Rail questions

q1 - yes.

q2 - yes.

Feel free - it is perfectly legal - to buy Advance tickets with a Railcard discount in advance of arriving in England. You just need to have one and show it when you are ticket checked, either at the barrier in the stations or on the train.

Be aware of the restrictions and penalties on the Advance tickets. You cannot change them on the train and the penalty fare for no valid ticket onboard has just risen from £20 to £100.

Be aware of the Monday to Friday 9:30 restriction on Two Together Railcards.

It is wise to be aware of the ongoing nationwide strikes on the trains - be prepared to adjust your schedule if they are called for one of your travel days. The next strikes are scheduled for Feb 1 and 3. They must be announced at least 14 days prior to action.

I just did the RT to Bath from London, in the scheme of things it wasn't all that expensive. It's part of the cost of travel.

I have just checked for buying on the day (today) for Paddington to Bath return. To get the Railcard discount on weekdays, you need to leave after 9.30pm. You will save around £23 if you split the ticket at Reading & Didcot - providing the train stops at these places. It so happens that the 9.32 from PAD does indeed stop at these places. On the return, the 16.43 does not stop at Didcot so don’t use that one. Price is £36.10 return per person with Railcard. So you ask for Off-Peak Returns for PAD > Reading = £14.95; Reading to Didcot Parkway = £4.80; Didcot Parkway to Bath = £16.35. TOTAL = £36.10 London to Bath return with railcard - and not tied to advance booking. Note that when you split the ticket to reduce the fares, you stay on the same train throughout on the London to Bath run - just as you would have had you purchased the more expensive through ticket journey. Sounds bonkers but true. You can check to make sure that any train you use calls at the ’split places’ (Reading & Didcot in this case) by clicking the next link and put in the the journey & then ’Show Calling Points’. https://www.nationalrail.co.uk

If you book Advance specific train tickets, it can be done for £14.15 each way = £28.30 return with Railcard.

All fares quoted are per person.
London to Bath by train VIDEO.

PS. Fares go up in March.

On the return, the 16.43 does not stop at Didcot so don’t use that one.

This is the only train from Bath Spa to London that does not stop at Didcot in the afternoon and evening so easy to avoid.

In the opposite direction it is even easier - the only one to avoid all day leaves at 0545!