Walking by train - return tickets?

chuffee

Does anyone have experience of walking point to point using public transport?

The planned journey is:

Liverpool - Ellesmere port Return ticket = £4.10
Chester - Liverpool Return ticket = £4.40

Walking the Grand Union in between.

Two singles will cost £8.20 (£3.60 and £4.60) or £8 if I get a Liv-ellesmere single and a Chester - liv return.
So pretty much double either return price either way.

Now I know if you're reading these forums you know that train prices don't make a huge amount of sense. But it seems a bit much that I'm having to pay double for the crime of exercising. Does anyone know of any way round this?
(I don't think smiling nicely works and hoping for the best works on Merseyrail...)

MX5huggy

Sorry but I am confused, walking is free.

KeithP

Buy a Liverpool - Chester return at £4.40 and an anytime single from Hooton to Ellesmere Port for £1.70. Just make sure your train from Liverpool to Ellesmere Port stops at Hooton.

chuffee

Cheers keithp seems a bit more resonable that way. I know it's not massive sums but I wouldn't be any kind of money saver if I didn't try.

mx5huggy: That's the point I'm trying to make really. Doesn't seem fair to have to pay double for a split journey with the same train company.

dzug1

Slightly more controversially, get an off peak day return to Helsby at £4.40.

Get off at Ellesmere Port on the way out and on at Chester on the way back.

Travelling short and/or break of journey should be OK as it's not an advance ticket

omelette451

KeithP wrote: »

Just make sure your train from Liverpool to Ellesmere Port stops at Hooton.

They all do: all Merseyrail trains stop at all stations on each route. (It's been suggested that this be changed, but it won't happen before December at the earliest.)

dzug's suggestion will work too, however. Just out of interest though dzug, do you have any idea why that £4.40 ticket comes up in journey planners as being valid via Warrington too, despite having a restriction of 'route Birkenhead'?

goldspanners

MX5huggy wrote: »

Sorry but I am confused, walking is free.

at least for the moment....

omelette451

Stop press! An even better suggestion is to buy a Saveaway ticket, available from all Merseyrail stations, Merseytravel bus stations, Post Offices (in Merseyside) and selected newsagents. It's a one-day off-peak (=after 9.30am) ticket covering all train, bus and ferry travel in Merseyside, but an All Areas pass (£4.50) allows travel by train to Ellesmere Port and Chester as well, thus solving your original problem in a shot.