 Poster: A snowHead
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Having missed out on going skiing by train last year I've yet to sample the delights of getting to St Pancras while loaded up with skis. Waterloo used to be a doddle, just change platforms from the Southampton train, but now?
Anyone carted luggage & skis via the underground? (I gather that the Bakerloo Line changing at Oxford circus is best) What was it like?
If my group decide on the taxi alternative, do London cabbies make a fuss about skis, and how much does it cost?
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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yes, two weeks ago
easy to do, doesnt matter where you change just look at the map (we went one way and came back another)
also you can get discount connection tickets including tube with eurostar tickets
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Pete Horn, London cabbies are not in the position to fuss at the moment - you could take an ostrich any they would be like "Would he like some bird seed mate?"
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Pete Horn, yes, the interchange between the Bakerloo and Victoria lines is very straightforward at Oxford Circus, the platforms are next to eachother and on the same level.
However, if you don't have the discount connection tickets you may possibly find that a taxi is cheaper - the cash fare for that journey on the tube is £4 each (it's only £1.60 on an Oyster card).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Don't know. We're taking the easy option and getting to Euston to avoid the underground, we can then walk. The Paris Metro with skis etc will then be a nightmare but we will brave it when it happens.
I think the one thing to avoid is traditional ski bags with a long strap that fall off your shoulder. The 'Serious' double ski bag has two handles that allow it to be used like a rucksack, this was useful on our last trip. We will try out our mega 4 pair wheelie bag across Paris as we have 6 pairs of skis, 1 set of blades and a board plus 5 pairs of boots between 2 adults and 2 kids. This trip will be fun, there are 11 separate sections involving car, train, bus, metro, so it will be a good test of what you can take on transport.
It's really about getting the luggage right I think. Keep the amount down, put as much as you can on your back. If you use wheeled bags make sure the wheels are far enough apart that they don't tip. Above all, count every piece every time you start off. Good luck, have fun.
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If you can get off at Vauxhall, the Victoria Line is a straight run through to St P. That is the way I go - though not with skis yet. It saves five minutes getting to Waterloo and (for me) a long walk from the suburban end Waterloo to the Tube. Or get off at Clapham Junction, or Surbiton, or Wimbledon and get a suburban line that stops at Vauxhall. They are frequent. Changing at Oxford Circus is unlikely to be great fun at the best of times.
You can get skis in the back of a cab even the old longer ones. You may not get the whole group and their skis in one cab though.
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Done the tube thousands of times with skis and kit bags. If you avoid the peak of rush-hour it's not too bad. Oxford Circus is by far the easiest change.
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Pete Horn, Last year at Heathrow they refused to take my daughters 160cm skis in a black cab.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Pete Horn, taxi is between 12 and 15 quid. I don't know if they charge a little extra for all that gear. Going by tube doesn't represent much of a saving if there are a few of you. Having once smacked a nice lady around the chops with my skis on the underground, I vote you taxi it. (She was French and not a babe so technically not my fault).
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Thanks for all the input. Two of us have hacked across Paris with traditional ski bags before now so the Underground shouldn't be a problem, and we have oyster cards left over from when we were in London for a few days 2 years ago & using buses daily. Now we have a double wheelie ski bag so that should be easier. I just have to convince the other 2 in my group that the Underground is practical. Either that or one of them can take the taxi & the skis & luggage. £12 - £15 seems steep to me for a journey of less than 2½ miles.
I looked at using Vauxhall, but the trains from Southampton don't stop there, changing platforms at Clapham Junction can be a pain even without skis, and changing to a slow train at either Woking or Surbiton would take longer than the tube.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pete Horn,
Gare Du Nord to G D Lyon less than 10 eu by taxi...and max of 15 mins if the traffic isn't so good... IME
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I have never had a problem taking skis in a black cab - the cabs have lods of space.
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Pete Horn, time of day will make a difference. Carting your luggage on the tube in rush hour will be a nightmare, and a taxi will be even slower at that time. Outside rush hour, tube should be OK, but not all changes are equal; some can be long and involve much up and down escalators. From W'loo to StP, I'd change at Oxford Circus. Taxi will be more expensive, even at £4 each on the tube (hell's bells!), but easier and probably quicker, as you have a change on the tube.
As Latchigo says. going via Vauxhall is the best bet. If your incoming train doesn't stop there, consider changing at Clapham Jn. There loads of trains from there to Waterloo which stop at Vauxhall.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Wed 11-02-09 14:19; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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Pete Horn, what time of day & which day will you be travelling? It'll make a difference as to whether the tube will be relatively hassle-free or not. When we go to Heathrow we normally get a taxi to S Ken and then the tube out. Changing tube line is no different to actually getting on the tube in the first place. But obviously its different if its first thing on a Saturday morning or rush-3-hour during the week.
We got a black taxi back from Croydon last weekend - no probs with 2 pairs of skis & luggage - stacks of space!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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richmond, snap!
And the route from Waterloo to St P by taxi is pretty easy and you shouldn't have hold-ups. Even if Euston Road is jammed you can be dropped off this side without having to go along it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Linds, should be less than a tenner
trying to think if there is a bus. if you walk over to baker st (about 5 mins without bags), you could take the 30
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I had 170 skis (that's length, not quantity) in a black cab twice last week. No problems.
Linds, you could always get a bus. Cab should be under a tenner. (Black cabs aren't cheap, Pete Horn, and personally I'd catch the 59 bus (but it's worth a scout around to find the right stop - stop K (according to TFL's website) which is opposite the IMAX. When you get off the train, go to the end of the platform and then turn left. On your right will eventually be a set of stone steps; go down them and head away from the station and there's an islandy bit where lots of buses stop. )
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Arno, James the Last, Thanks guy's, trying to do the journey without having to lug my ski bag and wheely bag up and down stairs in the tube. So looks like it will be a black cab.
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Linds, are there any other routes possible involving getting across to another line that arrives in Kings Cross? From KGX to St Pants is just a 2min walk across the road.
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JT, I have no problem getting around Paris, it works. You can buy cheap Metro/RER tickets from a machine (no oyster type card needed) and Gare du Nord to Gare du Lyon is a direct RER, no changes. GdN to Gare d'Austerlitz is either a direct metro or two RERs with a same platform change, or taxis are cheap enough  It's Waterloo - St Pancras I'm less sure about when loaded with luggage & skis.
Latchigo/Richmond, It takes longer to get to Vauxhall than it does to get to Waterloo, and you have to change at Clapham Junction (and maybe Basingstoke as well). Clapham J. doesn't have lifts.  Might just as well stick with Waterloo tubes & change at Oxford Circus.
Tube fare for us would be oyster card rate, not that ridiculous £4 ticket.
59 bus would be OK but I have reservations about 4 of us boarding in one go with all our luggage & skis.
Yes, it will be close to the rush hour, about 15:30 on Friday 6th March.
Worse still, I've just checked the trains. For Sunday 15th, our return to Southampton is scuppered by a substitute bus service between Eastleigh & Southampton. In all the years we've done this trip I can hardly remember one Sunday return journey from Waterloo to Southampton that didn't involve engineering works diversions. We've been via Virginia Water several times, Guildford at least once, and on one occasion when there was no engineering work the train broke down at Woking. 
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Pete Horn, 15.30 on a friday isnt close to the rushhour..it is the rush hour.!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Personally I wouldn't try the bus at that time of the day with all your gear! And it's at the driver's discretion if he would even let you on never mind you having to cope with being in everyone's way. Although you are travelling the right way, most people are trying to get to Waterloo then. Get a taxi, although 4 of you with skis and luggage you might need 2 taxis.
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Pete Horn, we got that subsitute bus one year on the way back to Soton and the driver told us we couldn't bring our boards on the bus as there was no space!
We ignored him and got on anyway.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Linds, Marylebone is not a bad little station. Only a few platforms. No steps if you are heading straight out the door.
Walk to Baker Street is not too bad. Then you are sorted.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Trying to find the right bus stop at Waterloo is a nightmare even if you are unencumbered with luggage.
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Linds, cab, I'd say, or walk if you're feeling chirpy, it's straight along Euston Rd.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Pete Horn wrote: |
| Latchigo/Richmond, It takes longer to get to Vauxhall than it does to get to Waterloo, and you have to change at Clapham Junction (and maybe Basingstoke as well). Clapham J. doesn't have lifts. Might just as well stick with Waterloo tubes & change at Oxford Circus. |
Difficult to say which will be quicker. Depending on the time of day, if you alight at Clapham Jn there'll probably be a Vauxhall train train to your platform within a few minutes; if you change platforms (which involves up and down stairs), even sooner. At Vauxhall, there are (short) steps from platform to street level, and I can't remember what there is in the tube station, almost certainly escalators. You're going to be doing escalators somewhere.
I would do the Vauxhall thing myself, although there won't be much in it. I've used that route on the way back to Richmond from StP, although without any change at Clapham Jn, and it was fine.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks cathy, I meant to ask about London Buses policy on Luggage. We've taken skis on Southampton buses twice with no problem, loads of space, but neither time was rush hour.
Jagerbull, if we get to Eastleigh I think it'll be taxi from there rather than waste time on substitute bus services.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Pete Horn wrote: |
| I meant to ask about London Buses policy on Luggage. |
Completely random, more or less. If you are refused by one driver, the next may well let you on. In rush hour, with skis and other luggage, you might well have a problem, if only being shoved off by the throng of passengers already on. At other times, you should be OK.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pete Horn, the 2 of us took our skis & luggage on a bus to Croydon a few weeks ago - but it was 7 am on a Saturday morning. We didn't fancy trying our luck coming back on a saturday afternoon with all the shoppers....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Vauxhall may work from Richmond but from Southampton it requires changing trains at Clapham at least, and takes at least 9 mins longer than a direct journey into Waterloo, according to Nationalrail at least. According to TFL journey time from Vauxhall to St Pancras is 13 minutes, Waterloo to St Pancras also 13 minutes plus up to 4 mins wait at Oxford Circus. That makes Waterloo look quicker, and I know where I am there - not up & down stairs at Clapham (hard to avoid as the Southampton trains don't share platforms with local trains), and not going down Vauxhall tube for the first time.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Pete Horn, You may wish to factor in comfort along with minutes.
Tube lines are often down or running slow. Taking two Tube lines increases chances of disruption and delay. Plus all human traffic is going one way at Vauxhall. At Waterloo and Oxford Circus folk will be heading in all directions.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Granted, but someone above said that the change at Oxford Circus was easy? It's got to be easier than Clapham J. Maybe it depends on whether we get the 14:00 from Southampton which does stop at Clapham, or the 14:30 that doesn't. If the latter then Vauxhall is right out.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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i got on a bus in full ski kit the other day after skiing on primrose hill...
anyway, Pete Horn, the cost of a cab is about the same as 1.5 pints of lager in courchevel and will save you considerable ballache. just sayin...
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Pete Horn, you'll need a mutzig after all that faffing on public transport! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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A change at Clapham Junction will be pleasanter than one at Oxford Circus; in the tube, the foot tunnels are often narrow (I imagine that they are on the Bakerloo line because of its great age) and with a train full of people in, can get horribly crowded even at quiet times. Last place you want to be with ski kit. Providing you don't cut it too fine, you'll probably be able to get a Vauxhall train from the same pair of platforms at which you arrive at CJ, so no need to go up and down stairs. If your Waterloo train doesn't stop at CJ, you can get one from Waterloo back to Vauxhall; at least half the trains from W'loo stop at Vauxhall, I reckon, and it's the first stop out of W'loo.
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Pete Horn, i don't know the cost of a cab from waterloo to st pancras.
there are stairs involved at all the stations you're mentioning. your choice really comes down to what kind you're willing to battle in order to get to your destination.
1) if you change for the tube at waterloo, you're looking at a staircase to get to the tube and another, or possibly two to get to the bakerloo platform, plus the escalators down to all the different lines. going across to the victoria line at oxford circus should be a doddle, as it's literally across from one side of a hallway to the other. at that time of the afternoon (~1600) you're likely to encounter school kids, rather than workers, so you should be ok. it's also just a normal weekend - no bank hols, or half-terms, so no extra people should be in the way. try to see in which direction the victoria line train is travelling in, as the back of the northbound trains platform areas tend to get overcrowded. the walk from the king's cross tube to st pancras can be done underground with a little staircase between stations. or you can go out the station via a longer staircase and cross traffic.
2) you could also take the northern line from waterloo (again a staircase onto the platform) and change at euston for the city branch of the northern line. or you could just walk from euston station as it's about 10 minutes straight down the euston road.
3) if you change at clapham junction, you will almost definitely have to do a down-one-flight-up-another in order to get to the suburban lines that stop at vauxhall. vauxhall does have a staircase leading off the platforms, and these exits are quite narrow for your luggage. there's a single escalator down the the tube.
4) alternatively, you can use the escalators off the mainline waterloo station to get the 59 bus. it's a double decker tho, so it'll be a tight squeeze with all that luggage and people.
hope the info helps.
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