Great Western Coffee Shop

Scenario ...

There's likely to be three (or five) of us ... Lisa and Linda going to take in an exhibition at Olympia, and me (Graham), perhaps with Billy (woof!) and Gypsy (woof!) who will accompany the ladies on the train, but frankly would get very bored with the show, so will go off and see some of the sights of London

The FGW timetable page gives some very interesting (and very long journey time) options, yet being a Saturday I thought that there would be tubes to Olympia.   I'm also noting the No. 27 bus from Paddington.   I suspect that Lisa, Billy, Gypsy and me would be happy with odd routings - can't speak for Linda though.

Please, then,
a) Recommendations as to routes and fares
b) Am I allowed to lend Lisa my Oyster card for the bus?
c) If we get travel card + groupsave does the group need to go on TfL / London services together?
d) Is there a map of escalator free stations as I cannot carry a lurcher and a greyhound on escalators.
e) Pubs / restaurants that welcome dogs near Paddington?

I'll leave others to answer a)

b) People do, but if you meet a ticket inspector, strictly they're not transferable, so I'm not sure of their reaction.
c) Yes, I believe so.
d) If you use the TfL journey checker, you can see if your journey has escalatrors in the key to each leg of the journey (there is an escalator logo)
e) Google 'Dog Friendly pubs' - several websites created to give you answers!

(d) TfL publishes a "step free access" tube map.

Olympia tubes run only at the weekend these days.

This guide answers your escalator question partly and suggests that platform to street is "level access at Olympia.

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf (https://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf)
But as it is about step free access it won't be as useful as it might have been for you, but it does show you the stations with level access, those with lifts and those with "a small number of steps" which would be a start. 

On the transferability of an oyster card - is your card registered.  Mine isn't so I can't see how anyone would ever know it was being used by Someone other than the person who first purchased it.   

Oyster Cars are transferable provided they are only pay as you go and not loaded with a Season ticket and provided they do not have a Railcard discount loaded on them.

The reason I suggested what I did re escalators above is that Grahame is only interested in escalators, not step free access. It's just that his dogs can't manage the escalators - I'm sure they can walk as many stairs as necessary....woof!

Many thanks for the "escalator free" advise - the hounds are indeed fully stair capable (we sleep on 2nd floor in a building without lifts);  I think we can probably work out suitable places to go up and down from the links / references supplied, though we might err on the cautious side and end up avoiding a station which has escalators with a parallel staircase.

Thanks for clarification on when Oyster is / isn't transferrable too.



I took a further look at the Groupsave conditions just to be sure what they said.


and I'm interested in why in says "outward and return" journeys rather than "all journeys".  When we arrive in Paddington, my plan is to make a circular tour taking in several places, and that's neither the outward nor the return journey in my mind ... I'm just wondering - probably wouldn't argue the case and would meekly pay for my own tube journeys (or it may be better for us to get a group save to London Stations) but it's really not clear.

The  vast majority are making a journey from A to B and back. I suspect your reading too much into that, and unless you can find clarification that definitely states once on the tube, you can go separate ways, I'd be erring on the definite side of caution.

I haven't checked out the fares, but South West Trains to Clapham Junction then London Overground/Southern to Olympia may be an easier, albeit more time consuming, journey.

Are we talking this Saturday 22nd February?

If so then you can get Day Returns from Salisbury to Clapham Junction for ^10 each.

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/wintersmiles.aspx

Add to those, Off Peak Day Returns from Melksham to Warminster (^4.20), Warminster to Salisbury (^7.00) and Oyster singles for Clapham Junction to Kenny O and back (2x ^1.50) and you have a day return for under ^25 each.

Plus, Weekend First is valid with the ^10 SWT Winter Smiles fares, so you can upgrade for ^5 each way.

0902 from Melksham for an 1156 arrival, or,
0753 from Trowbridge for a 1041 arrival,
0853 from Trowbridge for an 1141 arrival.

Time enough to tap in your Oyster at Clapham Junction when changing trains.

I'll be very interested to hear how you got on taking your dogs on a sightseeing tour of London!

Once I've had my knee replacement, (mid-March, all being well) because I shan't be able to drive for 8 weeks, I thought I'd avoid almost dying of boredom as I did after surgery last year, and take to the trains with Echo during my recovery period.  However I will have to find destinations that are all at ground level, as I won't be able to tackle stairs or escalators.  (Can't envisage carrying very wriggly Bearded Collie!)  That's going to limit me somewhat!?

That sounds like real fun if we were going for the journey rather than the destination, but I think one of the "L"s will be keen to get to and from destination quite quickly.   

Scouting around, we'll probably go for the 07:48 MKM -> SWI and the -> PAD at 09:38, return on the 16:15 or 18:15 changing at SWI and getting to MKM at 18:02 or 20:02.    Looks like the group may be up to 4 (Adults) + 2 (dogs) and I make that 100.00 on a woofsave (plus the bus fare for L&L on the 27), or 77.60 with a split at Dick Dot.   Return fare 19.40 each!

Cynthia - yes - we'll report on how we get on on the underground.   Billy (knowing his character) will want to take the Hammersmith and City line right to the far end.

Having met Billy, I'd suggest that he will indeed just want to express his enjoyment of the transport treat being offered, probably quite vocally.  ;) :D ;D

Hard to know if that was deliberate or predictive text getting in the way....  ;D

Just been following up on this, Chris ... and indeed the journey PLANNER lets you specify "I can use stairs but not escalators" ... via http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

See attachment for example, Paddington to Tottenham Court Road.   We will let dad who will be with us use the escalator while the rest of us use the stairs!

Oystercard's even with a (Full Priced) weekly season ticket on them are transferable.

The only time they are not transferable if they have a discount of any kind attached to them or previously attached to them.
E.g. PTAC/Priv Oystercards are obviously not transferable. When the discount expires or is not renewed the Oystercard is still not transferable despite it not having any 'active' discount.
The Olympic Oystercards were not transferable and specifically stated that on the back of them.

That's not with TfL seem to think:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/19799.aspx (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/19799.aspx)
"Oyster cards that have a Travelcard or Bus & Tram pass on it are non-transferable. They cannot be used by anyone other than the registered owner. "

Excellent day had by all ... As they don't do a day return from Melksham to London, we did day return Melksham to Didcot and day return Didcot to London Paddington, and didn't push Oyster complexities.

Tubes - fine.   Instructions say "carry dogs through gates" but they can easily walk through wide gates.  Tubes packed, but didn't phase dogs - in fact a lot of people were asking if they could take our pictures!

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/bglon2.jpg)

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/bglon7.jpg)

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/bglond.jpg)

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/bglonf.jpg)

More pictures and longer write-up at http://www.wellho.net/mouth/4243_Taking-Greyhounds-and-Lurchers-to-London-for-the-day.html

Recommendation (Cynthia and others), go for it.  Perhaps a shorter trip such as Oxford first for Echo, though?

Dogs are a rare sight in London.  In fact, I have never seen on a dog on a tube train within Zones 1-4 and rarely see anyone walking dogs here in Zone 6.  Not sure whether this is for financial reasons or whether owning a dog in a city where many people live in flats or shared accommodation simply isn't practical?

Thanks, grahame, can't wait to give it a try!