Edinburgh to Bristol - can i split?

[SammyJ]

hi, can anybody with ticket knowledge tell me the best splits for Edinburgh to Bristol return?

Ill be travelling in march and just 1 person.

Thanks.

 

[adrock1976]

Some extra detail may be required, such as:

Route preference - via London Kings Cross and Paddington, or on the direct XC service via York and Birmingham, or via Preston and Birmingham?

Do you intend to return, or just a one way journey?

Do you hold any railcards?

Cheers

Adam

 

[yorkie]

hi, can anybody with ticket knowledge tell me the best splits for Edinburgh to Bristol return?

The best splits?

Is that the cheapest (including all-shacks stoppers and replacement buses, for example the cheapest for such journeys often seems to include going via Barlaston) or is it a subjective compromise between speed and value?

If the latter, then only you can determine what is best for you.

Manually finding splits is extremely time consuming, so you may be interested to learn that a forum member has created his own booking site http://www.trainsplit.com/ which will not provide the absolute cheapest, but will provide the cheapest it can find on the fastest services. Enjoy!

Once the new routeing engine is complete, you'll be able to set your own preferences in terms of savings vs speed. This should be available later this year.

 

[SammyJ]

Im ok for time, i think its more the price I'm more concerned about. I assume the obvious split is Birmingham but just wanted to see if i could be more adventurous and lower the price more.

 

[bb21]

Still not enough information. As adrock1976 has already mentioned, we need to know whether you hold any Railcard, whether you are doing a single or a return journey, and if the latter, whether it is a day return or over several days.

This thread sets out the type of information we require in order to offer the most appropriate advice. While some may not be applicable, the ones I pointed out above are quite crucial.

 

[yorkie]

Randomly choosing 10th / 17th March departing after 1100, Trainsplit.com suggests splits at Warrington and Bristol; that's the best it can find (not guaranteed to be the best).

 

[SammyJ]

I did put return in my opening question, ill be travelling on the 17th and returning on the 18th and hold no railcards. Ill book advanced tickets if that helps.

 

[yorkie]

I did put return in my opening question, ill be travelling on the 17th and returning on the 18th and hold no railcards. Ill book advanced tickets if that helps.

In that case I'd go with whatever Trainsplit.com suggests, for the trains you're happy to book.

If you have any problems using it, or simply any further queries, do let us know, as the creator of the website is a member of this forum and would be in a position to help.

 

[adrock1976]

Edinburgh - Bristol TM via Preston and Birmingham

Standard Advance £39.50 travelling on 06:52 London Euston service via Preston changing at Birmingham New Street arriving 11:05, departing 11:17 on the Plymouth service to Bristol TM, arriving 12:42.

Standard Advance £62.50 travelling on 10:30 Glasgow Central service via York to Birmingham New Street, arriving 11:58, departing 12:15 on the Edinburgh Waverley via Preston service, arriving at 16:22.
Total £39.50 + £62.50 = £102

Edinburgh to Bristol TM via Preston, Hereford, and Newport

Std Adv EDB - Crewe £21 departing 10:51 arriving CRE 13:57
Std Adv CRE - Newport £18 departing 14:08 arriving NWP 16:39
Std Anytime Return (former Std Open Return) - NWP - Bristol TM £19.10 departing 16:44 arriving BRI 17:18

BRI - NWP depart 11:21 arrive 11:58 (use return portion)
Std Adv NWP - CRE £18 departing 12:19 arriving CRE 14:28
Std Adv CRE - EDB £21 departing 13:09 arriving EDB 16:22
Total £21*2 + £18*2 + £19.10 = £97.10

The above is an example of what I have found based on information given, and using obvious interchange stations where changing trains for the second option. Going via London on the one point to point ticket costs more.

In peace

Adam

 

[bb21]

If you are happy with booking Advance fares and be tied to specific trains, then you may wish to try the following split points: Cheltenham Spa, Birmingham New Street, Preston and / or Carlisle.

The split at Cheltenham Spa is to take advantage of CrossCountry's weird pricing strategy, where longer-distance passengers tend to be the ones ripped off. You will find plenty of availability between Bristol Temple Meads and Cheltenham Spa for £4.70 each way, then between Cheltenham Spa and Birmingham for £6.90 each way, but booking through tickets from Bristol to Birmingham only gives you options for £15.50 each way generally speaking.

The split at Preston/Carlisle is to take advantage of lower fares (generally speaking) available on TPE from there onwards to/from Scotland, as opposed to just Virgin. The lowest through fare on Virgin or CrossCountry between Birmingham and Edinburgh comes out at £35 for the outward, and £25 for the return leg. By splitting Advances, Birmingham - Preston has more availability for £15 outward, £10/£11 return (even one in the morning for £7.50), while Preston - Edinburgh has plenty of availability under £15 outward and around £10 return.

I won't list all the permutations but hopefully just by doing the above, you can see for yourself how many possibilities there are, and pick the timings that suit you. It might mean a slightly extended journey time, especially at Preston where you are likely to have to change trains, but I hope the saving is worth it.

A sample itinerary which I think offers a reasonable trade-off between time and savings is:

17th March

Bristol Temple Meads 1030 - Cheltenham Spa 1109 £4.70
Cheltenham Spa 1111 - Birmingham New Street 1158 £6.90 (same train, remain onboard at Cheltenham)
Birmingham New Street 1215 - Preston 1351 £15
Preston 1458 - Edinburgh 1736 £11.20

18th March

Edinburgh 1416 - Preston 1649 £11.20 £11.20
Preston 1717 - Birmingham Temple Meads 1905 £10
Birmingham New Street 1942 - Cheltenham Spa 2024 £6.90
Cheltenham Spa 2025 - Bristol Temple Meads 2105 £4.70 (same train, remain onboard at Cheltenham)

Total: £70.60

Obviously I cannot guarantee that this is the absolute cheapest, and that these fares are sold subject to quota so you need to act quickly if you want to snap them up.

I must stress that if you wish to book split tickets, you must ensure that you leave sufficient interchange time at the stations where you change trains, in order to be covered in the event of delays. This is 12 minutes for Birmingham New Street, 5 minutes for Cheltenham Spa, 8 minutes for Carlisle, and 8 minutes for Preston. If you require information for other stations then feel free to ask.

 

[SammyJ]

Thanks a lot, appreciated all the replies.