Train ticket help?

Ashok_2

Hi,

I'm going on a trip to London soon and was hoping for some advice on sorting out my train tickets... I've only ever used the train once and it was a simple return ticket to one place and back to where I started, and this one is slightly more complicated!

Anyway basically, I want to travel from Leicester to Central London (not sure what station, but I have to be at Houses of Parliament that day!) on the 13th August, then on that same day travel to Epsom town... then need to travel back to Central London (Parliament again) on the 18th, and stay there, until the 21st when I need to go back to Leicester, but via Loughborough..

It is a bit complicated, but I expect it would work out rather expensive to get single tickets for all of them, so any advice on the cheapest way to do it?

Thanks!

Lakeuk

Think you're going to have to go for singles, stopping at Loughborough is the killer.

You may save some cash in London if you get an oyster card

http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tickets/faresandtickets/2008/farefinder/

dzug1

On longer routes, advance purchase singles can be dirt cheap if booked well enough ahead and are the cheapest way to travel if you can get them. For you Leicester to London and London to Loughborough would be best booked this way (look at megatrain as well as normal fares), leaving you the short hops on standard singles.

An Oyster won't be much use for Epsom (not valid there) but depending how much central London travel you do could still be worth while

gner_ex

I personally would just get a Saver Return ticket (or Open Return ticket) from Loughborough to Epsom.

Saver return will only allow you to arrive in London off peak - i.e. depart Loughborough 09:01 arrive St. Pancras 11: -similarly you can't leave London in the peak to go North - this costs £48.60

If you need to travel in the peaks, an open return is £106.00.

With the saver return (on the southward journey) technically you can't break your journey, but a couple of hours at Westminster should be fine (get the tube to Waterloo, then walk across the river).

There is no break of journey restriction on the return leg (or on either leg of the Open Return).

With both these tickets, you can only use the tube to go from one terminal station to another (i.e. in your case, from St. Pancras to Waterloo) - so you CAN'T use the tube to go to elsewhere - a travelcard or Oystercard is the best bet in this situation.

You'll also need to get a seperate cheap day return from Leicester to Loughborough to use on the 21st - this costs £4.10.

Does this help?