Hi All,

Sidmouth is just 2 months away! Wooo!

Seat belts on and strap yourselves in for a long-ish read.

So, some info on getting to Sidmouth... I think at this point it is going to be much simpler if everyone can sort themselves out please - obviously if you are completely stuck, let me know and I'm happy to help in any way I can. I'll add some info on trains below with approx prices and also info about car share etc. (though nothing beats checking it out yourself to be absolutely certain you have The Best Deal) I guess there is probably also mega-bus to Exeter if you fancy that as well! Though might be tiring on the way home. If you are down to stay until the end, you'll want to head off on Saturday so you don't miss out on the final night of stuff.

I'm going to add a little section right at the bottom of the sign-up sheet with the names of all the Ravens going to Sidmouth (plus one's can either be considered to be sorting themselves or travelling with their Raven). Please add whether you have sorted your travel out and what method - I will be chasing to make sure everyone is sorted. The only person who doesn't have some form of Railcard is Rachel-Anne, I've now forgotten which days you are doing but if there are people doing the same as you a group-save might be the way forward. (I'm sure it's written down somewhere!)

Train Travel:

Paddington to Exeter by train, 20 min walk to Exeter Bus station and then the No. 9 or 9A stagecoach bus. Super-off peak return costs about £58 with a railcard, off-peak return is more like £77 with a railcard (some advance fares and different times of day will make this cheaper), the bus is around £6.60 before 6/7pm (forgotten which) after which the Nightrider kicks in and costs £3.50 (as far as I remember!). Last bus from Exeter to Sidmouth 2335. Buses are pretty frequent during the day - every half an hour, going down to hourly in the evening. Cheeky tip with this one if travelling during more peaky-times you can get the off-peak return fare on some services such as the 1803 if you put Eggesford in instead of Exeter...these are £77.

Waterloo to Honiton by train and then the No. 9 or 9A bus to Sidmouth from outside the station. Off peak returns to Exeter/Honiton cost about £50 with a railcard (again advance fares and time of day will probably make this cheaper), and I've forgotten how much the bus is. The last bus from Honiton to Sidmouth goes at 2000 on a Friday. If you're likely to arrive later than this but would like the (usually) slightly cheaper train ticket but longer journey, continue to Exeter (probably advise getting off at Exeter Central as it's a shorted walk) and take the bus below to Sidmouth. With the Honiton option you can buy a Sidmouth bus add-on at a train station - unfortunately no longer available online. Fun fact there used to be a rail station in Sidmouth, so you can technically buy train tickets there! Think you have to wait 45 mins in Honiton for the bus - potentially just enough time to eat v. quickly in spoons or whatever!

Basically take your pick of time vs cost and when you can actually travel and then have a play.

National Express Bus

There are national express buses to Exeter if you fancy this option... Takes about 4hrs 40 apparently, you'll then need to take the bus (mentioned above) to Sidmouth.

Car Travel:

If you are travelling by car and have spaces that you would be willing to offer in exchange for petrol and drinks, please add this so people can see. Sidmouth are keen to make this the greenest festival ever so are encouraging car sharing - using a thing called GoCarShare where you could offer a lift for petrol money / ask for a lift. https://gocarshare.com/festival/sidmouth-folk-week

I probably should have put this together before, but there's still plenty of time to get yourselves sorted, especially if you make a start at looking this week...

Thanks,

Hannah