I was going to ride the motorbike up from Cheltenham since the weather is supposed to be reasonably good but then I checked thetrainline.com and found out that a saver return from Cheltenham to Birmingham International is only £16 which is probably about the same as the petrol and I'm not worried about the change at B. New Street since there are quite a few trains on both routes.
It's worth sometimes checking the train fare - I expected it to be a £100 "standard return" or something : )
Luke
On 02/12/2005 16:45, Luke Briner said,
I have found from experience that it is usually cheaper to go by train, and far less stressful - one year I travelled from Weston-super-Mare to Brum Int'l on two single tickets at £6 each. It doesn't work though if there aren't actually any useful trains running on the Sunday! On the enquiries website, I entered an arrival time of 10:00 Sunday morning, and it was suggested I leave on Saturday night, or arrive lunchtime Sunday. Even if I drive into Bristol, and pay for all day parking, I can't get there by train before 11:24.
Ha - just thought I'd check Saturday. 4+ hour journey times, 3 changes. Saver Return £42.50, or two singles for £17.00. Only 2.5 hours on the Sunday! Nah - if I go, I'll drive - it's quicker, but costs about £35, if you add parking into it.
Preston-Warrington is closed Sunday so that means a hefty delay on any traveller from the North-West. So it's a club 20 seat bus for us lot at
7.30am!!!And I'm going to spend far too much on "bits"............. Cheers, Mick
But that's the point really, isn't it? Unfortunately, you've got it the wrong way round. The problem is a combination of (a) far too many people go (b) each trader or layout has the same frontage (I reckon the viewer/stand ratio is too high) (c) the venue isn't even as attractive as the average school hall.
I went to my first Warley last year and it was a waste of time. I spent about four hours travelling there and back, the refreshment areas were packed to the rafters, there was not enough seating (that provided was all being used), the site staff were unable to offer any assistance when requested for a non-smoking rest area (I have a heart condition), the big commercial outfits were packed out 6 to 10 deep and, apart from waiting for the trader who was supplying some replacement parts for me, I didn't bother hanging around after the first circuit because it was such an unattractive experience.
My first Warley was also my last.
I have quickly learnt to support those local (or near local) exhibitions which are both quality and accessible, however small. At the smaller exhibition, I am able to talk to the layout teams and learn stuff and, on occasion, take a trip behind the barrier to check out more intimate details. I am then also supporting the organising club. I have also learnt to trust those traders who serve me well. That I see a new face or trader at an exhibition who can sell me stuff a tad cheaper holds no attraction for me - I understand the term "added value". With RTR stuff, that I might be the first kid on the block to have the latest toy is a pointless exercise - I'll wait for the opinions of those that I respect to surface.
So how much will I spend at Warley?
Bugger all.
What's the most I've ever spent at Warley?
Whatever it was, it was too much.
Steve
You should have gone on Sunday, its 100% better than Saturday.
I am kind of thinking tomorrow could be a bit quieter again as hopefully most of the diesels fans will be in Cardiff enjoying arriva trains "Gala" day on the Rhymney lines. I photographed two class 50, a 33 and a 47 at canton today as well as the usual 37 so its a good day out for the diseased ones tomorrow!
On 04/12/2005 00:28, Piemanlarger said,
From my experiences of Warley, I would concur. My own problem, as I've mentioned before, is that there are effectively no trains running from my part of the world on Sunday, unless I only want a few hours there.
Something to back up John's view:
In the days when the Warley date jumped around year on year because of the requirements of the Motor Show there was a fairly good show around these parts organised by one of the regional associations. The venue they used was what I would term a "prestige venue" that needs to be booked up at least a year in advance and preferably two and the show regularly drew in people from a wide area. (We are on the south coast about 3 hours drive from the NEC)
Suddenly the organisers found that one year the NEC had forced a change to the date of the Warley show because the Motor Show changed their requirements and Warley now clashed with a show they had been planning for
18 months. The venue held their feet to the fire and told them it would "damage their relationship" if they cancelled their show so they had no choice but to ride out what they knew would be a badly attended event.That show was indeed so poorly attended that it very nearly bankrupted them and they were unable to return to the prestige venue again because they no longer had the funds to put the necessary deposit down. They did manage to mount two more shows in a much smaller venue but the first show was nowhere near as good as it had been previously because there was not enough space to accommodate everything they wanted to display and the second show was doomed by people saying "never again" after the previous show. These days the association does not organise a show.
Elliott
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