Nothern complimentary ticket - Cumbrian Coast and Settle-Carlisle?

[oxfordray1]

Good evening,

I've searched the forum but haven't found the answer to my question. The closest I could find was this thread, in which a similar plan to mine was considered acceptable.

In short, I have a return Northern complimentary pass. I was planning on doing Manchester to Carlisle. Outbound via the Cumbrian Coast Line and return via the Settle-Carlisle Line and Leeds. Would this be allowed? I note that both the Off Peak Reurn and Anytime return are only valid via Lancaster which I obviosuly would not be passing through on my retrun. Is this relevant to a complimentary ticket?

Also, would is a break of journey allows on a complimentary ticket or would this be taking the proverbial?

Many thanks in advance for your help

Tom

 

[185143]

As long as you stick to Northern, pretty much anything goes.*

BoJ is perfectly fine.

(*Assuming that you aren't doing something like Liverpool-Chester via Preston, Carlisle, Leeds, York, Gilberdyke, Sheffield and Manchester or something equally insane that involves a huge double back.)

Probably little in the journey time between the Cumbrian Coast and the S&C anyway, basically think "could I easily justify this route."

 

[xotGD]

You could state your destination as Appleby rather than Carlisle.

When I did the same circuit starting from Skipton I put my destination down as Whitehaven to 'justify' going via the Cumbrian Coast to Carlisle.

 

[_toommm_]

Don’t worry at all. I’ve done Leeds to Carlisle on a comp ticket, doing Leeds - York - Hull - Sheffield - Manchester Piccadilly - Barrow - Carlisle. Obviously the logical one would be Leeds to Carlisle direct via Settle. Massively circuitous journey that wouldn’t be allowed on a regular ticket. I only got asked once about what I was doing but it was just the guard making sure I knew what I was doing (so I wasn’t on the wrong train).

 

[xotGD]

Don’t worry at all. I’ve done Leeds to Carlisle on a comp ticket, doing Leeds - York - Hull - Sheffield - Manchester Piccadilly - Barrow - Carlisle. Obviously the logical one would be Leeds to Carlisle direct via Settle. Massively circuitous journey that wouldn’t be allowed on a regular ticket. I only got asked once about what I was doing but it was just the guard making sure I knew what I was doing (so I wasn’t on the wrong train).

Was that on a complimentary return or the 'Day rover' version? Depends which box is ticked on the ticket.

 

[_toommm_]

Was that on a complimentary return or the 'Day rover' version? Depends which box is ticked on the ticket.

A return comp ticket. I tweeted Northern and they said I can go whichever way I want really as long as I stick to Northern services.

 

[oxfordray1]

Thank you everyone, that is very helpful.

 

[Kite159]

In my experience the guards rarely check the "from/to" fields on those tickets, a glance to see its been filled out. As long as you don't double back on yourself

I've only had a couple cases where they have looked at in detail, and that was on the Crewe - Manchester line when I was heading towards Doncaster on a Sunday morning