Need some help with ALR this sept

[Busterfridge]

I'm planning an ALR for this September, i'm going for 2 weeks, what i'm after is some hints tips and maybe some ideas, I've been out of the train game for a while but now circumstances are allowing me to get back into it and do a long held ambition
I'm definitely wanting to cover the west coast and far north of Scotland, east Anglia, south wales and devon and cornwall, i'm hoping to use a combination of hotels and sleepers, but the information I need help with is

a) whether to get a first class ticket or the standard (what are the real pro's of a first class ticket)

b) Has anybody got any previous 'sets' of times to cover the area's i'm wanting to cover

c) What gear to take with me to make life easier while on the rails for 2 weeks

d) Recommendations of hotels near to stations

e) What problems fellow travellers have run into while doing the ALR trips

f) any 'links' or websites that I can use to help me


I hope to keep a blog of the events and one of the things i'm also hunting for is the use of rarely operated services so any suggestions will be well recieved

Many thanks in advance, hope I've put this in right forum !

 

[Crossover]

For part (a), I would say unless you are going to be doing a lot of services with "proper" FC provision (i.e. ECML and WCML and possibly FGW) then I'm not sure FC woud be worth it. Indeed I'm not sure how many of the services in the areas you have mentioned have FC provision on them at all

 

[ScottMathew]

Class 319's First Class is stylish....

 

[Qwerty133]

theres a thread in the general discussion forum about hotels used when bashing which would be worth a read

 

[telstarbox]

Techniquest's report from a 14 day ALR may be useful and there are other ALR reports in the Trip Reports section of the forum.

For rare services:
-Many of these are called Parliamentary services. Famous examples include the Denton service and the Halton Curve - see Wikipedia list
-The 'PSUL' website lists all rare services including rare curves.

 

[Tracked]

The main problem I ran into the other year was relating to automated ticket barriers, I don't know if it's the same with all ALR tickets but mine wouldn't go through. I only had issues on the manual gate with a member of EMT staff at St Pancras who read the "Issued at Doncaster" bit on the ticket rather than "All Line Rover" and suggested I went to Kings Cross

 

[breadfan]

I did a two week 1st class all liner last September.

I figured 1st class as I would be making several long and longish journeys. It was tiring enough without having to stand. I don't think I'd have enjoyed it anywhere near as much as I did if I had only got a 2nd class. Virgin and East Coast services will feed and water (and booze on weekdays) you, while this is a bonus on singular outings, it saves time if you don't have to go looking for food to take on the train and cuts the doubt of whether you'd be able to find a table to eat it at. First class lounges can be refreshing if it's too hot/cold to be hanging around waiting for your train.

I took enough change of clothes for 4 to 5 days, returning home twice during the two weeks. This meant I was carrying clothes that I could comfortably carry in a largish bag, didn't need to bother with the time and hassle of a launderette and it also save hotel costs for those two nights. Plus it's always good to get to your own bed

I knew some places that I definitely wanted to go to (Penzance, Leicester, Aberdeen, Salisbury etc) so I looked, well in advance, for the cheapest rates of Travel Lodges for the duration of the ticket. For Salisbury I stayed in a Wetherspoons lodge, which was cheap and very good standard. I also have used the CAMRA Good Beer Guide to find pubs with accommodation.
It was useful having family in London where I could stay.
Other essential items I'd recommend would be National Rail Enquires app on your phone. A tablet for better browsing. A couple of chargers (another advantage of 1st class is you're more likely to find a plug socket). KFC freshen up wipes (or posher ones which are better for the skin).

The barrier problem mentioned earlier plagued me, I realised no barrier would accept the ticket, so I would always head to the manned gate, often to be directed to an automatic barrier (sigh). I also encountered a bit of prejudice from a guard (or RPO) on a Southern service, as I sat in 1st he told me it was 1st class, "OK" said I, "I said that is 1st class", "I know" at which point he shouted "DO YOU HAVE A FIRST CLASS TICKET", "Yeah, is there a dress restriction in 1st class?". Most ticket inspectors were fine and a few even wanted to know where I'd been on the ticket.

The best service I travelled on was the Chiltern loco hauled, highly recommended.

I hope the above is of help.

 

[mrcheek]

Ive done six ALRs over the last few years, all of them 2 weeks, all of them with the First Class option.

First Class is strongly recommended. On some busy services, its the only way youll get a seat! Add in the free drinks, a few free snacks, and the better quality of seating on most services (essential if youre spending 14 hours a day on the train for 14 days), and there really is no other option. Many naysayers will come on here and go on about how First Class on Southern or SWT services is a waste of time, but we already know this.
First Class also gives you valuable access to First Class lounges at some stations, so you can pass the time snoozing in an armchair, instead of having to wait on cold, hard seats provided for the other travellers. Some of them have nice toilets with SOFT PAPER too.....

Food provision varies from operator to operator, service to service, so try not to rely on getting food on the train. Its useful for a quick snack, but always make time to stop somewhere to have a proper feed during the day.
Travelodges are superb value, and provide good quality basic accommodation. Frankly, dont worry about going for luxury hotels, since by the end of most days youll be too tired to enjoy it.

I hate tablets, so I recommend a netbook! Also, whilst many services have wifi, many do not. So its worth making sure you have alternative internet access, either via a phone, or mifi.

Your ticket will work on about 3 barriers in the entire country. So dont even try it. Always go to the manned gate. Also, for cross London transfers, ensure you have an Oyster card.

Also, try and get some kind of multi charger, with lots of different connections on it, so you dont have to carry too many different bits with you.

Final piece of advice (I may think of more later) is to make sure that when someone comes on this thread and says "Oh, an ALR is a waste of time, just book lots of advance tickets", IGNORE THEM.

 

[Busterfridge]

Thanks for the help everyone, planning has started in earnest, just hope the timetables don't change that much and bugger up my plans !!!!

 

[Lee_Again]

And take lots of notes and pictures so that you can do a trip report.

If you can afford it go First Class. Don't even consider Standard.

Have a fantastic time.

Consider other modes of transport to save doubling back. The most obvious one is Mallaig to Skye to Kyle. Very easy to do, cheap, fun and avoids 1/2 day lost getting back. Kyle to Inverness to Wick to Inverness is possible in a single day. There could be others in Wales too.

 

[Bevan Price]

Many years since I did an ALR, having completed most of UK track, but personally never used 1st Class. Unless you are young & fit, avoid overnight travel, except maybe the Scotrail sleepers once or twice at most. (Unless you don't mind falling asleep the next day, and not seeing some of the lines you are covering.)
Check tourist information centres on line - they can often advise or arrange local hotels or bed & breakfast accommodation. Seaside resorts & smaller towns often cheaper than large cities.
Would suggest trying to arrange 2 to 3 nights in Inverness for doing north of Scotland. For central Scotland, maybe somewhere like Ayr, Ardrossan or Stirling.
For South Wales - Swansea or Cardiff.
For East Anglia - Yarmouth, Lowestoft or Cromer.
For South West - Torquay or Paignton.

With clothing, be prepared for possibly cold or wet weather, especially in north Scotland - otherwise just enough clothes for your time away from home. If you take too much, remember you have to carry it all for 2 weeks.
And don't forget battery chargers / spare batteries for any cameras or electronic gear.

Also, buy some food before long journeys - there may be no food you like on the train, and possibly insufficient time to buy food at your destination if a train is late. Good luck & enjoy.

 

[breadfan]

Another thought I had was to take some hand sanitiser spray.

And your own bog roll.

 

[Hyphen]

There could be others in Wales too.

I haven't looked into timetables to see how well (or otherwise) these services connect with rail, but there are a few bus services in Wales which can get you between lines without having to go via England.

• TrawsCambria service X32 connects the Cambrian Line from Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Porthmadog (calls at all three) to the North Wales Coast Line at Bangor.
  
• TrawsCambria service X94 connects the Cambrian Line from Barmouth to Ruabon (railway station) and Wrexham (bus station).
  
• Arriva Wales service 40 connects the Cambrian line from Aberystwyth to the South Wales main line at Carmarthen (this connects to the train station). There are limited through journeys to Swansea (bus station) and Cardiff Central as services 10 and 20 respectively.
  
• TrawsCymru service T4 connects the Cambrian from Newtown and the HoWL at Llandrindod Wells to the South Wales main line at Cardiff Central.

These services are obviously out of scope of an ALR but if you're keen to take in as much track as possible, will save lengthy journeys doubling back.

 

[causton]

I'm planning for an ALR. Is it really worth over double the cost (as I have a railcard) for going First Class?

 

[IanD]

I haven't looked into timetables to see how well (or otherwise) these services connect with rail, but there are a few bus services in Wales which can get you between lines without having to go via England.

• TrawsCambria service X32 connects the Cambrian Line from Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Porthmadog (calls at all three) to the North Wales Coast Line at Bangor.
  
• TrawsCambria service X94 connects the Cambrian Line from Barmouth to Ruabon (railway station) and Wrexham (bus station).
  
• Arriva Wales service 40 connects the Cambrian line from Aberystwyth to the South Wales main line at Carmarthen (this connects to the train station). There are limited through journeys to Swansea (bus station) and Cardiff Central as services 10 and 20 respectively.
  
• TrawsCymru service T4 connects the Cambrian from Newtown and the HoWL at Llandrindod Wells to the South Wales main line at Cardiff Central.

These services are obviously out of scope of an ALR but if you're keen to take in as much track as possible, will save lengthy journeys doubling back.

Ffestiniog Railway, Porthmadog to Blaneau F is included in the ALR and links the Cambrain line to North Wales Coast.

I found the bus from Pembroke Dock to Milford Haven and teh bus from Swamsea to Aberdare quite useful when travelling round South Wales.

And Whitby<>Scarborough by bus save a long, slow return trip if visiting Whitby.

 

[telstarbox]

I'm planning for an ALR. Is it really worth over double the cost (as I have a railcard) for going First Class?

Are you likely to be doing more long-distance journeys or Pacer/Sprinter bashing?

 

[causton]

Are you likely to be doing more long-distance journeys or Pacer/Sprinter bashing?

A mixture of both really! However I've started to look at the timetables and discovered most of the short hops are operated by Sprinters so I might have answered my own question :P

My only worry is not getting a seat, but I suppose I could get reservations for it!... I'll probably be happy with a supermarket meal deal for the journeys on the food side of things!

 

[Yew]

A mixture of both really! However I've started to look at the timetables and discovered most of the short hops are operated by Sprinters so I might have answered my own question :P

My only worry is not getting a seat, but I suppose I could get reservations for it!... I'll probably be happy with a supermarket meal deal for the journeys on the food side of things!

If you have a railcard, then a Standard ALR and some first advances could be a good compromise if you are only doing a few intercity journies.