London windsor oxford by train

[nizpo]

Im trying to find the cheapest option to go from london to windsor then oxford and back to london in a single day. However I dont quite understand the ticket types

Can I just buy a return ticket london - oxford and do I detour to Windsor if the ticket says travel is allowed via any permitted route?

If not, can I simply add a return ticket slough-windsor and do the mentioned whole trip?
With the 2 return tickets can I go london to slough, slough to windor and back then slough oxford and lastly oxford to london. 2 tickets attached

 

[30907]

Your second option is fine, leaving Paddington after 0920 or any time at weekends, as you are allowed to break your journey.

The first isn't as you are doubling back on the Windsor section.

Experts on here may be able to advise about a 3rd option, starting from Waterloo and travelling to Windsor and Eton Riverside, continuing later from Central, but the NRE planner says it's not valid.

 

[jfollows]

Your second option is fine, leaving Paddington after 0920 or any time at weekends, as you are allowed to break your journey.

The first isn't as you are doubling back on the Windsor section.

Experts on here may be able to advise about a 3rd option, starting from Waterloo and travelling to Windsor and Eton Riverside, continuing later from Central, but the NRE planner says it's not valid.

Correct, permitted routes are WX+RB, LH & GC at https://rgpp.iblocks.co.uk/maps, none of which includes Windsor.

Presumably via Windsor is more than 3 miles further than 63m 26ch Paddington-Oxford also. Or a Windsor walking link isn’t defined.

However some journey planners may offer Waterloo-Windsor-Slough-Oxford, from an old thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...lid-via-windsor-stations.206505/#post-4668574

My calculation is that the shortest available route from London Waterloo to Reading is 43 miles 32 chains via Staines and Wokingham. There is a shorter route via Kensington Olympia, but no passenger trains travel by that route in the current timetable.

The route from London Waterloo to Reading via Windsor is:

• London Waterloo - Windsor & Eton Riverside: 25 miles 49 chains.
• Walk Windsor & Eton Riverside - Windsor & Eton Central. This walk is deemed to be of zero length.
• Windsor & Eton Central - Slough: 2 miles 63 chains.
• Slough - Reading: 17 miles 44 chains.
• Total: 45 miles 76 chains

The route via Windsor is not more than 3 miles longer than the shortest route over which a passenger railway service operates. It is therefore a permitted route.

Last edited: 15 Jul 2020

There are also lots of “negative easements” covering Windsor stations, Datchet and London but I’ve not been able to work out what they’re accomplishing or trying to accomplish.
And London-Paddington to Reading is just under 36 miles so the Waterloo-Windsor-Reading route is about 10 miles longer.

Essentially, a Slough to Windsor return is a simple and safe option here.