Hello all. We fly into Edinburgh and we will stay one night. Then I wanted to get a Point to Point tickets for my husband and I and head off to London BUT I understood that we could stop along the way... We wanted to stop in York for 2 days and then continue on. Am I correct to think that we can stop that long? Thanks for your help.
also, I was just planning to get the ticket at the Train Station or..should we have this reserved?
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
You will need to purchase tickets for each leg of your trip. And you can often save considerable money by purchasing in advance (discounted tickets go on sale about 12 weeks prior to travel dates). HOWEVER- you are then committed to a specific train- date and time. If you miss your train- no refunds. If you change your mind- no refunds. That is the advantage of a Britrail pass. You travel when you want to- no commitments. But they are not the price bargin they used to be. You can check prices here http://www.rail.co.uk/ Just put in a date that's about 12 weeks from the day you are checking on. Then put in the next day's date and compare the difference. Walk up (or purchasing only a few days ahead) tickets are usually very, very expensive for longer routes. Some routes do not have advance purchase discounts- like London to Windsor. But Edinburgh to York, then York to London should have good discounts.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5456 posts
An Anytime Single must be used within 2 days of the date shown on the ticket (and until 04:29 on the following day) and you can break your journey as much as you like and use any train. Edinburgh to London is £152. It may well be cheaper to buy advance tickets for each leg of your journey though.
Posted by
South Yorkshire, UK; formerly St. Louis, MO, USA
317 posts
Marco's got it. One thing you might try - price P2P tickets to York, then price P2P tickets York-London. I havent looked, but it might save you a few pounds. Example: looking at National Rail, Edinburgh to York is 41.50 GBP for an advance fare, and 78 GBP Anytime. York to London is as cheap as 30.50 GBP for an Advance ticket. As Marco correctly pointed out, the advance tickets are good for specific trains. Anytime tickets can be used on multiple services whenever you want to go (within the ticket validity window.) As I type this, Anytime tickets Edinburgh to London are running 152 GBP. A final note - buy early and pick your tickets up at the station if you can. It will save you money.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you book as far in advance as possible (12-13 weeks) on the East Coast site, you can get discount fares as low as £19.60 for Edinburgh-York and £13.00 for York-London. Those tickets are for a specific departure date and time and are non-exchangeable and non-refundable so be sure you can commit before booking. As of today, booking is open through 21 June.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
373 posts
Thank you all. I hadn't even considered the P2P in two trips like that. I can look at that. I'm doing my research way ahead... we don't need these tickets until toward's the end of Sept. I need to research ahead. Saving a few pounds is great! :) I'll be ready to book online ahead.
Toni, the BriRail is out of the question...we only need the 2 days of travel.