National Trust: £93.50/year for a family (or £70.12 special offer if you do a direct debit aka automatic renewal every year until you cancel). Whether you're interested in gardens, castles, wildlife, or just somewhere peaceful to relax, our membership gives you unlimited access to hundreds of days out. Gain free entry to over 300 historic houses and gardens, access to some of Britains most dramatic countryside and over 700 miles of coastline owned by the National Trust. Historic properties range from Winston Churchill’s Chartwell, the boyhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Countryside areas include significant parts of the Lake and Peak Districts. Coastal areas include the iconic White Cliffs of Dover and St. Michaels Mount, to name just a few.http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/membership/
Royal Oaks Foundation: The Royal Oak Foundation engages Americans in the work of the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, one of the world’s largest and most progressive conservation organizations. IF you do not want to do the direct debit route directly via the National Trust, you can join through Royal Oaks, receive all the same benefits as other NT members, and pay $115/year for a family. Not only is it cheaper, the money you spend can also be a tax deduction (under donations).http://www.royal-oak.org/join/
English Heritage: £82 for a family membership (up to 6 children under the age of 19). With English Heritage annual membership you can explore over 400 castles, stately homes, ruins and more for free! Sites include Stonehenge, Dover Castle, Battle of Hastings, Audley End, to name a few.IMPORTANT: English Heritage members can gain half-price admission to Historic Scotland, CADW (Wales, e.g. Caerphilly Castle), and Isle of Man attractions during the first year of membership and free entry in subsequent years. Don't forget all the other discounts (look under "associated attractions", e.g. Discount tickets to Castle Howard, Woburn Abbey, Duxford, that you can get with your EH membership:http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/members/benefits/
Scotland Explorer Pass: If you plan on hitting a lot of major sites in Scotland (and are not members of the English Heritage), you may want to consider getting this pass. Check the website for pricing details:http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/explorer.htm
Wales Explorer Pass: If you plan on visiting many sites managed by the Wales government, and are not members of English Heritage, you maybe want to consider getting this pass:http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/explorerpasses/?lang=en
Merlin Pass: Unlimited entry to Sealife, Legoland, Thorpe Park, Blackpool Tower, and others. Merlin Annual Pass UK brings together 30 top attractions, making it the UK's biggest attraction. With over 100 roller coasters and other rides, 45 million LEGO bricks, 80 waxworks, hundreds of marine creatures and more:http://www.merlinannualpass.co.uk/
Bite Card: FREE discount card for used at participating train station eateries, e.g. Burger King, the Pasty Shop, Upper Crust:https://www.bitecard.co.uk/
§ RailEurope: http://www.raileurope.com/index.html Select the US dollars option and you shouldn't have a problem paying with your American credit card (if it's your first time, you might even see a pop-up that will ask for your residency of preference). You can buy all sorts of European train tickets here, even the Eurostar (what people use to get from London to Paris if train is their choice of transportation).
§ Eurostar: http://www.eurostar.com. If you choose United States as your country of residence, you'll see the prices in dollars and will have no problem paying with your US credit card and APO address.
Flights:
§ Ryanair: http://www.ryanair.com/en
§ Easyjet: http://www.easyjet.com/EN
§ Skyscanner: http://www.skyscanner.net/
§ Kayak: http://www.kayak.co.uk/
§ CheapOAir: http://www.cheapoair.com/
§ Cheapflights: http://www.cheapoair.com/
UK train tickets:
§ http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
§ http://www.raileasy.co.uk/
§ http://www.mytrainticket.co.uk/
§ http://www.thetrainline.com/
TIP: When going long distance, try to always reserve your tickets. If you don't, you're not guaranteed a seat, or seats together. You cannot reserve seats for short travels, usually if the ride is under and hour, e.g. Cambridge to London.
FAQ: Is it cheaper to buy in person or online?
It depends. For short trips (especially if you have a group of people going), you can most likely get a better deal when buying in person at the train station before you leave, e.g. Cambridge - London. For longer rides, e.g. Ely - Edinburg, you can go either way. Sometimes you can do well online and sometimes you can do great in person. If you live near the station, it doesn't hurt to shop around but if you're so not fortunate, buying online might just be worth it.
FAQ: Is there a discount card for train travels?
Yes! There are a few which you can find here: http://www.railcard.co.uk. If you have a child over 5yrs of age, the family and friends card is one that you can buy. If you are 24yrs old, there's the 16-25yrs card. If you're 26, the one card you can get is the Network card. You can get a discount if you go up to Scotland (or anywhere outside the SE of England) but if you go to London often enough or the southern coast now and then, this is something worth looking into.
Ely
Ely has a great train station. It's small but it can take you pretty much anywhere from here. Going north, e.g. York, Edinburgh, the price is cheaper than if departing from Cambridge. If you live near Cambridge, Cambridge is better for trips to London (more trains go between the two cities and a tad cheaper) but if you're not sure about securing a car park bay (on a weekday or a busy weekend, e.g. during the Olympics), Ely is a safer bet. On most weekends, you can find parking easily at either station.
TIP: When returning from London, try to be on the first four coaches. Often time the train will split in Cambridge and only the first four will continue on to Ely. to go to London, you need to cross over to the other side, platform 2. The walk is step free.
FAQ: Can I pay for my car park with a credit card at the Ely train station?
Yes! You can install "RingGo" on your Android/iDevice (need Internet access to pay) and pay via mobile this way or by texting/SMS RingGo. To download the app, on your mobile app store search for "Ringgo" or go to their website: https://www.myringgo.com/apps. For SMS info you can find at the car park pay station. RingGo works at many train stations and other car parks in England, one I know is Bury St. Edmunds car parks.
NOTE: Ely station car park gets full during the weekday. People commute from Ely to London daily. Don't pay for parking until your car is sitting on one :)
FAQ: Where can I park at the Ely train station if the station car park is full?
There is a car park behind Tesco (Angel Drove car park), see map:http://www.elycathedral.org/pdf/carparkingposter.pdf and from the car park it will be about a 5 minute walk to the station. Direction: Exit car park and walk towards the front of Tesco. Go pass the front door towards the train station and you should see some stairs that goes from the Tesco car park to the train station's car park.
This long term car park is rarely full and it is a bit cheaper than the station. It doesn't take cards though, so make sure you have enough coins to pay for your time. For pricing, visit this website: http://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/node/6697
Cambridge
FAQ: How do I get to Cambridge?
Some people drive into Cambridge and some others drive to a Park and Ride and take the bus into the city. A few would also take the train (from Downham Market or Newmarket for example) or take the bus (which was fun for my young children and I could just sit and daydream). Cambridge is not hard to drive in but do take extra cautious with the bikers.
FAQ: Where do you park in Cambridge?
There are many car parks in Cambridge but if you plan on sight seeing all day, they price do add up. The most economical for this purpose is to do the Park and Ride. The nearest to RAFM is the Newmarket P&R. For other purposes, it all depends. Do your math.
Price comparison: Saturday £2.50 P&R from 8a-8p and £12.20 all day at Queen Ann car park. For a quickie lunch, £2.50 P&R and £2.40 Queen Ann. For a stroll with the hubby: £5 P&R and 4hrs at Queen Ann for £4.50. Do note, Queen Ann is not city centre but it's not really that bad of a walk either, but it's one of the cheapest car park. The Grand Arcade is the most expensive. But, after 5p the rates at car parks do go down significantly, 70p/hr and Sundays are about £1.80 so just check the car park website & P&R and yes, do the math. Parking on the Streets is free on Sundays but you have to get in eearly to get a parking space!
FAQ: Can I pay the bus drivers for the P&R/bus tickets?
Yes you can. For P&R, it is a smidge cheaper (30p or so cheaper) to buy your tickets from the ticket machine but for the regular city bus, it makes no difference (plus, it's not like there's a ticket machine at every bus stop). While the bus drivers do carry change, on some occassions they might not have enough of something or another. So try to have small currencies with you.
Useful websites:
§ Park and Ride: http://www.parkandride.net/cambridge/cambridge_frameset.shtml
§ Car parks: http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/transport-and-streets/car-parks/
§ Suffolk bus and train timeschedule: http://www.suffolkonboard.com/timetables_leaflets/timetables_by_area/newmarket_surrounding_area
London
FAQ: How do I get to London?
There are a few ways to get to London: Drive and park in London, take the train from Cambridge, Ely, etc., or drive to a tube station and take the tube in.
FAQ: Which is the nearest tube station from RAFM?
Epping is the closest mileage wise (57 miles), zone 6, but Redbridge (66 miles) is the easiet to get to, zone 4. It takes about 1hr 10 minutes to get to Epping and 1hr 15 minutes to Redbridge from RAF Mildenhall. Once you're on the tube, it takes 45 minutes from Epping to Holburn and 27 minutes from Redbridge to Holburn. It takes 53 minutes from Epping to Leicester Square and 36 minutes from Redbridge to Leicester Square.
TIP: If you travel with a less able person, use the Chingford train station. It's about 1.5hr drive from RAFM and it's step free.
FAQ: Can I park overnight at the tube station?
Yes. Make sure you have enough coins for your stay and check out the tube website for daily price http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/tubestationcarparks/default.aspx or for more details http://www.ncp.co.uk. I believe you can pay at some stations with a credit card but I am almost sure the machine only take pin and chip cards.
Payment example: To pay for Saturday to Monday in Redbridge, you would put £6.50 in. £1.50 for Sat, £1 for Sun, and £4.00 for Monday.
Epping station car park info: http://www.ncp.co.uk/car-park?cpid=800474&name=Epping%20Station
Redbridge station car park info: http://www.ncp.co.uk/car-park?cpid=800487&name=Redbridge%20Station
There are a few different methods that one can pay for the London transport (tube, train, or bus). There is a single pass, where you select your start and end destination and pay just for the trip, a day pass/travel card and an Oyster card.
If you plan on going to visit London a few times during your UK PCS, an Oyster card will be the most economical way of going all over London. You can purchase this card online or at a tube/London commuter train station for £5 (refundable when you return the card) and you can top up at any ticket machine or online. Up to four children (0-10yrs old), as long as they are traveling with a paying adult, are free on the London public transport.
Oyster vs travel card: http://www.visitlondon.com/travel/oyster/
To compare prices, check out this page: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx
Example scenario: I usually catch the tube in the Redbridge station (zone 4) and I tend to just visit one area in London (zone 1). For a Saturday ride, I'd pay £2.60 one way. By the time I get back to my car, I'd have spent £5.20. If I had purchase a one day travel card, I'd have spent £7.70. It's not a huge difference but that bit of saving got me a latte in the city while people watching :) Don't worry about overusing your Oyster card either. There is a cap, which is the same price as a one day travelcard for that day. So if I kept using the tube that Saturday, the most I'd pay with my Oyster card is £7.70.
To purchase and top up Oyster card online: https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
Croydon
FAQ: Can I get to Croydon via the train/tube?
Yes!
You can go from Ely/Cambridge/anywhere else via the train towards King's Cross. From King's Cross, take the tube to Victoria train station and from there, take the train to East Croydon. You can also take the train from London Bridge to East Croydon but trains going from Victoria are more frequent (10-15 minutes apart).
Here is a sample travel itinerary courtesy of traveldirect.info. If you have children with you, give yourself more (toilet/slow walking) time.
If you need to wait and have a cuppa, there is a Starbucks and McDonalds between the train station and UKBA. If you rather go to another coffee shop, Caffe Nero is a few minutes down.
Heathrow
FAQ; How do I get to/from Heathrow/Gatwick?
There are a few options:
§ The bus/National Express: http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
Yes, but it can be complicated. First, somebody still needs to pick you up from the tube station (or drop you off at a tube station) at the edge of London and second, and if you have a lot of luggage, the tube can be a bit challenging.
FAQ: Can I take the train from the airport?
Yes, you can take the express train from either Gatwick or Heathrow. The train will take you to Paddington station and from there you need to take the tube to get to King Cross/Liverpool St (depending on what your next destination will be). While the train can be a great option if somebody is picking you up in Cambridge/Ely/Bury St Edmunds etc, you might have to change a few times and any station you go to around the base will still be a good 25+ minutes drive.
FAQ: What is the best way to get to the airport outside of driving your own car?
The National Express bus. You can get to/from either airport from almost every town/city, e.g. Mildenhall.
Norwich
Same info as Cambridge, more less.
Useful websites:
§ Park and Ride website:http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/Travel_and_transport/Park_and_ride/index.htm. The nearest P&R from RAFM is Thickthorn. It's right off the A11.
§ Car parks: http://www.norwich.gov.uk/TransportAndStreets/Parking/pages/Parking-PayDisplaymulti-StoreyCarParks.aspx
§ Norfolk-Suffolk bus timetable: http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/suffolk_norfolk/journey_planning/timetables/index.php?operator=22&page=1&redirect=no
France
There are three ways to get out of the UK onto the bigger part of Europe: Fly, train, drive.
To drive to France, you can do the follow:
§ Ferry from Dover to Calais
§ Ferry from Dover to Dunquerque
§ Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen/Cherbourg (usually quite a bit more, £64 from Dover vs £176 from Portsmouth for the same week, but do calculate gas, toll and time cost if your destination is the western part of France)
§ Eurotunnel from Folkstone (near Dover) to Calais: http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/home/
