Advance tickets - Bath, Oxford, Moreton on Marsh

I understand that your middle section is from Bath to MIM, with a possible break in Oxford?

If you want to look round Oxford buy Advance tickets from Bath to Oxford when they go on sale, spend your time in Oxford, then simply buy a ticket to MIM on the day when you're ready to leave Oxford - there's no advantage buying in advance for the local Oxford to MIM journey.

If you don't want to break your journey in Oxford buy Advance tickets from Bath to MIM as there are big savings to be made.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

BTH to MIM advance tickets start from £8.50. For reasons best (maybe only) known to GWR, this is actually cheaper than BTH to OXF which is £11. Don't however buy one of these and break the journey at OXF as this is considered a heinous crime.

A pay on the day off-peak single from Bath to Oxford is £17.20. A pay on the day single from Oxford to MIM is £9.90.

Thanks guys. Gives me a better idea. Lisa

Hi Everyone
thanks for your answers before, we decided to go straight through to Moreton in Marsh and not rush Oxford. I have another, quick question. I had held off booking Min M to London, as was a Sunday and there were no advance prices. As of today, I found some really good prices, but instead of non stop, there will now be 2 stops including a bus. Have I just missed a non -stop train? It is not until July 10 and I'm surprised they'd have filled up? And would you jump on this price anyways? Its only 6 pounds each!

On a side note, if buying the 2 for 1 passes, do I have to do at same time as I purchase the tickets?

Sundays are the ‘worst’ day you could choose for rail travel. As fewer people travel - especially on Sunday mornings - Network Rail, who look after the infrastructure, use that day to do engineering work. Sometimes routes are not affected. However, you are using the Great Western lines and it is the Great Western mainline from London to south Wales - including spurs to Oxford, Bath & Bristol -which is currently undergoing a massive electrification project.

So, no, the trains have not filled up. You would always have to change at Didcot in order to get from Bath to Oxford/MIM. The bus trip is because that section of line is totally shut for engineering work and no viable detour rail route exists.
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/great-western-route-modernisation/

https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering

To prevent you getting confusing answers when you are here in the UK, or perhaps confusing the person you are speaking to, a tiny train using vocabulary lesson may be in order.

If you speak of a "stop" on a train, it means when the train stops, for example at a station to let people on or off. So if you want to get off at Oxford you would ask, "does this train stop at Oxford?" You would also ask how many times the train would call at stations along the way by asking, "how many stops is that?"

If you have to leave one train and join another along the way to your destination, that is called a Connection, or a Change.

"Do I have to change between Paddington and Oxford?"

"Not usually, the train stops three times, at Slough, Reading and Didcot, but on that Sunday you have to change twice because there is a Rail Replacement Service (bus) due to scheduled Engineering Work".

"Sometimes there are fast trains which are express as far as Oxford". That means no stops.

I hope that helps.

The first two Sundays in July trains are not running between Hanborough and Oxford. So you need to get off and take a bus in between these two stations instead.

Thanks guys, I guess it will be part of the adventure. And thanks Nigel for the terminology!