Over the course of 10 days we want to travel by train from Edinburgh to York, Bath, & London. We have specific dates in May/June. Where can I learn how to book this and which lines to take, and if it's better to buy a rail pass or point-to-point? Is there a YouTube channel, blog, or website somewhere?
I've done this in Italy and France, but not the UK.
The Man in Seat 61 has a good primer on the types of tickets
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-britain.htm
You can use the national rail website to see trains for all train operators.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
that's a well trodden path, if you scroll around or use the search feature on this site you will find lots of other folks with similar questions.
If the order in your question is the order of your visit, these are 3 pretty simple questions to answer.
From Edinburgh you will be on a LNER train for the short hop to York; the most direct route from York to Bath is by Cross Country with a change along the way or via LNER to London Kings Cross then across town then GWR from London Paddington to Bath Spa. Back to London it is just the reverse, GWR to London Paddington.
Buying Advance tickets a few weeks ahead will get you better prices than pretty much any other option.
Use the National Rail website upthread to plan. You can get all your tickets from any train company - they all sell each others' tickets...
Hi -
As a complete technophobe I have the LNER app on my phone which is useable even by an idiot like myself. And the good thing is you can use it to book tickets run by other service providers, like Northern (my most frequently booked tickets), Avanti, Cross Country, GWR, etc., etc. As you’re going to be using LNER to travel between Edinburgh and York, it does seem to me to be a one size fits all solution.
Buying ‘Advance’ tickets, which tie you to a specific train time (costly to change) are by far the cheapest option as a general rule. These tickets, as oft stated here, are released twelve weeks ahead of date of travel. Check to see if any of the various railcards might make your journey economic - I use a Senior Railcard which saves about a third of the ticket costs - the question is always will the outlay for the card offset the savings? Railcard have their own website which you can investigate.
While it might be counter intuitive, travel from York to Bath may best be accomplished by travelling via London, connecting Kings Cross to Paddington by Tube - the mileage might be longer but you have more train times to choose from.
Also the National Rail website is a good overview.
Ian
I agree with what everyone else wrote.
If you use www.nationalrail.co.uk
You will bexable to plan journeys and be directed to the appropriate rail company for that route.
Booking around 12 weeks out often gives the best price for Advance tickets, which will only be for the specific train that you have booked.
Railcards give a 33% reduction in cost of off peak journeys but cost £35 so you need to be spending over £100 to recoup the cost, this will surely apply to you. Three is one called a Two together railcard which may be the best for you.
Hello, Laura, Nigel, Ian, and Briwire, THANK YOU!!! I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer my question. We are planning this trip in only 4 months and that's "last minute" for us. And, yes, we are seniors so good to hear we may get a discount and I will definitely look at booking on the apps. Thank you!!
to clarify about discounts for seniors - the only way to achieve those discounts of 34% is to purchase a Railcard. There is no such thing as a "senior fare ticket".
Railcards - https://www.railcard.co.uk/ - can also help you decide which if any you want
These cards cost £35 each.
The Senior Railcard is personal to an over 60 individual, does not require a photo, and is valid on most trains of most operators. For the two of you, you will both need to qualify and buy both. Because they are individually personal you can take independent trips and still get a discount. Valid all day every day EXCEPT in London and the Southeast M-F when not until after 9:30.
https://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/
The Two Together Railcard is for any two people of any age who travel together at all times that they use the Railcard. They don't need to be related. A photo of each is required and is applied to the Railcard upon purchase. It gives the same benefits as the Senior Railcard but the 9:30 am restriction is everywhere and for everybody Monday through Friday, not just London and the Southeast. No time restriction on weekends or Bank Holidays. You cannot split up and one keeps the Railcard. You must travel together for the benefit - but you only need one which covers both of you so you break even £100 sooner.
https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk/
Cards are valid for exactly one year from date of purchase, unless you buy the 3 year version, and you don't need to have them when you buy tickets - just when you use the tickets. You show both the tickets and the Railcards at the barrier and when checked on the train.
A read of the website will be helpful.
Remember that because each Railcard cost £35 you need £100 of savings to break even, £200 if you get 2 Senior Railcards.
Even without a Railcard you can get lower priced Advance tickets which can be quite cheap. They must, as the name implies, be bought some time in advance, often the cheapest at 12 weeks, but some even as late as the day before (but check) and are for a specific train at a specific time, non-refundable and virtually non-amendable. Measure twice and cut once. Yes, if you have a Railcard you get the discount on these Advance tickets too.
On this itinerary two railcards are unlikely to be worth it if you buy Advance train specific Tickets. Using a sample date of 1 April Edinburgh to York should be £27 to £40 each (£27 availab!e every hour), York to Bath £36 each (on civilised train time trains at around 0840 and 1040, 1 change at Bristol) and Bath to London £25 each on every off peak train.
All fares before railcard discount.
So potentially for each person about £88 total for the three journeys, discounted to about £55 total each.
The £36 is a split fare, which is found by using the Scotrail website, not National Rail or LNER who were apparently about £53 each for the same train, or so Scotrail told me.
Nigel - if you're ever in Southern California, Newport Beach, I'll buy you a Margarita. Thank you for the detailed valuable information.
31c - Thank you, too, I appreciate the heads up on purchasing in advance and the cost difference.
Southern California, Newport Beach
Surfs Up - I know the area well - cheers
