Bedford to Solihull on Christmas via public transport?

December 7, 2010 1:24 AM

I need to get from Bedford to Solihull near Birmingham, UK, on Christmas Day, ideally via public transport. I have no idea if this is possible but it's looking like it might not be. Help!

Essentially I'm planning on spending Christmas Eve with friends in Bedford, then leaving on the morning/early afternoon of Christmas Day to visit another friend in Solihull.

Even in the best of times, it seems, there isn't a huge amount of service between these places, and I am discovering that there doesn't appear to be any intercity public transport on Christmas in Britain at all. Can this possibly be right?

If worse comes to worse, there is the possibility of getting a ride from either one friend or the other between both places, but it would be a big inconvenience for the driver: 150 miles round trip on Christmas Day! Not wanting to inconvenience one friend too much I could do something like get a lift to Milton Keynes or Northampton, get public transport to central Birmingham, then get a ride home to my friend's house.

Any ideas, Britanno-hive? Thanks.

posted by mdonley to Travel & Transportation (10 answers total)

Sorry mate, practically nothing runs Christmas Day. I'm afraid you'll have to rely on your friends or hire a car.
posted by londonmark at 1:41 AM on December 7, 2010

No, there will be no public transport on Christmas Day. Absolutely everything will be shut, except some shops or restaurants owned by folks from non-Christian cultures, and some taxi firms. The taxis will have been booked solid some weeks beforehand. If you're willing to pay the (very very large) price and book now, it's possibly possibly possible that you could get a taxi.

Travelling on the evening of the 24th could be the best you can do.
posted by emilyw at 1:57 AM on December 7, 2010

www.transportdirect.info, which usually finds a route even if an insanely complicated one, says no to public transport.
posted by nja at 1:59 AM on December 7, 2010

if you go by public transport (ie not on the 25th), then you can get a train Bedford to Bletchley (ie near MK) so little point getting a friend to drive, though its actually quicker to go Bed to Sol via Leicester.
posted by biffa at 3:02 AM on December 7, 2010

The other alternative is car hire, of course, assuming you have a driving licence.
posted by nja at 3:11 AM on December 7, 2010

Agree that the country is shut in Xmas day outside of some restaurants, taxis and the occasional shop (whose opening probably makes the local paper). Xmas Eve usually has good service although may close early. Boxing Day and following bank holidays have bad to mediocre service, but probably doable.

Best route by train is Bedford - Leicester - Birmingham -Solihull.
posted by plonkee at 4:11 AM on December 7, 2010

Even in the best of times, it seems, there isn't a huge amount of service between these places, and I am discovering that there doesn't appear to be any intercity public transport on Christmas in Britain at all. Can this possibly be right?

Yes.

Pretty much the only public transport that does run on Christmas day is to and from airports, and that even that is spotty. However, that may be just the ticket, since Solihull is 10 minutes from Birmingham International. Investigate getting the bus there from Bedford, Milton Keynes (or even London Euston?). Another alternative is to get a taxi. Call a few companies now and get quotes.
posted by caek at 4:13 AM on December 7, 2010

Hiring a car, if you book it now, will probably be cheaper than the taxi, even though you won't be able to return it until December 27.

If you or someone else drives, the bright side is there will be no traffic. The streets of Britain are deserted on Christmas day.
posted by caek at 4:19 AM on December 7, 2010

Airports are out, unless you want to connect through France, the Netherlands or Switzerland!

I'd suggest sucking it up and offering to pay for the petrol for one of your mates or paying for a cab.

Plugging 'Bedford' to 'Solihull' into this taxi fare calculator gets a fare of £106. Add 25% or so to that for it being Christmas day and a tip for the driver and you're looking in the £150 - £160 range. Which is less than a ludicrously roundabout flight.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:32 AM on December 7, 2010

Response by poster: Yikes, it's as I feared. I'll travel on the 24th instead, which has now become the only economically-possible solution. :) Booking a taxi that far in advance was a new concept, though, and could prove useful later; I had no idea you could!

Thanks everyone!
posted by mdonley at 2:26 PM on December 7, 2010