Hi I'm looking for some help from any champdoggers who know their way round the UK.  I'm going on a course next monthy and have to get from Dundee to north leigh near Oxford. 
I'm going to a conference venue called Eynsham hall and haven't a clue how to get there.  I have no sense of direction and until recently didn't even know where Oxford was in the UK.  So far i'm thinking I could fly from Dundee to London city but after that I'm totally lost. 
I've spent many hours trawling the net but haven't a clue what joins with what etc.  I'm in severe need of help and know that there are champdoggers the length and breadth of the country who might be able to help.

http://www.eynshamhall.com/contact.htm

Travel:  Dundee to London City - 1 hr.   Docklands Rail London City-Stratford.  Change onto LU to Liverpool St (Central Line).  Change to Circle Line to Paddington, train to Oxford.  Taxi to Eysham Hall.

Margot ;)

Or, not sure who flys out of Dundee but if you can go to Heathrow, X70 coach every hour to Oxford, more at peak times, 70/80 minutes, then taxi.

Flights from Dundee only seem to go to London City.  However, if you go to Edinburgh, you can catch a flight to Heathrow - and Isabel's route is far less tortous than my first suggestion!

Margot

thanks margot, your reply put the fear into me - thoughts of the underground totally freak me out about getting lost.  I had a quick look on net and it would probably be easiest to drive or get train to aberdeen or edinburgh and then fly to heathrow, coach to oxford and then taxi or whatever after that.  this is going to be one expensive journey.  thanks for the help and thanks for making it simple isabel

Do you think anyone else from your general area, or even Edinburgh say, are going?  Maybe the organisers could put you in touch and you could share a lift.

I used to live in Dundee and we have relatives near Oxford and it used to take us about 9 hours to drive there. You won't want to drive for 9 hours by yourself - unless you stay somewhere en route. If it were me I would definately go by train. Would probably take 7 to 8 hours and would need a couple of changes but at least you could snooze or read. If you fly you have to add in the check-in times - and there's no flight from Dundee to anywere near Oxford so still lots of other type of transport needed as well as any flight.

That's maybe the best option.  You can do it with just one change at Birmingham.

I've just checked the trains again and can't see how to do it with 1 change at Birmingham.  the least changes I can find is 2 on the way down and up to 5 on the way back.  the trains take up to 13 hours with changes etc.  thanks for everyones input and I'll now go on the hunt for cheap flights and coach tickets.  thanks.

There is a 09.32 Virgin train changing at Birmingham gets in at 16.37, well there is tomorrow, don't know when you are going, and again at 10.34 on a Sunday, change at Birmingham, home at 17.51.  Of course doing the train would definately involve using a day before and a day after but to be honest I think you are going to struggle to complete this journey in an evening whatever way you do it.

Hi Isabel,  I've been e-mailing scottish contacts and have posted on a msg board for the course but I seem to be the only one travelling from this end of the country.  Your suggestion of edinburgh to heathrow seems the least complicated so think I will go down that road. 
I hate driving and have carpal tunnel syndrome so my hands go numb after a short while when driving and I get easily stressed and paniced if theres any other traffic on the road so I'd be a hysterical mess by the time I got there .  I'm hoping for a stress free journey that is as quick as poss as I have to go on the Thursday after work, get there in the evening, do a 3 day intensive residential on life coaching and then travel back on sunday night for work on monday morning.  the worst of it is that I start a new job that week and have to ask for time off on my first week which is unlikely to go down well with my new boss.

BMI seems to be best for prices £121.20 for return flight.   Look at www.expedia.co.uk for flights.

Margot

thanks margot, I'm really crap at travel things - i'll be way out my comfort zone travelling to pastures new on my own but it's got to be done.

Another alternative is to get a sleeper train - leaves Dundee at around 11 pm and gets into Euston at about 7 am next morning. I think it's quite cheap these days, and definitely cheaper than air fare and hotel cost. To find out more, go to First Scotrail website and click on Caledonian Sleeper on left-hand side. From Euston you'd still have to go a few stops by tube unless you got a taxi, to get to Victoria Station. The Victoria line goes from Euston directly to Victoria Station, and then you could get an express bus to Oxford from Victoria Coach Station.

thanks, all these links are great and very helpful.  It might sound weird but I have never travelled alone outwith my local area and usually leave the travel stuff up to those who are comfident organising it and I do other stuff. I'm starting to sound like a hillbilly but honest I'm not - geography and awareness not really my thing, I thought Blackpool was in Scotland until I was about 10 years old!

Hi Cheekychow,

I'm not sure I can help with the tavel advice, I havn't been on a long train journey for ages, but would just like to say have a wonderful day at Eynsham. I was there a couple of weeks ago for our annual team meeting, and it is a lovely lovely venue. So lovely in fact, we have booked it for our xmas party too!!

I don't know if this will help, but there is a train station in the local village of Long Hanborough. It is only a small station (ticket office is a bloke in a shed :-D ) but there might be a link from Oxford, and then a taxi ride would only be a couple of £ to Eynsham

Claire
x

thanks for that claire

Eynsham is a village off the A40,
Whereas Eynsham Hall is North Leigh, Nr Witney off the A40 too...

I used to work in Eynsham and a friend had their wedding reception at Eynsham Hall.
The Hall is really beautiful.

Don't know if where the nearest train station would be, sorry always driven.

This is a very useful site http://www.transportdirect.info/TransportDirect/en/

Daisy

http://www.discountedorfree.org/shared/drivinglink.htm
Will plan yur journey and I find the directions eqasy to understand and recite to a driver :D

I am registered blind and had half the sight I do now when I lived in London, but found travelling on the tube no bother at all.  Tye map is easy to understand and you just count the stops if you can't see the place names.