Birmingham/Derby to Windermere

[button_boxer]

Here's a nice challenge for you fare-optimisers out there. My wife and I are planning a weekend in the Lake District in September. We've taken half-days off work on Friday 10th and Monday 13th.

She will be starting from Birmingham New Street and I will be starting from Derby, the journey planners suggest the following trains:

Friday 10th
13:20 BHM - Oxenholme 15:22 (I would get the 12:40 from Derby to join this train at Crewe)
15:38 Oxenholme - Windermere 15:59

Monday 13th
08:50 Windermere - Oxenholme 09:06
09:23 Oxenholme - Lancaster 09:37
09:57 Lancaster - BHM 11:56 (I would leave this train at Crewe and get the next train to Derby, it's a 9 minute connection which isn't officially valid but I reckon it should be OK)

The times are pretty fixed in so far as my wife would need to leave BHM no earlier than 13:15 Friday and needs to be back by 12:30 Monday, and also we need to be in Windermere by about 17:00 on the Friday afternoon.

I've not been able to find any useful advances (I looked back when they first became available), and the through tickets are BHM-WDM £67 (off-peak return) and DBY-WDM £69.50 (anytime return - the off peak isn't offered for the 08:50 departure on the Monday). I can get this down to BHM-WDM £64.20 by splitting at Crewe and DBY-WDM £55 by splitting at Lancaster (the off-peak return LAN-WDM is offered for the 08:50), but I'm sure someone on here will have better ideas or know of anomalies I'm not aware of?

 

[sonic2009]

The Wife

Birmingham to Crewe Off Peak Return £20.80
Crewe to Preston Off Peak Return £21.00
Preston to Windermere Advance Transpennine £7.00
Windermere to Preston Advance Transpennine £7.00

£55.80 total

1320 Birmingham to Preston arr 1451. change @ preston
1458 Preston to Oxhenholme arr 1528
1538 Oxhenholme to Windermere arr 1559

0850 Windermere to Oxhenholme arr 0906
0911 Oxhenholme to Preston arr 0945
1017 Preston to Birmingham arr 1156

Yourself Button Boxer

Derby to Crewe Off Peak Return £16.20
Crewe to Preston Off Peak Return £21.00
Preston to Windermere Advance Transpennine £7.00
Windermere to Preston Advance Transpennine £7.00

Total £51.20

1240 Derby to Crewe arr 1359
1409 Crewe to Preston arr 1451
Then Same Times as Above

Same Time Returning
1017 Preston to Crewe arr 1058
1107 Crewe to Derby arr 1224

Some People may have advances on the above. Hope it helps

 

[ashworth]

There are AP tickets readily available from Manchester to Windermere for as little as £7 single if meeting up or splitting at Manchester is cheaper than at Crewe.
For the return journey there is an £18 AP single on the 0755 from Windermere to Birmingham via Manchester and on the same train there is a £17.50 AP single from Windermere to Derby again via Manchester.
Can't find much for the outward journey apart from AP single from Sheffield to Windermere at £14.50 departing at 1511.

I know that these may be a little off route but it dpends how much money you want to save.

 

[tony_mac]

I haven't looked at Advance tickets;

Birmingham to Huyton off-peak return is £30.50; according to National Rail and the ticket retailers it is valid via Wigan. (valid after 9am, but doesn't seem to be permitted according to the routeing guide)

Wigan to Windermere is £26.80 (valid any time).

£57.30

(If unsure about the connection to Wigan - Earlestown to Windermere, via Warrington, is 80p more)

 

[button_boxer]

I haven't looked at Advance tickets;

Birmingham to Huyton off-peak return is £30.50; according to National Rail and the ticket retailers it is valid via Wigan. (valid after 9am, but doesn't seem to be permitted according to the routeing guide)

Wigan to Windermere is £26.80 (valid any time).

Interesting. What's the BOJ restriction on the BHM to Huyton one? I'm always wary of "terminating short" on the outward leg of an off peak return. And how likely is the guard to accept this combination on a through BHM to Oxenholme train?

 

[tony_mac]

There is no break of journey restriction.

It won't be a problem being accepted on the train. (It seems they have more pressing things to worry about around Wigan! On my last day return from Wigan to Oxenholme I had my ticket checked onboard 5 times by Virgin staff)

I always just show whichever ticket is currently valid, so the guard won't even know you are going through to Oxenholme anyway.

You could always get seat reservations.