Three of us are traveling to England in September and will be using the train to get to Bath, renting a car, and dropping off in York. From there, we plan to take the train from York back to London. We'll have a few day trips from London and I was thinking our best bet would be a 3 day Railpass with senior discounts. Looking at point to point prices, I'm not sure that that wouldn't be the better way to go. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2554 posts
you just have to do the sums
use this to check ticket prices http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
look for Advance tickets for the London - Bath and York - London journeys and see how they compare with the pass. With a pass you pay for the convenience and flexibility - but you can score bargains on Advance fares by booking ahead and committing to train times.
As for your day trips from London, if they're close to London you don't get Advance tickets but just pay on the day (off-peak being cheaper than peak).
There's also a senior railcard available http://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/
You would first buy your Advance tickets at the senior price then buy the railcard when you arrive in the UK as you must have it when you travel.
Time to get the pen and paper out (or calculator and spreadsheet).
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thanks Ramblin' on,
Still confused by your comment about buying the the Advance ticket and then buying the Railcard.
Why would I need both or am I just misunderstanding?
I like saving money but love flexibility.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16894 posts
Or you can use a BritRail England Pass, since you don't need Scotland or Wales. The pass allows hop-on flexibility all day, with no need to pre-book trains, but you can get free seat assignments there if you want them. Senior discounts are only on the 1st class pass, but 2nd class is cheaper and is our usual choice. If you have 3 people traveling together on one pass, then you get the 20% Saverpass discount. For 3 days within a month, the 2nd class Saverpass rate for a BritRail England Pass is $182 per person. (Don't accidentally order consecutive days.) This one must be purchased for home delivery, not sold in Britain.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2554 posts
if you decide to buy Advance tickets at the senior railcard price - buy them online ASAP selecting the appropriate option for senior railcard.
But you don't have a railcard yet, and they can only be bought in the UK or delivered to addresses within the UK - so buy the railcard at a station in the UK before your train travel. You will be asked to show a railcard for any "senior" tickets you've bought.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2554 posts
"I like saving money but love flexibility."
There's nearly always a compromise
If you go the Advance ticket way, with a senior railcard (plus an extra discount for a group of 3) you can travel from York to London from £8.60 per person.
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Beginning to make sense. Thanks all.