Leicester to Bristol. on off at parkway.

[suzanneparis]

Hello can anyone please help.

I have to got to Bristol on Thurday (15th Aug), from Leicester. I have an appointment mid afternoon at Southmead. The nearest train station is Bristol Parkway.

Questions: On NRE a standard day return is coming up at nearly £200 (before railcard discount). Can I get a standard return for less. I want it to be flexible though in the sense that I would like to be able to leave anytime between 7 and 11am and return anytime between 5 and 7pm. Also I would like to go to Temple Meads but possibly come back from parkway. I may decide to go down early and explore Bristol for a few hours before my appointment.

Q1 any suggestions on cheapest ticket
Q2 if I buy a return to Temple Meads can I get on or off at Bristol Parkway?
Q3 Is it easy to get a taxi at Bristol Parkway

Any help will be gratefully received

Best wishes

 

[Haywain]

In terms of simple through tickets, an Off Peak Return route via Gloucester costs £96.70, but bars departure from Leicester before 09:30, while a Super Off Peak Return via London costs £140.00 and prevents arrival into St Pancras before 1130 and has some restrictions on departure from St Pancras on the return journey. Both tickets allow break of journey at Bristol Parkway.

 

[suzanneparis]

Many thanks Haywain. I was hoping to spend some time in Bristol. So an earlier ticket would be nice but rather expensive it seems. Thank you again

 

[The exile]

To question 3 - there’s a taxi rank at Parkway and whenever I’m there there’s usually the odd taxi waiting.

 

[suzanneparis]

Is there a day return from BHM to Cheltenham? I can't find it online. Thanks

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2024 ==

To question 3 - there’s a taxi rank at Parkway and whenever I’m there there’s usually the odd taxi waiting.

Many thanks. Useful information.

 

[Haywain]

Is there a day return from BHM to Cheltenham? I can't find it online. Thanks

No, there isn't. To split going that way you would need to use trains calling at Worcestershire Parkway and split there.

 

[suzanneparis]

I found Leicester to Cheltenham return for £58-20 but a bit late - 9:50 into chelt at 11:50. Then off peak return chelt to brist is £12-20 total £70-40

 

[Mcr Warrior]

*If* this is a day return trip, could an Anytime Day Return ticket be obtained for the initial leg from Leicester to Birmingham, then additional off peak return tickets from Birmingham to Bristol, split maybe at Cheltenham. Total = £69.60 ( £24.80 + £32.60 + £12.20). Would, I think, be valid to leave Leicester at 0850 and to arrive Bristol Parkway at 1121 with the single change at New Street.

 

[suzanneparis]

Many thanks MCR. Yes it is a day return trip. I was slightly hoping to get to Bristol before 11.21. Maybe 10 ish. But that route you suggest is a good price. Thanks again

 

[Flandrian]

The 'Heart of England' rover could contribute to the options here. The '3 days in 8' version is £109 (£71.90 with railcard) and permits travel from 9am. An off-peak day return from Cheltenham or Gloucester to Bristol TM is £12.20 pre-railcard discount as mentioned above.

Bonus is that you then have a ticket for a couple more days out within the week.

 

[alistairlees]

Many thanks MCR. Yes it is a day return trip. I was slightly hoping to get to Bristol before 11.21. Maybe 10 ish. But that route you suggest is a good price. Thanks again

Do you have a railcard?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Many thanks MCR. Yes it is a day return trip. I was slightly hoping to get to Bristol before 11.21. Maybe 10 ish. But that route you suggest is a good price. Thanks again

Think travelling so as to arrive Bristol Parkway an hour and a half or so earlier (10.02) would cost you an extra £20.10 (before any applicable railcard discount) as you'd then need an Anytime Return for the middle leg of your journey, i.e. the bit from Birmingham to Cheltenham Spa.

 

[suzanneparis]

MCR how do you find the day return fares? I tried to find the BHM to Chelt and couldn't find it.

Alistair yes. but i was just comparing prices. it's a matter of the cheapest and then i realise i get a third off. thanks for reply

 

[Haywain]

I was slightly hoping to get to Bristol before 11.21.

Trainsplit suggests you can get there earlier, and for less!

 

[suzanneparis]

Hello Haywain. I did look at the 'tickets' section here on rukf. but i thought the cheaper tickets were fixed times. i want flexibility on the return journey. not so important on the out journey. thanks for your reply

 

[Haywain]

Hello Haywain. I did look at the 'tickets' section here on rukf. but i thought the cheaper tickets were fixed times. i want flexibility on the return journey. not so important on the out journey. thanks for your reply

The tickets on the link I gave are flexible tickets*. It is easier to select that option on the old site, which is what I am using. On the new site you have to go into the filters menu and select 'Walk-ups (flexible tickets) only'.


*Edit: I realise now that it defaults back to fixed tickets! I selected Flexible and Fastest, so do that and you'll see the answers I intended to provide.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

MCR how do you find the day return fares? I tried to find the BHM to Chelt and couldn't find it.

Essentially just Anytime Returns and Off Peak Returns between Birmingham and Cheltenham. (And advances).

 

[Watershed]

Hello can anyone please help.

I have to got to Bristol on Thurday (15th Aug), from Leicester. I have an appointment mid afternoon at Southmead. The nearest train station is Bristol Parkway.

Questions: On NRE a standard day return is coming up at nearly £200 (before railcard discount). Can I get a standard return for less. I want it to be flexible though in the sense that I would like to be able to leave anytime between 7 and 11am and return anytime between 5 and 7pm. Also I would like to go to Temple Meads but possibly come back from parkway. I may decide to go down early and explore Bristol for a few hours before my appointment.

Q1 any suggestions on cheapest ticket
Q2 if I buy a return to Temple Meads can I get on or off at Bristol Parkway?
Q3 Is it easy to get a taxi at Bristol Parkway

Any help will be gratefully received

Best wishes

Q1 Unfortunately, making a long-distance journey such as this, early in the morning, is not cheap if you buy a through ticket (Leicester-Bristol). As you have identified, the Anytime Return fare (avoiding London) is £133.30 with your Senior Railcard. The Off-Peak Return, valid from 09:30, is instead £63.80. So one obvious option would simply be to avoid travel before 09:30.

Another option would be to buy a combination of tickets, as per the suggestions made on the forum's ticketing site. This could include, for example, a Leicester to Birmingham Anytime Day Return, a Birmingham to Cheltenham Anytime Return, plus a Cheltenham to Bristol Off-Peak Day Return - costing a total of £59.15 (plus £7.18 fee based on a share of the saving compared to the through fare - although you can choose to avoid this, by adding the tickets to the basket individually). That combination would be valid for any outward journey from 06:18 onwards, and any return journey the same day.

If you wanted to reduce the cost further, to £37.20, you could consider a journey with an extra change at Cheltenham. Trains from Birmingham towards Cardiff stop at Worcestershire Parkway, and splitting at this station offers huge savings. You'd change from the Birmingham-Cardiff service onto a Bristol service at Cheltenham, and vice versa - you stay on the same platform in each case, so it's a relatively easy change.

This would involve buying a Leicester to Birmingham Anytime Day Return, a Birmingham to Worcestershire Parkway Anytime Day Return, plus a Worcestershire Parkway to Bristol Off-Peak Day Return. See for example this search result (select "Flexible" to only show walk-up fares). Note that there are a few gaps in Birmingham-Cardiff services at the moment, so you'll want to check carefully to make sure there's a train around the time you intend to travel.

Q2 If it's a walk-up ticket (i.e. Anytime or Off-Peak) then yes. The fares are only a small amount extra (and sometimes the same) to Temple Meads - so if you think you might want to travel from Temple Meads, it's probably worth buying it that way for maximum flexibility.

Q3 I'll let others answer this, but I would have thought so.

 

[suzanneparis]

Many thanks Watershed.

One more question. I once bought a 'split ticket' from Leicester to Cromer. Splitting at I think Peterborough or Ely. But the return journey was delayed. However, I was unable to claim a partial refund for the whole of my return journey. Because I'd bought split tickets. Even though I bought the whole jouney at the ticket office. IS it the case that split tickets cause problems if applying for a partial refund?

 

[Watershed]

Many thanks Watershed.

One more question. I once bought a 'split ticket' from Leicester to Cromer. Splitting at I think Peterborough or Ely. But the return journey was delayed. However, I was unable to claim a partial refund for the whole of my return journey. Because I'd bought split tickets. Even though I bought the whole jouney at the ticket office. IS it the case that split tickets cause problems if applying for a partial refund?

Your rights with split tickets are the same as if you held a through ticket, if your train is delayed/cancelled but you still travel, and you want to claim Delay Repay (or any other form of delay compensation - which is, I think, what you mean here). You would be entitled to delay compensation based on the combined value of all tickets held.

If you have had a previous delay compensation claim undercalculated, feel free to create a new thread in which we can advise you further on how to get the remainder you are owed.

If, on the other hand, you abandon your journey because of disruption and want to return your tickets for a refund it can be a little more grey-zone if you don't buy your tickets all at the same time or from the same ticket office/retailer. However most decent ticket offices and online retailers would be willing to refund (partially or fully, as appropriate) all of the split tickets held. Certainly you will have no difficulties obtaining such a refund from the forum's ticketing site, where your query may well be dealt with by someone who is a forum member!

 

[suzanneparis]

Many thanks. Very helpful Watershed

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2024 ==

Strange result???

In the end I went to the ticket office in Leicester. And got a return from Leicester to Bristol TM for £45.90 departing at 08:50
Which is less than expected?
I asked for return tickets that are flexible and was sold that. BUT before printing the tickets I asked for seat reservations and these have on them 'mandatory reservation only valid for the following service'. Have I really got flexible times or not? Anyone know? Thanks for any help

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2024 ==

FYI the tickets say:
L to BHM: Anytime day return
B to Cheltenham: Off-peak return (I am departing BHM at 10:12)
Chelt to Bristol TM: Off-peak day return

Will they allow me to go and come back at any times off peak (?after 9.30 is it)

Thanks again

 

[Watershed]

Many thanks. Very helpful Watershed

No problem

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2024 ==

Strange result???

In the end I went to the ticket office in Leicester. And got a return from Leicester to Bristol TM for £45.90 departing at 08:50
Which is less than expected?

It is lower than we quoted above because the tickets you bought are more restrictive - they are only valid if you leave Birmingham from 09:30 onwards.

As you told us you wanted to be able to leave Leicester between 7-11am, we had quoted more expensive tickets that would allow you to take an earlier train from Birmingham (before 09:30).

I asked for return tickets that are flexible and was sold that. BUT before printing the tickets I asked for seat reservations and these have on them 'mandatory reservation only valid for the following service'. Have I really got flexible times or not? Anyone know? Thanks for any help

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Aug 2024 ==

FYI the tickets say:
L to BHM: Anytime day return
B to Cheltenham: Off-peak return (I am departing BHM at 10:12)
Chelt to Bristol TM: Off-peak day return

Will they allow me to go and come back at any times off peak (?after 9.30 is it)

Thanks again

As you have bought walk-up tickets (Anytime/Off-Peak), they are flexible and you aren't tied to the trains you have reservations for.

The tickets you bought are valid for any train from Leicester to Birmingham, and any train from 09:30 onwards from Birmingham to Bristol.

 

[suzanneparis]

Many thanks. And yes I got it wrong about the times. So sorry!

But genuinely appreciate all the help it's very kind of you all.

Finally, I don't know what walk-up tickets are?

Very best wishes and again thanks for all of the help

 

[signed]

Finally, I don't know what walk-up tickets are?

Walk-up tickets mean you can take any train of the day. As opposed to Advance tickets where you must travel on the booked train

 

[Watershed]

Many thanks. And yes I got it wrong about the times. So sorry!

No problem! Easily done

But genuinely appreciate all the help it's very kind of you all.

Finally, I don't know what walk-up tickets are?

Very best wishes and again thanks for all of the help

By walk-up tickets we normally mean Anytime or Off-Peak tickets - in other words, tickets that aren't tied to a specific train, and whose price remains the same even if bought on the day (perhaps just minutes before the train leaves).

 

[suzanneparis]

Many thanks Signed and Watershed very interesting. I'd never thought of it like that. Again, as always on this forum, genuinely useful information!

Thank you again and best wishes

 

[WelshBluebird]

Just to answer the question about taxis at Parkway - sometimes you'll be lucky and there will be some there. But if not there are usually loads of ubers about that are usually cheaper than the regular taxis.

 

[DelW]

Finally, I don't know what walk-up tickets are?

Just to give a further explanation, "walk-up" tickets are so called because as Watershed says, they can be used for immediate travel, i.e. you can walk up to the station, buy that ticket, and get straight on the next train*. When advance tickets (restricted to a specific service) were first introduced, they had to be bought well ahead of travel (at least a day beforehand IIRC). That requirement has been eroded since, but the tickets are still called by those names.

*(or other trains, within the peak / offpeak restrictions)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I was slightly hoping to get to Bristol before 11.21. Maybe 10 ish.

In the end I went to the ticket office in Leicester. And got a return from Leicester to Bristol TM for £45.90 departing at 08:50

O.k. That seems a reasonable price. You should now get to Bristol Parkway for 1121. But likely not any earlier.

 

[Kilopylae]

On taxis, depending on where you're going to, Bristol Parkway is very well connected to a better-than-usual bus network, so check if you can use a bus as you'll save £££ whilst quite possibly not losing much time.