Explore Wales (4 in 8) Pass and1BWS: overlap?

Arriva Cymru, First Cymru, Cardiff Bus, Stagecoach South Wales Bus operate local bus services-

Stagecoach run in South Central Wales and First Cymru around Swansea and parts of Pembrokeshire, Cardiff Bus around Cardiff and to Newport and area. Stagecoach also run the long haul Traws Cymru service from Cardiff to Newtown.

In North Wales Arriva run along the coast, across Anglesey on the main road and as far as Caernarfon.

All the services south of Caernarfon and in the Snowdon National Park, off the main road on Anglesey and the Traws Cymru services from North Wales south are run by other operators- so only the 1BWS works on them.

So it kind of depends where you are going. But for simplicity, unless you are merely going down the North Wales coast buy the 1BWS.

If you are only doing North Wales there is another ticket- the Explore North and Mid Wales Pass 4 in 8 valid on the same bus companies-https://www.railrover.org/pages/explore-north-and-mid-wales-pass.html
also the one day North Wales Rover- that one covers trains and ALL buses- https://www.railrover.org/pages/explore-north-and-mid-wales-pass.html (so is rail and 1BWS wrapped into one)

Note that the 4 in 8 tickets are 4 days on the train and all 8 days on the qualifying bus services.

So you need to work out which tickets best suit your particular needs.

Thank you. I admit that I find the assortment of passes, Rangers and Rovers to be confusing but, with help here, manageable.

As you say, for simplicity I will purchase a 1BWS as I expect to spend more time away from the coast. I am busatlas.uk to be very informative (and daunting); ufortunately he has not yet compiled maps 19 and 20 for north Wales. Map 24 gives me ideas on getting from Chester to Bangor by bus.

Or perhaps I will use a train to get from Chester/Crew to the Bangor area at the start of my week, and then at the end of the week to where-ever I will pick up a rental car for mid and south Wales. In that case a 1BWS and a couple of day passes for rail/bus might be sufficient.

Chester to Bangor by bus will be exceedingly slow. Route 11 to Holywell 75 minutes every 1/2 hour, Holywell to Rhyl route 11M or 11C every 1/2 hour 1 hour, Route 12 every 12 minutes Rhyl to Llandudno 90 minutes, route 5 every 20 minutes, takes 70 minutes.

So that is an overall time of 5 hours + change times. I'm a fan of long bus rides, but if the train takes 65 minutes and booked a week or so ahead an Advance Fare of £7.70 seems a better deal to me. Personally I have a senior railcard so £7.70 becomes £5.05.

These are the North Wales bus timetables- https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Residents/Parking-roads-and-travel/Bus-timetables/Bus-timetables.aspx

Point well taken, thanks. Delving into timetables and routes will be my weekend activity! And a spreadsheet to track prices.

OK, working with maps and timetables, I am slowly figuring out getting from London to Llangollen on Saturday June 8. I haven’t penciled the numbers yet, but let’s assume that I will purchase an “Explore North and Mid Wales Pass” for four days of train travel within eight. The TfW has a good explanation of what/where the pass covers, but not how to use it, so I’ve got a couple of questions.

I would purchase the Explore pass in London, utilizing my senior rail card discount. Would I have declare the period of validity when I purchase the pass, or does that simply begin the first time I use it? Do I have to book the train ticket/seat ahead of time, citing the Explore pass for payment? Or do I book the seat and show the conductor my pass (in the style of Eurail pass?)? Or do just show up for the train without advanced reservations waving my pass?

Next, I don’t quite understand how it would work for travel London to Llangollen – crossing into the pass area of validity.

For example, I can take Avanti service from Euston to Birmingham New Street, changing there for TfW service to Ruabon, and thence a bus to Llangollen. The Birmingham New Street /Ruabon service calls at Shrewsbury, which is where the validity of the “Explore” pass begins.

Do I purchase a ticket from London to Shrewsbury, and then travel onward on the same train from Shrewsbury to Ruabon utilizing my Explore Pass? Or would I have to alight at Shrewsbury and take the next service to Ruabon in order to switch tickets?
(This question also applies to the service London Euston/Chester, calling at Crewe).

Thank you for your help!

You ask for the pass by the name of the pass. On the front of the pass it will have a series of boxes, and you yourself fill one box in each day you travel by train. If it's a day you travel by bus you don't need to fill in a box.

You can buy it ahead of time from any station, asking for it to start from x date. If you were in London now you could buy it today to start on 9 June.

You buy a ticket from London to Shrewsbury changing at Birmingham. If it is a through train just stay in the seat you had booked from Birmingham (unless it is booked locally beyond Shrewsbury- just find a new seat if that happens). Next time a ticket inspector comes down the train show him your pass. Until Shrewsbury your pass is irrelevant - just show your Euston to Shrewsbury ticket.

Similarly on the way south buy a ticket from Crewe to Euston. Occupy whatever seat you booked from Crewe at Chester (if you can, if not find a spare one and change seats at Crewe). Leaving Chester use the pass to open the ticket gates at Chester (if the ticket isn't coded right as sometimes happens with these passes show it to gateline staff who will use their staff pass to open the gate). Show your pass to the ticket inspector between Chester and Crewe, then stay on the train at Crewe. Next time you are checked show your Crewe to Euston ticket.

When I have one of those passes it opens gates in Manchester but not at Barrow in Furness for whatever reason.

If I know Avanti staff you probably won't even be checked between Chester and Crewe as they will assume 9x out of 10 you have used the gates to enter the station.

Thank you. That helps a lot.

But why would an Explore Wales pass open gates at Manchester? That's out of the area of validity if I'm reading the TfW pass map correctly -- though there is a significant chance that I am not reading it correctly!

Sorry,

Just seen the supplementary question. What I meant (but worded very badly) in my case was I had a North West England Rover- valid from Southern Scotland to Hexham, Leeds, Manchester and Shotton (west of Chester). And that one is just totally inconsistent with which ticket gates it will and will not open. No logic in it whatsoever. That issue applies to all sorts of areas of 1 day rangers and multi day rovers I have used.