Cycling UK Forum

Horizon,
Thanks for that

I emailed National Rail Enquires last night, Their response;

National Rail Enquiries is an information-based company and we don’t sell tickets or set the ticket prices. So that your email can be addressed, I have taken the liberty of forwarding it to CrossCountry as they are the fare setter for the train tickets on this route. I have also included their contact details below, should you wish to contact them in the meantime:

So we wait to see what they say

Ask on the Fares Advice & Policy section of the RailUK forum. Its amazing what some of the anoraks on there know about rail fares.

TonyR wrote:Ask on the Fares Advice & Policy section of the RailUK forum. Its amazing what some of the anoraks on there know about rail fares.

definitely worth a go

Malc

I use http://www.eastcoast.co.uk regardless of the company and have an alert set to email me when fares are released so that I get the cheapest.

Looks to me like the cheapest option would be separate bookings Stockport-Plymouth and then Plymouth-Penzance. Leaving on a Friday morning when the cheap tickets are released, I've managed to find it for £51.

Even going via London, it shouldn't be more than £70 - cost me much less than that going from Durham in August. You can book the FGW sleeper on eastcoast but if you want a birth rather than just a seat, that has to be done on the FGW website.

HTH

Try this website

http://www.redspottedhanky.com/

It has saved me a lot of money on rail fares over the years.

ferrit worrier wrote:

TonyR wrote:Ask on the Fares Advice & Policy section of the RailUK forum. Its amazing what some of the anoraks on there know about rail fares.

definitely worth a go

Malc

tried the forum but it wouldn't let me join as it couldn't check my details against their spammers list, not to worry I'll try again later

Malc

We always use FirstGreatWestern website.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
The fares quoted are always the cheapest you can get for the dates/times you want.
Highly recommended.

Mrs Mick F is going to Newquay for a course next Saturday. She's getting a single fare as I'll be meeting up with her and we'll be driving back the next day.

Fare for the 0608 from Liskeard to Newquay change at Par £5.70
Dirt cheap.

In August she did a triangular tour of here to Manchester, then to Bedford, then home. She booked individual tickets and played around with different routes and times, and splitting journeys too with separate tickets. She did the whole lot for £70. Dirt cheap too.

Our advice is to do the same. Pick the times and route and be prepared to break your journey ....... say Brum and/or Bristol and/or Exeter and/or Plymouth. It's surprising how much can be saved, but you have to do your homework online.

Don't forget to delete cookies as you go through the website so they don't keep track of you and increase the prices. Believe me, it makes a BIG difference.

Good luck Malc!

Oh, and I forgot.
Buy the tickets on line there and then.
Get them posted home. All part of the price.

Once you've got your tickets in your sticky mitts, you've got them!

Mick F wrote:We always use FirstGreatWestern website.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
The fares quoted are always the cheapest you can get for the dates/times you want.
Highly recommended.

The cheapest that is for a plain vanilla ticket and apart from all the other websites offering the same price. It doesn't give you any of the many cheaper options you can get from split ticketing etc. Plus I avoid Worst Great Worsen whenever I can. Dreadful rail company and thank Dog the WCML franchise was cancelled before they could get their grubby hands on it. How many other TOCs would have nearly 200,000 people signing a petition for the franchise to be taken off them before they've even got it?

Surely the worst are those sites that boast about how much you can save by booking through them, yet sell only the same standard and advance tickets as everyone else and charge a booking fee as well. Avoid those.

Using eastcoast you can book your bike space with your tickets. I always use them.

TonyR wrote:

Mick F wrote:We always use FirstGreatWestern website.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
The fares quoted are always the cheapest you can get for the dates/times you want.
Highly recommended.

The cheapest that is for a plain vanilla ticket and apart from all the other websites offering the same price. It doesn't give you any of the many cheaper options you can get from split ticketing etc.

It doesn't OFFER them, but you can see the routes you're looking at, and then try splitting it yourself.

It works, but make sure you delete cookies between searches.

Ron wrote:Try this website

http://www.redspottedhanky.com/

It has saved me a lot of money on rail fares over the years.

RSH are always more expensive than East coast(you get 5% discount from the quoted fares everywhere else it seems), however if you have Tesco clubcard you can use your points vouchers against the train fare cost on RSH.

An option if it might work for you & you have a bike box, you could go via Megabus, they allow up to 25kg and a bike box is acceptable + hand luggage ( if you are okay putting it in the hold yourself that makes it easier all round)

One way from Manchester to Plymouth is £15 on a Thursday morning though it takes 8hrs & a bit to get there arriving after 2pm
Plymouth to Penzance via train is just over £7 throughout the day

It's the cheapest way to get there bar bumming a lift but not neccesarily the most convenient

For real anorak points: brfares.com. It's a frontend to the raw fares database; simple and fast. Really useful for ferreting out obscure tickets and splits that save you lots.

Edwards wrote:What a stupid system it sounds like it would take less time and cost less to drive there in a Series 111 than try and get a train ticket.

I disagree. It's a great system. Variable pricing smooths out the insatiable rush-hour demand and fills off-peak trains. It's sophisticated and exactly the same type of system as that used by airlines, hotels etc etc. Those of us who use trains regularly and who learn the quirks can find amazing bargains.

Me? Monday 28th - Crewe to Aviemore (~400 miles) with a bike, for £27!! Then, a few days later: Aviemore to York (First Class, with a bike) FREE... using East Coast Reward Points.