Fare differences between advance purchase and purchase at time of departure

[ACL]

I have friends who will be on a package tour of Britain in a few weeks and I am helping them plan a outing for a free day they have in Edinburgh. They want to go down to Holy Island (Berwick Upon Tweed) and possibly Durham (and return). I have all the train options and information for them (thanks to much help here a few weeks ago), but I would like to let them know what the "penalty" would be if they were to miss one of the trains that they have tickets for.

I will help them purchase advance fares once they decide what specifically they want to do. What I can't tell them is approximately how much more they would have to pay if they missed a train they had an advance ticket for and had to purchase a ticket for another train.

I'm not looking for a specific amount, but a general estimate (if this is possible) of how much more tickets bought just before, or at the time of boarding would cost.

Also, if this is an impossible request, please say so.

Also, I notice a significant fare difference between some trains on the same routes between Edinburgh and Berwick Upon Tweed and Durham. Is this due to the different Train Operating Companies? If so, which ones should they avoid.

Thanks again for all of the great help I receive from this website. This place is the best.

 

[hassaanhc]

I have friends who will be on a package tour of Britain in a few weeks and I am helping them plan a outing for a free day they have in Edinburgh. They want to go down to Holy Island (Berwick Upon Tweed) and possibly Durham (and return). I have all the train options and information for them (thanks to much help here a few weeks ago), but I would like to let them know what the "penalty" would be if they were to miss one of the trains that they have tickets for.

I will help them purchase advance fares once they decide what specifically they want to do. What I can't tell them is approximately how much more they would have to pay if they missed a train they had an advance ticket for and had to purchase a ticket for another train.

I'm not looking for a specific amount, but a general estimate (if this is possible) of how much more tickets bought just before, or at the time of boarding would cost.

Also, if this is an impossible request, please say so.

Also, I notice a significant fare difference between some trains on the same routes between Edinburgh and Berwick Upon Tweed and Durham. Is this due to the different Train Operating Companies? If so, which ones should they avoid.

Thanks again for all of the great help I receive from this website. This place is the best.

Different prices between trains on the same route by the same TOC could be as a result of various price quotas for Advance tickets being used up on certain services (more information about that in the Ticketing Guide section of this forum). As for tickets bought immediately before travel, it is the price you see for Super Off-Peak/Off-Peak/Anytime fares, these "walk-up" fares can be bought several weeks beforehand too for the exact price that you would pay 5 minutes before travel and also give you flexibility regarding what trains you can take. So if there is significant uncertainty over when you'll be able to take the train I'd get the walk-up fares now rather than risk it and find you've paid more for both the walk-up and the Advance after missing the booked train when you could have paid just the one.

 

[ACL]

Thank you. That is very helpful.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I will help them purchase advance fares once they decide what specifically they want to do. What I can't tell them is approximately how much more they would have to pay if they missed a train they had an advance ticket for and had to purchase a ticket for another train.

They really should find another name for tickets only valid on a specific train. Almost all tickets can be bought in advance of travel, but some tickets styled "Advance" are only available for the train documented on or with the ticket.

It would be more customer friendly, if possibly more complex, if there were a ticket option which booked you on your choice of train A or B. This would be particularly valuable if you had a journey of uncertain time to catch train A.

 

[MikeWh]

It should also be noted that in some cases the walk-up tickets are actually cheaper than the most expensive Advance tiers, especially when making a return journey.

 

[reb0118]

I have friends who will be on a package tour of Britain in a few weeks and I am helping them plan a outing for a free day they have in Edinburgh. They want to go down to Holy Island (Berwick Upon Tweed)

Why not visit a different Holy Isle a lot closer to Edinburgh. Visit Inchcolm on the Firth of Forth. One picks up the ferry from the Hawes Pier at Queensferry (Not far from Dalmeny Station). Some images of Inchcolm.

I would suggest purchasing a return to Burntisland or Kinghorn as this would give a return trip over the famous Forth Bridge and stunning views across the Firth to Edinburgh. On the return alight at Aberdour to visit the castle & (small) beach and at Dalmeny to access the ferry to Inchcolm.

I would suggest a Historic Scotland Explorer pass as this will give access to both Aberdour Castle & Gardens as well as Inchcolm Abbey (ferry fare still payable though). This will make sense esp. if your friends are going to visit Edinburgh Castle during their stay.

I am not knocking Holy Island (Lindisfarne)* nor Durham* but the greater cost in getting there with a speculative ticket from Edinburgh can be off putting. It is not impossible to get to Holy Island by public transport but do note the fact that the causeway is tidal so you are dependent on the sea level for your visiting times. I have always visited by car (that said I may train & cycle there this summer -cracking fish 'n' chips in the local pub ). Durham is easily accesable by train from Edinburgh (almost a half hourly service at times) sample prices here. The land of the Prince Bishops is always worth a visit. Just don't end up here singing this.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I'll second the recommendation of the visit to Inchcolm. It's an excellent half day trip. It is worth doing for the ferry trip under the Forth Bridge alone.

 

[ACL]

Thanks for the info on Inchcolm. My friends have their heart set on Holy Island, but there is a strong possibility that I may be in Edinburgh this fall with other friends and Inchcolm may be a good outing for them. Greatly appreciated.

 

[30907]

GIven that a trip to Holy Island requires advance planning because of the tides (I lived near Gateshead for 3 years and never made it!) it seems an obvious choice for Advance (ie train-specific) tickets if they are cheap enough.

To be on the safe side for Berwick-Durham (or Berwick-Edinburgh, depending on the tides) you could always build in a brief stop in Berwick, it's an interesting enough town IIRC