Bletchley Park: train question

Just printed some 2-4-1 vouchers for Bletchley. If we want to use them, I think that may change my original question. Honestly, we will probably do what is easiest.

I have not used an Oyster Card to ride a regular train and doubt that is an option for a trip this long--though I could be mistaken. We need one of our UK folks to chime in here, I think. In addition, I think this may be a situation in which split ticketing can save you money.

To use the 2-for-1 offer you'll need a ticket bought at a rail station. I'd think the easiest way to accomplish that would be with a regular train ticket from London Euston to Bletchley, but another option is to buy a weekly travel card at a regular rail station and use it rather than an Oyster Card for the London Underground and buses.

I don't know anything about the availability of group tickets.

We just returned from London on Monday & last Sunday took the train from Euston Station to Bletchley Park. I went to the ticket window at Euston to buy our tickets (3 adults). The clerk said she could get us a group rate. Our total cost for 3 adults round trip off peak was 29 pounds 70 cents. None of my research before the trip found that we could use our Oyster cards for this journey. We also went to Hampton Court Palace and did use our Oyster cards for that trip.

Thanks, both of you. Buying on arrival at Euston sounds like a no-brainer. Easy!

We just went to Euston and bought “day return” tickets for off-Peak travel. It was not expensive. You get regular paper tickets with the National Rail logo which is what you need for the 2-4-1 offers. Be sure to hold on to your tickets ( all 4) when exiting the station at Bletchley Park. So do not go through the regular exit turnstiles as they will eat your tickets. Use the manned exit ( mainly for wheelchairs) and explain to the attendant that you need to keep your ticket to show at Bletchley Park.

Thanks, Lola.

To clarify.

Oysters and Contactless are accepted in London and some parts of greater London. On the line from Euston northbound they are accepted up to and including Watford Junction - but Oysters are not permitted for travel to any point north of Watford Junction.

The last northbound Oyster reader is at Watford Junction.

Travelling to Bletchley requires a proper ticket - either an e-ticket or a paper ticket. Only paper tickets will be accepted at Bletchley Park with an appropriate 2 for 1 promotion coupon or printout completed.

With 4 in the party you can ask for a Groupsave ticket which gives 34 percent off. All 4 people have to travel together and must return together. If you split up the tickets are not valid.

Thanks for the clarification, Nigel.

I remember buying my off peak return ticket to Bletchley at Euston Station last November. I know that I couldn't use an Oyster card for that trip, and assumed that it was just too far out of London, but darned if I could explain the details. :-)

I asked a staff person for help buying my ticket from the kiosks at the station. It was £17 for an off-peak return (return = round trip) ticket. I purchased it from a Virgin Trains branded kiosk, but it was also good for the direct service on Northwestern line. (At that time the Virgin Trains service required a change to get to Bletchley; you had to go to Milton Keynes and then hop back to Bletchley on another train. The Northwestern service was direct to Bletchley from Euston with no changes. I don't know if that is still true.)

still true

It was for a trip to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, but I had good success with "collecting" physical tickets at a kiosk (in this case, at Waterloo Station. The tickets could have been clearer, that they were valid for any return journey, which was what I had specified when I bought them online.

In this case, it turned out that the first stop on the outbound train was Waterloo East, which was much closer to our hotel than Waterloo. Especially if you have evening plans after Bletchley Park, you may want to learn if your train has other London stops.

Trains from Bletchley have a few calling patterns. Some only call at Leighton Buzzard and London Euston.

Some call at Leighton Buzzard, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction and London Euston.

A few, particularly late at night and on weekends call at Leighton Buzzard, Cheddington, Tring, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead (sometimes Apsley and Kings Langley), Watford Junction, Bushey, Harrow and Wealdstone, (sometimes Wembley Central), and London Euston.