Britrail and Reservations

From what I've read, it might be good to make reservations for Edinburgh-York, particularly for travel on a weekend. Making a reservation a day or two ahead of time should be sufficient. I don't have an opinion about York-Bath. From personal experience I don't think you'll need a reservation for Bath-London.

From the point of view of keeping costs down - do not leave it until the day before departure.

The rail system and particularly it's pricing policy has been devised by a bunch of idiots who are certifyably insane.

As a frequent user of our glorious rail system ( I am rolling on the floor laughing hysterically as I type that phrase ) I can tell you it's slightly more difficult to understand than advanced quantum physics.

The theory is that about six weeks to four weeks before date of travel the prices hit rock bottom - so book then.

The problem is that unless you live in Britain it's a nightmare trying to book the tickets on the web site.

If you leave it to the day before to book tickets you will pay the maximum price.

Another thing - just because you have a ticket to a destination don't assume you will end up at that destination. Six weeks ago two colleagues ( one Canadian one Chinese ) got on a train from St. Pancras to Nottingham in order to see me. It was only when they were on the train that the conductor told them that the train had been diverted due to work on the line and they would have to stop at a branch line and catch a commuter into Nottingham. By the greatest of good fortune I was at the station catching a train to meet them in Nottingham. They were dropped off on the wrong platform and told to catch the next train - The next train from that platform didn't stop until Manchester. Fortunately I saw them and ran to the platform they were on - the chances were a million to one.

Our rail system is the illegitimate love child of Monty Python and Tess of Bedlam

From the previous post, it is sounding like you need to look into the bus system. We used them a lot and enjoyed the scenery as we went by. I believe the bus can be cheaper than the train.

Joel, in my previous post I made an assumption that you have a railpass and were asking about making free reservations which would guarantee you a seat so you wouldn't have to stand if all the seats were taken.

If you were asking about when to book a ticket, then my answer would be a lot different. As Al so eloquently states, understanding the rail system is not for the faint of heart! Walk-up fares for longer rides are very expensive. Discount fares booked online in advance can be quite cheap, but you must commit to a specific date and departure time.

When will you be in the UK?

Thanks for suggestions. I am in Edinburgh right now! arrived at the B&B around 10:30AM but my room wasn't ready, so with only one hour of sleep on the plane I braved Edinburgh City Centre!!!!

@Tim: You are correct, I have BRITRAIL passes and I was asking if I need to make reservations to guarantee seats.

The first order of business when I arrived in the City Centre was to go to Waverly station and inquire about my trip down to York. Found out that the train won't be in operation on the day I travel and I will need to take a bus to Newcastle instead and then take the train to York from there. What was going to be a rather pleasant 2.5 hour commute is turning into an almost nightmarish 4.5 hours. :( And because it is by bus, I can't make reservations; however, I was able to guarantee a seat for the Newcastle to York segment.

Beautiful weather in Edinburgh! (beautiful as in no rain but a little chilly, I am from SF so I am used to chilly weather heh).

Thanks again!
Joel
http://ithinkiamgettinglost.blogspot.com

.....The rail system and particularly it's pricing policy has been devised by a bunch of idiots who are certifyably insane. .......

No, just some Harvard MBA's who worship the max revenue load science so expertly that our (America) airlines' fare schedule are equal unintelligent.