Buses
Information on bus services and rail connections can be found at:- Traveline helps you plan a journey combining bus, coach, train and ferry services
- Showbus.com Directory of links to UK bus/rail timetables and journey planners
- Barry Doe Directory of printed bus and rail timetables, websites and enquiry offices
- Traveline data How Traveline is maintained
- Travel From Here Searchable directory of links covering all modes of transport
- Bus Users UK Independent user group campaigning for better bus services
- Bus Pass Heaven How to get the best from your bus pass
- The Scenic Britain by Bus booklet is no longer published but you may be able to find a secondhand copy
- Love the bus video will give you a different view of bus travel
Plusbus
You can buy a Plusbus add-on to your rail ticket which gives you bus travel in the immediate area of many destination towns for a low fixed cost.Taxis
Find a taxi at any station with Traintaxi.Virgin Trains West Coast have a partnership with Uber to encourage people to leave their cars at home and take the train. Customers buying their ticket on the Virgin Trains website will have the option to receive an SMS reminder with a link to book an Uber trip to the station and at the end of their Virgin Trains journey.
Cycles
Taking your bike on trains can be a fantastic experience but can also cause some problems. The following links provide advice:Alternatively, you can now hire bikes at some stations. Bike & Go explains how the scheme works and which stations participate.
Car parking
Car parks are available at most stations – price (if managed by the train operator) and capacity can be found on the National Rail website. Enter the name of the station in the search box, then click on ‘Getting to and from the station’.There may be other, cheaper car parks near the station – and some people living near stations offer parking on their driveway for a reasonable fee. You can search around a station and see the locations of both on a map of the area at Parkopedia. Other websites such as YourParking Space and JustPark show only driveway parking.
It is often possible to park on the street within a reasonable walk of the station for free. If you are not familiar with the area, the best way of finding these places is to use Google Earth – you can see the yellow lines and where cars are parked, and even read the parking restriction signs on StreetView!
The biggest danger you will face on your train journey is getting to the railway station by road. Brake is the road safety charity.
Station access maps
Access maps of each station, showing entrances, facilities and platforms, can be found on the National Rail website – enter the name of the station in the search box, then click on the ‘Stations Made Easy’ graphic.Planning your journey | What type of ticket | Finding the best price | Making the journey easy | When things go wrong | Rail tours | Going abroad