Edinburgh-Settle-Manchester advice please

[endecotp]

Dear Experts,

Can anyone suggest the best tickets for this journey:

Sat 14/12/2019 am Edinburgh-Carlisle-Settle
Sun 15/12/2019 am Bentham-Lancaster-Manchester (ideally Oxford Rd)
Tues 17/12/2019 pm Manchester-Edinburgh

The days are fixed but the times aren’t. Ideally I’d like tickets that are flexible about the time and the train operator, though I’d accept operator-specific tickets if there was a significant cost saving.

Possibilities that I’ve considered are (a) three singles and (b) returns Edinburgh to Carlisle and Lancaster to Manchester and singles Carlisle to Settle, Bentham to Lancaster and Lancaster to Carlisle. But I find it very difficult to get the prices for those flexible tickets from the National Rail website, which is full of non-flexible prices; if anyone can recommend a simple way to look up those prices please tell me!

Also are any of the off-peak tickets on those routes limited on Sat/Sun or Tuesday evening peak?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shotton]

http://www.brfares.com/#home

This is the best website to look up fares, it will give you all the point to point fares available between the two stations.

TrainSplit also has an option which allow exclusively flexible tickets to be searched, and I'd imagine you can make significant savings using this if you are willing to restrict your route slightly.

 

[Shotton]

The best ticketing option to me seems like an off peak return (SVR) from Edinburgh to Lancaster, route via Carlisle for £68.40. This is valid via Settle, and you may break your journey in Settle, and resume it in Bentham.

Then an off peak return from Lancaster to Manchester route via Preston for £20.90.

These tickets give you full operator flexibility, and are not evening peak restricted. You can travel back directly from Manchester to Edinburgh on the return.

 

[Bletchleyite]

These tickets give you full operator flexibility, and are not evening peak restricted. You can travel back directly from Manchester to Edinburgh on the return.

...provided the return TPE stops at Lancaster. Not all of them do.

 

[endecotp]

Thanks for the pointer to the brfares website; this is the best I came up with:

EDB-CAR return 59.60
CAR-SET single 21.90
BEN-LAN single 7.20
LAN-MAN return, half of a “duo” ticket 14.10
LAN-CAR single, TPE only 18.40
Total 121.20

Yes there are two of us travelling so the “duo” ticket is an option, though it has an evening peak restriction which might be inconvenient. Using a more conventional return for that adds 6.80. I think it’s unlikely we’d end up using anything other than TPE for the return as the alternatives all need changes so I’m happy with the TPE-only LAN-CAR segment. Is there still an issue with whether the train actually stops at the stations where you change from one ticket to another? I thought that was no longer a thing. Anyway I note that the 1807 and 2007 ex Man airport do stop at LAN.

Shotton, thanks for the suggestion re via Settle being a valid route from EDB to LAN. Total price ends up as 82.50, a huge saving! Is it OK that the break is overnight? (I guess it doesn’t really matter if it isn’t, it’s still cheaper if I also buy a BEN-LAN single.). I think I would want to have a printout of something confirming that the route is legit....

 

[Shotton]

Thanks for the pointer to the brfares website; this is the best I came up with:

EDB-CAR return 59.60
CAR-SET single 21.90
BEN-LAN single 7.20
LAN-MAN return, half of a “duo” ticket 14.10
LAN-CAR single, TPE only 18.40
Total 121.20

Yes there are two of us travelling so the “duo” ticket is an option, though it has an evening peak restriction which might be inconvenient. Using a more conventional return for that adds 6.80. I think it’s unlikely we’d end up using anything other than TPE for the return as the alternatives all need changes so I’m happy with the TPE-only LAN-CAR segment. Is there still an issue with whether the train actually stops at the stations where you change from one ticket to another? I thought that was no longer a thing. Anyway I note that the 1807 and 2007 ex Man airport do stop at LAN.

Shotton, thanks for the suggestion re via Settle being a valid route from EDB to LAN. Total price ends up as 82.50, a huge saving! Is it OK that the break is overnight? (I guess it doesn’t really matter if it isn’t, it’s still cheaper if I also buy a BEN-LAN single.). I think I would want to have a printout of something confirming that the route is legit....

The stop at stations where your ticket changes rule is still in place; I was just under the impression all TPE stopped at Lancaster.

TrainSplit will give you an itenary from Edinburgh to Lancaster going via Settle, if you specify Settle as a via option. You can print this out and take it with you.

As for the overnight break of journey, the ticket type (SVR) permits an overnight break of journey, so it shouldnt be a problem, provided you complete all travel on the 2nd day. However, as you say, worst case, you can just buy a single from Bentham to Lancaster.

 

[56131 EllColl]

My recommendation:

0652 Edinburgh-Carlisle 0806
0927 Carlisle-Settle 1105
with Advance fare £11.50
(or)
0853 Edinburgh-Carlisle 1007
1049 Carlisle-Settle 1233
with Advance fare £12.50
on Saturday 14/12/19

(then)
0956 Bentham-Lancaster 1027
with Day Single fare £7.20
1047 Lancaster-MancOxRd 1201
with Advance fare £5.80
(or)
1148 Bentham-Lancaster 1219
with Day Single fare £7.20
1239 Lancaster-MancOxRd 1400
with Advance fare £5.50
on Sunday 15/12/19

(then)
1830 MancOxRd-Edinburgh 2140
NB Direct train do not change trains, STAY ON SAME TRAIN. Split the tickets as follows:
1830 MancOxRd-Preston 1904
with Advance fare £5.60
(and)
1905 Preston-Edinburgh 2140
with Advance fare £10.80

This information is provided in good faith,E&OE no liability assumed. Fares retrieved from NationalRail website 6am on Tiesday10/12/19. Prices subject to change and available seats.

 

[Shotton]

If you are willing to restrict your operator, the entire journey can be done for £61.10 on an Edinburgh to Manchester Stations SVR routed "Avanti and Northern". This has the same restriction code as the Edinburgh to Lancaster SVR, and TrainSplit will give me an itenary going via Settle and Lancaster which can be printed off.

Obviously, this would mean on the return you would have to use Northern to Preston, and Avanti onwards, and would restrict travel from Lancaster to Manchester to these operators too.

 

[endecotp]

The best ticketing option to me seems like an off peak return (SVR) from Edinburgh to Lancaster, route via Carlisle for £68.40. This is valid via Settle

Interestingly, Edinburgh to Settle is £78.30 (SVR). So it’s actually £10 cheaper to travel EDB-SET return with a EDB-LAN ticket than with an EDB-SET ticket.

(Presumably if you travel to Settle with an EDB-LAN ticket, that doesn’t get counted in the statistics for Settle-Carlisle usage....)

 

[reb0118]

Interestingly, Edinburgh to Settle is £78.30 (SVR). So it’s actually £10 cheaper to travel EDB-SET return with a EDB-LAN ticket than with an EDB-SET one

And if you're making a day trip it's even better value with the CDR.