ALR - Help!

[Eric]

I'm planning to do the 14 day all line rover in August and I can't see from the website that says I can or can't travel at peak hours, appart from the silly 10am station rule and what restrictions I have on all the TOCs (apologies if I've looked in the wrong place).

The second question would be where would everyone reccomend I go?

I live in Bradford so the S&C doesn't need to be a priority, but I would like to get the best value out of the ALR to try and do every line in the country (if possible).

Cheers, Eric

 

[Intermodal]

I don't believe there is any restriction on peak time travel apart from the 10AM rule at certain stations.

I assume you will be staying in hotels?

 

[Eric]

I don't believe there is any restriction on peak time travel apart from the 10AM rule at certain stations.

I assume you will be staying in hotels?

It'll be hotels but I would like to spend a couple of nights on one of the sleepers for the experience.

 

[rail-britain]

What interests you such you want to do this ALR?
Are you travelling Standard or First Class?

For the sleeper, try the Fort William
I did this from Euston to Fort William, then straight back to Glasgow on the next service (gives you about 2 hours in Fort William if you fancy a short walk)
Equally, you could do Glasgow to Fort William, then back on the Fort William to Euston
It certainly makes the additional berth supplement well worth it
Northbound, ask for breakfast to be served in the Lounge Car as the train leaves Helensburgh, gives you time to get ready as that is where the views begin (On my journey I asked to be woken at Westerton and was woken at Crianlarich!)

It's not easy to get to/from, but also consider the Holyhead - Cardiff or Cardiff - Holyhead ATW Premier Service

Finally, the Kings Cross - Inverness, an opportunity to enjoy a HST with chef throughout
Providing the train is on-time you can swap at Inverness on to the Inverness - Euston sleeper, it's not really possible the other way round (ie Euston - Inverness, then Inverness - Kings Cross)

Getting round the "restriction" appears to be quite easy
You can still use trains that pass through Birmingham
The main issue are some trains that arrive or depart London north before 10:00, but the sleepers are exempt from this
Therefore obtain reservations to prove you are not getting off at Birmingham

 

[mrcheek]

Ive done 3 ALRs over the last few years, 4th one coming up next month.

Recommended journeys:
Inverness to Kyle Localsh. The most beautiful journey imaginable.

Inverness to Thurso/Wick. Very scenic, but do it just to say youve been there.

Paddington to Penzance. Try to do it at least one way during the daytime, so as not to miss the lineside views in Devon and Cornwall. Also, see if you can get one of the few trains that runs via Bristol, so you can include the Clifton Suspension Bridge for the complete Brunel experience.

The Cumbria coast. The best journey in England.

The ECML and WCML, as full a journey as possible on both. Should ideally do Euston to Glasgow, and Kings Cross to Aberdeen or Inverness.

Any TPE routes. Very under-rated journeys from a scenic point of view.

Cardiff valley lines. Its well worth a trip to Cardiff to try doing at least a couple of these in a day. The journey to Rhymney is the most under-rated journey on the whole UK network.

Once you have a journey plan, its worth checking to see how many of the journeys have 1st class available. If most of them do, then its well worth the extra for 1st class, just so you have more chance of getting a decent seat. And the free drinks are helpful too.

The new restrictions are a nuisance, but easily dealt with. Change at Birmingham International or Wolverhampton to avoid restrictions at New Street. And if you need to leave Kings Cross early, take the 0804 Grand Central and change at York, or the 0720 Hull Train and change at Doncaster. You can also arrive at Kings Cross at 0917 if you take the Hull Trains service.
Theres no obvious way around the St Pancras or Euston restrictions, unless you want to get stuck on slow London Midland or FCC services, but if you have any journeys where you need to arrive/depart early from these stations, then do those on the weekend.

Also, remember to check engineering works way in advance. These can really screw up your weekend plans if not properly checked!

 

[nedchester]

Theres no obvious way around the St Pancras or Euston restrictions, unless you want to get stuck on slow London Midland or FCC services, but if you have any journeys where you need to arrive/depart early from these stations, then do those on the weekend.

Combine your ALR with a Single Harrow to Euston or some such?:

19. Using a combination of tickets
You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire
journey and one of the following applies:
(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at a station where you change from one
ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include
Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport
executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.
You must comply with any restriction shown on the tickets relating to travel in the trains of
a particular Train Company or Train Companies (see Condition 10).
If you do not comply with this Condition, you will be treated as having joined the train
without a ticket and the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply, either to the entire
journey, or from the last station where the train stopped at which at least one of the
tickets was valid.
For the purposes of this Condition, a “leisure travel pass” means any multi-journey ticket
(excluding Season Tickets) valid for:
(i) at least 7 consecutive days; or
(ii) at least 3 days in a period of at least 7 consecutive days
and includes rover tickets, travel passes, flexipass tickets and Britrail passes

 

[mrcheek]

Combine your ALR with a Single Harrow to Euston or some such?:

19. Using a combination of tickets
You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire
journey and one of the following applies:
(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at a station where you change from one
ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include
Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport
executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.
You must comply with any restriction shown on the tickets relating to travel in the trains of
a particular Train Company or Train Companies (see Condition 10).
If you do not comply with this Condition, you will be treated as having joined the train
without a ticket and the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply, either to the entire
journey, or from the last station where the train stopped at which at least one of the
tickets was valid.
For the purposes of this Condition, a “leisure travel pass” means any multi-journey ticket
(excluding Season Tickets) valid for:
(i) at least 7 consecutive days; or
(ii) at least 3 days in a period of at least 7 consecutive days
and includes rover tickets, travel passes, flexipass tickets and Britrail passes

I still dont think this will work.
You still BOARDED at Euston, which is what the ALR restriction specifies. Maybe you could quote the Condition 10 referred to....

 

[nedchester]

I still dont think this will work.
You still BOARDED at Euston, which is what the ALR restriction specifies. Maybe you could quote the Condition 10 referred to....

You board at Euston on the Harrow ticket not the ALR!!

Condition 10:

10. Tickets valid only in trains of particular Train Companies
The validity of a ticket may:
a) be restricted to; or
b) prohibit
travel in the trains of a particular Train Company or Train Companies. Any such restriction
or prohibition will be shown on the ticket. If you travel in a train with a ticket that is not
valid, the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply. If you are unable to use a ticket or
any part of it, you may be able to claim a refund under Condition 26 or Condition 3

(and of course even if this was to apply the restriction is not shown ON THE TICKET')

 

[mrcheek]

You board at Euston on the Harrow ticket not the ALR!!

Condition 10:

10. Tickets valid only in trains of particular Train Companies
The validity of a ticket may:
a) be restricted to; or
b) prohibit
travel in the trains of a particular Train Company or Train Companies. Any such restriction
or prohibition will be shown on the ticket. If you travel in a train with a ticket that is not
valid, the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply. If you are unable to use a ticket or
any part of it, you may be able to claim a refund under Condition 26 or Condition 3

(and of course even if this was to apply the restriction is not shown ON THE TICKET')

OK, so where did you board on the ALR ticket if not at Euston?

Restrictions on ticket use do not normally use the term "board" or "alight", but the ALR restriction does use those words.
This is why such a trick should not work.

 

[Paul Kelly]

OK, so where did you board on the ALR ticket if not at Euston?

You don't board on it at all - you simply don't use it for the first part of the journey, but then switch validity to it as you pass through Harrow and Wealdstone, as allowed by condition 19 (c).

 

[mrcheek]

You don't board on it at all - you simply don't use it for the first part of the journey, but then switch validity to it as you pass through Harrow and Wealdstone, as allowed by condition 19 (c).

I still dont buy it until someone actually tries it and it works. And by "works", I dont mean the guard just let it slide. From my interpretation of the wording, this is not valid. You boarded at Euston.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Finally, the Kings Cross - Inverness, an opportunity to enjoy a HST with chef throughout

Er, no, I don't think so. Restaurant and Chef is no longer part of the schedule for the Inverness service and certainly never has been when I've been on board in the past 2 or 3 years!

The following excellent suggestions by mrcheek are crucial to making the most out of these (silly?) new ALR restrictions:

. . . if you need to leave Kings Cross early, take the 0804 Grand Central and change at York, or the 0720 Hull Train and change at Doncaster. You can also arrive at Kings Cross at 0917 if you take the Hull Trains service.

 

[Eric]

What interests you such you want to do this ALR?
Are you travelling Standard or First Class?

Would you advise me to go first class? Would it justify the extra cost?

I've always been interested in trains because my mother and father never had a car so we always travelled by train (I don't drive either) and as my job means I have to travel (nine times out of ten) on them, you could say I've grown up and spent all my life on them.

I would love to go to Pwllheli for a nights stay and would be looking at doing Inverness to Wick and Inverness to Kyle Localsh etc.

I just hope that I don't end up doubling back on myself.

 

[ainsworth74]

Would you advise me to go first class? Would it justify the extra cost?

Only if your going to spending lots of time on the intercity operators like Virgin, EC and FGW. If your spending lots of time on regional operators where the first class offering is poor (or non-existent) then no probably not.

 

[Welshman]

Would you advise me to go first class? Would it justify the extra cost?

I've always been interested in trains because my mother and father never had a car so we always travelled by train (I don't drive either) and as my job means I have to travel (nine times out of ten) on them, you could say I've grown up and spent all my life on them.

I would love to go to Pwllheli for a nights stay and would be looking at doing Inverness to Wick and Inverness to Kyle Localsh etc.

I just hope that I don't end up doubling back on myself.

You could avoid doubling back from Pwllheli by using the bus to Bangor and the North Wales Coast line from there.

Similiarly use the bus from Kyle of Lochalsh over the Skye Bridge to Armadale, the ferry to Mallaig and the West Highland line from there [and enjoy some magnificent scenery in the process].

But I don't know how you'd travel to Thurso/Wick without doubling-back a fair way!

I hope you enjoy your travels!

 

[PaulLothian]

You could avoid doubling back from Pwllheli by using the bus to Bangor and the North Wales Coast line from there.

Or take train back to Porthmadog and use either Ffestiniog or Welsh Highland Railways to head up towards the North Wales Coast.

 

[mrcheek]

Or take train back to Porthmadog and use either Ffestiniog or Welsh Highland Railways to head up towards the North Wales Coast.

Surely the answer is to go back to Minfford, then take the Blaenau Ffestiniog railway (which is included on your ALR) to Blaenau, then back on an ATW service to Llandudno.