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