Book it Danno! Homeward Bound - Economy Class & Beyond

Book it Danno! Homeward bound

Index:

After getting off the plane it was time to head to arrivals.

As Irish flights clear as UK arrivals, it was a long hike through a corridor past UK immigration, until we were released near the main luggage collection area.

I headed to the belt to pick my bag up (thankfully nice and fast), and pondered my next move. I could either grab a coach direct to Birmingham (but would not arrive until 9pm), or take the train have a couple of changes… and arrive at 9pm.

Train it is.

With my bag in hand, I headed for the Heathrow Express platforms, timing it perfectly for a Heathrow Express to Central, and a Heathrow Connect to Paddington.

Yes, I still refuse to pay £20 for a 15-mile journey. It’s a rip-off. Thinking back, I was pondering the tube, but I doubt commuters would love me in rush hour traffic in my half-asleep state throwing a rucksack or two around.

Perfect timing

The Heathrow Connect service filled up as we headed towards London (no surprise as it’s peak time), but there was more than enough room to stretch out and think about the final legs for the trip home.

The train arrived at its usual platform (platform 12 at Paddington), and it was a case of following the crowd to the Tube entrance.

I was in no rush to catch it.

The resting Heathrow Connect, full of passengers to take back to the airport.

The great roof of Paddington Station… some of Isambard Kingdom Brunel‘s most memorable work.

I found an entrance to the underground to take me over to Marylebone station, and with a blip of an Oyster card, I was in the warren of tunnels. 10 minutes later, I popped out at Marylebone.

Rush hour at Marylebone station.

By this point, I was seriously flagging. Lots of air travel and lots of time zones were catching up on me – and there was only one thing that could help.

You guessed it – more of the black stuff.

I also got a train ticket for the train home. With that, I had to wait till 7pm for boarding to begin. And at 7pm, the masses were unleashed for the first cheap train back to Birmingham.

The masses head for the train on platform 2

I got to the top of the train in good time, and bagged a seat with a table in case I wanted to work on the way back.

Bagsie!

Alas, the train filled up – and to be honest, the will to type had long left me. I put together a quick pricing comparison about HotelTonight, made a few edits and closed my eyes for a bit.

Once past Banbury, a lot of the commuters had left, leaving the train quiet for the remaining run up to Birmingham.

Thankfully, the journey was on time, at 21:00, I stepped out into the cold Birmingham air.

Arriving back into Birmingham Moor Street – it was then just a final matter of locating a taxi and it driving me back to home.

10 minutes later, I was at my front door… the end of a grand adventure.

There’s no place like it.

Next: Aftermath – Points, Reflections and Refunds.

Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, with in-depth coverage, unique research as well as the humour and madness as I only know how to deliver.

Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates!

Also remember that as well as being part of BoardingArea, we’re also part of BoardingArea.eu, delivering frequent flyer news, miles and points to European readers

Related