Best Train Route: Malton-Bath-Hastings

Geographically your route makes sense given the places you want to see. But you’ll be doing a lot of long journeys and lugging your luggage around. You’d be doing one day travelling, one day at site etc.

Train times can be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk. The tickets marked “Advance” are cheaper but must be used on the specified trains.

I’ve tested all of your routes on weekdays. Weekends are different and Sundays can be a really tricky day to travel by train.

Now let’s look at the timings. Manchester to Malton is easy. If you’re coming from the airport, get a train to York then change for Malton. If you’re coming from Manchester city centre it’s a direct service to Malton. Takes about 2 hours.

Malton to Bath involves two changes, at York & Bristol and will take five hours. Pretty much thefull day.

For Bath to Hastings you’ll need to go via London - arrive at London Paddington then cross to Charing Cross Station for Hastings. About four hours total.

Hastings to Gatwick- direct train service, takes about 90 minutes.

Trains are reasonably reliable but not brilliant. I reckon about one in ten of the journeys I do has some kind of delay. You will need to get your own luggage on & off trains.

Another option would be to head to Malton via Manchester Airport as above, then head to Hastings via York and London. You would need to either cross London to take a direct train to Hastings from London Bridge or Charing Cross or go from St Pancras and change at Ashford.

Hastings to Bath is via London. Fly to Dublin from Bristol, which is a more compact airport than Gatwick.

As with the other option, you are going to lose the best part of a day each time you transfer.

Thank you very much for the replies.

It's a tough choice, but I feel it might be best to go all Game of Thrones and eliminate House Hastings. There just isn't time to do it all without feeling crazed. (So sorry cousins in Hastings.)

I appreciate the help.