Leicester - Newcastle

[bb21]

As northern England is one of my knowledge gaps, I need some help planning this journey below:

# Day return on 2nd April with Y-P.
# Arrival into NCL with sufficient time to transfer to Whitley Bay for a match with 3pm KO.
# Leave from NCL after the game taking into account that extra time and penalty might be needed.

My current effort yields the outcomes below:

1) Splitting at DBY, SHF and YRK into CDRs gives me a grand total of £40.00.

2) EC has some advances for GRA - NCL at £13.80 each way, this with a CDR for LEI - GRA gives me a total of £35.60.

3) Alternatively there are advances SHF - NCL for £12.05 outbound and £9.40 inbound with XC. This coupled with CDRs for LEI - DBY and DBY - SHF makes £33.35

Anyone can better that?

Any advice re travelling on EC trains is welcomed. I have only travelled twice along that route, once in 1999 in GNER days and once in 2006.

Ta

 

[spacehopper]

Don't forget to get a Tyne & Wear Metro add on if you're buying a CDR as it often works out cheaper to get the add on than a train ticket and a metro ticket. Station isn't to far to walk from the ground.

 

[cuccir]

Any advice re travelling on EC trains is welcomed. I have only travelled twice along that route, once in 1999 in GNER days and once in 2006.

Ta

The easiest question first - not too much advice. The only thing to mention (and this holds for Cross Country too) is that if you can time it as such, try to get a train that starts/terminates at Newcastle rather than a through train. They (obviously) tend to be significantly less busy and though this isn't a huge issue if you have booked seats, it can still make the journey a little more unpleasant. Yesterday I travelled from Durham to Newcastle - the first train to arrive was going to Edinburgh and was standing room only; the train two minutes later was terminating at Newcastle and I got a table to myself!

As for the tickets - there's sometimes cheaper options routed via Rotherham Central as you can get a through ticket to Leicester but benefit from East Coast advance prices (you don't use Cross Country basically); unfortunately this isn't really the case here. I'd be tempted by the Grantham option, as a few pounds will get you a more pleasant journey. If you'd normally buy a coffee on route then you might consider upgrading to first class in one or both directions - it's about £7 more in each direction.

 

[John @ home]

If you'd normally buy a coffee on route then you might consider upgrading to first class in one or both directions - it's about £7 more in each direction.

East Coast Weekend First costs £20 single for all journeys north of Peterborough.

 

[yorkie]

1) Splitting at DBY, SHF and YRK into CDRs gives me a grand total of £40.00.

The absolute cheapest split is to extend your Derby - Sheffield ticket as far as Bolton on Dearn. And the ticket from York - Newcastle can be extended back from Church Fenton. Both of these are at no extra cost. That then leaves a gap of Bolton on Dearn to Church Fenton, which is considerably cheaper than Sheffield to York (around half the price) however it restricts you to stopping trains avoiding Doncaster, which means an extended journey time. Alternatively a Shireoaks to York is acceptable value and valid via Sheffield.