Getting off and back on trains?

Depends on ticket. You’d be all right with an Anytime ticket, but they’re generally the most expensive.

However what you’re actually proposing is a couple of separate journeys - one from London to your stopping point; then another one from there to your end point. You might find it cheaper to buy separate Advance tickets for each leg.

However i wouldn’t recommend Reading particularly as a stopping point - and Leicester has enough to hold anyone’s interest for half a day at least (and the train station is 20 minutes walk from the historic Richard III bits) so it’s more than a short stopover.

Oh, I’ve just reread - you mention stopping at Nottingham en route to Leicester? It’s actually beyond Leicester so you’d need a ticket to Nottingham.

One other thought: If you're willing to do the advance planning, you could check into availability and frequency of buses along the route you plan to follow. Then you'd know whether getting off the train early and later continuing the trip on a (usually cheaper) bus would be an option. Obviously, this would work best if your stopover was most of the way to your ticketed destination.

Advance with a capital A tickets are only valid on the train service they relate to.

Off-peak tickets (and anytime) allow as many breaks enroute as you want, although some may restrict this on the outward leg. They can sometimes permit circular routes as well.

The ability for multiple stop overs is a disguised value within non-Advance tickets.

Would I be better off waiting till the day of or day before to get tickets? I have seen some off peak ones but they aren't yet available for when I am going to be traveling.

Or are there suggestions for a day trip by train I should take? I have been to Windsor and Hampton Court. This is my second time in London. I have also been to Dover. Looking for something historical, which is easy enough in England. I just can't seem to decide on where to go.

Canterbury? Cambridge? Oxford? Salisbury? Bletchley Park? Greenwich? Brighton? I think all are easy from London and with short enough travel to give you time to see them.

I hope one of our British posters can address the lack of off-peak tickets. I wouldn't expect those to show up later, but what do I know?

Please note that you can go from London (Paddington) to Ludlow via 2 routes. One route goes via Oxford and through the Malvern Hills to Hereford - where you change for the short hop up to Ludlow. The other route goes through to Newport - where you change for a train going north through the Welsh border country to Ludlow. (I think Ludlow is too far for a day trip from London. You may like to consider Cardiff or York - which are 2 hour trips.( Advance book specific trains to get lowest fares). Paddington for Cardiff; Kings Cross for York.
http://www.visitcardiff.com
https://www.visityork.org/?AskRedirect=true

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Generally the cheaper the ticket type the more restrictions, both to hours of travel and route, and ability to break the journey - which is what you have asked about. Breaking the journey is the phrase you want to ask about when buying your tickets. Many off-peak return tickets allow one (or none) breaks on the outward journey, and unlimited breaks of journey on the return.

What you mustn't do is diverge from a straight line, nor backtrack, nor go back and forth or retrace your steps nor visit anywhere twice.

Some tickets give you up to 5 days for the outward journey and up to 30 for the return, others require all travel in both directions be on the date printed on the ticket.

Anytime and Off-Peak tickets don't change (except in price, going up twice a year, regular as clockwork) and can be purchased whenever you want, from well in advance up to moments before the train pulls into the station.

Advance - with the capital A mentioned by Marco - tickets are capacity controlled (like airplane tickets) must be purchased well in advance for the best prices and will either be more expensive or not available at all closer to travel. Advance tickets are valid only on the exact train (and on some train companies the exact seat) printed on the ticket.

Your question is just a tad vague so more precise answers aren't possible. I don't understand when you say:-

I have seen some off peak ones but they aren't yet available for when I am going to be traveling.

Can you elaborate please? When will you be traveling? Where did you look for your answer? What parameters did you put in?

Following up James' answer about Ludlow, there is a third route.

London Euston to Birmingham New Street, or London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, then Birmingham to Worcester and onwards to Ludlow just after Hereford.

Or a fourth - Euston to Shrewsbury and south towards Hereford via Ludlow.

Nigel, are off-peak tickets(Brighton, Windsor ) significantly cheaper if purchased in advance? Thanks.

Sorry about no giving all information. I am traveling in early May. I don't think the tickets are available for purchase as when I put in the dates it says nothing availabl3.

The NationalRail website has fares posted through May 9, including off-peak fares from London to Ludlow.

The fares and timetables change twice a year, in May and December. The timetables usually change just a tiny bit, but until the government has said how much the fare increase will be the franchises can't offer tickets after the change dates.

The next fare and timetable change will be 13 May 2018.

Anytime and Off-Peak tickets are walk up fares, they don't go up or down except at the dates I just mentioned. It is the Advance tickets which are cheaper further out, highly restricted, capacity controlled and never available as a walk-up.

katsrad, use the same day in April to see what is available on routes you are interested in at the times you would travel. Then a bit of patience will be required, more if your dates are after the change.

Dick offers some good suggestions. Ludlow is nice but too far. I doubt few who have visited Leicester long to return.

With the Off-Peak or Anytime tickets, should I buy them now or will they be the same price the day of or day before?

Is it only the Advance tickets that are cheaper further out?

With the Off-Peak or Anytime tickets, should I buy them now or will they be the same price the day of or day before?

They will be the same price now, and next week, and in 6 weeks, up to as quickly as you can buy and jump on, and the day after that. They never change except when everything goes up with inflation twice a year.

Is it only the Advance tickets that are cheaper further out?

Correct.

As said in the 8th post above:-

Anytime and Off-Peak tickets don't change (except in price, going up
twice a year, regular as clockwork) and can be purchased whenever you
want, from well in advance up to moments before the train pulls into
the station.

Advance - with the capital A mentioned by Marco - tickets are capacity
controlled (like airplane tickets) must be purchased well in advance
for the best prices and will either be more expensive or not available
at all closer to travel. Advance tickets are valid only on the exact
train (and on some train companies the exact seat) printed on the
ticket.

Thank you Nigel. I thought that is what was said above but wanted to make sure I understood correctly.

I am thinking I will wait till the day before then because what I finally decided on was going to Kenilworth Castle and Leamington Spa and possibly Warwick Castle, if I have time.

Thanks everyone!!!

Kenilworth Station is now open. Hourly service by West Midlands Trains between Coventry and Royal Leamington Spa.

What about Winchester? Former capital of England and chock full of history. Can be reached by direct train from London within an hour.

I saw Kenilworth was finally open. I ended up not going to Kenilworth and instead went the St. Paul's and just relaxed in my hotel room. It was the last full day of my vacation and I was exhausted!