Public Transport

We've just had a trip to London and to be honest I really wanted to use public transport but the return ticket for the two of us to London was £170.00, then we had to get from out house to Swansea station, and then somehow get to London wetlands and back to our hotel, this means a trip of over 5 hours to get there for about 10.15 as opposed to about 3.5 hours by car. On top of that we would have to carry a suitcase and camera equipment with us. Then there's the trip from the WWT to our hotel, about 20 mins by public transport or car. And then the homeward trip via RSPB Ham Wall about 4 hours by train as opposed to 3 hours in the car. The other main difference is that we would need a taxi from Glastonbury adding to the time and expense. Another stop at RSPB Newport Wetlands on the way home. About 1.5 hours by car or 9 hours by public transport and finally the trip home. Just over 3 hours to Swansea and then a bus or taxi trip home or 1.5 hours by car.

Let's look at costs, £170.00 for the return train tickets and that's just London and back, assume about another £50.00 for local transport that gives about £200.00. By car, petrol £55.00, parking at the hotel, £78.00, congestion charge £11.50 or £144.50 and door to door service .

Had I timed the homeward journey better I could have got away without paying the congestion charge too, public transport is too expensive and too inefficient to compete and really needs to get it's act together.