My adult granddaughter and I are planning to use the train to travel from London Heathrow to York (3 days) to Bath (2 days) and back to London for the remainder of our stay. I'm mystified by the choices of train companies and ticket choices. I would like to purchase them in advance (before leaving home). What's the procedure? Any advice would be most welcome.
Jo
The first part, just use the Underground (Piccadilly line) to King's Cross St. Pancras. That doesn't need to be booked (and can't be).
Then book three tickets - London King's Cross to York, York to Bath Spa, Bath Spa to London Paddington.
Do this in advance as on longer routes prices go up - although Bath to London is one longer route that won't.
In addition, you may find a Two Together card worth buying - it costs £30 and gives a third off if the two of you will be together for all these journeys.
You can buy UK train tickets from any one of the companies - not just the one who you travel with. You can also use the approved associate company Trainline - they do charge small fees (they are gradually removing these) but their app and website is much better than many of the train companies. You might not have heard of "split ticketing" but they use that too, and it's a way to save more money on fares.
Note, you can buy the Two Together without a fee via Trainline - and aren't then obliged to buy tickets from them. It's a good option for the card as you can add your pictures via your mobile.
