To My Fellow Europe Through The Backdoor Travelers:
Trying to navigate the difference between the BritRail England Pass (not the BritRail Pass) and local trains. My wife and I will be going to England in May 2017. We've driven in Ireland and Scotland previously (perhaps I am crazy, but not afraid), but won't be renting a car in the south of England. We plan on staying in three or four locations (Bath, Bournemouth, Cornwall, etc.) well outside of London so we will rely on local rail transportation. The cost of 2X BritRail England passes will be about $500 USD, I think. Is there a web site where I can compare that cost to the cost of local train transportation? Any other advice on places to visit in that region? Thanks.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
See https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/britain-rail-passes for a summary of choices (including Advance discounts and the 2-Together Discount Card) and another link to www.nationalrail.co.uk. Two adults on the BritRail England pass for 4 travel days within a month currently adds up to $470 (or 8 days total $678).
Posted by
The Heartland USA
9025 posts
kdtjh29, i just went through this process for a trip in April. There is no substitute for working through each trip segment on the National Rail website, and costing them out. It helps to know the exact days you're traveling, and you have to make some choices, but all the fares are there. You have to keep an eye on the window of time for which the deep discounted fares occur, and be ready to book in those windows or you'll miss the huge discount advantage. Rail pass probably cheaper than full fare, but not compared to discounted fares. For example, we are looking at London > York > Stratford (Avon) > Bath > Heathrow. Total of discounted fares was about $140 per person. But if I hadn't already booked, it would be much more.
Posted by
2599 posts
The Britrail Pass is not generally considered good value for money. Please read my recent post about railcars:> https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/how-to-save-money-on-railfares-not-pre-book
Bournemouth is a large seaside resort. Compton Acres Gardens is well worth seeing. From Heathrow . Railair bus to Woking for trains to Bournemouth. (For Bath, from Heathrow, Railair bus to Reading for the trains).
No direct railway goes from Bournemouth to Exeter > Cornwall. You either have to go back to Southampton (change) & then up to Salisbury (change). Alternatively, another route exists via Dorchester & Yeovil. Direct (slow) trains also go from Dorchester West to Bath.
In my opinion, you would be better off renting a car to drive west from Bournemouth - but most of the roads are slow going. Lulworth Cove & Durdle For, Abbotsbury sub-tropical gardens, Lyme Regis, Beer are all places worth a look between Bournemouth & Exeter. (You have to get to Exeter in order to reach Cornwall). www.jurassiccoast.com
https://www.visit-dorset.com
www.visitdevon.com
www.visitcornwall.com
https://visitbath.co.uk
Posted by
Everett, WA
7 posts
When my daughter and I traveled in England two years ago, I purchased BritRail passes. I wanted the flexibility that they allowed. If you purchase an advance purchase ticket and your plans change, you are out the money. With the pass, you can decide to stay an extra day or make last minute changes to your plans. Also, we were traveling from London to the North. For long distances, it was a better value, especially since my daughter qualified for the youth rate. I will be traveling from Gatwick to Cornwall in July. Checking the prices, it seems that the fare and the BritRail/Southwest England pass is about what I would pay for the train fare and I don't have to worry if my flight is delayed and I miss the departure time of the advance purchase ticket. (It seems to me that the England/Southwest pass would work for you too.) With it , three days of travel in 15 days is only $170. It is 108.50 pounds ($135.45) for a single ticket from Gatwick to Bodmin Parkway in Cornwall. (That is the price in May, June fares aren't available yet.) I will have a trip to London and then the trip back to the airport. There are many things to consider. From what I have read about Cornwall, you might want to rent a car there. Here is the website for Great Western Railway if you want to check the fares. https://www.gwr.com/
Posted by
Washington DC
28249 posts
Shauna, that route seems to be one that is cheaper if you split the ticket, as has been suggested on this forum. I see Gatwick to Reading at 24.20 GBP and Reading to Bodmin Parkway at 54.50 GBP, a total of just 78.70 GBP. Not that that is cheap.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17563 posts
And I am seeing Gatwick to Reading at €18.40 for some trains, bringing the total closer to £73. That can be reduced to £51 with a Two Together Railcard, which is a worthy investment (£30) if you have a number of journeys.
Note that these are Off-Peak fares, not Advance---so you are not locked in to a particular train ( bad idea after a long-haul flight). The Off-Peak ticket can be used on any train on that route within the validity period (off-peak times vary by route, but you can see the period of validity by hitting the "other services" button just below the price.