London to Cardiff via Hereford

[Sad Sprinter]

I want to travel to Cardiff tomorrow but I'd like to avoid the replacement bus service between Newport/Bristol Parkway and Gloucester. Would my ticket be valid travelling via Worcester and Hereford instead?

 

[jfollows]

No, not that I can see.
Valid routes shown on maps

• LA
• LA + SB
• LW
• WC
• WX + LA
• WX + LW

at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/routeing-guide/

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Can this particular journey perhaps be done using split tickets? What combination would be both valid / reasonably still cheap?

 

[Sad Sprinter]

No, not that I can see.
Valid routes shown on maps

• LA
• LA + SB
• LW
• WC
• WX + LA
• WX + LW

at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/routeing-guide/

OK thank you

 

[jfollows]

I also looked at the “easements” in the routeing guide which have time-specific easements for engineering work, but did not see an entry which allowed this.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I also looked at the “easements” in the routeing guide which have time-specific easements for engineering work, but did not see an entry which allowed this.

Easements? What are they?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Jan 2025 ==

Can this particular journey perhaps be done using split tickets? What combination would be both valid / reasonably still cheap?

Yes, I think I will have to do Pad to Hereford and Hereford to CDF. Can there be cheaper combinations?

 

[jfollows]

Easements? What are they?

Exceptions to allow travel otherwise forbidden, or - even worse - “negative easements” to disallow travel otherwise permitted.
They are shown if you follow my link above. “Section E”.

 

[SickyNicky]

You can get as far as Pontypool and New Inn on a ticket from Paddington via Hereford. That's probably the cheapest split, unless there are good advances.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Thanks all. I did the trip in the end and despite its 5 hour journey time door to door, it was perfectly pleasant and relaxing. A great trip up the Cotswold Line, followed by a run through uncharted territory after Worcester through Malvern and into Hereford. Had an hours wait there, which wasn’t too bad, before getting on a new Spanish Welsh made DMU (too short and weird looking) down the Welsh Marches line, which I’d never done before either. Would definitely do again.