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Train travel--Britrail pass vs. individual tickets

We are arriving in London on July 23 and are leaving from Edinburgh on August 3rd. My wife and I and our two sons ages 13 and 19 will be on this trip. We will be using a train at least 4 days on our trip.

Day 1--Heathrow Express or Connect to Paddington Station--do not want to take the tube.

Day 4--travel to Salisbury and Stonehenge and then back to London in one day.
Day 7--travel from London to Durham.
Day 8--travel from Durham to Edinburgh.

Might take the train to Windsor and back to London one day too.
We are also going to purchase the Family and Friends railcard.

First question do I need to purchase the Family and Friends Railcard prior to purchasing our train tickets?--I have not proceeded far enough into the purchase process to determine this.

Second question-I believe purchasing advance individual tickets probably will save money vs. the Britrail pass. Our schedule is pretty set would you recommend purchasing the tickets online before we leave or wait until we arrive in London. I am more inclined to at least purchase the longer legs to Durham and Edinburgh before we leave the US?

Third question--what is the difference between 1st and 2nd class in the British rail system? Is there a reason to upgrade besides larger seats and maybe less noise? I know it comes down to preference.

Posted by
1359 posts

Pre buy your tickets, big savings to be had esp on the long leg journeys.
During the booking you will be offered the option to "add a railcard".
Indicate you have one to get the best fare.
You can buy family or 2together I es at any manned UK mainline railway station.They issue it to you in person on my takes couple of mibs.
You must have the card with you at all times or you might get charged at best the difference in price to a normal ticket, at worse whole new tickets

Posted by
1359 posts

Not that I travel first class, but you get free drinks,newspapers and free wi-fi for your journey.
The normal seats usually get a half hour free wi-fi ,then it's a paid service

Posted by
2600 posts

If your plans are set buy Advance tickets online to get the best prices.

If you're going to use a railcard, buy your tickets first indicating you have a railcard but make sure you buy the card at a station before you travel.

London/Durham/Edinburgh might be worth first class if the price difference isn’t too much. It’s not luxury, it’s slightly nicer, but you don’t get there more quickly!

Posted by
16895 posts

The longer the trip, and the sooner your book, the more you can save on Advance rates. Off-peak rates between London and Salisbury are only 13 pounds each way, without advance purchase.

Posted by
17563 posts

Buy the London to Durham and Durham to Edinburgh tickets now, looking for Advance fares. The Friends and Family Railcard will give you an additional discount off the Advance fare, and you can take advantage of that without having the Railcard in hand at the time of purchase. Just make sure you buy it when you arrive!

No discount for the Railcard with the Heathrow Express (so you do not need to buy it until you get into London), but you are in luck with your Sunday arrival date---tickets for weekend travel bought 30+ days in advance are only £8.80.

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/tickets-deals/prices-fares

You only need three, as kids 15 and under are free on the Heathrow Express.