I (senior 60+) am trying to work the best deal for train travel though England and feel like a newcomer in a supermarket looking at all the brands of coffee. I expect short and long trips for about 5 non-consecutive days of my 8 day visit. Long will be London to/from Penzance. Shorter trips will be Penzance to/from St. Ives, London to/from Oxford and London to/from Windsor, with possibly one more. I'm willing to ride Standard Class (even for the long haul to Penzance) so if purchasing a BritRail pass, it looks like the Adult Standard 8 day consecutive is a better choice than Senior 1st class. Now comes the Senior Railcard at 28 GBP. If I did the math properly, the 1/3 discount plus the cost of the Railcard is the best deal. 1) Am I correct in the my thinking and math? 2) If I decide to do London-Penzance in 1st class, is the Senior Railcard still better than a Senior BritRail? Thanks for helping me figure this one out.
Dave.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
IMO, 1st class isn't worth the extra money. Standard class seats are both roomy and comfortable. Don't buy either a pass or a railcard. Except for London-Penzance, walk up point-to-point tickets for your routes are not expensive. And if you book London-Penzance and Penzance-London well in advance (up to about 10 weeks) at www.eastcoast.co.uk, you can get a discount fare as low as £15. That site will show you all fares for all your routes.
Posted by
OP
Silver Spring, MD
62 posts
Thanks Tim - Your response takes the guess work out of the equation.
Dave
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
I agree with Tim. Earlier this year I bought advance tickets from home for several train trips in England. London-Penzance was very inexpensive, and others (including Bath to London) were about half price. Make your reservations and buy tix online, then print out your boarding passes at a train station in England. You can do the printing yourself or have a station agent do it. Penzance to St Ives is not a long trip. Buses may run more frequently and be a more practical means of travel in Cornwall. St Ives is really beautiful. In Penzance the train station and bus station are next-door to each other.
Posted by
chicago, il
113 posts
I would disagree with those who say First Class is not worth it--it depends on the operator as some even throw in a meal at appropriate time.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33821 posts
Yes the meal can be nice - a bit expensive because nothing is free, but nice.
Posted by
OP
Silver Spring, MD
62 posts
Since the London - Penzance trip at about 6 hours, assume we'd want to eat. First class might be the better choice. Is it still best to just buy a return ticket and avoid the senior railcard?