Getting to Glasgow for 9am on Monday 20th June

[VideozVideoz]

I really wouldn't recommend relying on the 04:57 Manchester to Glasgow service. Its timings are ideal in theory - but as Recent Train Times shows it's been partially or fully cancelled 37% of the time, over the last 100 days. In fact it hasn't run in full for the last week.

You could leave home a little later by taking the train to Gatwick and then taking the 06:30 easyJet flight up to Glasgow (£27) - it arrives at 07:50 so should allow plenty of time to take a taxi/bus to the city centre such as to arrive by 9am.

I had already mentioned these points in my earlier post… Just thought I’d say

 

[Davester50]

And unless your office is very fortuitously located, you'll probably have a job getting there for 9 unless the train arrives by about 0830 at the absolute latest, probably 0815 if it's somewhere in the sticks like Paddington pre-Crossrail.

It's just antisocial organising 9am meetings on Mondays or getting uppity about someone wanting the cost of a hotel for one, unless your entire attendance is in commuting distance. Even then it's not great; people like to start the week slowly, going through emails etc with a coffee.

Exactly, It's been the crack of dawn flights, sleeper or hotel that I've done for a good 20 years when having 10am meetings in London.

That's the point, really.
I spent most of my career in a London-centric organisation, like many, which arranged early meetings in London. To be fair, other than Monday mornings it was possible to work around these, with other meetings and overnight stays if that's what suited. One year we had a "kick off" meeting in the provinces, in Leeds, and I saw that the invitation said something like "because Leeds is such a long way away we won't start until 11am to give people enough time to get there". I wasn't impressed, having been "dragged" to London for early starts by the same people for years.

Agree 100%.

 

[Watershed]

What train arrives from Glasgow by 9am? The 0428 departure doesn't. (0908 arrival)
Only the Sleeper arrives before 9.

I was rounding with the former, so you'd need to be on the sleeper if the meeting was at 9 on the dot (or not near Euston). Still, if you don't accept Glasgow then substitute in Lancaster. The point is, you can travel over 200 miles as the crow flies and still get to London by 9am. The reverse is rarely possible.

 

[jfollows]

Since leaving work as an employee in 2015, all my London meetings since have been either as a volunteer or as someone paid a consultancy fee to represent myself in issues related to strokes, their reasons and their treatments. It's telling how much better I was treated than when I used to be an employee, and have never have been asked to attend a London meeting at a ridiculously early hour, especially not on a Monday.

 

[Davester50]

I was rounding with the former, so you'd need to be on the sleeper if the meeting was at 9 on the dot (or not near Euston). Still, if you don't accept Glasgow then substitute in Lancaster. The point is, you can travel over 200 miles as the crow flies and still get to London by 9am. The reverse is rarely possible.

Well of course I'm not "accepting" Glasgow, as, well, you can't!
As as for the rest, they're still pre-5am leaving the house departures, while the Home Counties attendees are just pressing the snooze buttons without a care.

If I was in the OPs position, I'd suck up the early departure for the sleeper for a one off.
If that's really a deal breaker over just 2/3 hours then up at stupid o'clock and get to Gatwick.
The late night train, and the Yotel or similar at Gatwick with the 06:15 Easyjet flight is another option.

 

[Watershed]

Well of course I'm not "accepting" Glasgow, as, well, you can't!

If someone were coming from Glasgow and wanted to take that train, I'd gladly move the meeting by half an hour to accommodate them - even if I'd consider them somewhat mad to do so!

As as for the rest, they're still pre-5am leaving the house departures, while the Home Counties attendees are just pressing the snooze buttons without a care

That's the nature of London being a long way from many other parts of the country. The point is, it's an option - whereas people in the OP's position have no realistic option to take a day train to arrive in Glasgow at (or around) 9am.

If I was in the OPs position, I'd suck up the early departure for the sleeper for a one off.
If that's really a deal breaker over just 2/3 hours then up at stupid o'clock and get to Gatwick.
The late night train, and the Yotel or similar at Gatwick with the 06:15 Easyjet flight is another option.

Agreed.

 

[KeithMcC]

Having had to travel to early meetings, usually in Germany, for many years, I always try and get there the night before. Much less stressful and I will still be awake at lunch time. Getting up at 4am means I will be dead on my feet by then.
The only exception is if There is something I really want to do socially the night before.
If I really need to get an early flight then a hotel within walking distance of the terminal is the least stressful option - fall out of bed, get through security and then have breakfast!
But I would echo the earlier poster - I am now a consultant and get treated better, and if I do have to travel on a Sunday evening then I can (and do) charge the time!

 

[Ken H]

I was rounding with the former, so you'd need to be on the sleeper if the meeting was at 9 on the dot (or not near Euston). Still, if you don't accept Glasgow then substitute in Lancaster. The point is, you can travel over 200 miles as the crow flies and still get to London by 9am. The reverse is rarely possible.

Quite. Getting to the main station just before 9 is no good. You have to travel to the office, sign in at reception, find the loo and coffee, log onto the wifi etc. I think a start before 10 is unrealistic.

 

[a_c_skinner]

Travelodge. In Glasgow. Cheap train with luck.

 

[Davester50]

If I really need to get an early flight then a hotel within walking distance of the terminal is the least stressful option - fall out of bed, get through security and then have breakfast!

Yes, the less faffing around in the morning the better.

That's the nature of London being a long way from many other parts of the country.

At least you understand that. Sadly, too many don't.

 

[contrex]

Agreed. My policy with meetings in the north is to insist on a hotel if I can't get there by train on the day (and leaving London no earlier than 0700).

Our policy (a BIG legal organisation) is to allow a hotel stay if the journey to the venue is either longer than 2 hours or requires leaving home before 7 AM. Ceiling £120 in London, £100 elsewhere. We want the person to be alert and useful.

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Ceiling £120 in London, £100 elsewhere.

Interesting. Seems fine on a Sunday night, but weekdays, £120 in London seems low

 

[cactustwirly]

How much more is that British Airways flight?
Surely Heathrow is easier to get to than Gatwick.

Realistically I'd get a late evening flight and hotel in Glasgow or stay overnight next to Heathrow or Gatwick

 

[D6130]

Travelodge. In Glasgow. Cheap train with luck.

Agreed. You should be able to get a room in one of the several Glasgow Travelodges or Premier Inns on a Sunday night for £35-50. That doesn't solve the problem of spending quality time with the family though.

 

[Blindtraveler]

My advice to you, take the sleeper with a classic room and book the following Friday off work so you can take the kids from school straight to something like bowling or soft play and dinner out for all of you at a pub as a way of compensating. If the boss complains you can remind him that you did go to his bloody meeting in Glasgow on Monday morning at 9 and spent most of the afternoon slumped in a 390 seat to get back to MK in time to go to bed too then get up again to be at your desk for some ludacris time on Tuesday



Also as a resident of Scotland and user of the wcml I would also endorse fully not relying on anything operated by TransPennine express especially for early mornings or late evenings or if you have a schedule to stick to

 

[contrex]

Interesting. Seems fine on a Sunday night, but weekdays, £120 in London seems low

For (e.g.) the Old Bailey, RCJ, Central London County Court (Gee St), etc - Travelodge Farringdon £89.99 for tomorrow Wed June 1st, Kings Cross Royal Scot £99.99, London Central City Road £109.99. Lots near Snaresbrook (for the Crown Court) under £100, cheapest £73.99 at Chigwell 2.5 miles away. We get, shall I say, 'senior' types moaning about the 'standard' of the within-budget accoms, but this is pretty rare. We do encourage them to book the travel & accomm via our contract supplier, who can get better rates and cancellation policies than individuals. That way they don't have to pay anything out of their own pocket to claim back later, and if the supplier can't find anywhere within budget, in that case it falls on us, not the traveller.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interesting. Seems fine on a Sunday night, but weekdays, £120 in London seems low

At the moment those figures are low anywhere, hotel prices are a bit expensive at the moment generally. Rather than a ceiling it should be a standard of accommodation, i.e. "budget hotels such as Premier Inn, Ibis/Ibis Budget etc are preferred and the cheapest of these should be chosen".

 

[Mag_seven]

Can we keep discussion to advising the OP on options for getting to Glasgow for 09.00 on Monday 20th June please.

I've moved some general posts about hotel chains to this thread:

Hotel Chains Discussion

Moderator note - split from: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/getting-to-glasgow-for-9am-on-monday-20th-june.232426/ For (e.g.) the Old Bailey, RCJ, Central London County Court (Gee St), etc - Travelodge Farringdon £89.99 for tomorrow Wed June 1st, Kings Cross Royal Scot £99.99, London...

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