Next week I am not going to stay in a hotel, I’m going to buy a week’s ticket from Cardiff to London and travel every day. I figure I might as well sit around on a train reading as sit in a hotel reading, and I’ll get to see my wife and my own bed and be able to help out with screaming kids in the night.

It’s a 20 minute drive to the station, 2 hours on the train then 30 mins by tube. Anyone else do stuff like this?

Oh and before I get flamed for poor work-life balance it’s only for 7 weeks.

mol – I do something similar when Im on a big project. I travel on the slightly further north line, from the malverns (I actually get on at Pershore ), it takes 2:10 to paddington. 15 mins to the station by car at my end and another 15 mins by bike from paddington to my clients. I keep a bike at Padd.

Sometimes the journey feels fast, sometimes eons. I usually stay in a little hotel I like if I have back to back days in London though.

On the way in, I listen to radio 4 podcasts and have a doze (take your own coffee flask too). On the way out I browse STW, grab a beer and maybe kip for a bit, listen to choons.

I recommend getting a https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/powermonkey-explorer/ kit, as on the HST trains you can charge from the socket at your seat if your power pod is empty. I also now convert my Media Centre recorded TV files for my HTC legend and watch Frozen Planet on it.

Also browsing and music kills the battery if you do it for 5 hrs of the day flat out.

used to do chester to london 2-3 times a week for a couple of years… and didn’t really enjoy it – but i wasn’t into staying over in a crappy london hotel at all

actually went to east croydon on tuesday, return only took 3 hours – really appreciate the ipad for commuting like this, managed to get a few episodes of The Killing watched

Actually that’s not a bad idea.. I was wondering how to get iplayer downloads onto my phone or PSP (it’s not easy) but of course I can just record them on media centre or PS3 and transfer them.. that would be easier.

Perfectly feasable, only constraints are obviously the train network. If you factor in hasstle when the things get cancelled(herumph), you could do it, you’ll need more reading material though. Staying in once place in thr eves is stressful enough when away from family, I understand this, but (herumph) it does get easier being away, as you say it’s only for 7weeks.

mol – in windows 7, RHClick on Recorded TV files, and select convert to *.dvr-ms format.
Then use handbrake with setting optimised for your device to rip to MP4.

Previously MP4 was flaky on my HTC, this above has created absolutely perfect video files.

when the things get cancelled

I have had 1 cancelled train on my line in 5 years.
I have been delayed maybe 10 times.
Out of at least 700 journeys.

Mrs Grips has been struggling at night with the kids, I want to be able to help out. I have my kindle though, that might be all I need – I’ll go through and record as much TV as I fancy watching.

I am going to cancel Sky, I wonder if I can convert the files recorded by PlayTV on the PS3? Probably ideal for PSP.

Kindle is probably more self-improving mind. I used to have a 50 minute train commute and got through loads of books – it was great.

Pah! I do carmarthen to london. And it takes me 1/2 hour to get to carmarthen.

Luckily not often.

7 weeks isn’t long. Relax and enjoy the random delays.

5e you must live somewhere cool then.. jealous.

See you on the 6.25.

See you on the 6.25.

enjoy your lie-in, you slacker.

Well I travel by Southern*, 5 days in 5 2 have been cancelled and 1 delayed by 15mins.. It takes 20mins to get to the office by train, thats inward, outbound it’s slightly better only 1 cancelled this week.

This is typical, for the last 3 years.

* other services are available, similar crap service/attitude

It’s not to bad for 7 weeks, but it is a bad time of year. that line suffers from a lot of issues and with winter ahead i’d be prepared for some long long journeys.

(I used to do Bristol to Padd a lot in a previous life)

5thElephant, wouldn’t you be better off driving to Port Talbot? it would cut your travel time by 1/2 hour, it’s what I do, but I only go to Cardiff.

Not thought of Port Talbot. I’ll see how it compares with Swansea which is my other option.

Ooh… thanks for the tip. Only an extra 3 minutes to drive to Port Talbot rather than Swansea according to multimap. 😀

I worked out that if I moved to Abergavenny it’d still take me more or less the same time door to door.

Take something warm to wear. It might sound daft, but I do Bristol to London every now and again and when you get tired, you get cold.

I got the 5.30am train today and was kind of falling asleep most of the way there, but I was proper frozen!

I did derby to London every day for 3 years. That was 30 mins drive to the station, 1:40 – 2:00 hrs on train depending on which one I got, then 30 mins to the office via tube, or a 50 minute walk.

I hated staying in hotels, still do, and had a young family then, so travel worked for me, but it was knackering.

Now we have lots of technology that means I hardly ever travel to London. If I do it twice a month these days it’s too much!

I used to quite enjoy it. After a while you get the same faces sitting nearby, and you start to build up a few friendships.

And after a year, the then Midland Mainline staff got to recognise me and I got he odd perk i.e. free cakes, coffee, biscuits, newspapers etc.

7 weeks will be a doddle.

Oh god here we go again.

Helicopter !

I know Boomerang ?

molgrips – Member
I worked out that if I moved to Abergavenny

I Wouldn’t

Kindle is probably more self-improving mind. I used to have a 50 minute train commute and got through loads of books – it was great.

What kind would you get?