Cheap rail fares

[Browser]

No, they aren't like unicorns or fairies, they do exist I am told Son-of-Browser is 13 and loves travelling on trains. Sadly, due to the fact that we are modern-day travellers and invest all of our potential travelling money in running two cars we rarely go anywhere on the train, which is a shame as it can be a less-stressful way to travel if one picks one's journeys.
I've promised him I'll take him on some trips on the weekends I'm not at work, so would like to know if there are any websites, other than the likes of redspottedhanky.com, which have lists of low-cost rail journeys or ways to find them?
We live between Peterborough and Spalding so have two reasonably local stations to chose from and using P'boro as the start point have a fairly good choice of destinations.
Any ideas anyone?

 

[Hover Fly]

This shows how far in advance you can buy cheap tickets,
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/booking_horizons.html
Decide where you want to go and keep an eye on the relevant train companies' site for when the tickets become available.

 

[jim55]

i usually use the trainline .but yours sounds btr

 

[Browser]

Cheers Hover Fly, looks like a handy one to bookmark.

 

[vernon]

it's worth doing the research and finding out which train operating companies serve your stations as they sometimes have special offers which might not show up on generic search sites such as redspotted hankie register on the sites to get updates

For instance eastcoast trains had some ridiculously cheap fares available until midnight on Monday.

For a real adventure East Anglia trains do a bargain fair to Amsterdam for £60 from Cambridge I think and covers train to HArwich, ferry to Hook of Holland and train to Amsterdam.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

You could try the man in seat 61.

 

[fatblokish]

or, for short notice travel, http://splitticket.moneysavingexpert.com/

 

[Sandra6]

I've always used the trainline.com before and we've had a couple of good trips. 6 of us went to manchester for around £20 (with a railcard) in October half term and we went to Blackpool for not much more in November but I've been trying to find cheap rail tickets for us to go away at Easter and sadly they don't exist.
Carlisle to Manchester over £100, then I looked at Chichester (we have family there) and it was close to £400!!! A "standard" open return was over £1000!!! We could hire a minibus for the duration for less. I figured it was down to the bank holidays but even if we went midweek, non-school-holiday time it was going to cost as much.
Who pays these prices?!

 

[Over The Hill]

I have lost count of the times I have wanted to get somewhere and looked the train option, only to be put off by the cost, time and general inconvenience of it.
There is a very complicated range of discounts (family card, student card, season ticket etc) but nothing for the occasional trip that would encourage people back to the habit of using trains.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

[QUOTE 2269658, member: 259"]He's been locked in the toilet since Crewe. He's probably not even got a first class ticket.[/quote]
warmest place. Crewe railways station is the coldest railways station I know. Even Corrour is warmer and definitley has a better view.

 

[bikepacker]

I use the London Midland website: http://tickets.londonmidland.com/lm/en/JourneyPlanning/MixingDeck
There are no booking fees or credit card charges and you can book your bike reservation when required on any of the train companies.

 

[ArDee]

I've always used East Coast Trains simple to use and seems cheap. ArDee junior works in Sheffield, to turn up a buy a normal return ticket at the station, even with an under 26 rail card is around £55 on the web normally around £21.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If he likes his trains then a journey to Scotland aboard one of the ScotRail Caledonian Sleeper services is a must imo.

Tea in London, train from Euston, breakfast in Inverness or Fort William. Splendid stuff. And with a little effort it can be done cheaply, though that isn't as easy as it used to be...

see http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/caledonian-sleeper-bargain-berths
and
see http://www.simonvarwell.co.uk/2012/12/bargain-berths-get-even-more-elusive/

 

[accountantpete]

The cheapest way is to use one of the standard offers which exist but are not advertised!.

These vary by name but in the Midlands they are known as East Midland Day Rangers (and also West Midland Day Rangers). You get unlimited travel in the area for £32 adult and £16 per child.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pre6b23cc35ce741008d5f47acf894bb/details.html

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Even Corrour is warmer and definitley has a better view.

Had to wait 5 hours for a train there back in 1976,
It was the end of our Duke of Edinburgh expedition,we missed the previous train by 5 minutes
We got burnt to a crisp,no shelter,no shop,gawd we were bored.