advice for UK trip?

[significance]

I'll be flying to the UK soon, on a work-related trip, and could use some advice.

I'm scheduled to arrive in Heathrow on QF1 at 8:20am on the Sunday. I'm currently scheduled to meet colleagues in Plymouth on the Monday morning, but I have some flexibility and can push that back to Tuesday if I need to. I'm booked on an economy seat, but have put in a request for a points upgrade. Unless I get the upgrade, I'll arrive in Heathrow either not having had any sleep for around 35 hrs, or having had the sort of poor-quality sleep that over the counter drugs can provide. It seems to be about a 4 hr train trip from Heathrow to Plymouth.

Am I better off hopping directly on a train rather than spending a day in London in a daze and then having to travel again on the Monday morning? Or am I better off booking a hotel in London and having most of a day and a night to recover? If I stay in London (and bearing in mind that I'm on a Y budget), in what part of the city should I stay to keep everything convenient? Should I get in touch with the hotel directly to arrange an early check-in? Last time I arrived OS in the morning, I booked and paid for two nights so I could check in in the morning, but they cancelled my booking when I didn't show up on the first night.

Conversely, if I hop on the first train to Plymouth, am I better off booking a fully flexible 1st class train ticket (almost twice the cost of a fixed-time ticket), or can I count on a fairly predictable arrival time and time through customs and immigration? Or should I just buy the ticket when I'm there at the station?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[opusman]

You could go to the Yotel at T4 for 4 or 8 hours to catch up on some sleep, and then get an evening train down to Plymouth.

 

[RooFlyer]

In that situation, I would get the train towards Plymouth ASAP. Although you'll be zonked, best to keep moving towards the ultimate destination, then recover there. You'll have adrenalin pumping on arrival and your first night may not have much sleep anyway; and you'll still have that next journey on your mind. UK trains are expensive (esp with the FX rate) but I would be inclined to get the First Class option. Not only will it be more tolerable, if your flight is delayed on arrival, you won't have to stress about finding an alternative service.

In a similar situation last year, I hired a car and headed north towards my destination Scotland, bit only for a few hours. I got out of the high cost London environment, made some progress while I was wide awake, then relaxed in the country knowing I was 'on my way'.

 

[docjames]

Agree with Rooflyer.

Get as close to end destination as expediently as possible.

Get flexible train ticket for peace of mind.

 

[kelvedon]

I agree with Roo Flyer. If you've had little sleep on the plane there's little value in going into central London that day. Get the british rail train to it's London Paddngton terminus, which is the same station the Plymouth trains leave from, (in fact about 5 platforms apart).
If your travelling first class the there's a lounge you can use. It's not much, but is a haven from the noise of the station whilst you wait for the Plymouth train. The journey to Plymouth takes 3-4 hours and the first part the train trip is fast (200kph) but it slows down as you head further south and the scenery improves (something air travel denies us) At one point it runs along the seafront (sit on the LHS of train) and was washed away a few weeks ago in the storm. They serve hot food at your seat in first class and you'll have no trouble dozing as the seats are comfortable.
When you get to Plymouth, check into your hotel and stay up as long as you can.
A great site for tips on train travel and fares is The Man In Seat 61 A guide to train travel in Britain | Train times, fares, buy cheap tickets online

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

I agree with Roo Flyer. If you've had little sleep on the plane there's little value in going into central London that day. Get the british rail train to it's London Paddngton terminus, which is the same station the Plymouth trains leave from, (in fact about 5 platforms apart).
If your travelling first class the there's a lounge you can use. It's not much, but is a haven from the noise of the station whilst you wait for the Plymouth train. The journey to Plymouth takes 3-4 hours and the first part the train trip is fast (200kph) but it slows down as you head further south and the scenery improves (something air travel denies us) At one point it runs along the seafront (sit on the LHS of train) and was washed away a few weeks ago in the storm. They serve hot food at your seat in first class and you'll have no trouble dozing as the seats are comfortable.
When you get to Plymouth, check into your hotel and stay up as long as you can.
A great site for tips on train travel and fares is The Man In Seat 61 A guide to train travel in Britain | Train times, fares, buy cheap tickets online

I Agree Entirely with this suggestion on Heading to Paddington Station & heading to Plymouth on the Train!

Having done this Train Trip myself a few times, the Left hand side is particularly scenic after leaving Exeter-St-David's station.

And on the longer train Journey's in the UK, i can vouch that on some occassion's, particularly like this one, it's worth going for First Class..... book early enough & you may get it for under 50 GBP.
With the included Food, Drinks & Basic Lounge Access at Paddington it's worth it!

 

[JohnPhelan]

You are departing Sydney on the Saturday afternoon and arrive into DXB in the very early morning Sunday. I would break the journey there, get a room at the transit hotel (airside) and sleep until lunchtime Sunday. Then I would get an EK afternoon flight to LHR, arriving Sunday evening. Then I'd stay at Paddington overnight, and catch the train to Plymouth on Monday morning. This maximises sleep for you.

 

[significance]

Thank you all for your advice! A couple of options there I hadn't considered.

 

[johny red tips]

Trains to Plymouth leave from Paddington station. There are plenty of hotels in walking distance. There is an airport train from Heathrow to Paddington -runs very frequently and costs ~GBP20 = depending on whether you get the express or not (no real need to). Personally I would just get on the train to Plymouth - allowing time to go thru immigration etc. Book your train ticket on thetrainline.com (not allowed to post links yet so you will have to google it) MUCH cheaper than just rocking up. No real need to go first class - unless your company is paying;-).

Hope this helps

cheers