How long can a break of journey be?

[moogal]

On Saturday (20/05) I need to travel from London to Horsham, where I'll be spending the night. The following morning I'll be heading to Gatwick Airport for a week's holiday, returning Sunday (28/05) to head back to London.

Question is, could I just get a return ticket from London to Horsham, given that is beyond Gatwick, then use the return half to travel from Horsham to Gatwick, break the journey and then resume it a week later to go from Gatwick to London? Or would I need separate tickets for the different legs?

Which TOC I use or which London terminal I go to isn't an issue for me.

 

[yorkie]

As long as it's within the validity of the ticket, it can be for as long as you like.

So in the case of an Anytime Return (SOR) or an Off Peak Return (SVR), you have a month. So a week is absolutely fine!

 

[gray1404]

You are fine to do what you propose.

So you are using your outward portion on 20 May to travel from London to Horsham. The return is valid for one calendar month. So you will begin your return travel on 21 May, break your journey at Gatwick Airport then until 28 May. This is fine because the return portion of your ticket will be valid until 19 June and you are permitted to break your journey as many times as you want on the return portion of your ticket.

Do check the times you are travelling though and that the ticket you intend to buy is valid at these times for all 3 legs of your journey. Feel feel to ask on here for further advise as to the cheapest ticket that meets your needs.