snow train from Newcastle?

A snowHead

Hi all.

I am looking to next years holiday and I am wondering what my options are for the snow train. How much hassle will it be? ie how many train changes, humping of luggage here and there? I think we may go to la Plagne next year. We had an absolutely hideous plane landing at Edinburgh in January and my youngest has told me he never wants to fly again! although I am sure if we needed to he would have forgotten by then but I quite fancy the idea of the train. I suppose costs wouldnt be that much different to flying.

I havent looked but I would assume we could get a train from Newcastle to London, then does the snow train go from there direct to resort?

A snowHead

Durham to Kings Cross, walk to St Pancras then Eurostar......I think.

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polo99, yes you can, a friend of mine did it for half term - it is a long time on a train though

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thesnow train is run by Eurostar and full details are on its website. Two trains run each week, leaving on Friday night or Saturday morning, and returning on saturday morning or Saturday night. It terminates at Bourg St Maurice, which connects directly with Les Arc by Funicular and is a short transfer away from Tignes, Val d'Isere, Ste Foy, La Rosiere and others.

The standard class Eurostar seats are not large and have no power supplies. There is no sleeper service, and I would not want to be on the train overnight. First class might be better - I haven't tried. An alternative is to catch the Eurostar to Paris and change there for the SNCF overnight sleeper service to Bourg. That's also cramped, but you'll get a good night's sleep and 8 days skiing instead of the usual 6.

You can catch the trains from London, but some services also stpp at Ashford which has a large long stay car park.

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Thanks for the responses everyone. I dunno why I was assuming we could sleep on the Eurostar. So if we wanted to sleep the best bet would be 3 trains? Newcastle to Kings Cross, St Pancras to Paris then swap to SNFC overnight sleeper to Bourg? Im thinking 2 hours on a plane isnt that bad lol

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After all it is free

I've happily slept on the Eurostar snow train standard class, though I did have 2 seats to myself.
Going 1st class this year and the train looks pretty empty so hopefully 2 seats and first class to boot. Fingers crossed!

polo99, i'm a great train fan. I usually go that way. Eurostar to Paris, then SNCF down to Aime for La Plagne.
But I live in London.
I'm sure if i were up in Newcastle, I would go by plane.
For you the train journey will take considerably longer, and be significantly more expensive.

Jonny Jones, for the overnight Corail Lunea sleeper, go first class.
If you get in early enough its only 15 euros more, and much more comfortable: only 4 in the compartment, with proper sleeping bag on comfortable mattress.

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polo99, it would be just as easy to drive as faff about with 3 trains and 2 changes.

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Son no 1 has reminded me he went home from Briancon on the overnight train to Paris then Eurostar then East Coast. It took him almost 24 hours in total, but he only had a small bag and no skis. He enjoyed breakfast in Paris with a view of Notre Dame before walking to the Gare du Nord and getting a train to St Pancras then home to Durham. He got a student ticket so it was quite reasonable.

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If you want to avoid flying take the ferry to Ijmuiden and then drive the 600 miles to La Plagne.

You know it makes sense.

Jonny Jones, I don't sleep behind the wheel, you should not make assumptions. We take a break at a nice hotel in Champagne or Burgundy region, , have dinner and continue on our journey the next morning. I have never driven to the Alps overnight without a stop, and don't ever intend to.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

polo99, I'd love to get the train 1 year, just to see what it is all about, but the key is exactly as Jonpim says... Living in London is key to it being easy, IMO... Live anywhere else and the plane all of a sudden seems to be the easier option...

I'd have to get a train from Bournemouth-Waterloo, then taxi/tube across London to Kings X, then train it down to Paris, then get a cab cross town again, and finally get on an appropriate train to wherever I was going... Bournemouth to GVA is so much easier Sad

A snowHead

I have tried travelling by train from Lincoln by train a few times. I have found that the best solution was to stay with family near London overnight, then go by Eurostar to Paris, and go by TGV thereafter by day. When on my own the transfer across Paris with skis and normal bag had to be by taxi. Quite interesting, but very time consuming. I did once use the Eurostar snow train, but never will again. I have taken a night sleeper to Moutiers, but it,s cramped and crowded. Reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that it has to be plane or car. IME, three in a car, with each taking spells at driving, is very congenial. However, on one of the two times I took my car, there was heavy snow for days. I had to move the car each evening (not trivial) either to allow snow clearance vehicles through, or to avoid avalanche risk. These days, I take the plane, much as I would like not to.

A snowHead

polo99, I'd wait till next year then get your son on the plane.

Arrive at Edinburgh airport bang on time, two hours before flight, then 1.5 hours to GVA, then two hours to La Plagne.

With your own skis and the right accommodation you can be on the snow five hours after arriving at Edinburgh airport.

Or Cham - 1.15 hr from GVA.

Or the Grand Massif - 45 minutes.

The train can take an awful long time.

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northernsoulboy,
That is more than a little optimistic, I have flown Edin GVA many times. The flight is about 2.5 hours not 1.5. You then have to wait for skis etc to come off the plane. Find your transport Long wait if it is a booked bus, and still significant for car hire much of the time.
On top of that the OP has to drive up from Newcastle and allow time for the Edinburgh bypass if it is a busy time of day.

Yes it will be quicker than the train but unless they get up at stupid O'Clock to get an early morning flight and be knackered when they arrive they won't be skiing the day they leave.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Sorry should have said Newcastle Airport, not Edinburgh. Bizarre. Type in haste etc.

Anyway, T Bar, yep, there's a 'with a following wind' element to that. I should have added - pay for a private transfer, which I always do (it's waiting for you, so no delay there). That does add £££ but then so does hiring a car, esp by the time you've paid tolls and fuel etc.

I must confess I've never flown out of Newcastle (or Edinburgh*), but I've easyjetted and Ryanaired out of East Mids, Luton, Bristol, and Brum a lot to GVA, and have never (being lucky) had anything other than a speedy run through.

End of the day, even pessimistically you should be able to do it in six hours; I take your point re stupid o'clock, but then I can't sleep on trains anyway. Horses for courses I spose.

*I know people who do the latter in well under two hours fairly regularly (work in Geneva). I guess winds etc vary.

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northernsoulboy,

After all it is free

For Bourg I usually fly (or at least, have always flown, I'm not an international jetsetter) into Chambery. But then, whether GVA or Lyon or Chambery, you just get the train on to Bourg, surely?

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Jonny Jones, personally, it gets me however many days I choose to stay there. but there is no reason why you can't be in resort in time to ski on the first day. I choose to stop in Champagne, but could easily be further south if I wished.

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northernsoulboy, Chambery airport is short taxi ride to rail station, according to this site
Lyon airport has rail station, but the last train to Bourg (change at Chambery) is early afternoon. You can get tram into central Lyon station for a train that leaves about 5.30pm.
Geneva to Bourg by train is silly: take the bus.

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Yes, northernsoulboy, the road can get clogged up.
But i think you will find the train journey takes near to 5 hours. You have to go all the way down to Chambery, and change there.
See this thread

You know it makes sense.

Fair dos Jon - I was merely saying that you can take the train. As I said above, I always get a private transfer from wherever.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Well I think my mind is made up and that flying has to be the way to go. It sounds like a lot of hassle and money to avoid 2 hours in a plane lol. I think I had more of a romantic view of getting the snnow train than the actual hassle of it all.

A snowHead

I did Darlington to BSM on the train this year, if you go on the Eurostar site and click on the box that has "St Pancras" as the start point, it then brings up a choice of regional stations to start from, for me, the Darlington to Kings X journey only added £29 return to the overall cost.
I did the overnight direct train and got little or no sleep sat up but still managed a full days skiing that day and a full day on the return leg as the train leaves BSM at ~10pm.
The Bus transfer to Val D'isere was 17 euros return with autocars martin, they do virtually all of the resorts surrounding BSM, book online.

For 1/2 term we drove Whitby - Soldeu, Andorra non stop, as Mrs T is happy to co drive in France, there is no need for an expensive overnight stop and driving overnight, the journey is a lot shorter for the kids as they sleep most of the way, as does the co-driver. this year we got sat nav and a toll transponder which made a big difference as no need to disturb co-driver. The roads were virtually deserted and the cruise control sat at 130kmh about 90% of the way.

A snowHead

Polo99 it's planes all the way for us, although I hate being herded from holding own to holding pen. Once we are out of the employment roundabout we will think again as there will be more time on our hands. Till then it's newcastle/leeds/Manchester for us. What I did want to ask is why you chose Edinburgh? It just seems further away and a bit less accessible than Manchester, but is it?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

NE1,
I used to live in Edinburgh and work in Newcastle, much closer than Manchester, also Scottish holidays often different from English which may make the fares cheaper.

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TBar good point, although don't take much notice of school holidays except to avoid them. We can get to manchester airport in 2hrs40, is it shorter to edinburgh

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

NE1, Depends where you are in the North East but Edinburgh is closer to Newcastle than that.

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5 miles from MetroCentre to the SW. We come up to Edinburgh every year for the festival and when we used to drive it took about that time, mind you that was to the city centre.. Always used yo get caught in the snarl up that was at the top of the A68. We now get the train. Apart from the first 5 miles it's motorway all the way to manchester airport.

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According to AA Route finder it's 2hr52 to both but Edinburgh is 40 miles less

After all it is free

NE1, I'm suprised its that long I remember it as being a lot quicker but that was nearly thirty years ago .

2h 52m is very pessimistic timings. I live 25 miles east of Edinburgh city centre and was doing home to Doxford International Business Park in anywhere between 1h 35m and 2h+ depending on traffic and time of day. If I had the choice I would choose EDI over MAN any day. EDI is much smaller, easier to navigate and generally a nicer place to be.

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NE1, not sure if you're stuck with school hols, but we had planned to go by train this half-term - Friday train to KX, hotel near the station, get the daytime Eurostar to Landry and taxi up the hill. Only the train tickets came out at £450 a head!

So we flew to Chambery, got a taxi into town and got a lovely comfy train - €23 1st class.

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snow train from Newcastle?

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