120 replies to this topic

[snicklin]

London Midland are cheap when booked in advance too. I've done Nuneaton to London for £6.

[carmel_andrews]

Hop on a train. you've got to be kidding right, like 150 quid there and back (same day return) from what i am told

I wonder if megabus has routes up to mancs (might be worth looking into)...hopefully get up there for less then 20

if i were to go, it would only be for the one day (probably saturday)

There are cheap B&B's in c. london you know (like the ones run by the group that own easy jet) and also premier inn and travellodge (or whatever they're called)

[GroovyBee]

carmel_andrews, on Wed May 23, 2012 6:28 AM, said:

Hop on a train. you've got to be kidding right, like 150 quid there and back (same day return) from what i am told

I've no idea where you get your prices from Carmel. You can go from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly for £12 each way if you book far enough in advance. I just tried the last Saturday in August which was all the calendar on the http://www.nationalrail.co.uk web site would allow and it came up with that price. Thats leaving London at 8:20 AM too so you get up north in time for the afternoon at the show.

[Tezz]

snicklin, on Wed May 23, 2012 6:19 AM, said:

If memory serves me right, Red Rat were also in Manchester. I'm not knowledgeable of Manchester, so if it is in nearby streets, I do not know.

Atari World/Red Rat was based in the city centre on what was then Fennel Street. It was a shop below street level (hense the name Red
Rat) within the old corn exchange building. That entire section of the city was rebuilt and redeveloped after the bomb blast in 1996 with the corn exchange becoming the Triangle mall and Fennel Street no longer in existance.

This upcoming show is held in Trafford which is roughly 6 miles from the city centre. The venue is next to the large Trafford Centre shopping mall which is easy to get to whichever way you're travelling.

snicklin, on Wed May 23, 2012 6:19 AM, said:

...Though Manchester might be a bit pricey compared to Blackpool. I got my hotel room for £27 last time, I doubt I will again.

You should have no problem finding a hotel in Trafford at all price ranges. From memory there's a least two Premier Inn's and a Travelodge right by the Trafford Centre itself

[snicklin]

London Euston to Manchester, Saturday 18th August (the furthest in advance that I can go, but still on a Saturday) : £12 when booked (single) and another £12 back if you book in advance on www.londonmidland.co.uk  . I find it best to go straight to their site as it is a lot cheaper than using the cross-company sites which use standard rates rather than special rates on the sites of individual companies. Just don't book a day before or you WILL be paying £150!

Cheers Tezz, yep, there seems to be some Premier Inns nearby but I can't seem to book with them so far in advance. Maybe I can if I call them. Thanks for the history of Manchester (I love such information, it's nice to know a bit about where you're going), you mentioned the bombings, is it all near the Deansgate area? I've been there once before.

[Tezz]

snicklin, on Wed May 23, 2012 1:11 PM, said:

Cheers Tezz, yep, there seems to be some Premier Inns nearby but I can't seem to book with them so far in advance. Maybe I can if I call them. Thanks for the history of Manchester (I love such information, it's nice to know a bit about where you're going),

no problem Hopefully you should be able to book it over the phone with them.

snicklin, on Wed May 23, 2012 1:11 PM, said:

you mentioned the bombings, is it all near the Deansgate area? I've been there once before.

Yea, It was not far from Deansgate. The bomb itself was detonated on Corporation Street outside the old Marks and Spencer behind which (a little further down the street) was St Annes Square, the other side of the square is Deansgate. The Atari World shop was already closed down years before this happened however.

[snicklin]

Right then, who has their tickets? I ordered mine yesterday and booked a hotel room at the Premier Inn Trafford Centre North. Who's got a ticket and who is going to get one?

Here you go: http://www.playexpo.net/

[Tezz]

I'll be there although I've not ordered my tickets yet.

[TMR]

i still need to sort things out with the organisers but, if all goes to "plan", i'll be there with the OSG stall and my trusty 800XL and SIO2SD again.

[sack-c0s]

carmel_andrews, on Wed May 23, 2012 6:28 AM, said:

There are cheap B&B's in c. london you know (like the ones run by the group that own easy jet)

Just be aware that staying in an easyhotel is not entirely unlike experiencing the opening of Portal (albeit without the cool gun)...

Edited by sack-c0s, Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:44 AM.

[gooner73]

would love to come, will try and make it, it would be great to meet up with you guys in person.
Just a bit of personal experience, i worked in hmv and was there when the bomb went off!
Not a great day i can tell you, lost my new mp3 player which at the time were really pricey!
i live in sunny frodsham which is in cheshire and only about 25 miles form the trafford centre, so will do my best to get a ticket.

[snicklin]

gooner73, on Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:28 AM, said:

would love to come, will try and make it, it would be great to meet up with you guys in person.
Just a bit of personal experience, i worked in hmv and was there when the bomb went off!
Not a great day i can tell you, lost my new mp3 player which at the time were really pricey!
i live in sunny frodsham which is in cheshire and only about 25 miles form the trafford centre, so will do my best to get a ticket.

Sorry to hear that. I hope that it doesn't put you off in any way.

As for MP3 players, I know what you mean. I had an MPman or something like that, it cost me £100 and it only had 64mb memory.

I have a proposal, if TMR gets a stand, how about we meet at his stall at 12 noon on the Saturday? Unless someone else has a better idea. If we all bring some cartridges, we can play some games together or we can all go for a beer or something. Suggestions invited, if you want to do something else?

[Tezz]

That sounds like a good plan. I'm ordering my tickets tonight for both days. I was at the Trafford Centre yesterday so I walked over to Event City to take a look at the venue, it's a large place and should be a good event. I'm planning to bring along at least one of the A8 games that I've been working on.

[TMR]

Tezz, on Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:09 AM, said:

That sounds like a good plan. I'm ordering my tickets tonight for both days. I was at the Trafford Centre yesterday so I walked over to Event City to take a look at the venue, it's a large place and should be a good event. I'm planning to bring along at least one of the A8 games that I've been working on.

If everything goes to "plan" i'll have my 800XL and SIO2SD again - bring game on SD card! =-)

[snicklin]

Tezz, on Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:09 AM, said:

I'm planning to bring along at least one of the A8 games that I've been working on.

Depending on whether there's anything to see yet or not, could you bring them all along? Even if they're not playable, it'd be good to see what may be released later.

Last year they also had a charity "after show party" which went from around 7pm to about 1am or so. Would anyone fancy going to that too? I was absolutely sloshed last time though!

[carmel_andrews]

Me is jealous of you people north of the watford gap, all these retro events you get to go to...i hear there's another one not too far away in leics.

And yet they still keep bumping up the rail fares (soon, or perhaps by the next rail fare rise the yearly rail ticket will cost as much as a small family car)....yippie that virgin no longer run a train franchise


just to point out snicklin you only get those fares you quoted if you are prepared to book in advance via cc or dc, you don't get those fares if you pay at the ticket counter....fact

Still, there is always the megabus or whatever they call it now, or just take a trek to vcs (victoria coach station)

Edited by carmel_andrews, Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:23 AM.

[Mclaneinc]

All that money spent and wasted on the triple price of the Olympics and now after that they hit us with a bill to make working even less easy.

And there was me on this daft idea that the customer pays and then the money is used to make sure the service he pays for is both maintained and affordable, but no, its lets give the shareholders some money and sod the commuters.

Going down the pan EPICALLY fast...

[flashjazzcat]

I'd like to know how the idea of competition on the railways is meant to work unless you have half a dozen tracks side-by-side all owned by different operators. I absolutely pity anyone who has to commute by train.

[TMR]

Get onto the National Express mailing list, they occasionally do Fun Fare promotions and i booked a trip from Leeds to Kent and back as four single tickets for under £25 a few days ago.

[snicklin]

carmel_andrews, on Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:19 AM, said:

just to point out snicklin you only get those fares you quoted if you are prepared to book in advance via cc or dc, you don't get those fares if you pay at the ticket counter....fact

Very true - yes, they do have to be booked in advance, good advance.

[snicklin]

flashjazzcat, on Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:34 AM, said:

I absolutely pity anyone who has to commute by train.

That's me then! I was going to have a driving test yesterday but the fan belt broke in my lesson just before the test. My driving history is to be pitied...

Test 1: Failed for speeding.
Test 2: Couldn't find my driving licence card - so I didn't turn up.
Test 3: Failed for allegedly nearly bumping into a parked car (though I dispute that)
Test 4: Forgot to bring the paper part of my licence - didn't turn up.
Test 5: Fan belt broke in prior lesson - didn't turn up.

[andym00]

Well I've just today booked a ticket for a Friday journey from London to Newcastle and back on Saturday for the (fairly) stonking sum of 117UKP (including next day delivery of tickets), it's not great, but then again it's not soooo bad really.. I mean it works out less than the petrol I would have consumed on a 600 mile round-trip if I still had my piece of magic driving paper, the one Snicklin is working on obtaining right now You'll get there, and then you'll wonder why you bothered, petrol the price it is, insurance being monumentally insane, and then to top it all the roads are full of the stupid, the belligerent and the indifferent

Anyway, I've no idea if I can make this or not.. Going to be moving to Newcastle end of this month, and since I'm car-less for the next 10 months it doesn't look like a pleasant choo-choo trip from that neck of the woods to Manchester, well not without it taking 127 hours on a series of what appear to be horribly slow trains Probably just as well.. I'd likely just get drunk and make an arse of myself anyway

[flashjazzcat]

andym00, on Wed Aug 15, 2012 1:13 PM, said:

Going to be moving to Newcastle end of this month...

Just up the road from me! We'll have to get drunk and make arses of ourselves.

[NuY]

andym00, on Wed Aug 15, 2012 1:13 PM, said:

Well I've just today booked a ticket for a Friday journey from London to Newcastle and back on Saturday for the (fairly) stonking sum of 117UKP (including next day delivery of tickets), it's not great, but then again it's not soooo bad really.. I mean it works out less than the petrol I would have consumed on a 600 mile round-trip if I still had my piece of magic driving paper, the one Snicklin is working on obtaining right now You'll get there, and then you'll wonder why you bothered, petrol the price it is, insurance being monumentally insane, and then to top it all the roads are full of the stupid, the belligerent and the indifferent

Anyway, I've no idea if I can make this or not.. Going to be moving to Newcastle end of this month, and since I'm car-less for the next 10 months it doesn't look like a pleasant choo-choo trip from that neck of the woods to Manchester, well not without it taking 127 hours on a series of what appear to be horribly slow trains Probably just as well.. I'd likely just get drunk and make an arse of myself anyway

Make sure you pack your wellies, I hear it's been a little damp up yonder way recently

[carmel_andrews]

TMR, on Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:40 AM, said:

Get onto the National Express mailing list, they occasionally do Fun Fare promotions and i booked a trip from Leeds to Kent and back as four single tickets for under £25 a few days ago.

That sounds yummy, can i've some of that, there again, as with the train cack, i bet you have to book in advance