Shocked at train fare.

[mjr]

I used slightly over one quarter of the tank going and about the same coming back, I had put £50 worth of fuel in to start and the fuel gauge showed a couple of notches below that when we got home, I could be out by 2 or £3. So yes this is what it used, we were also amazed.

Fuel cost is not quite running cost. I'm not amazed by 10p/mile on fuel because my frivolous turbo car costs that.

 

[andyfraser]

Ah, the joy of the Paddington monopoly franchise approach. There's things you can do but they're not really worth it, taking longer and so on, unless you book specific train times well in advance. The one thing I would suggest is that a £30 "Two Together" Railcard would save its £30 price on that first £90 trip and then give you savings for every further rail journey together that year.

We have looked at that rail card. It might be worth looking at it again although we'd only be going to London 2 or 3 times a year.

 

[Piemaster]

That reminds me - I need to get my kilt ready for the weekend after next's frivolities at Knockengorroch.

Now thats a look I wouldn't have thought anyone ever would have been able to pull off, But somehow it works for you.

And on the subject of pies, if you ever find yourself in the station again, nip across the road to the St.Stephens shopping centre. There is a pie stall ("Pie") selling the most magnificent pies just outside. It's actually a good reason not to be in Hull at 18-45, you've missed the opportunity and it will be shut.

 

[mjr]

We have looked at that rail card. It might be worth looking at it again although we'd only be going to London 2 or 3 times a year.

Bit mean not to include the annual depreciation and maintenance of the car shared across those 2 or 3 trips then ;-) (but I know what @andyfraser means, really... Swindon isn't blessed by all the rail links it could use)

 

[howard2107]

I came back from London KX to Leeds yesterday on a pre booked ticket, paid for a couple of weeks ago, and i paid £96.50 Morley to Gatwick Airport return, this included all connections via tube and gatwick express, so good value there, but i had finished what i was doing at Gatwick early, so i made my way back to KX, with ticket in hand for the 15.35 to Leeds. I asked about changing to an earlier train, and they quoted me £60, so i politely refused and went to the pub for a couple of hours or so.

What happened to the days when you could turn up at the station and get on the next train to where you wanted to go. I could have understood the additional cost for a peak time train, but i wanted to get on the half empty 13.05.

Rant over..............

 

[vernon]

The secret is being flexible when travelling to London or nearly everywhere else on the mainlines. I've done two London based FNRttCs and a dellzeqq London-centric architecture bike tour have bought return tickets to London from Leeds for £26 on each occasion. Last Thursday when I travelled to London to eat pies and drink cider with @User14044 my return journey cost a grand total of £13. I did cheat a little bit and redeemed my loyalty bonus points for a free homeward leg of the journey. The London FNRttC crowd get similar bargains when coming north for the York-Hull FNRttC.

You have always been able to turn up at the station and travel at a moments notice but there's a price premium to pay for that. The premium has always been there. The 'cheap day returns' of BR days barred travel on a huge tranche of trains on the main lines. Once again being flexible and travelling outside of peak times got the cheaper tickets. There were some cracking bargains to be had during BR days. My favourite one was buying a Dublin day return from Leeds which took two and a bit days to complete, Friday evening to Sunday night, a ferry crossing from Liverpool to Dublin and a free litre bottle of spirits on the England bound ferry all for the princely sum of £8 back in 1983.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

That reminds me - I need to get my kilt ready for the weekend after next's frivolities at Knockengorroch.

Numbnuts is a lot taller than I imagined


...and cheerier

 

[vernon]

Numbnuts is a lot taller than I imagined


...and cheerier

 

[vernon]

Exactly how uncheery did you expect him to look?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Far worse than @vernon imagines him to be

 

[Sara_H]

Had to go up to Manchester (from London) for a meeting at short notice. £220 rtn! To add insult to injury, the seats were real pack 'em in jobs - like flying Easyjet - and when I thought I might as well, having seen signs flagging up the wifi available on the train, I found there was an extra charge for that.

Top tip, sit in the carriage next to first class, you can often log on to the free wifi.

 

[buggi]

Chiltern Railways don't allow full size bikes on during peak times anymore (which covers trains out of London between about 4 and 7 I think so I'd have no chance of getting on one at Leamington or Warwick until about 8). I've actually been chucked off (even ticket office were gobsmacked that the Chiltern inspector was such a jobsworth). Didn't stop me trying and I've got away with it for a while but a lady inspector reminded me nicely that I want supposed to be on the train. She said it all started when some city guy complained he got dirt on his suit off a bike wheel. !!!

 

[swee'pea99]

Top tip, sit in the carriage next to first class, you can often log on to the free wifi.

Thanks - I'll remember that. (Makes me wonder how much first class can be if no class is £220 rtn. The mind boggles.)