Best route to faringdon/Clerkenwell area?

[poppet27]

Hello.

I'm new to ED, having moved near Hillcourt Road off Underhill Road. I'm a little worried about getting to work at a reasonable time (although won't miss my daily commute inside someone's armpit on the northern line).

I work in Clerkenwell, (near the slaughtered lamb pub/ Goswell Road) so nearest station is Farringdon or Barbican. I need to be there between 9:15 - 9:30am.

Any experiences of taking the bus to Peckham Rye station, then train to Farringdon vs number 63 all the way?

Or any other suggestions? Thanks.

[Dr Zoo]

Hi

I live in Nunhead and travel to Farringdon every day (I work at the animal hospital!). I go from Nunhead to Farringdon on the thameslink which stops at Peckham Rye and it is brilliant. It only takes 22 minutes and in my experience has always been pretty reliable.

I have also tried the 63 route and it takes much much longer especially at peak times. I know you will have to get the bus to Peckham Rye but I think you will probably find that it is still quicker to go by train than taking the bus all the way.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck!

[poppet27]

I deleted the reference tithe animal hospital thinking noone would know it! Ha! Thanks

[Dr Zoo]

I wondered what happened to your mention of it!

[clobags]

Hi there,

I get the 63 from near The Gardens to Farringdon every day (mainly as I can't be bothered to chop and change and a bus pass is cheap!). It's reliable but fairly slow, especially around 8am. I travel a little bit earlier so always get seat upstairs and switch off for the 50 minute journey. I'd recommend Thameslink for anyone whose patience is limited in a morning!

Enjoy your non-Northern Line commute!

[edcam]

Bus to Denmark Hill then it is 17 mins to Farringdon on the Thameslink.

[Siduhe]

I also get the 63 most days from the Herne to Fleet Street. You need to allow an hour door to door, but it's pretty reliable (bus lanes most of the way, so moves even in bad traffic) and you get a seat. The main pinch point is Rye Lane - if lorries are delivering on both sides of the road, it can take a while for the bus to get through. I also find I can get loads done emails/planning the day which I can't on the train. It is much busier during school travel times (between 7:40 and 8:20 I would say) as lots of children use it to get to school near the Elephant.

Train is quicker, definitely, but (IMO) a less pleasant and reliable experience.

[KidKruger]

bus to denmark hill form lordship lane (185, 176, 40) - 8-12 mins.

Train to farringdon (platform 3 usually) - about 15 mins.

[taper]

Nice quick cycle journey - 30 minutes door to door.

[Twirly]

I used to commute to Blackfriars daily, arriving at 9, so not far away from you. My advice would be make sure you check the live train departures on your phone. If the trains are up the spout, then stay on the 63, if they're running fine, then get the train as it is generally much quicker (unless money is an issue, and you only want the bus pass).

I often used to get the bus home, rather than hang around waiting for a train, as it made little difference (there was often a 20 minute wait till the next one - would rather be on a nice warm bus!). And on the way home you can catch the 45 or 100 to Elephant and Castle and get another bus from there (including the 363, and a choice of several others if you don't mind going Lordship Lane rather than Peckham Rye side of ED).

On the way home I did it on a few occasions, desk to home using train and then bus, in 35 minutes. Best commute I ever had!

[Gidget]

Getting to Lordship Lane from where OP lives would be a hassle for anyone who has suggested that route. Would surely add another 15 minutes onto journey at least.

[Polmoche]

Cycle to Denmark Hill then train?

[RosieH]

I second clobags - did that journey every day for about 2 years and although it's quicker getting the train (probably by about 15 mins once you've factored in the changes etc) I found that I always got a seat on the bus, so I could read / chill out / plan my day

Seldom got a seat on the train, was busy and sweaty and a pain in the arse - so I thought it was worth the 15 minutes fewer in bed to arrive at work feeling relaxed.

[indiepanda]

I do the number 63 every day up to Holborn Circus and would recommend that over the train for the reasons RosieH and Clobags have outlined, can settle down in my seat, relax and enjoy a book etc.

The trains via Peckham Rye can be a bit unreliable and the rare occasions I try to save time by using the train it ends up running late and I've paid more money to get to work at the same time, and had to stand too.

[poppet27]

Wow some polarising views then! I think I will do a day with each option and figure it out.

The P13 stops outside our house which I've noticed goes to Peckham Rye rail. The stop suggests it's an 11 min jorny from Underhill Rd to Peckham Rye rail but I somehow have my doubts..

[Twirly]

One thing that I've found living around here is that being flexible on your transport options is a really useful attitude!

Just be warned that taking any bus that goes via the Elephant and Castle can have delays on some days and not on others. I decided to trial an alternative route for the Olympics (I have to get to Mayfair, so thought I'd get the bus to E&C, then the Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus, seemed easy enough). Unfortunately, on the day I did it, there was an accident so the ambulance was blocking the road and we had alternate single file traffic... I got to work 45 minutes late (despite having allowed extra time). Of course, the train could have been cancelled if I'd been taking that somewhere. Hence my suggestion that you should keep an eye on the train live departures.

I don't remember the trains to Blackfriars being particularly crowded in the mornings. I was getting there for 9am, and I'm pretty sure I got a seat more often than not.

Good luck with working out a good route.

[Lozellen]

P13 is a nightmare at any busy times of day and you're so close to Forest Hill road anyway. I would just walk the five minutes down Ryedale to Forest Hill road and pick up the 63. You'd be getting on at the first or second stop so guaranteed seat!

[indiepanda]

Lozellen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> P13 is a nightmare at any busy times of day and

> you're so close to Forest Hill road anyway. I

> would just walk the five minutes down Ryedale to

> Forest Hill road and pick up the 63. You'd be

> getting on at the first or second stop so

> guaranteed seat!

Agreed, I live very near the P13 bus stop and I very rarely bother to wait for it. Will often walk along the bus route to get to the pub which is about 20 minutes walk, and practically never see the bus go past even though they are meant to come every 20 minutes. I get on the 63 at the second bus stop and usually get a window seat.

I know theoretically I can save a few minutes getting off the bus at Peckham Rye and picking up the train if I happen to be passing 5 minutes before a train is due, but for the extra ?2.30 (I think) it is on my pay as you go Oyster Card, it doesn't seem worthwhile.

[Medley]

Given the times the OP needs to travel, by far the best option is to get the 63 to P Rye and then the Thameslink train. The 63 all the way will only work when traffic is luckily light - you can't count on it day in, day out. Heavy traffic, schools coming back, roadworks, rain - there are too many variables.

You could just walk to P Rye - if you stride out it should be just under 25 mins. That would save you the bus fare.

You could also get a folding bike to cover the stretch to P Rye, although that's an expensive option if you wouldn't otherwise need or have one. Would make zipping around town after work a doddle though, and then you could choose your route home with impunity! 63 back from E and C is more of an option, but still a fair drag.

When the 63 does work well for riding it all the way is at the weekend - I've had quite a few journeys that were 45 mins from the starting stop on FHR all the way to King's X.

BEST OF ALL - get a bike!

[firekat2]

The 63 bus takes you all the way there and very reliable every 5-10mins.

[indiepanda]

Medley Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Given the times the OP needs to travel, by far the

> best option is to get the 63 to P Rye and then the

> Thameslink train. The 63 all the way will only

> work when traffic is luckily light - you can't

> count on it day in, day out. Heavy traffic,

> schools coming back, roadworks, rain - there are

> too many variables.

I disagree, I aim to be at work near City Thameslink around 9.30 and don't often run into problems on the 63.

Plus, with the trains what drove me mad was if I just missed the 8:44, its a twenty minute wait until the 9:04 where the 63s tend to arrive every 5 minutes. And in between signal failure, broken down trains, snow etc etc I never found the trains to be that reliable anyway. The only time I found the 63 painful was when they were doing roadworks round Blackfriars that led to slow traffic running back to Southwark tube, but even that didn't last long.

[RosieH]

Seconded - and I was getting to work for 9am.

[poppet27]

Thanks all.

I took the 08:28 number 63 yesterday, which took about 50 minutes so my whole journey ended up at 1 hour 5 mins from front door to front door.

I took a train from Farringdon to Peckham Rye and did save about 15 minutes overall, but only because I was lucky to get on a train as soon I arrived a Farringdon.

The bus was pretty painless but good to know there's other options too. Cyclists - are there any hairy moments on your route? I'm still a bit wary of cycling in London despite have lived here years..

[Medley]

Interesting to hear how it went. I still think the 63 is not a goer when the traffic etc. is bad.

The timetable gap is a real pain, agreed on that - one way to fix that is to walk to the station, as that's at least predictable, but of course often takes longer.

Cycling - there are hairy moments on any route, in my experience mainly caused by pedestrians. Get the free cycle training available through Southwark Council, I found it excellent when I did it a couple of years ago. Really helps build confidence - you start on paths in parks and progress to busy road junctions.