Hello. My mom and I are making our first trip to England this summer. We are planning to get Britrail England passes because we are going to make many stops across southern England, from the Cotswolds to Cornwall to Dover. Before I hit the 'Buy' button, I'd like to clarify a couple of things that I'm unsure about:
*One of the exclusions is "privately owned railways" - but aren't they all privately owned? Or does this refer to heritage sites (similar to the cog rail up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire)?
*What do the boundary cities listed in the fine print refer to?
*Are they truly valid all day, including peak hours?
*Would we be well served to go to the train station the day before we want to leave for another destination and make sure we'll all set for a particular train/time the next morning?
Thank you for any advice you can give us!
Posted by
Nederland, CO
1429 posts
There are very few trains that are excluded from the pass. I don't think you have anything to worry about with your routes, but hopefully someone else can answer this with certainty.
Not sure what you are referring to by "boundary cities" but I suspect it would refer to the boundary between England / Wales or England / Scottland.
they are truly valid all day including peak hours
No need to visit the train station the day before unless you want to get seat reservations for a specific train on a particularly busy route.
Railpasses probably only make sense if the flexibility of being able to catch any train on a travel day is important to you. (this is fairly important to me - but not most travelers). If you don't mind committing to specific trains / times you could probably save a bit of money with a 2 together rail card and purchasing your tickets in advance. You are traveling some family good distances with more than one change so the rail pass may make sense.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
The only exclusions would be narrow-gauge Heritage railways, which are not reflected in regular train schedules, such as through bahn.com or nationalrail.co.uk. Otherwise, you're covered within the boundaries of England (but not across the Scottish or Welsh borders). https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/britain-rail-passes
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Many thanks to you both for your very helpful answers!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32711 posts
not all heritage railways are narrow gauge - in fact most are not. They still aren't included though.
Your pass is good on all railway companies belonging to the Rail Delivery Group - formerly ATOC, the Association of Train Operating Companies and a couple of others added in, like Heathrow Express, owned by the airport.