Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

wealdroam

stocksy6 wrote: »

Anybody help with a journey from Long eaton to exmouth departing 19th August after 0900 and returning probably Monday 23rd August after midday time. Best I have managed so far after extensive research is 87 quid. Bit disappointed really as spent ages researching and found nothing cheaper. Its about a fiver cheaper if I purchase a rail card (i'm 25) plus I'm travelling with my little boy (he's 4) so he goes for nothing!!

You are trying to book too far ahead.

For example, Thurs 10 June/ Mon 13 June,
That trip can be done for £33 each way, or £21.80 each way with a 16-25 railcard.

Info from East Coast Trains.

Also consider Megatrain between Waterloo and Exeter. Could be £10 or less nearer the date.

stocksy6

wealdroam wrote: »

You are trying to book too far ahead.

For example, Thurs 10 June/ Mon 13 June,
That trip can be done for £33 each way, or £21.80 each way with a 16-25 railcard.

Info from .

Also consider between Waterloo and Exeter. Could be £10 or less nearer the date.

I'll be honest... about half an hour after posting I tried doing it like you pointed out in June and it worked at nearer 25 notes. I saw MArtins article on booking 12 weeks prior so I'll give it 2-3 more weeks and try again. Thank you for the help. Appreciated.

Firewallrob

Hi, two adults and one child (with friends & family railcard) between B,ham and rhyl (day return).

Ideally going tomorrow (or any wed/thur therafter). I have tried splitting at Crewe / chester / Shrewsbury, but seem to be around the £40 mark.

Any ideas ???

wealdroam

Firewallrob wrote: »

Hi, two adults and one child (with friends & family railcard) between B,ham and rhyl (day return).

Ideally going tomorrow (or any wed/thur therafter). I have tried splitting at Crewe / chester / Shrewsbury, but seem to be around the £40 mark.

Any ideas ???

Tomorrow it can be done for £18.10 total return for all three of you... if you don't mind travelling at silly times.
Dep Birmingham NS 05:30, arr Rhyl 07:15. Advance Singles = £9.05.
Dep Rhyl 20:55, arr Birmingham NS 22:50. Advance Singles = £9.05.
Advance Singles must be bought before 6pm the day before travel.

Later weeks seem to follow a similar pattern, but with more reasonable times at £18.10 each way.

Info from East Coast Trains.

wealdroam

The Great Escape is back – and it’s bigger and better than ever before with 100,000 tickets up for grabs!
Simply travel after the morning rush between 29 May and 6 June to go anywhere on London Midland trains for just £10 – or treat yourself to first class for just £20.
Visit as many or as few places as you like – the price covers your travel all day. To make it even better value, you can even travel home in the evening rush hour.


Great Escape tickets can only be bought at staffed stations on our network; they’re available from 10 May.

For more details visit London Midland Trains.

Livingthedream

wealdroam wrote: »

For more details visit London Midland Trains.

What a great deal this is, I've used it before to 'split ticket' to get a cheap return to London

shopndrop

Can anyone help. I have a friend hoping to visit me travelling from Bristol Parkway or temple Meads on 3 June any time from early afternoon onwards and I can meet her at either Chester or Liverpool. She would need to return on 6 June, again early afternoon onwards. As she is travelling alone and hasn't done a train journey before, she is not too happy with too many changes. What is the best way to go about finding the cheapest options for her?

KeithP

shopndrop wrote: »

Can anyone help. I have a friend hoping to visit me travelling from Bristol Parkway or temple Meads on 3 June any time from early afternoon onwards and I can meet her at either Chester or Liverpool. She would need to return on 6 June, again early afternoon onwards. As she is travelling alone and hasn't done a train journey before, she is not too happy with too many changes. What is the best way to go about finding the cheapest options for her?

Outward, arguably the best journey, with only one change, would be from either Bristol Temple Meads or Bristol Parkway (same train), change at Birmingham New Street for Liverpool Lime Street.
Advance Singles, with a split at Birmingham New Street can be £20.50.
Dep Bristol TM 13:00, arr Birmingham NS 14:26, Advance Single = £11.50.
Dep Birmingham NS 15:01, arr Liverpool Lime St 16:45, Advance Single = £9.00.

For the return leg, an Advance Single from Chester to Bristol TM can be had for £19.00. Dep Chester 12:21, arr Bristol TM 16:08. Change at Newport.
Therefore that total return trip can be done for £39.50.

Info from East Coast Trains website.

shopndrop

Thank you so much KeithP. Both my friend and I had been looking and the cheapest we could find was around the £60, so your suggestion is a big saving and less changes. Thanks.

rmccleary

Hi, first post, and I need a little help.

I'm going to london on hols on the 17 July til the 24 July and am trying to get as cheap a pair of tix as possible. I live in Glasgow but I've noticed going from Edinburgh could be cheaper. Can someone help lower the costs? I've got it sat around £108 for the both of us (going by the morning prices) although obviously I'd like it to be cheaper. I'm not particularly good with working out the best, cheapest ways (I was finding the splitting-tickets things difficult to work for example) so if you can help that would be rad. Also, if there are other cheaper ways, like flying, on the same days, that'd be handy to know too although I'm not too keen on being on a coach for 12 hours. Also, if you can find cheap tix via overnight drains the day before etc that would also work!

Thanks, I hope that's enough data for someone to help me out, that'd be rad!