Scotland train tickets

The Man in Seat 61 recommends buying tickets on the Transport for Wales website. I'm not sure I understand your question, but since you can't buy tickets yet for your actual trip, I'd just wait and sort it out when you can.

G3RRY, thank you. I'm trying to look at tours, etc., and time of day for travel is important so I can make plans. My question is can I buy the cheaper ticket and then take the earlier train. It sure seems like I can, but feels very odd so I'd like to confirm that I am not missing something.

I know that Seat 61 recommends the Wales Train website, he gets a commission for it. The Northern website seems to work just fine.

The Anytime single isn't linked to a specific train and should be the most you can pay (assuming like for like comparisons). So, yes.

But there is something going on with your results? What type of ticket is that £115.20?

I'm seeing £57.60 for the anytime too.

@Peter, thanks for your help. Train at 8:56 from Oban is 115.2 GBP and Train at 12:11 is 76.2GBP, both tickets are Anytime day single. I'm using Wednesday, July 29 as my proxy

This is entirely unhelpful but on both National Rail and Northern I can see the 8.56 for £57.60 Anytime Single. Takes 4 hours and change with a change at Glasgow.

Maybe try https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ to sanity check. You can't buy directly and it will probably try to route you to Scotrail which doesn't help but it will show what is available.

If it's only schedules you're after, it seems like the National Rail website will have the best information.
BTW, content creators only get commissions if you use their links. IDK whether Seat61 gets a commission from TfW, but he surely doesn't get one when I go directly to the site.

Peter, so bizarre! On both Northern and National (used your link), it is still saying 115.2. I'm going to just go with that when the time comes, I'll be able to get a 76.2. The only thing that makes sense to me is that maybe the website is still applying peak pricing which I don't think is used anymore on the Scottish tickets.

So, now I'm on the Scotrail app on my iphone. The 8:56 is priced at 82.8 and 12:11 is 64.90. It's doing split ticketing. But, then for the "flexible" option, I'm back to the 115.2 and 76.2. If Scotrail doesn't fix their website, I think I will search on Northern or National where options are easier to see, and then I'd book thru the app.

At G3RRY, the price difference is considerable to me, at least. The reason I am also looking at price is because at that price difference maybe I'd take the later train. As far as Wales train, I've been told by a few people now that Seat61 gets a commission.

Ha, I'll blame not spotting this on it being a warm afternoon.

£115.20 is 2x£57.60!

That's the "walk up" fare for two tickets so your plan makes sense. Check again 12 weeks out and you will probably get the cheaper price but that £115 will still be there and can't sell out.

Edited to add: This strategy and an explanation of the ticket types is on the Man in Seat 61 https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-britain.htm#how-to-buy-tickets

Peter, but the 76.2 is also for two tickets, or at least that is what the ticket summary says. So still, for two tickets at 8:56 for Anytime its 115.2 and at 12:11 the anytime ticket is 76.20. I'm pretty sure I understand the ticket types, but thanks for the link. (We used the trains in England last year)

Jules,
I'm looking at a sample date of 22 July- both the 8.56 and the 12.11 are the same fare- £48.80 per person before railcard reductions- split as Oban to Croy, and Croy to Edinburgh. However the two together railcard doesn't work on the 8.56, which may explain the apparent fare difference.
These are both Anytime Singles.

What I was thinking about was taking the bus at £2 per person to Loch Awe or Dalmally then joining the train there after 0930, to use the railcard on the earlier train.
Of course, on looking those timings up, I was reminded that Ember now run an Oban to Edinburgh bus (as of this week) via Lochearnhead and Callender at 0820 arrive 1204, 1320 arrive 1702, 1732 and 2217, all of which buses also serve Edinburgh Airport.
£18.05 a person. The road closely follows the train line as far as the junction at Crianlarich.

@Stuart, that makes sense. However, if the 76.2 ticket is for Anytime, doesn't that include the 8:56? Or is there fine print somewhere? And didn't I hear that there is no more peak/nonpeak pricing?

I found this on the Scotrail website. "From 1 September 2025, Anytime train tickets have been reduced to the equivalent Off-Peak fares, offering customers more flexibility about when they can travel.
For a period of time, Off-Peak tickets will still be available to buy alongside the equivalent - reduced – Anytime fares. However, time restrictions for Off-Peak tickets won’t apply and they will be valid for travel at all times.
ScotRail Off-Peak Single and Return tickets will eventually be withdrawn, and all tickets will show as Anytime tickets, at Off-Peak prices."

Yes, anytime is now anytime but there is the oddity whereby Scotrail can't vary the terms of Railcards unilaterally.
One other option I have just looked at is Scotrail Club 50. That is their own product but they haven't yet managed to vary the 0915 restriction on discounts.

I've just looked at it another way, how to use the Two Together on the 0856. Buckle up, this is complicated - total fare for two people £74.60-
2 x Anytime Single (no railcard) Oban to Loch Awe £18.20;
2 x Anytime Single with railcard Loch Awe to Arrochar and Tarbet £19
2 x Anytime Single with railcard Arrochar and Tarbet to Garelochhead £7
2 x Anytime Single with railcard Garelochhead to Linlithgow £20.70
2 x Anytime Single with railcard Linlithgow to Edinburgh £9.70

Then reserve seats throughout Oban to Glasgow with Transpennine Express to avoid doing musical chairs.

Personally I think that is taking the xxxx out of the system to save £9.60 over buying Oban to Loch Awe with no railcard, then Loch Awe to Edinburgh with railcard.

But I wouldn't be doing my job without telling you how to do something I wouldn't do.

Note you need to be on a train that stops at Linlithgow- not all do.

I am always perfectly happy to send any commissions the way of The Man in Seat 61, considering what an absolute wealth of knowledge he makes available for free. I don't begrudge the guy making a pound for all his hard work.