
It is valid via various routes including: Rye and HS1 to St Pancras and the historic routes via Battle and Haywards Heath, and of course both routes to Cambridge
It includes tube across London as well as Thameslink.
This should give you plenty of options, and allow you to avoid any engineering works.
You might be able to save a bit by splitting in London.

If you are intending to spend the full 7 days in East Anglia, and have a bus pass (as I surmise) then there are plenty of lovely villages - Long Melford and Clare come to mind - that should still have buses. (I realise Sudbury isnt in the Rover area, which is a shame.

I realise these are Norfolk but:
remember that Reedham to Yarmouth via Berney Arms is closed for some months yet.
the North Norfolk line at Sheringham and the Bure Valley at Wroxham are reachable by train.

 

[seahermit]

I greatly appreciate the responses. Yes, I am reasonably fit despite age! I no longer have a car but try to make up for it by masses of walking, you see much more of the real landscape that way anyway.

The East Suffolk line is probably a must, I toured Suffolk years ago and was enchanted by the old villages and towns, boats rotting on the mud at Pin Mill etc. My bus pass will get me around and I am hoping to B and B somewhere along the coast.

I thought getting across London and on to Cambridge would be quite complicated but, as you say, there are nowadays several options. If it works out easily enough and I find a Suffolk pub with a spare room near to good bird-watching areas, it is entirely likely that I will return for a long weekend!

 

[Hadders]

Not the fastest option but from Hastings you could also go to Brighton thence a direct Thameslink train to Cambridge (sit in the rear declassified 1st class compartment if doing that though!)

Absolutely nothing to stop you travelling out one way and back another. Personally I'd do the High Speed line at least one way. This is probably the fastest option overall as once you get to St Pancras you can pop across the road to Kings Cross for a non stop Cambridge Cruiser service.

 

[seahermit]

Thanks for that. I discovered that the Brighton route was also an option but on this occasion speed is a priority - I want to get up very early and get to Duxford with a couple of hours to spare before the flying. Hundreds of historic aircraft there, it's a schoolboy's paradise.

Never known a destination with such an array of possible routes. But yes, I might well travel back by some different route, why not?

 

[Hadders]

I'm not sure how early you want to travel but something like this would get you there early:

HGS d. 05:20
AFK a. 06:06
AFK d. 06:16
STP a. 06:54
KGX d. 07:12
CBG a. 08:02

Officially you should leave 31 minutes to interchange between arrival at St Pancras and departure from Kings Cross however 18 minutes is more than sufficient for an able bodied person who is focused on what they're doing, and you're not obliged to take specific trains as you're using flexible tickets. Just remember that in the event of your train being delayed you wouldn't be able to claim delay repay based on this itinerary. I've done the interchange in ;ess than 5 minutes before!

 

[seahermit]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It has been somewhat complicated because I would prefer to avoid getting the tube across London, also some of my connections are tight. Trains are often slow and late on the Ashford line, so a delay of six minutes impedes my dash across the platforms at Ashford and I will be catching whatever train to London turns up next!

However, I am aiming to get up at 6am, catch either the 7.19am from Hastings (via London Bridge) or the 7.26am (via Ashford/St Pancras/Kings Cross)and reach Duxford aerodrome soon after 11am.

The Ashford line is a quaint anomaly - funny little two-carriage trains which trundle along via (in parts) a single track and they often stop in the middle of nowhere for ten minutes or more. Why on earth the line hasn't been modernised I don't know, because there is potential for a really fast route from the south coast up to St Pancras. One problem, I suspect, is that there are tunnels along the line which (I think) are only wide enough for single track - they would have to be completely rebuilt.

 

[Hadders]

I’d travel via Ashford as it avoids the need to use the tube and should be faster overall.

If you do miss the connection at Ashford the trains run every half hour from Ashford to St Pancras.

I know what you mean about the line from Ashford to Hastings being quaint. I’ve used it a few times. In my experience the HS1 train is often a few minutes late arriving at Ashford though there is plenty of scope for them to make up time between Ashford and St Pancras.

 

[seahermit]

Well, I hope it is not a bad omen but the Duxford Air Show website leaves a lot to be desired and it is looking very much as if I have been mis-sold the entry ticket!

My trip to Duxford from Hastings will not be a cheap undertaking. But the main page about ticketing displays a long list of ticket-types but no age concessions, obviously I assumed that those were not available. But after booking, the E-ticket sent to me said "bring proof of concession" - further protracted searching finally revealed a brief reference to a "senior over 60" concession (no price mentioned). I think it would be almost impossible for many people to know about this concession unless they searched diligently and then clicked on FAQs and finally Ticketing!

I have made a complaint (the contact form on the website does not work, so it had to be email) but the website states that cancellation etc. is not possible. Is that right? Wonder what would happen if I was ill .. I am not impressed by the transparency or straightforwardness of the IWM organisation at present.

 

[seahermit]

Well, it seems to be ok, more or less. IWM actually replied to me and there are no age concessions on the tickets (surprisingly).

However, there is a clear reference on the Duxford Air Show website to a "senior over 60 concession", presumably some old ticketing structure which has now been changed. Sloppy - I will suggest that they get round to removing the reference.