London To Edinburgh Return Train - Can Anyone Help Me?

bj-sailaway

OK, I've read the tips on searching for train fares - what a mine field it is! How did our railways end up in this mess?!

Anyway, I need to travel to Edinburgh, to be there for the day on 24th March, to look at the uni with my daughter. I can't seem to get the fare below £110 rth - which is crazy, a flight is about £48!

Anyone got any good search tips for me?

Thank you!

dzug1

bj-sailaway wrote: »

OK, I've read the tips on searching for train fares - what a mine field it is! How did our railways end up in this mess?!

Anyway, I need to travel to Edinburgh, to be there for the day on 24th March, to look at the uni with my daughter. I can't seem to get the fare below £110 rth - which is crazy, a flight is about £48!

Anyone got any good search tips for me?

Thank you!

The fare you have found is a walk on fare. As there are no 'advance' fares listed it means they haven't been released yet. So wait a little longer and something a lot cheaper should become available. Should't be too long - tickets for the week before are out starting at £16.50 single, less if you book on the NXEC site

alanrowell

NXEC (and everyone else) is only booking up to the 20th March, so the only tickets you can buy for after that date will be the full cost, walk up fares - which is what you could buy on the day of travel.

By the weekend the cheaper tickets should be STARTING to be released but it may be anything up to 3 or 4 weeks after that before the really cheap tickets become available

bj-sailaway

Thank you so much guys - so, I was too early! I'll try the Nxec site, does it indicate if they are an advance or walk on fare - I don't remember seeing 'walk on' as an indicator.

Thanks again - this is fabulous help! (As a 'never use the trains' kinda gal!)

Livingthedream

'Off Peak' = Walk on fare, same price now and on day of travel
'Anytime' = Walk on fare, same price now and on day of travel
'Advance' = Cheap Advance purchase, available until sold out or 1800 the day before travel

Regards

dzug1

and 'super off peak' - walk on, same price now and on day of travel, just a more restrictive definition of off-peak.

bj-sailaway

Thanks everyone! This is going to save me loads of dosh! As I was looking at £110 each previously! Thanks a million!

redux

Megabus £5 each way per person

But I think it might be worth flying one way at least, to save yourself either a hotel bill or possibly being on an overnight trip, especially if she has interviews

alared

bj-sailaway wrote: »

Thank you so much guys - so, I was too early! I'll try the Nxec site, does it indicate if they are an advance or walk on fare - I don't remember seeing 'walk on' as an indicator.
Thanks again - this is fabulous help! (As a 'never use the trains' kinda gal!)

http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/en/Special-offers/

Follow the link and on the right hand side of the page you`ll see "sign up for alerts"

Put in the dates you`re interested in and they`ll email you when they become available.
The bottom fare for your journey is £12 each way (single tickets) so when you see that price book it

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you wont get it any cheaper.

Also if you want to go the previous day and spend the night there.
www.travelodge.co.uk have rooms for £35 a night right in the centre of the city,a stones throw from the uni.
They have five there and around but it`s Edinburgh CENTRAL that you want,also very close to Waverley station

bj-sailaway

Signing up for the alerts if a fantastic idea! Yes, I'd concluded the travelodge is my cheapest option if we do an overnight. If I can get the train tickets this cheap,I can afford to stop over - all looking very good! Thank you!

bj-sailaway

OK, it's saying they've already allocated those dates, so I won't get an alert. Then when I search, it says they can't connect to the national system. I'll keep trying.