Norwich to Cambridge (November)

[Willie Bee]

My wife and I are visiting Norwich and Cambridge in November and the main journeys to / from NCL are all booked.

I haven't yet booked the Norwich to Cambridge trip

Mid-morning, there are two options we are considering

Norwich (10:27) > Cambridge (11:45) with Greater Anglia £32.90

Norwich (10:52) > Ely (11:42) on EMR, then Ely (11:51) > Cambridge (12:11) with Great Northern £18.54 or £20.80 (first class)

(prices are for 2 adults with senior railcards)

Considering there is only 1 minute difference as far as journey time is concerned, I am thinking the 2nd option is good enough .. unless overcrowding is a problem

And, if there's no reason not to use the cheaper (1-change) option we may as well go in first class, for a couple of quid extra.

Any tips / comments would be appreciated.

 

[transportphoto]

Of the two, I’d opt for the 10:27. Whilst you’re travelling outside of school holidays, the 10:52 can be amongst the busiest of the EMR departures off of Norwich each day.

This being said, if price is your motivator - there’s no harm in booking onto the EMR. I’d not pay any extra for First Class on GTR though very much not worth it.

Another consideration is reliability. Greater Anglia is a lot more likely to run right time than the East Mids.

 

[Willie Bee]

Of the two, I’d opt for the 10:27. Whilst you’re travelling outside of school holidays, the 10:52 can be amongst the busiest of the EMR departures off of Norwich each day.

Another consideration is reliability. Greater Anglia is a lot more likely to run right time than the East Mids.

Thanks for your reply

Yes, I think I'll just book the direct train.

Looking on YT, that 10:52 train EMR train to Ely is actually the UK's longest regional service, going all the way to Liverpool in just over 5 1/2 hours .. as you say, that could easily become very busy

 

[transportphoto]

Also worth bearing in mind that you can arrive at Norwich station on the day and pay £32.90. You don’t need to book this in advance. These tickets also give you the flexibility to travel on any departure from 08:15 inclusive, on any train operator, and include travel via Stowmarket/Ipswich should this become preferable too.

 

[ac6000cw]

Thanks for your reply

Yes, I think I'll just book the direct train.

Looking on YT, that 10:52 train EMR train to Ely is actually the UK's longest regional service, going all the way to Liverpool in just over 5 1/2 hours .. as you say, that could easily become very busy

The GA trains are also nicer to ride in than the EMR ones. For the best view of the scenery, go for the higher seats (at the ends of the carriages).

 

[MikeWM]

Norwich (10:52) > Ely (11:42) on EMR, then Ely (11:51) > Cambridge (12:11) with Great Northern £18.54 or £20.80 (first class)

I wouldn't bet on the GN actually running, their cancellation rate at Ely for the last couple of months has, incredibly, been over 15%, and indeed that specific train hasn't run 4 days out of the last 20.

The GA is definitely the better option.

 

[girothedog]

My wife and I are visiting Norwich and Cambridge in November and the main journeys to / from NCL are all booked.

I haven't yet booked the Norwich to Cambridge trip

Mid-morning, there are two options we are considering

Norwich (10:27) > Cambridge (11:45) with Greater Anglia £32.90

Norwich (10:52) > Ely (11:42) on EMR, then Ely (11:51) > Cambridge (12:11) with Great Northern £18.54 or £20.80 (first class)

(prices are for 2 adults with senior railcards)

Considering there is only 1 minute difference as far as journey time is concerned, I am thinking the 2nd option is good enough .. unless overcrowding is a problem

And, if there's no reason not to use the cheaper (1-change) option we may as well go in first class, for a couple of quid extra.

Any tips / comments would be appreciated.

My wife and I are visiting Norwich and Cambridge in November and the main journeys to / from NCL are all booked.

I haven't yet booked the Norwich to Cambridge trip

Mid-morning, there are two options we are considering

Norwich (10:27) > Cambridge (11:45) with Greater Anglia £32.90

Norwich (10:52) > Ely (11:42) on EMR, then Ely (11:51) > Cambridge (12:11) with Great Northern £18.54 or £20.80 (first class)

(prices are for 2 adults with senior railcards)

Considering there is only 1 minute difference as far as journey time is concerned, I am thinking the 2nd option is good enough .. unless overcrowding is a problem

And, if there's no reason not to use the cheaper (1-change) option we may as well go in first class, for a couple of quid extra.

Any tips / comments would be appreciated.

There’s a National Express Coach at 10:10 from Norwich that takes 90 minutes but would drop you closer to the city centre. As the main legs of your trip are by rail a relatively short hop by coach might be bearable. Current fare £12.50 each.

 

[Willie Bee]

Also worth bearing in mind that you can arrive at Norwich station on the day and pay £32.90. You don’t need to book this in advance. These tickets also give you the flexibility to travel on any departure from 08:15 inclusive, on any train operator, and include travel via Stowmarket/Ipswich should this become preferable too.

That's a great tip .. maybe we could have a quick hour to Ipswich .. would tick off another place we haven't been to before.

 

[Willie Bee]

There’s a National Express Coach at 10:10 from Norwich that takes 90 minutes but would drop you closer to the city centre. As the main legs of your trip are by rail a relatively short hop by coach might be bearable. Current fare £12.50 each.

If I give you my wife's phone number, could you please tell her we are considering a coach

I'm scared

 

[saismee]

That's a great tip .. maybe we could have a quick hour to Ipswich .. would tick off another place we haven't been to before.

A Norwich to Cambridge Off-Peak Day Return is valid via Stowmarket and Ipswich, so the flexible tickets for 32.90 (shouldn't it be 33.00?) would allow this. You can force a journey planner to give you an itinerary by choosing via Ipswich.

If you had more than a day then you could choose Off-Peak Return for 42.40, and visit Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and possibly another stop too. You would need to find somewhere to stay though so it would be quite a bit more.

As for the first class option, EMR doesn't have first so it would just be the GN leg, and it is laughably similar to standard if you get a 387. Stick with standard.