[Brighton] Planes, trains & coaches -- 1st trip to UK and Brighton, April-May 2023

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Is it really that bad? I've lived and travelled in several dozen countries -- first-, second- and third-world -- and had my share of frustrating experiences in airports and railway stations, but never in similarly sized advanced nations like, say, South Korea. Have Conservative misrule and Brexit really turned you, logistically speaking, into a Soviet republic?

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Yes, it is deeply shit here. I was planning a similar 55 mile train trip yesterday, to work (London). Two 11-carriage trains had been condensed into one 4-carriage train, with the first train cancelled and the second late. With no working toilets. The crowd at my station would have been enough to fill all the seats twice over, had the 4 carriages been empty on arrival (not the case - far from it). And there are around 12 more stops before London. So I got a refund and went home again. This is so common now, I didn't even mention it on NSC yesterday. I year ago I may have started a thread about it.

You may be lucky. Fingers crossed

 

[WATFORD zero]

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback. It looks like my best bet would be to fly in on Friday the 28. I'm not sure I can push back the start of my trip a day earlier, though. I guess I'll just hope that the May 6 tie is rescheduled on a date that's convenient for me.

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If there is any way you can possibly get here a day earlier, that's your answer

 

[The Clamp]

The good news is that rail fares will be up 5.4% when you get here.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback. It looks like my best bet would be to fly in on Friday the 28. I'm not sure I can push back the start of my trip a day earlier, though. I guess I'll just hope that the May 6 tie is rescheduled on a date that's convenient for me.

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My suggestion is to get a taxi from the airport to your hotel. This will remove all the time needed to get to the train station, buy a ticket, wait for a train and get from the station to the hotel at the other end. Taxis are quick to get in my experience.

I presume you can use the e-gate, and customs should be a walk through. As long as it doesn’t take forever to get your bags you will make it.

Good luck.

 

[Deadly Danson]

Is it really that bad? I've lived and travelled in several dozen countries -- first-, second- and third-world -- and had my share of frustrating experiences in airports and railway stations, but never in similarly sized advanced nations like, say, South Korea. Have Conservative misrule and Brexit really turned you, logistically speaking, into a Soviet republic?

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It's certainly doable and Gatwick can be very quick when it works. On recent trips I've been off the plane, through customs, collected luggage and been on a train in around 20 mins and in Brighton within around an hour. But you can't rely on everything going that smoothly. I'd argue that Gatwick is amongst the best airports to get through both departures and arrivals on a good day and with a UK passport.

 

[um bongo molongo]

Is it really that bad? I've lived and travelled in several dozen countries -- first-, second- and third-world -- and had my share of frustrating experiences in airports and railway stations, but never in similarly sized advanced nations like, say, South Korea. Have Conservative misrule and Brexit really turned you, logistically speaking, into a Soviet republic?

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Yes

 

[GT49er]

We don’t have pubs anymore. We do have a selection of family friendly restaurants that serve beer. Although they’re all shit.

That's not far off the truth. Pubs generally can't survive selling drinks alone - hence the restaurant business.

On another question - does the OP have permission to buy a ticket? Is he registered? Loyalty points? Has Barber got his full life-history, verified identification, references? He shirley can't waltz into the AMEX just like that!

 

[Quebec Seagull]

That's not far off the truth. Pubs generally can't survive selling drinks alone - hence the restaurant business.

On another question - does the OP have permission to buy a ticket? Is he registered? Loyalty points? Has Barber got his full life-history, verified identification, references? He shirley can't waltz into the AMEX just like that!

I have a MyAlbion digital account; I've spent hundreds of CDN$ in the online shop; and whenever I've 'pretended' to buy a ticket, I've reached the payment page. If that doesn't cut it, I'll buy a membership -- as far as I know, that would work, wouldn't it? I mean, what is your season ticket base? Surely there must be a few thousand tickets held over for the general public..?

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[GT49er]

I have a MyAlbion digital account; I've spent hundreds of CDN$ in the online shop; and whenever I've 'pretended' to buy a ticket, I've reached the payment page. If that doesn't cut it, I'll buy a membership -- as far as I know, that would work, wouldn't it? I mean, what is your season ticket base? Surely there must be a few thousand tickets held over for the general public..?

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Don't take my half-joking comments too seriously mate! I'm old-school - for me football should be like buses, trains, the cinema - turn up, pay at the door and in you go!
The rules for buying tickets these days are more complicated (apart from needing a smart phone to get one half the time). It's similar for other PL teams, I think, but Brighton in particular jealously guards its tickets, and is sometimes over-zealous in its 'need' to know the full life-history of everyone parking their bum on one of its hallowed seats! (See discussions on sharing season tickets and harvesting points for permission to purchase away tickets).

Good luck in successfully getting to watch the Albion! Hope you get to see a win.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Hmm…will the railway…baggage handlers…..air traffic controllers …Uber etc strikes be over by then…..I love your optimism though…all the best

 

[Quebec Seagull]

Don't take my half-joking comments too seriously mate! I'm old-school - for me football should be like buses, trains, the cinema - turn up, pay at the door and in you go!
The rules for buying tickets these days are more complicated (apart from needing a smart phone to get one half the time). It's similar for other PL teams, I think, but Brighton in particular jealously guards its tickets, and is sometimes over-zealous in its 'need' to know the full life-history of everyone parking their bum on one of its hallowed seats! (See discussions on sharing season tickets and harvesting points for permission to purchase away tickets).

Good luck in successfully getting to watch the Albion! Hope you get to see a win.

I'm a half-season ticket holder to our NHL Ottawa Senators (21 home games out of 41, seating capacity of 20 000), and the organisation has been completely paperless and cashless for the past three years. If you don't have a cell phone showing your ticket -- which, by the way, has a continuously moving line across the bar code, so you can't make a screenshot of it - you need to save it in Google Wallet or Apple Pay -- you're SOOL and can't enter the arena. It's pretty much the same everywhere in Canada and much of the US as far as professional sports are concerned.

The great thing about these electronic tickets is that we can resell them to the highest bidder via Ticketmaster or transfer them to friends and relatives. The club/team owners don't care if a seat is occupied by its original purchaser or even a rival fan -- it's money in their pockets regardless. Luckily, in North America, where people are always moving from city to city, mixed crowds are the norm; and abuse -- either verbal or physical -- is a rarity unless historically rival cities (say, Calgary vs Edmonton in hockey or Green Bay and Chicago in the NFL) meet in the playoffs. It's all de bonne guerre et sans rancune, i.e. fair play and no hard feelings in the stands.

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[dazzer6666]

I have a MyAlbion digital account; I've spent hundreds of CDN$ in the online shop; and whenever I've 'pretended' to buy a ticket, I've reached the payment page. If that doesn't cut it, I'll buy a membership -- as far as I know, that would work, wouldn't it? I mean, what is your season ticket base? Surely there must be a few thousand tickets held over for the general public..?

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ST guest tickets are usually available…..let me know once you’re sure which game you want to attend and I’ll sort it if you can’t do it yourself

 

[Marty McFly]

My suggestion is to get a taxi from the airport to your hotel. This will remove all the time needed to get to the train station, buy a ticket, wait for a train and get from the station to the hotel at the other end. Taxis are quick to get in my experience.

I presume you can use the e-gate, and customs should be a walk through. As long as it doesn’t take forever to get your bags you will make it.

Good luck.

Just to confirm, Canadian passport holders can use the e-gates at entry. Makes it pretty quick!

 

[Quebec Seagull]

Just to confirm, Canadian passport holders can use the e-gates at entry. Makes it pretty quick!

I should hope so! One of the few perks of being part of the Commonwealth, lol

So Google tells me that taking a taxi from Gatwick to the Amex is around £60. However, would traffic to the stadium be just as snarled from the north as from the south at noon time? I wouldn't want my fare to double as the car crawls along at 10 mph.

Apologies for the many and seemingly obvious questions. It's only taken me this long to visit the UK because yours is one of 4 cultures I grew up with intimately through movies, television, music, literature, sports and personal friendships (born French-Canadian in 1970s and 80s Ottawa, how could it be otherwise?); and novelty is the spice of life, as they say. Finally turning my wanderlust to the British Isles, now -- London, Brighton and Snowdonia in 2023; western Ireland and the Hebrides still to come. Strange the places that capture the imagination!

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[Herr Tubthumper]

I should hope so! One of the few perks of being part of the Commonwealth, lol

So Google tells me that taking a taxi from Gatwick to the Amex is around £60. However, would traffic to the stadium be just as snarled from the north as from the south at noon time? I wouldn't want my fare to double as the car crawls along at 10 mph.

Apologies for the many and seemingly obvious questions. It's only taken me this long to visit the UK because yours is one of 4 cultures I grew up with intimately through movies, television, music, literature, sports and personal friendships (born French-Canadian in 1970s and 80s Ottawa, how could it be otherwise?); and novelty is the spice of life, as they say. Finally turning my wanderlust to the British Isles, now -- London, Brighton and Snowdonia in 2023; western Ireland and the Hebrides still to come. Strange the places that capture the imagination!

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I presume you mean Gatwick to the hotel which is close to Old Steine?

From experience you will hit a few slow-traffic points when you first come into Brighton from the north and when in the actual center. The taxi will have the advantage of being able to use the bus lanes though, this will be especially advantageous around the Old Steine. Assuming a normal day, ie no accidents etc, whilst the taxi will slow down/crawl from time to time it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Traffic to the AMEX shouldn’t affect Gatwick to Old Steine as the ground is to the east of the city.

And no need to apologize.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I should hope so! One of the few perks of being part of the Commonwealth, lol

So Google tells me that taking a taxi from Gatwick to the Amex is around £60. However, would traffic to the stadium be just as snarled from the north as from the south at noon time? I wouldn't want my fare to double as the car crawls along at 10 mph.

Apologies for the many and seemingly obvious questions. It's only taken me this long to visit the UK because yours is one of 4 cultures I grew up with intimately through movies, television, music, literature, sports and personal friendships (born French-Canadian in 1970s and 80s Ottawa, how could it be otherwise?); and novelty is the spice of life, as they say. Finally turning my wanderlust to the British Isles, now -- London, Brighton and Snowdonia in 2023; western Ireland and the Hebrides still to come. Strange the places that capture the imagination!

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Apologies if you need to repeat yourself but why did you choose to follow Brighton? What’s the connection? Very good choice btw.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Despite me starting 'it' you don't really want to turn this into 'that' thread.

Fingers crossed we've got our pooh together by spring.
God help us if we haven't.

HYmmm maybe we need to cross all our digits and hope the likes of the UK Border Force &/or baggage handlers don't get too militant & vote to walk out.

Hopeully as you say, any possible industrial action will be sorted by then.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Didn't you read the thread title?

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No I did not, not properly anyway.
I focussed on the words 'Gatwick' and 'trains to Brighton', then carried on with my own agenda of slagging those off.
I'm sorry if this upset you too much and I'm SURE your 1ST trip to this UK airport will go as smoothly as the UK transport system will allow

 

[dazzer6666]

I should hope so! One of the few perks of being part of the Commonwealth, lol

So Google tells me that taking a taxi from Gatwick to the Amex is around £60. However, would traffic to the stadium be just as snarled from the north as from the south at noon time? I wouldn't want my fare to double as the car crawls along at 10 mph.

Apologies for the many and seemingly obvious questions. It's only taken me this long to visit the UK because yours is one of 4 cultures I grew up with intimately through movies, television, music, literature, sports and personal friendships (born French-Canadian in 1970s and 80s Ottawa, how could it be otherwise?); and novelty is the spice of life, as they say. Finally turning my wanderlust to the British Isles, now -- London, Brighton and Snowdonia in 2023; western Ireland and the Hebrides still to come. Strange the places that capture the imagination!

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Pre-book one with a fixed fare. Plenty of options if you search ‘gatwick airport taxis’ or similar that will meet you off your flight. If you’re going directly from the airport to the Amex it’s only the last 1km or so that’s a bit slow as you won’t go anywhere near Brighton anyway.

 

[Quebec Seagull]

Deleted. See next page!