Best Fare Advice - Oxford to east Grinstead

[orpine]

I was wondering, what's the best way price-wise to get from Oxford or Didcot to East Grinstead.
Offpeak travel both directions (can commit to advances), outward on one day, back the next (so no day returns ).

An offpeak from either to EGR is £45.10.

I'll likely want to split the journey, spending the outward day in centralish London (return will be direct).

Thoughts? I don't have any experience with London fares/routing so wouldn't really know where to start.
Thanks!

 

[James Wake]

How about if you can get to Milton Keynes, buying two OffPeak Southern DaySaves at £17.90 each and changing at either Clapham Junction or East Croydon?
Do you have an Oyster Card, say you could get off the Southern from Milton Keynes at West Brompton or Shepherds Bush and take the tube into London with your Oyster? And then travel to London Victoria to pick up a direct East Grinstead train?
http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/ticket-types/daysave/
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Can you maybe give us a date as we can maybe see if FGW and Southern have some cheap advances?

 

[Paul Kelly]

As a start, and if the time restrictions suited, you could save £4.10 by getting a Super Off-Peak Return from Banbury to East Grinstead for £41 and starting short at Oxford.

 

[orpine]

Thanks for the ideas. I'm afraid Milton Keynes is out. The date is end of month - friday 30th outward and 31st back.

I can get an oyster card if necessary (and refund it on the return).

Any other thoughts?

 

[nicobobinus]

Wanted to suggest the possibility of taking the Oxford tube to Victoria and two singles, but doing the maths this comes out barely cheaper than the straight return.

Oxford tube next day return: £18
Victoria to East Grinstead off peak single: £13.10
East Grinstead to Victoria off peak single: £13.10 (£11.30 if you can arrive into London after midday, meaning a super off peak single is valid)

Total: £44.20 (or £42.40)

The apparent lack of an open/saver return between East Grinstead and London is a bit disappointing. They are about 30 miles apart which I guess is borderline for the existence of saver fares.

 

[bangor-toad]

Hi there,
For low cost what about:

30th:
Oxford - London Victoria Coach station. Megabus. £1 or £2
London - East Grinstead. Southern.
£13.10 for an Anytime Single or if you travel on or before the 15:53 departure from London Victoria, an East Grinstead to London Victoria Super Off Peak day return (just use the return portion) for £11.40

31st:
East Grinstead to London Victoria: Southern
£11:30 for Super Off Peak Day single

London Victoria Coach station to Oxford. Megabus. £1 or £2.

So, a reasonably simple trip with no cross London fluffing about for as little as £24.70 all in.
(London Victoria Coach station to London Victoria railways station is really not far. Out, cross the road, through the little shopping parade and you're there)

Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[orpine]

Hi Both,
Thanks for the options.
Yea, it sucks that London - East Grinstead doesn't have a multi-day return.

if you travel on or before the 15:53 departure from London Victoria, an East Grinstead to London Victoria Super Off Peak day return (just use the return portion) for £11.40

I've picked up a few tricks to date and seen more on these boards, but fairly sure that one's new on me.

Hmmm, seems those "megabus" tickets are actually Oxford Tubes (makes sense; all Stagecoach after all). That's a serious discount and seems to hold for as little as a week in advance. That's definitely worth remembering!

 

[PermitToTravel]

Yea, it sucks that London - East Grinstead doesn't have a multi-day return.

No loophole ones that can be started short on, either! The cheapest SVR to East Grinstead with a cross-London marker costs a whopping £27.80

 

[orpine]

Slight potential change of places, is there a good single fare option from Greenwich to East Grinstead for the Friday afternoon? Probably leaving around 4 or 5? Still returning to Oxford on the Sat, or at least Victoria (then megabussing it back)?

 

[orpine]

I've just discovered, an Offpeak Return from Greenwich to East Grinstead includes Victoria as one of the options.
It's good for outward on one day and returning on another. £22.40.
No apparent restrictions on outward travel from London in the evening either, which is useful.

And for bonus points, I want to travel from Greenwich anyway.