One day south East rover ticket?

[Andrewlong]

I'm on holiday at the moment and fancy a day out on the trains in the south-east. I know there are certain specific area rover tickets but is there anything I can buy for travelling off-peak in the south East?

 

[Buttsy]

Whereabouts?

Take a look at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/rangers_and_rovers.aspx - 1 day tickets are marketed as Rangers rather than Rovers. FGW have a few for the Thames Valley. Also, there is the option of a London travelcard if you limit yourself to zones 1-6.

 

[gazthomas]

Sadly not, your closest options:

http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/ticket-types/daysave/

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/summer.aspx

Plus various Anglia ranger/rovers

 

[Andrewlong]

Thanks for your feedback - I came to the same conclusion that there wasn't a regional card which is a real pity.

 

[extendedpaul]

The three day Kent Rover is poor value compared with similar tickets and I suspect is seldom purchased. A one day version costing say £15 and valid after 10am would be far more popular in my opinion.

 

[paul1609]

Its probably a bit naive to expect cheap rover tickets in the Southeast with many trains full and standing for an hour out of the london Terminal even well outside the peak in many cases.
There are however bargains to be had if you keep off the London Routes especially if you have a railcard: Margate to Weymouth Route Barnham for instance. Even the Southern owned Southcoast 7 day south-coast season tickets are probably more reasonably priced than many railcards in the provinces when you consider the mileage available.

 

[ashworth]

The three day Kent Rover is poor value compared with similar tickets and I suspect is seldom purchased. A one day version costing say £15 and valid after 10am would be far more popular in my opinion.

I used the 3 Day Kent Rover a few weeks ago and I agree that it's not really very good value in comparison to most other rovers. I used it to travel around Kent whilst staying for a few days in Sittingbourne.
However, although Southeastern fares are very high when travelling between London and Kent, most local fares within Kent are quite reasonably priced. I don't think I would have paid any more if I had used Off Peak Day Returns. It did enable me to do some longer circular routes, although most of the places I visited could have been done using Off Peak Day Returns with lots breaks of journey.

If I did it again I think I would be more likely to travel shorter distances using Day Returns and also make use of the Kent Day Explorer bus tickets to visit places not on the rail network. Bus explorer tickets could also be useful to cut some corners on journeys not easy by rail like Sittingbourne to Maidstone.

In a few weeks time I'm staying in London and will be making use of a 7 Day Zones 1-6 Travelcard. Does anyone know of any good deals to interesting places outside Zone 6 from boundary stations. I've noticed some quite good fares to the south coast from Ewell East via Horsham. I'm also intending visiting Weymouth using South West Trains £20 Day Return Offer.

 

[BRblue]

I used the 3 Day Kent Rover a few weeks ago and I agree that it's not really very good value in comparison to most other rovers. I used it to travel around Kent whilst staying for a few days in Sittingbourne.
However, although Southeastern fares are very high when travelling between London and Kent, most local fares within Kent are quite reasonably priced. I don't think I would have paid any more if I had used Off Peak Day Returns. It did enable me to do some longer circular routes, although most of the places I visited could have been done using Off Peak Day Returns with lots breaks of journey.

If I did it again I think I would be more likely to travel shorter distances using Day Returns and also make use of the Kent Day Explorer bus tickets to visit places not on the rail network. Bus explorer tickets could also be useful to cut some corners on journeys not easy by rail like Sittingbourne to Maidstone.

In a few weeks time I'm staying in London and will be making use of a 7 Day Zones 1-6 Travelcard. Does anyone know of any good deals to interesting places outside Zone 6 from boundary stations. I've noticed some quite good fares to the south coast from Ewell East via Horsham. I'm also intending visiting Weymouth using South West Trains £20 Day Return Offer.

London Victoria to Brighton off peak £8.00 outward and £5.00 return if you book a couple of weeks in advance... that goes for most southern journeys to the south coast at the moment if you book early enough. Sometimes you can get the outward for a fiver too.

 

[Brucey]

London Victoria to Brighton off peak £8.00 outward and £5.00 return if you book a couple of weeks in advance... that goes for most southern journeys to the south coast at the moment if you book early enough. Sometimes you can get the outward for a fiver too.

There is also the Southern DaySave. Previously very good value at £10, this has now crept up to £17.90.

http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/ticket-types/daysave-off-peak/

 

[Hadders]

London Victoria to Brighton off peak £8.00 outward and £5.00 return if you book a couple of weeks in advance... that goes for most southern journeys to the south coast at the moment if you book early enough. Sometimes you can get the outward for a fiver too.

If the OP has a zones 1-6 travelcard then an East Croydon-Brighton off-peak day return with Thameslink costs £15. Probably worth paying £2 extra for the flexibility of a walk on fare.

 

[ashworth]

If the OP has a zones 1-6 travelcard then an East Croydon-Brighton off-peak day return with Thameslink costs £15. Probably worth paying £2 extra for the flexibility of a walk on fare.

Yes, definitely would want walk on fares for flexibility. I have in the past used Daysave tickets and last year used the 7 Day Daysave which is now £95.
I decided that this year I would have a Zone 1-6 travel card and do a little bit more exploring on the outskirts of London but with the option of travelling further afield on a few days. I like exploring towns, villages and the coast and countryside and enjoy walking so don't want to spend all day everyday travelling by train. I'm also quite happy to use buses to travel to areas not served by rail especially by using Discovery and Explorer tickets.

I had noticed that a Day Return to Bognor from Ewall East via Horsham is only £13.30 and many other south coast destinations via that route are available for only £15.30. That's why I wondered if there are any other cheap fares in other directions from London from Zone 6 boundary stations that may be worth considering.

 

[James Wake]

Yes, definitely would want walk on fares for flexibility. I have in the past used Daysave tickets and last year used the 7 Day Daysave which is now £95.
I decided that this year I would have a Zone 1-6 travel card and do a little bit more exploring on the outskirts of London but with the option of travelling further afield on a few days. I like exploring towns, villages and the coast and countryside and enjoy walking so don't want to spend all day everyday travelling by train. I'm also quite happy to use buses to travel to areas not served by rail especially by using Discovery and Explorer tickets.

I had noticed that a Day Return to Bognor from Ewall East via Horsham is only £13.30 and many other south coast destinations via that route are available for only £15.30. That's why I wondered if there are any other cheap fares in other directions from London from Zone 6 boundary stations that may be worth considering.

If you want help planning a Discovery ticket day out, let me know, living in Crawley, I have done many bus days out on a Discovery, and know scenic routes, good connections, places to stop where facilities are close to the bus station etc. You can PM me if you like and I'll answer when I get a chance, or just ask on the thread.

 

[67018]

Yes, definitely would want walk on fares for flexibility. I have in the past used Daysave tickets and last year used the 7 Day Daysave which is now £95.
I decided that this year I would have a Zone 1-6 travel card and do a little bit more exploring on the outskirts of London but with the option of travelling further afield on a few days. I like exploring towns, villages and the coast and countryside and enjoy walking so don't want to spend all day everyday travelling by train. I'm also quite happy to use buses to travel to areas not served by rail especially by using Discovery and Explorer tickets.

I had noticed that a Day Return to Bognor from Ewall East via Horsham is only £13.30 and many other south coast destinations via that route are available for only £15.30. That's why I wondered if there are any other cheap fares in other directions from London from Zone 6 boundary stations that may be worth considering.

It's a shame that Southern have withdrawn their 'Downlander' tickets which covered bus travel as well. Anyone know when they stopped them?

For walking and exploring, I can recommend the Chilterns. Off peak fares from BZ6 are quite reasonable to Goring and Streatley, Henley or Marlow, the latter two including a trip on the branches off the main line. Also a lot of options to walk between the two branches on the Chiltern line (e.g. Amersham, Great Missenden or Wendover to Saunderton or Princes Risborough), which can be done on an Aylesbury return ticket (£18 CDR) as it's valid both ways.

Going south, the lines fanning out from London make for ideal one-way trips in the North Downs/Surrey hills although the ticketing is more complicated - there are ways of making use of validities on the North Downs line and finding tickets valid via both Epsom and Redhill.

 

[gazthomas]

I forgot the Thames Valley Day Ranger