South West Trains to Hampton Court Palace

[Pet Nit Noy]

We're doing a day trip to Hampton Court Palace via a South West Train out of Waterloo London. Are there any practical details I should know about using South West Train that might be different from National Rail routes? For example, can I buy tickets for South West Trains on the National Rail Site?

 

Something I've read suggests only South West trains use Waterloo. Is that correct? If not, do the South West trains use separate tracks at Waterloo?

 

Will this be a stamp my ticket before boarding situation?

 

Anything else that will help smooth the way for the trip?

 

Thanks.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Twickenham]

Hampton Court is within the London zoned area (zone 6), so if you have an Oyster card you can use that for the trip.

 

Don't think they use separate tracks at Waterloo. Just check the big board for your train, and you'll be all set. :)

[Pet Nit Noy]

Hampton Court is within the London zoned area (zone 6), so if you have an Oyster card you can use that for the trip.

 

Don't think they use separate tracks at Waterloo. Just check the big board for your train, and you'll be all set. :)

 

We do have Oyster cards, but at the moment, they're only "certified" for Central London zones 1 and 2. What might that mean for using our Oyster Cards to Hampton Court? (Or Kew Gardens which is a possible plan for another day?)

 

Are you saying that I can use my Oyster Card to travel on the South West trains? Are you saying I shouldn't take a train at all but travel via underground?

 

Thanks.

[TMLAalum]

We didn't bother with Oyster cards, but bought the daily tourist pass in London. It took us to Hampton Court via the Southwest rail. Cannot be done underground.

 

We really enjoyed Hampton Court especially with the opportunity to reenact the wedding reception of "Hen-er-ee the 8th-he-am" & Jane Seymour! The man portraying Henry was excellent.

[Bob++]

If your Oyster cards are only Z1 & 2 they are not valid for Z6 It may well be cheaper to just buy tickets on the day at Waterloo but either way, South West trains are the way to go. You should note that Hampton Court is the end of the line for this route so you need to be sure you are on the right train - they are well signed, so you should not have any trouble.

 

When you get off the train, Hampton Court is clearly signposted and you have to walk over the river and through the grounds. It is under half a mile and a pleasant walk.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.402704,-0.343108,3a,75y,50.14h,84.34t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sn-IFZLKqnQEkq-LKbKFrJA!2e0

[Twickenham]

Well, you learn something new everyday - I would have never thought there was an Oyster card restricted to Zones 1 & 2. I wonder what the purpose of that is - it's not as if it's any cheaper (at least in PAYG format).

[Bob++]

Well, you learn something new everyday - I would have never thought there was an Oyster card restricted to Zones 1 & 2. I wonder what the purpose of that is - it's not as if it's any cheaper (at least in PAYG format).

 

I thought that too - but took the OPs word for it. The Oyster site is somewhat byzantine but as I understand it the card would be valid for any journey in the whole area. The zones are related to charges and the daily cap.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Well, you learn something new everyday - I would have never thought there was an Oyster card restricted to Zones 1 & 2. I wonder what the purpose of that is - it's not as if it's any cheaper (at least in PAYG format).

 

But it's not pay-as-you-go format! We fund our Oyster with 40 GBP. This buys us unlimited travel for a six-day period in Zones 1 and 2.

 

Here's the way the London Pass Travel Card web site explains the benefits of our particular type of card: "A single journey in central London on the tube (zones 1-2) is £2.90, and the daily maximum charge is just £6.40 - any journeys made after this amount will not be charged. If you're travelling by bus, any journey with an Oyster Travelcard will cost £1.50, but any journeys after reaching the daily maximum charge will be free."

 

Over the past three years, our annual purchase of a Six-Day Zone 1-2 Oyster Pass has taken care of all our travel except for once when we made a day trip to Oxford and bought train tickets.

 

After reading the web site I just mentioned, I do see that the Oyster Card can be used for light rail and overground travel, but I suspect that's only for riders whose Oyster Cards are funded for higher number zones. Obviously those longer distances would mean a higher cost to begin with, and we're not traveling so far afield on our other days. I don't know if that means purchasing the least expensive Hampton Court round trip train tickets we can find or purchasing a one-day Oyster Pass with a rating of Zone 6.

 

We'll ask this question the first day we fund our Oyster Card. We were introduced to our particular type of Oyster Card three years ago when we went to take our first ride on the underground. The attendant asked us a couple of questions about our travel expectations and made the recommendation that has worked well for us.

 

Incidentally, for cruisers whose stay isn't as long as six days, there are One-day, Two-day, and Three-day versions of this same Zone 1-2 pass.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Bob++]

It seems that there are two kinds of Oyster: The "London Pass with Oyster Travelcard" and the PAYG Oyster card. The former is restricted to Z1 and Z2 as you say. It also has other benefits like fast track and reduced price entry to many of the top attractions. The latter is for travel only.

 

As I said above, the simplest thing for you to do is to go to Waterloo and buy your tickets there. It may be worth asking if your card gets you some reduction on the fare.

[forest_]

If any of you have them, a uk Charge card that is contactless can be used on the Tube swipe when you enter then swipe when you leave. Easy this will only be for UK charge cards / debit cards with contactless option.

[Pet Nit Noy]

It seems that there are two kinds of Oyster: The "London Pass with Oyster Travelcard" and the PAYG Oyster card. The former is restricted to Z1 and Z2 as you say. It also has other benefits like fast track and reduced price entry to many of the top attractions. The latter is for travel only.

 

Actually, I believe we have a third kind of Oyster. Ours looks like the two-tone blue Oyster Pass; it does not have the words "London Pass" on it -- only the words "Oyster Card." As I've explained, it covers unlimited travel in zones 1 and 2 for a six-day period.

 

When we purchased our first Oyster card in 2013, we were told about the travel benefits, but not about any free/reduced entry to London tourist sites. We got the card in the Russell Street Station before making our first underground trip of the visit. Frankly, if anyone had said, "Oh by the way, the price of this Oyster Card includes free/reduced admission to the star-rated London sites" we would have asked if there was a travel-only card. By 2013, we'd been coming to the UK for ~ 40 years and had seen most of the top destinations. (Our first visit to Windsor Castle was cut unexpectedly short when security closed the palace to begin preparations for Ronald Reagan's 1982 visit to go horse back riding the next day. This was before the days of internet web sites when a Windsor Castle site would have made this closure public knowledge.)

 

We are going to the Tower of London and Hampton Court on this trip. After 40 years, it's time to go back to some of the destinations of our first trip to London.

 

As I said above, the simplest thing for you to do is to go to Waterloo and buy your tickets there. It may be worth asking if your card gets you some reduction on the fare.

 

I like your suggestion to ask about a reduction. Don't ask. Definitely don't get.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Cotswold Eagle]

I am pretty sure the OP is talking about the Oyster Card that comes with the London Pass - they load it with the credit as described, which would cover the stated number of days Z1-2 cap (6 * £6.40 = £38-40, so it is actually a little over at £40 credit).

 

I don't actually believe it is restricted to Z1-2 - it is just an Oyster Card loaded with credit, which can be used as you like. But obviously it would run out of credit before the e.g. six days stated if used outside Z1-2.

 

See http://www.londonpass.com/london-transport/

[Cotswold Eagle]

Actually, this page has an example of a Hampton Court itinerary that breaks the Z1-2 cap, but not the three day £25 credit :)

 

http://www.londonpass.com/london-transport/oyster-card.html

 

OP, I am certain you can use you Oyster as you like, but you just may have to top up if you rack up fares over the Z1-2 cap + a bit!

[Pet Nit Noy]

I am pretty sure the OP is talking about the Oyster Card that comes with the London Pass - they load it with the credit as described, which would cover the stated number of days Z1-2 cap (6 * £6.40 = £38-40, so it is actually a little over at £40 credit).

 

I just went to the London Pass web site (URL below) and looked at the current price for one adult for a six-day pass: 116 GBP. And this is the key fact that no one has focused on. In post #8, I explained that we fund our Oyster Card with 40 GBP. (Actually, my husband just corrected me. In 2013 and 2014, we only had to top off with 35 GBP). That's it. Not a penny -- much less a GBP -- more!

 

Since we all agree 35/40 GBP covers the travel credit, doesn't that argue against our card being a London Pass card? Where is the money on our card to cover the cost of unlimited admission to London Pass attractions?

 

We'll be in London soon enough. Either I'm right and we have a travel-only card that others are unfamiliar with or we got the bargain of the century for a London Pass including travel that we squandered by paying admission to the Churchill War Rooms (2013) and Kensington Palace (2014). We didn't visit another London Pass destination on the list.

 

London Pass online order form:

http://www.londonpass.com/london-pass-prices.php?aid=17&gclid=CN_n2cKJ8sUCFVUWHwodEFIA1g

 

I don't actually believe it is restricted to Z1-2 - it is just an Oyster Card loaded with credit, which can be used as you like. But obviously it would run out of credit before the e.g. six days stated if used outside Z1-2.

 

See http://www.londonpass.com/london-transport/

 

Before we top off our Oyster Card, we'll explain our travel situation to the helpful attendant and see what he/she recommends.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Cotswold Eagle]

I'm sorry, you are very confused :) The London Pass and the Oyster Card they supply with the London Pass are two different things. They supply an Oyster Card pre-loaded with credit as part of the package.

 

You are not buying a Six Day Z1-2 Pass - there is no such thing. If you are topping up your own Oyster Card, but using the amounts on the London Pass page, you are simply buying sufficient credit to cover the six days Z1-2 cap, as I explained. That credit can be used how you like, including trips out of Zones 1 and 2.

[Globaliser]

But it's not pay-as-you-go format! We fund our Oyster with 40 GBP. This buys us unlimited travel for a six-day period in Zones 1 and 2.

 

Here's the way the London Pass Travel Card web site explains the benefits of our particular type of card: "A single journey in central London on the tube (zones 1-2) is £2.90, and the daily maximum charge is just £6.40 - any journeys made after this amount will not be charged. If you're travelling by bus, any journey with an Oyster Travelcard will cost £1.50, but any journeys after reaching the daily maximum charge will be free."

There's another couple of paragraphs on that page which are also relevant:-

Note: Over 66% of the attractions included on The London Pass are in Central London (zones 1-2) so visiting attractions inside zone 2 will only cost you £6.40 per day. The 6 day London Pass + Oyster Travelcard has a £40 value/credit which will cover all you transport needs inside central London.

 

Should you run out of Oyster Card credit while you’re in London, simply go to any one of the underground stations to top up for the remaining duration of your time in London.

The reference to the Z1-2 daily cap of £6.40 and the possibility of topping up if you use all the credit makes me 90%+ sure that all you're getting is a pre-pay Oyster with £40 credit on it.

 

In that event, you simply use it to pay for your trip to Hampton Court as that's inside the TfL zones.

 

If you get here and discover that you actually have a Travelcard (ie you don't have money credit that's deducted with each trip, subject to the cap, but a pass which covers a geographical area), then the thing to do is to put some pre-pay money credit onto the same card. If you then use it to travel from Zone 1 to Hampton Court, the system will recognise that the Travelcard covers Zones 1 and 2, and will then deduct only the money that's necessary to pay for the part of the trip outside Zone 2. You don't need to break your journey or to buy a separate ticket.

[Pet Nit Noy]

I'm sorry, you are very confused :) The London Pass and the Oyster Card they supply with the London Pass are two different things. They supply an Oyster Card pre-loaded with credit as part of the package.

 

You are not buying a Six Day Z1-2 Pass - there is no such thing. If you are topping up your own Oyster Card, but using the amounts on the London Pass page, you are simply buying sufficient credit to cover the six days Z1-2 cap, as I explained. That credit can be used how you like, including trips out of Zones 1 and 2.

 

 

I may be confused in my explanation and my use of terminology. For that I apologize to new travelers to London and posters who have had the patience to hang in there with me. But I'm not confused about our actual use of our Oyster Card during our previous trips.

 

I used the phrase London Pass because that's the way I perceive our Oyster Pass without knowing there really was such a thing that also includes London Attractions. And, just for the record, we don't load our Oyster Card based on what the London Pass web site says we need. (I've never visited the London Pass web site until this week) We load it with whatever the underground station attendant tells us we'll need to fund unlimited travel in zones one and two for the duration of our London visits. Which brings me right back to my first post. This trip, we'll be going to an attraction in Zone six via SouthWest train.

 

I assumed I would buy an ordinary round trip train ticket for Hampton Court. By now, I've learned that I can use my Oyster Card to apply to trips beyond Zones 1 and 2, and I will fund the card to do so.

[Bob++]

Well - I am glad that's cleared up. Apart from anything else - this thread will surely help others to understand the Oyster card and the London pass a little better.:cool:

 

Hampton Court really is worth the effort of getting there...:)

[marylizcat]

I just thought I would mention that one thing to bear in mind is that if you buy ordinary SW Trains tickets to Hampton Court on the day at Waterloo, you can get 2 for 1 admission tickets at the palace with a SW Trains ticket plus voucher. You might want to take that into your calculations!

[Raisinette]

If anyone is interested, here is the link to the 'What's on' page for Hampton Court Palace. http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/WhatsOn/hampton-court-palace-flower-show

 

(I'll be in London the first week of July and was considering timing my palace visit to include the flower show. As a result of looking for this link I've realized the first 2 days of the show are for members only... so thanks for unintentionally helping me discover this!)