North West Rover

[danfitz123]

Hi,
Just wanted to know when a North West Rover is bought is anything like a photo or ID needed? I know probably a silly question. Has anyone had one before? Are they any good?

 

[strange6]

Hi,
Just wanted to know when a North West Rover is bought is anything like a photo or ID needed? I know probably a silly question. Has anyone had one before? Are they any good?

They're very good value for money if you use them properly. The 4 in 8 day rover at 60 pound is excellent value for money considering the long journeys up North you can make on it.
You don't need a photo; just go up and ask for a NW rover (7day or 4 in 8 day, from any manned ticket office) and they'll give you the ticket. With the 4 in 8 rover you get two tickets. The extra one is a grid where you have to fill in the date on the day you use it.

 

[Polarbear]

No photocard required. The flexi version will come with a separate portion for entering the dates of use, but apart from that, it's a normal ticket.

I've had a few of these & I think it's one of the best regional rover tickets available. There's plenty of variety in terms of scenery, towns, cities & of course trains you can use.

Enjoy...

 

[danfitz123]

Thanks guys,
I did look at the map and its massive. Does anyone have any suggestions as to routes to take from Liverpool? I can also travel anywhere in wales with my staff pass so my map is even bigger. What would you suggest? I will be buying the 4 in 8 day rover!

 

[JoeGJ1984]

Hmm, if you go here and click on the 'North West' tab, it shows the price of the 4 in 8 day rover as £79. But if you go to the PDF leaflet linked to (and which can be found here - go to page 6 for the North West Rover), the price is given as £60 (as mentioned above in this thread). Which price is correct?

 

[WestCoast]

Hmm, if you go here and click on the 'North West' tab, it shows the price of the 4 in 8 day rover as £79. But if you go to the PDF leaflet linked to (and which can be found here - go to page 6 for the North West Rover), the price is given as £60 (as mentioned above in this thread). Which price is correct?

For a definitive answer, e-mail Northern but I'd tend to go for the more expensive £79 for the 4 in 8 days rover!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I did look at the map and its massive. Does anyone have any suggestions as to routes to take from Liverpool?

How about: Lime Street - Man Pic - Leeds (via Calder Valley) - Skipton - Carlisle - Wigan/Warrington - Lime Street. Although it depends what you want to see but I'd say both the Settle - Carlisle and the Lancaster - Long Preston are a must in addition to the Cumbrian Coast line.

 

[ashworth]

Hmm, if you go here and click on the 'North West' tab, it shows the price of the 4 in 8 day rover as £79. But if you go to the PDF leaflet linked to (and which can be found here - go to page 6 for the North West Rover), the price is given as £60 (as mentioned above in this thread). Which price is correct?

The price of the NW Rover is £74 for 7 days or £60 for the 4 days in 8 rover.
I think the prices shown in the first lnk seem to be mistake as they show the prices for the North East Rovers.
The price for the 7 day rover recently increased from £70 to £74 and the 4 in 8 from £56 to £60. Still excellent value considering the vast area it covers. I'm using the 7 day rover twice this year, whilst staying with friends in Lancashire, at Spring Bank Hoilday and at end of July. Just be aware that Arnside Viaduct is closed until the middle of July making journeys around the Cumbrian coast a little difficult and time consuming.

 

[strange6]

The price of the NW Rover is £74 for 7 days or £60 for the 4 days in 8 rover.
I think the prices shown in the first lnk seem to be mistake as they show the prices for the North East Rovers.
The price for the 7 day rover recently increased from £70 to £74 and the 4 in 8 from £56 to £60. Still excellent value considering the vast area it covers. I'm using the 7 day rover twice this year, whilst staying with friends in Lancashire, at Spring Bank Hoilday and at end of July. Just be aware that Arnside Viaduct is closed until the middle of July making journeys around the Cumbrian coast a little difficult and time consuming.

I got the 4 in 8 a few weeks back and it cost 60 quid. 4 really good days out for 15 quid a day. Great value!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

How about: Lime Street - Man Pic - Leeds (via Calder Valley) - Skipton - Carlisle - Wigan/Warrington - Lime Street. Although it depends what you want to see but I'd say both the Settle - Carlisle and the Lancaster - Long Preston are a must in addition to the Cumbrian Coast line.

Bad time to do the Cumbrian coast at the moment because there are engineering works going on at the Southern end lasting until end of July and you would have to use a bus to cover the last bit of it.

 

[WestCoast]

Bad time to do the Cumbrian coast at the moment because there are engineering works going on at the Southern end lasting until end of July and you would have to use a bus to cover the last bit of it.

Unless you are a replacement bus enthusiast........

 

[strange6]

Unless you are a replacement bus enthusiast........

True but I much prefer the train

 

[transportphoto]

I will upload a scan of an example flexi rover so the OP knows what to expect.

 

[strange6]

I will upload a scan of an example flexi rover so the OP knows what to expect.

Beat you to it! :-P

Mojo attached this photo of a flexi rover about a month or so ago when I wanted to know. The top two tickets are what you would get if you purchased a 4 in 8 rover. The one on the top left is the actual rover with the expiry date and the one on the top right is the ticket that you fill in for the day you want to travel on. 4 empty boxes for your 4 dates! You must show both of these tickets together when required to do so
The pictures show a rover for the east midlands 3 in 7 but your 4 in 8 rover will have the required empty boxes for the 4 dates you wish to travel on

 

[island]

At the risk of going wildly off-topic, why does the stock that ticket was issued on have a TFL roundel?

 

[Mike395]

At the risk of going wildly off-topic, why does the stock that ticket was issued on have a TFL roundel?

I asked Mojo that when he showed me one before :P

It's printed at a LOROL/TfL ticket office

 

[Darandio]

Have to agree on value for money. Last year, I did a North-East 4in8 version, for £78 last year, think it has gone up a quid now? If it wasn't for having a young family, I would have done a 7 day, which represents even greater value.

Working from Redcar, I managed to cover pretty much the whole available map, taking in Berwick, Carlisle, Leeds, Scarborough, Huddersfield and Doncaster among others. Supreme value.

 

[transportphoto]

I asked Mojo that when he showed me one before :P

It's printed at a LOROL/TfL ticket office

But that doesn't gaurentee that you'll get that stock

I ordered a TOD from one of the few LOROL stations with this enabled (New Cross Gate) and received stock without the roundel.

It may only apply at ticket offices, I don't know

Beat you to it!

Yes sorry should have said that I was on a mobile and away from the PC so couldn't do it right then

Back on topic...

 

[strange6]

At the risk of going wildly off-topic, why does the stock that ticket was issued on have a TFL roundel?

It will have been where he got it from. Remember that any ticket can be issued anywhere on the network. So you could buy a Greater Manchester Ranger ticket down in London and have a nice TFL roundel on it (Come to thinkof it, there would not be many of them knocking about - could be worth something for its novelty in years to come)

 

[danfitz123]

Thanks very much everyone for the pictures and help. I'm still looking for any suggestions of routes to take

 

[Darandio]

Thanks very much everyone for the pictures and help. I'm still looking for any suggestions of routes to take

What I found was just to have a basic plan. Circumstances on the day will then dictate where you end up travelling to, anything can happen. On the second day I was out, certain problems meant I didn't manage to achieve what I had planned so had to change the final two days to make sure I got to the places I wanted.

Its no exact science although "going with the flow" can be a tad exciting when on these tickets, knowing the flexibility you have.

 

[SickyNicky]

It will have been where he got it from. Remember that any ticket can be issued anywhere on the network.

As a matter of interest, can it (the 4 from 8 days ticket) be issued from an Avantix machine on-board and is the guard likely to know how to do it - for example on a Leominster to Shrewsbury train?

 

[island]

Yes it can (Avantix Mobile can issue pretty much any walk-up ticket under the sun, although if the ticket requires special stock the guard probably won't have it), and no he isn't. I believe there is a menu in Avantix Mobile called "Rover Enquiries" which would be the first place to look.

 

[tony_mac]

they can be issued on board, but it depends on the guard (or if you have instructions for him).
I have had Northern guards unable to issue them, but that's not massively surprising.

As for routes, it depends on what you like doing! I quite like the trip over to Hexham, and maybe add on a CDR on to Newcastle.
And you may need to be flexible. Last summer I was planning on taking the Cumbrian Coast Line, but the (single car) train was so full at Lancaster that I wouldn't have even got close to boarding!

I went to Morecambe instead, and did the Cumbrian coast on another day.

 

[strange6]

they can be issued on board, but it depends on the guard (or if you have instructions for him).
I have had Northern guards unable to issue them, but that's not massively surprising.

As for routes, it depends on what you like doing! I quite like the trip over to Hexham, and maybe add on a CDR on to Newcastle.
And you may need to be flexible. Last summer I was planning on taking the Cumbrian Coast Line, but the (single car) train was so full at Lancaster that I wouldn't have even got close to boarding!

I went to Morecambe instead, and did the Cumbrian coast on another day.

It's far better to do the Cumbrian coast from Carlisle - much less busy.

 

[Mojo]

But that doesn't gaurentee that you'll get that stock

I ordered a TOD from one of the few LOROL stations with this enabled (New Cross Gate) and received stock without the roundel.

It may only apply at ticket offices, I don't know

It's all LOROL ticket offices and LU ticket offices which are run on behalf of LOROL (that is those stations which used to be managed by Silverlink but are now managed by LU, such as Kew Gardens, Stonebridge Park, etc.)

The ex-Silverlink S&B machines only issue on non-TfL stock. The other machines used by LOROL (I believe Share Fast, but there are two different designs) use RSP9599/TFL stock. transportphoto probably got unlucky as all the machines at New Cross Gate are normally filled with the TfL variant.

 

[ashworth]

Its no exact science although "going with the flow" can be a tad exciting when on these tickets, knowing the flexibility you have.

That's what I like about these types of ticket. When I use one I often arrive at Preston station and make up my mind from just looking at the departure boards. The whole day can follow the same way. If the train stops somewhere I like the look of I get off, have a walk around, and carry on the journey later. I've ended up at some rather remote places and been for long walks or a visit to a country pub. I've never failed to get back to Preston by about 8 or 9 pm.

I have a few ideas of where I want to go to during the week but if I don't get there one ay I go another.
I can remember one day last summer arriving with every intention of going round the Cumbrian Coast and ended up going to West Kirby, Port Sunlight and Chester!

Usually when I have one of the 7 day tickets in summer, on the Sunday lunchtime I go up to Carlisle, and then get the Dales Rail train back to Preston via Settle, Hellifield and Clitheroe.

 

[reb0118]

You mentioned that you have a staff pass? If you have a TOC card you will recieve a 75% discount on the rover price.

Lots of interesting places to visit. Lots of nice scenery. Enjoy!

 

[danfitz123]

You mentioned that you have a staff pass? If you have a TOC card you will recieve a 75% discount on the rover price.

Lots of interesting places to visit. Lots of nice scenery. Enjoy!

No its a bus staff pass so I can only travel free on the arriva trains wales network and all uk arriva buses.