Travel to Glasgow from within the UK

By Dave Lally

The options generally available to use are: air; rail (by British Rail – now known as “National Rail”); coach; and hire car. Each can be combined with any of the others to give you a seamless trip to or from the Worldcon in 2005. Not forgetting that all major termini (air / rail / coach) also have taxi services available.

If possible, use the net. All UK transport operators have secure online booking and payment systems, which accept most credit and debit cards. Thus, with a bit of advance planning, one can possibly even save a little money on the journey.

Remember, in general, the earlier one books a travel journey by UK public transport, the better the deal one can get. Going in a group (all travel out & all travel back, together) can also get a further reduction (although the minimum is usually 10 people).

Air

Glasgow’s two airports (Glasgow International Airport near to the city and Prestwick Airport, which is further out and well to the south-west of the city) have both scheduled (full fare and budget) and some chartered air services. To find out which airlines fly to your chosen Glasgow airport, and where they fly from, go to www.baa.com for Glasgow International and go to www.gpia.co.uk for Prestwick. The two main internal UK budget airlines are Ryanair who fly into Prestwick and easyJet who fly into Glasgow International. Both Ryanair and easyJet, along with some other budget airlines, have flights to Glasgow from London Stansted, and have connecting flights there from many cities across Europe. Ryanair also has direct flights to Glasgow from a dozen European airports, and easyJet offers direct flights from Amsterdam and London Luton.

WARNING: remember if making a connecting flight (especially from abroad), all budget airlines are pointto- point services and even if travelling on to Glasgow by the same airline via Stansted, one should always leave at least three (3) hours overlap at the connecting airport. The late arrival of one flight could leave you stranded on the second leg (even if it’s by the same carrier): the budget airlines won’t wait, and you could find yourself buying another ticket for the second leg of your journey. The budget airlines issue their tickets electronically via the net (just print the information out). Remember you will need a government issued photo ID to travel on UK internal flights as well as passports for international flights to the UK.

Glasgow International has a direct frequent coach service into central Glasgow (Buchanan St bus station) and then it’s just a short taxi to your chosen Worldcon venue. There is also a coach/rail link service, on one through ticket. A coach to Paisley rail station; then a local train to Glasgow Central (upper) station; then go downstairs to Central (lower) station for a local service to Exhibition station or to whichever local Glasgow station is nearest to your convention accommodation (see the accommodation map in PR2).

Prestwick Airport has its own rail station (Prestwick) and one can get a through ticket to your chosen Glasgow local station (see above). If flying with Ryanair into Prestwick, check on their web site – they may still offer reduced price rail travel from that station.

There is one personal web site which covers non-UK based budget airlines. Some of those fly to places (e.g. Prague/Budapest/Riga) where Ryanair or easyJet can then either fly you directly to Glasgow or via Stansted.

Rail

Most long-distance trains go to Glasgow Central station either from London Kings Cross (via Edinburgh) or direct from London Euston. There are other cross-country routes to Glasgow as well (e.g. from Birmingham New St station or from Manchester – each of those having their own airports and each airport also having its own local rail station). From Birmingham International station (beside the airport) one changes at Birmingham New St, then direct to Glasgow Central. From Manchester Airport station, a quick change at Preston rail station will give you a direct Glasgow Central service.

From the various London airports through rail tickets are available:

• Heathrow: go to the airport bus station for the rail/air coach link to Watford Junction rail station, then direct to Glasgow.

• Gatwick: there are some direct trains to Birmingham New St station (then change), otherwise catch the Watford Junction through service (avoids central London and avoids changing on/off London tubes), then direct to Glasgow.

• Stansted: go to Platform 3 for the local service to Peterborough, then change there for Glasgow (via Edinburgh).

• Luton: catch the rail/air coach link outside, to Milton Keynes rail station, then through to Glasgow Central.

TICKET TIP: If travelling long distance by rail to Glasgow, get a through ticket to your local Glasgow rail station (for either for SECC or your own local hotel). This will usually be the same price as the cost to Glasgow Central – this saves a little on the fare (and you won’t have to rebook for the local journey at Glasgow Central).

If you have lots of luggage, a seat reservation is recommended (merely place the luggage at the end vestibules in your designated rail carriage, then proceed to your reserved seat).

National Rail has a good web site for times and connections and by leaving the “via” aspect blank, you get more choices of route (especially if travelling from southern England). Then armed with times etc., go to a ticket booking site (e.g. thetrainline.com) and a range of ticket prices will be available by credit card on the net. One can have them posted (minimum 5 days within UK) or one can collect them from a limited number of automatic ticket issuing machines at some main line rail stations (list on their site). One is quoted a booking reference and then at the machine, one merely enters it (plus the credit card used to book the ticket) and the ticket is then issued. With some UK Railcards you can get reductions on fares (see the ticket web site).

Remember: last-minute walk-on rail fares are usually the most expensive whereas advance booking (on specified trains out/back) give the best value. Those restrictions will only apply to the main journey (to/from Glasgow Central), not to the local service within Glasgow.

On the ticket web site one can even enter “(arrival) Airport” as departure point and then “Glasgow (appropriate Station)” as arrival point. This should then cover any coach/rail link buses.

One can also, if in the UK early, buy a rail ticket from point A to point B (B being Glasgow) from any other rail station or rail Travel Centre (i.e. point C). One doesn’t actually have to queue at Point A to get a ticket to travel (later) from that place to Glasgow.

Finally, for overseas visitors who intend doing a lot of rail travel before and after Worldcon, they should look up “BritRailPass” on the web, for an all-in-one UK-wide rail travel pass only available outside the UK. One’s passport and proof of non-UK residence will be needed.

Coach

Long-distance coaches go to Glasgow’s Buchanan St coach station direct from London’s Victoria coach station, and also direct from other UK cities and also from some airports (including Stansted). However in some cases a change of coach may be necessary. The main UK coach service is National Express and their web site will give fares and times (including changes). If you are over 50, a National Express Coachcard may get you a reduced coach fare with them. Most National Express services have an on-board toilet.

There is also a no frills, very low cost, limited facility, coach service called Megabus, with no on-board toilet (but frequent relief stops).

Coach fares are cheaper than rail but journey times are longer (e.g. to Glasgow from London by rail is: 5-6 hours, by coach it is 10-12 hours).

Almost all overseas coach services (from western, central and eastern Europe) by Eurolines travel to London’s Victoria coach station, then it’s a change to a local service to Glasgow.

TRAVEL TIP: If coming via London to Glasgow by coach, arrange for an early arrival at Victoria coach station, with a later onward departure to Glasgow. Using Victoria coach station’s left luggage and shower facilities, one can take a quick look round London for little extra cost (after 9.30 a.m., buy a Zone 1+2 one day Travelcard – this covers all central London buses and tubes). Victoria coach station is near to Victoria underground (tube) station (thetube.com).

Hire Cars

Hertz/Budget/Avis all have a UK presence (go on their web sites) and all do combined rail/car hire and air/car hire packages. All also do, for an extra cost, collect-car-here-but-leave-elsewhere packages, which might save you money as you are unlikely to want a car much during the convention, if at all. Driving to Glasgow from southern England is a long way, especially on UK roads, which tend to be congested, and can be tiring. It’s nicer by coach or rail, and you can see far more of the British countryside that way. If you are planning a driving holiday around Scotland after the convention, it’s probably best to pick the car up in Glasgow after the convention. But if you are planning on a driving holiday before the convention do plan to break a journey to Glasgow from the south of England at least once.

TRAVEL TIP: If you are driving to Glasgow from the south of England and you’re going via the “M” roads (main highways) remember to use the M6 Toll. This will take you past one of the main gridlocks of the UK road system, but there will be others, depending upon road works. One handy web site is that of the AA (Automobile Association – theaa.com), where you can find a handy route planner, which will help guide you through the maze of roads and will usually avoid known major road works that are causing major delays.

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Page last updated 7^th December 2004