In this discussion i would like to hear how you get to the shows . Do most of you drive there , go by coach or go by train ?
I would like to know from those of you going by train for example and how you get to the venue if the station is for example three miles or so from the venue ?
Would you like a shuttle service for example and would you be prepared to pay a small fee for this service ? Everything costs money im afraid and these things dont come cheap as im finding out.
I know you all want free car parking , dont we always wherever we go and i agree with this.
Thank you again to you all for your input , i can assure you it will make a difference !
Gordon
I used to travel to the NEC by train, but since the huge price increases last year it's nearly £60 to travel from North Wales, I've found it's much cheaper to go by coach which costs £28 including the entrance fee! I think the cost of parking should be included in with the entrance fee, again it's the organisers of the event that are making money, giving us crafters less to spend when once inside. Elizabeth x
ReplyDeleteHi Gordon, I've just read back over your posts and replies re Ally Pally. I'm godsmacked what Creative Expressions did to you and Robert. We all go to craft shows to seek out a bargin and if CE prices are too high we look else where, I know I do. I know alot of good stall holders have stopped going over the past 3-4 years, which is a great shame for us crafters. You could always try the Suffolk Paper craft Shows run by The Stamp Hut in Bury St Edmunds. Oh and I drive to shows.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you. I cannot really say about going to shows as most of them are inaccessible due to costs of transport. The nearest one to me Harrogate, is way out of two and no transport is provided at all. Regards
ReplyDeleteI cannot drive long distances any more,so if I managed to persuade my husband to drive me (he is not really interested), he would be bored to death, unless there was something nearby that interested him. A few years ago we went for the weekend to Glasgow(special treat for me) I went to the Secc and he went exploring our home town.
ReplyDeleteTravelling alone would be by train, and therefore the venue would have to be very near the station or with transport available. I would not object to paying a fare on either shuttle bus or normal public transport.
I would like to go by coach to shows which are a long distance away but that option is not usually available here (south Wales) Public transport is useless so I always drive. I don't mind paying for car parking but do think that the NEC is extortionate. What I do hate is not being able to park easily or having difficulty finding the show ground. It needs to be well signposted. Apart from convenience the other advantage of driving is that I always buy loads of goodies which can be hard to carry.
ReplyDeleteI tend to go to local shows only so that means NEC, Sincerely Yours at AT7 centre in Coventry and the Papercraft Show at the National Motorcycle Museum. For the NEC we use the train. As we are local we get free train journey and park for free at the local station. The other two we drive to. Olwynne
ReplyDeletedrive there as long as it isnt over 30 miles then it gets expensive.
ReplyDeleteI go by train to Sandown Park and Ally Pally (free shuttle for both, or I can use my bus pass for AP). I drive one hour to Newbury (free parking), nearly two hours to Shepton Mallet (but that's really only because my sister lives nearby and I go to the show to meet her there - I wouldn't travel that far for a small show otherwise). Oh, and Farnborough is ten minutes from home - I could cycle if need be but I do take 2 passengers with me! I don't like driving in cities but for an out of town venue would be prepared to do an hour's journey, otherwise I'd go by train and be willing to pay for a shuttle bus just for the convenience.
ReplyDeleteI currently only manage to get to Exeter and only when we are going there anyway for a few days, we stop at the show on the way. Hubby would drive me there and back again, oh and I go to Shepton Mallet which is more local to me and again drive. I have been to Cardiff on the train and it was a horrible really long journey and I couldn't sit down for ages, my back is too bad to do that again! I walked from the station, wasn't too bad. I used to go to Bristol until it stopped, and I used to be driven to Cheltenham (or was it Cirencester), not been there for years, it used to be good but was getting less good every year. It is a lot of money to go to a show if you think about it, with the travel and cost of going in, and if you don't find any show prices when you get there, ie cheaper prices (and I was told the prices go up to cover the show costs by one lovely chap), then you might as well save your pennies and spend them online and get what you want! I know it is a day out, but a lonely day out for me on my own - hubby won't come round as he has no interest or patience, and I feel I can't do the workshops because he is sitting waiting outside in the car! Could be a cold wait at the next Exeter show too! At least there are food stalls he can get to without paying to get in, unlike Shepton where they moved them all inside the payment zone! I would love to get to other shows for a change.
ReplyDeletedrive, but parking is getting so expensive at the nec
ReplyDeletecheryl
So far, Birmingham etc by car (with in 1.5hrs drive). London on a coach trip with local tour company inclucing overnight stay. The coach trip with blue pigeon was so much fun with a coach full of crafters, I would definately do it again Helen x
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