Monthly uk ticket?

[dgardner]

Hi,
Probably a long shot but here goes,
I have to take a month of work as they are making me use up
my holidays and am looking to take a camping tour of the uk
and was wondering if there was a uk wide monthly ticket available?
I don't know where I will be going or how long I will be staying and
don't want to be tied down.
I have tried to ask this on some camping forums but all I get is why not
got to france etc but i haven't really been around the uk and want to
give it a go.
ps i am 41 if that makes any difference.

 

[jopsuk]

Nothing month long, but there is the All Lines Rover available for 7 or 14 days (and nothing to stop you using two back-to-back). 14 days is £650 Standard, £990 First Class. Sounds quite a lot, but really, rather good value- even the First Class is just £71 a day.

 

[dgardner]

Thanks for the reply!
Looks good probably give this a go although unfortunately
no longer look under 25, to be honest probably never did.
This may seem a stupid question but is there any real difference between
first and standard class?

 

[bnm]

There is no monthly UK wide ticket. However there is a product called the 'All Line Rail Rover'.

Valid for 7 or 14 days with Standard Class and First Class options.

Prices are:

7 Day Standard Class £430
7 Day 1st Class £650

14 Day Standard Class £650
14 Day 1st Class £990

Valid for use across the Great Britain rail network, excluding Eurostar, Heathrow Express, TfL Underground, Docklands Light Railway and Croydon Tramlink, nor other urban tram/metro services. Not valid on private railways (except Ffestiniog Railway). Not valid on Heathrow Connect beyond Hayes & Harlington. Also not valid on any shipping service.

There are no time restrictions with this product.

Seat reservations may incur an additional fee and Sleeper services require payment of a berth supplement (subject to availability).

You can buy Rail Rovers from any railway station or train operator telesales line, but not online. You can only buy one within 3 days of the date you want them to start (5 days for Rail Rovers bought from telesales).

 

[transportphoto]

On some services you get free meals and free drinks and light refreshment on others but on many you get nothing!

You nearly always get extra leg room & wider seats.


The buy he ALR within 3 days before the ticket starts rule which bnm posted about I BELIEVE has been removed and you can now buy tickets anytime.

 

[bnm]

This may seem a stupid question but is there any real difference between
first and standard class?

Virgin 1st Class offer complimentary cooked breakfast, lunchtime sandwiches and evening meals, Mon-Fri, Also complimentary beverages (including alcohol - except on breakfast trains!). At weekends its complimentary tea, coffee and water with a choice of crisps, biscuits and fresh fruit.

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/trains/first-class/

East Coast has 'At Seat Dining' in 1st Class on many trains and a restaurant on a few selected services, although this is not inclusive. Complimentary tea/coffee/water and biscuits.

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-our-trains/Food1/At-seat-dining-2/
http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-our-trains/Food1/Restaurant/


First Great Western offer a 'Travelling Chef' on selected services. Again, not inclusive. Available at seat in 1st Class. Complimentary beverages (excluding alcohol) and a selection of cakes, pastries, nibbles and fresh fruit available Mon-Fri until 7pm served at seat or limited selection from the buffet at other times. There is also a Pullman Restaurant (not inclusive) available on 4 services daily. 2 lunchtime trains from Plymouth to Paddington and 2 evening trains from Paddington to the west.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=3573
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=70

Wrexham and Shropshire offer complimentary food and drink (excl. alcohol) - cooked breakfast or 2 course meal in 1st class. Available 7 days a week.

http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/first-class.php

Arriva Trains Wales runs a 'North/South Premier Service' Mon-Fri with a morning departure from Holyhead to Cardiff and a late afternoon return service. Full Welsh breakfast southbound and 3 course evening meal northbound. Complimentary beverages (excl alcohol).

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/PremierService/

East Midlands Trains offer 'On Board Dining', with cooked breakfast on a couple of London bound trains Mon-Fri. Again, not inclusive, but you do get complimentary beverages, cakes and snacks as well as a glass of wine on services departing between 1600-1900.

http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/emtrains/yourjourney/firstclass/?page=OnboardDining

National Express East Anglia, complimentary beverages (not alcohol) and at-seat dining (additional cost) breakfast on a few morning services and a restaurant on 1 northbound and 1 southbound evening train.

http://www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/on_board_trains/in_your_coach/first_class

CrossCountry. God knows! What's advertised and the reality are two entirely different things! For what it's worth, here's what they say is available to 1st Class travellers:

http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/Customer_service/First_class.aspx

Hull Trains do, I believe, offer complimentary food, but there's no mention on their website.

Grand Central offer complimentary tea/coffee and biscuits. At seat service of buffet items, not inclusive.

As for the rest in 1st Class it's luck of the draw. A free tea/coffee on some Southern services, a drink and nibbles on selected ScotRail services, same goes for TransPennine. Not sure about London Midland.

South West Trains and First Capital Connect have 1st Class sections but offer no comps.

 

[thefab444]

You get a free drink on some morning peak long distance SWT services.

 

[bnm]

You get a free drink on some morning peak long distance SWT services.

They keep that quiet! Many a trip up to London from Exeter and I ain't been offered anything yet.

 

[Flying Snail]

You would want to work out how much travelling you intend to do.

£650 for 14 days is only good value if you are going to be making a lot of long distance trips during that time. If you end up staying put for 1-2 days in each place and then moving on to another place close by it would be a massive waste of money compared to buying singles or local rovers for each journey.

It works out at £47 per day standard class which is cheap for the days you make long trips such as London-Scotland at short notice but if most of your holiday consists of short journeys or days spent without travelling then it could be far more expensive than paying for off-peak tickets as and when you need them.

The main advantages would be the set cost and ease of use, once the ticket is bought you can just walk on and off any train you please without needing to queue up or work out the cheapest fares/routes.

It is a shame that flexi versions of All Line Rovers are not available as these would be far more appropriate to the kind of travelling most independent tourists do as you can chose what days within a set period to use them.

 

[Greenback]

It's hardly surprising that ATOC say the ALR is only bought by enthusiasts, since you'd have to be very enthusiastic (or on an Adonis style political tour!) indeed to want to travel every day for 14 days! If there were flexi versions available, I'm sure more general tourists would buy them.

 

[A60K]

If there were flexi versions available, I'm sure more general tourists would buy them.

I agree - I think flexi ALRs would need to have time-restrictions though to avoid abstracting revenue from passengers who do journeys such as Manchester to London two or three times a week in the peak.

What you could possibly do is say that the flexi ticket is not valid on IC operators for certain parts of a route before 09.00 on weekdays. I would suggest something like not east of Bristol or Westbury on Great Western, not south of Crewe on Virgin, not south of Derby/Nottingham on East Midlands, not south of Doncaster on East Coast, and not between Bristol and Manchester/Leeds/Doncaster on XC.


That way the IC operators' revenue would be protected on the main flows to and from London and it would give them less reasons for objecting.

 

[tony_mac]

If you can tie yourself down to an area at a time, then there are more local rover tickets.
For instance, the Freedom of the South West 8 in 15 day Rover is £95. Valid for 8 single days during a fortnight, roughly South / West from Swindon (but look at the map).

There are at least similar ones for the North, Wales and Scotland.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/rangers_and_rovers.html

There are no first class ones, though.

 

[dgardner]

Hi,
Thanks again for the replies.
I think I will be opting for the the £650 standard class ticket and get sandwiches
and a flask rather than 1st class.
Regarding the local rover tickets while they could be cheaper I would lose a lot
of spontenaity, however, they may come in handy for the 2nd 2 weeks if I saw
somewhere that I really liked.

 

[Greenback]

I agree - I think flexi ALRs would need to have time-restrictions though to avoid abstracting revenue from passengers who do journeys such as Manchester to London two or three times a week in the peak.

What you could possibly do is say that the flexi ticket is not valid on IC operators for certain parts of a route before 09.00 on weekdays. I would suggest something like not east of Bristol or Westbury on Great Western, not south of Crewe on Virgin, not south of Derby/Nottingham on East Midlands, not south of Doncaster on East Coast, and not between Bristol and Manchester/Leeds/Doncaster on XC.


That way the IC operators' revenue would be protected on the main flows to and from London and it would give them less reasons for objecting.

Yes, that seems reasonable. I doubt many holidyamakers would be wanting to make too many early starts!

If you can tie yourself down to an area at a time, then there are more local rover tickets.
For instance, the Freedom of the South West 8 in 15 day Rover is £95. Valid for 8 single days during a fortnight, roughly South / West from Swindon (but look at the map).

There are at least similar ones for the North, Wales and Scotland.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/rangers_and_rovers.html

There are no first class ones, though.

There are some very good local rovers, some of which do cocer large areas.

What we would like to do, though, is a sort of land cruise for a fortnight, taking in Yorkshire, the Lakes, the Peak District, East Anglia and the South West. This would allow an average of 3 days in each area, when we would explore using the local trains for a day. We would also use the train to get from one place to the next, as well as getting to Yorkshire and home from Devon!

8 or 10 days out of 15, not before 0900 or 0930 would suit us!

 

[gordonthemoron]

as I live in Germany, I can get an interrail ticket which covers the UK. Prices are:

1 month, valid all days, 2nd Class €599, 1st Class €899. This ticket covers all participating countries

1 month, valid any 8 days, 2nd Class €299, 1st Class €449. This ticket is valid for the UK only