Abergavenny to Grantham routing

[BRM]

I did this journey this week, out on 13/01/15, 1231exAGV back on 1358ex GRA, 14/01/15, with the £89.30 off peak return. Various journey planners gave routes for this fare via Newport/Nottingham or Hereford/Birmingham/Nottingham. A search departing from Newport gave a route changing at Bristol Parkway/Birmingham/Nottingham - which I did on the outward due to missing the 6 minute connection at Newport for the XC to Nottingham.

On the return I checked for any delays, the ticket man at Grantham asked if I was going via Stockport? I later checked timings and the change at Stockport got me in at the same time as via Nott/Brum/Hereford, picking up the same train for the Here-AGV leg. Journey planners don't offer this as a route although national rail does but requires 2 tickets to be purchased.

Given that GRA-SPT-AGV got me in at the same time as GRA-NOT-BNS-HERE-AGV are allowed routings based on distance travelled by train rather than on journey time?

I actually travelled back GRA-NOT-DER-BPway-NPT-AGV! I don't find the XC turbostars or the LM Brum-Hereford seats comfy. And got a HST trip between BPway and Newport.

 

[SickyNicky]

It is strange that Abergavenny to Grantham isn't valid via Stockport, given the fact that there's only one change and it's reasonably fast, but it's not.

For some reason many journeys from Hereford towards the East of England are not allowed that way. I suspect that under the old BR rules, it would have been "reasonable". But I don't really want to start getting into the disputed route procedure.