I read the thread that Ryan started two years ago (and shamelessly plagiarized his title). Since I'm less focused on regional rail and much less focused on travel to Scotland, I started a new thread.
Two of us, each over 60 (minimum age for the Senior Railcard), expect to fly into and out of Heathrow next year. We expect to spend a couple of weeks in London and a couple of weeks in England outside London. We expect to visit various cultural heritage sites, with points along Hadrian's Wall perhaps being some of the more remote.
On arrival, we plan to take the Piccadilly Line into London and then buy Senior Railcards, which I understand we cannot buy at Heathrow nor in advance for shipment to an ex-UK address. We also plan to buy pay as you go Oyster cards.
After using public transportation in London, we expect to rent a car to visit York, Newcastle upon Tyne, Swindon, Bath, Portsmouth, and many places on the way between those stops. We will each have an International Driver's Permit. We might want to take a train from Swindon to Bath and back because I understand that driving in Bath is an exercise in frustration.
Please point out errors in my plans and suggest ways to save money. Also, I have some more specific questions.
How do we link the Senior Railcard and the Oyster card so we get the discounted fares on the Tube? (I understand we cannot use the Senior Railcard during morning rush hour.) Is this the best plan for using the Tube in the London area? Can we and should we buy the Oyster cards now and have them shipped to a US address? Is there any way to get the discount associated with the Senior Railcard on the trip from Heathrow into London?
Is there any viable alternative to driving? In other words, I assume that taking the train to the various stops (including points between where we will spend nights) and trying to hire a driver just would not work.
Thanks for any help.
Two of us, each over 60 (minimum age for the Senior Railcard), expect to fly into and out of Heathrow next year. We expect to spend a couple of weeks in London and a couple of weeks in England outside London. We expect to visit various cultural heritage sites, with points along Hadrian's Wall perhaps being some of the more remote.
On arrival, we plan to take the Piccadilly Line into London and then buy Senior Railcards, which I understand we cannot buy at Heathrow nor in advance for shipment to an ex-UK address. We also plan to buy pay as you go Oyster cards.
After using public transportation in London, we expect to rent a car to visit York, Newcastle upon Tyne, Swindon, Bath, Portsmouth, and many places on the way between those stops. We will each have an International Driver's Permit. We might want to take a train from Swindon to Bath and back because I understand that driving in Bath is an exercise in frustration.
Please point out errors in my plans and suggest ways to save money. Also, I have some more specific questions.
How do we link the Senior Railcard and the Oyster card so we get the discounted fares on the Tube? (I understand we cannot use the Senior Railcard during morning rush hour.) Is this the best plan for using the Tube in the London area? Can we and should we buy the Oyster cards now and have them shipped to a US address? Is there any way to get the discount associated with the Senior Railcard on the trip from Heathrow into London?
Is there any viable alternative to driving? In other words, I assume that taking the train to the various stops (including points between where we will spend nights) and trying to hire a driver just would not work.
Thanks for any help.