Transportation for Day trips to Bletchley, Windsor

We spent six hours at Bletchley and still didn’t see everything. If it were me I would get there early. It’s a fascinating place. (And another plug for their podcast—the interviews with people who worked there are so interesting)

It’s easy to take the train to both Windsor and Bletchley.

Yes, really looking forward to Betchley, and it is really straight forward to get there. My question is about train ticket prices. Is there something in terms of pricing that I'm missing, the tickets are quite pricey.

Jules, what dates are you planning for Bletchley? I'm seeing some roundtrip fares for £35 for two together with a 9:31 arrival. Your less than a 10 minute walk to be entrance.

These are for Advanced Single tickets with Two Together Railcard applied. Earlier trains were around £60 roundtrip.

Disclaimer: We've never used the Two Together Card, so I'm sure if I've got this wrong, someone will be by to scold me.

Claudia, I don't go to Twins games, but I'm talking about the train ticket prices. Just to be clear, I'm going to Bletchley. I just want to make sure that I don't miss a less expensive option for transportation.

Jean, thanks for taking a look at this. I am looking for times that arrive by 9:30 when Bletchley opens. I've looked at both the National Rail site and LNER. I'll be there in September, but I've been checking lots of random dates, and I don't see cheaper tickets until trains that leave at 9:21

Try West Midlands Railway for Bletchley.

Also, did you see Premier Inn Sale?

Jean, ah, yes, thats about 20 GBP cheaper! I'm not familiar with that company? Looks like they use the Two together also. I locked into Premeir Inn a couple months ago with a nonrefundable. Not sure I want to look! ;)

Jules,
West Midlands Railway are the only company to stop at Bletchley for now until services to Oxford start, whenever that is.
They run all outer suburban trains from Euston, as far North as Crewe, Birmingham and Liverpool. They are also just introducing a brand new fleet of trains on that route.
There is a fare hack in the Peak- travel contactless to Watford Junction, swipe out. Then buy paper Cheap Day Return tickets with 2T WJ to Bletchley. Take the 0938 Birmingham train, 2nd stop Bletchley, arrive 1001.
That way you get the Two for One offer at Bletchley.
Currently that is rostered as a 12 car train.
Repeat on the way south, changing trains and swiping In at Watford Junction.
In effect this is split ticketing, just done in an intelligent manner.
There are cheaper ways to Watford Junction using London buses from Zone 6 tube stations, but we dont discuss them on the forum because they take too long for forum folk.

PS- Using Advance (train specific) tickets back from Bletchley is a bad idea, you don't know how long you will be there for.
Waterloo to Watford Junction contactless each way £13.10 peak, £9.40 off peak, or to Bletchley £28.40 peak, £14.40 off peak;
Watford Junction to Bletchley contactless £18.50 peak, £10.90 off peak.
Waterloo to Euston £2.90 or £2.80
Euston to Bletchley £25.50/£11.60

No railcard discount at any time

Paper Tickets before 2T off peak discounts-
WJ to Bletchley -£18.50/£10.90 Single; £29.40/£21.80 return.

Euston to Bletchley singles - £25.50/£11.60 or returns £37.10/£23.20

This is a sure fire way to make your head hurt from the high level maths!!

I locked into Premier Inn a couple months ago with a nonrefundable.

Nonrefundable rates are usually quite a bit cheaper, so I would imagine that your cost difference was negligible.

Jules - I can give you my perspective, having faced the same cost question on Bletchley. It was a few years back, but not ancient history.

I was set to buy expensive tickets arriving as Bletchley opened to give us the entire day. The ticket seller (this was before I became proficient on apps and I don't like machines if there is an in person option) talked me out of it to save money. I was right - we wished for that additional hour at the end of our Bletchley day. It would have been worth the expense for me, personally. We are the type of travelers that spend lots of time on exhibits, reading and listening to audio guides - others may not need or desire an entire day. Based on my experience - I'd say go with what feels right for you.

For whatever it is worth (probably not much), we just a week ago faced the same dilemma in doing a day trip from London to Chatham Historic Dockyards. This was going to be a last minute decision and I knew we wanted the entire day. I couldn't find an easy beat-the-system cost option for our travels. So, top dollar both there and back. But, the cost was worth it to us - full day, our schedule. I was ultimately pleased with our decision. I figured this would be the one time I traveled to Chatham - I'm happy to have paid a bit more in transport to do what we wanted - we can make up the extra cost with a cheaper meal sometime!

isn31c, thanks for the explanation and information! Plus, I did not know that Bletchley had a 2 for 1, not sure how I missed that. Thanks

ORDTRaveler, I understand, we are also people that spend WAAAY longer than anyone else at museum/exhibits.

Jules guess I misread which ticket cost you felt was high. Going to delete my reference to the Minnesota Twins.

Yes train tickets for travel in the UK can be costly. I understand your concern.

My thought is this. You want to go to Bletchley. You’ve traveled from the States. Borrowing from NIKE….. Just do it!!!

Believe you will throughly enjoy Bletchley Park.

Jules. I'm glad you found the West Midlands Railway site.

I wouldn't hesitate to book your return time. Bletchley Park closes around 5. We arrived around 10 and only spent about 4 hours due to hubs attention limit. I could have easily spent more time.

Nonrefundable rates are usually quite a bit cheaper, so I would imagine that your cost difference was negligible.

But you may also save by having paid when the exchange rate was more favorable - if you had booked with the cancellable rate, you'd be paying more for those GBPs when you check in.

^^^ I’m not going to argue this re LNER because I’m not going to research it and there are exceptions to every “truism”.

However, this wasn’t my experience this month. I flipped back and forth between National Rail, Southeastern, Southwestern, and other carriers on several different routes. I found the same pricing. In one instance, I had checked a fare on LNER, then proceeded to buy from a manned ticket station office as I had a further question. Not a LNER route. Price I paid was what I had researched.

I would expect the exchange rate to be set by my credit card company when I make a purchase with Apple Pay.

But, as I suggested, there may be aspects of these apps, carriers, and companies that I am not aware of. Maybe some one has a complete picture.

My word, differential equations was easier.

I’d have to go back to my searches, but I’m pretty sure all my results came back in GBPs. LNER, National Rail results were the same, Trainline, which I generally avoid, had completely different results.

I was getting more favorable results on West Midlands.

I guess, while I’m at it, what train company should I use for Windsor?

I’ve always seen prices in GBP also. I may be not understanding something in Anothersteve’s post. Still interested if anyone has a complete picture.

No one has ever reported such a conversion problem with LNER- even the man in Seat 61. That just doesn't sound true.
It is also a very bad idea to use the bus to Euston if you are using an Advance Ticket, unless you allow lots of spare time, which totally defeats the purpose. I have used that bus a lot. Sometimes it shoots across London. Other times it crawls in traffic. There is no pattern to it at all.
As you are staying at Waterloo use South western trains direct to Windsor and Eton Riverside.
They are long trains.
No point in doing the 3 train shuffle via Slough.
No ticket needed -use contactless. And no complexity that I am aware of.

Personally I think that trying to be at Bletchley for opening time is what makes it complex. Get the first off peak train, you'll be there by 10.30.
You will still get 6 hours there, and all tickets are annual tickets, if you come back inside the year.
I do agree with it taking at least 4 hours to see.

The afternoon directionality is common in the London area. Don't know why that is such a surprise to Steve.

I was unable to get a Wi-Fi connection during my recent stay at the Premier Inn Waterloo (Westminster Bridge). They must know they have some problem rooms, because they immediately offered up the password for the premium Wi-Fi at no charge. It didn't work, either.

To reduce the odds you end up in a room with the same problem, I suggest doing two things:

• Send an email a couple of days before arrival, saying you need a room with a solid Wi-Fi connection. The hotel's email address is in your confirmation message. This can't hurt.

• As soon as you get into the room, take all your devices over to the sofa near the window and be sure they will connect. A signal that is detectable only when you stand right inside the door is useless.

Before this year I'd had no problem with the Wi-Fi at Premier Inns, then it happened at the first two PIs on this trip. Both of those rooms were down near the end of a hall, which may have been a factor.

The whole point is that contactless is a wonderful thing. But I only found out about Two for one at Bletchley when contactless started a few months ago.
Then someone here said, but we can't have both - which you can't.
Because you can't for now do railcards with contactless.
But at least on this route (not always) paper ticket prices and contactless prices seem to be the same.
There are cases elsewhere where contactless is the more expensive option than paper.

That is why, if you travel in the peak especially, what seems to be most expedient is to switch from contactless to paper at Watford Junction. Off Peak probably not. There is an individual balancing act here with no definitive answer.
It's not like me travelling domestically. Someone who has spent thousands of $ to get here then hundreds on hotels, does scraping round finding the absolute cheapest way matter quite as much? I don't know.
Indeed do you want to do Two For one? Or would you rather pay full price to benefit the attraction. Maybe. Another choice.
For me personally, and I don't know if National Rail shows it, I would at least contemplate from Waterloo not changing at Euston but further north on the Bakerloo for ease. Time via convenience. No absolute right or wrong answer, more like options. Same fare.
The last time I was at Bletchley I got in for free as I was on an IWM staff trip, so I'm hardly in a position to talk about how much in entrance fees to pay. And I got my memorably fastest ever trip that morning on the Euston to Lambeth via Waterloo bus, to join the chartered bus to Bletchley. A few months ago on the Croydon superloop bus I crept down. It would have been much faster to walk it.

changing from the Bakerloo to the West Coast Main Line, where the trains from Euston run, further down the line severely limits the onward train choice. The only place where the two intersect for a possible change is at Harrow and Wealdstone, where the Bakerloo line ends. That limits you to all stops London North Western trains which call at Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring, and some continue north beyond.

But the way to Euston from Waterloo is the Northern Line Charing Cross Branch, not the Bakerloo which misses Euston.

I haven't added anything for Underground because for Waterloo to Euston I'd use the bus! The Underground Northerr line is so deep you spend nearly as much time on escalators and walking through corridors as you do on the train on that journey! Pay on the bus with contactless card or device.

The bus from Waterloo to Euston is, as said by Stuart above, unreliable for timing. There are a couple of choices which go from different stops at Waterloo, so you can't just grab the first, you have to take the first one at the stop you're at. I have great quantities of using the tube and the bus between those stations, and I assure you that the 5 minutes up from the Northern Line (travel at the front or second carriage which is closest to the Way Out exit at Euston), a short walk, a couple of escalators, and then one more escalator past the gateline is much faster than the 9 minutes on the tube.

@mark, yes, dollar is weakening both against the euro and GBP. I'm pretty happy now with the parts of my trip that I had to prepay!