Railrover trip-September 2011-Need Help

[Busterfridge]

Hi everyone

I'm planning a birthday present to myself that has been long overdue, I'm planning to do a fortnight railrover round the UK in september and i'm in need of some tips and hints etc
I've sat with the timetable and maps for a few hours and come up with a list of definite's of where i want to go
West highlands of scotland,
North scotland,
all 3 main lines across wales,
cornwall/devon,
east anglia,
and various others
I'm staying at B & B's and using sleepers where i can
What i'm after is any help/advice, do's/don'ts, experiences of anyone else that has done this, even reccomendations of where to stay, cheers Thanks in advance
Busterfridge

 

[142094]

I'd reccommend visiting Mallaig on the West Highland line, brilliant scenery on the way and the place is very nice as well. Can't remember the name of the B+B I stayed in but it was just around the corner from the station. Unfortunately I was getting the early morning train back and didn't have time for breakfast, but the woman kindly made a sandwich and other things and left it for when I got up.

You could combine this with a sleeper, so visiting Mallaig and getting the sleeper from Fort William the same day.

 

[rail-britain]

If you are only staying in specific regions, then regional rail rovers may be a cheaper option
The money you save can then be used for travel on the sleepers and B&Bs

I used mine quite intensively such that I generally travelled northbound each day and then southbound on the sleeper

 

[Ivo]

One piece of advice I would have (I haven't done one though) is this: DO NOT use ticket barriers. Always show your ticket to the barrier line staff. To (roughly) quote what ChrisTheRef [a member on here] once said, "Defend it with your life."

 

[rail-britain]

One piece of advice I would have (I haven't done one though) is this: DO NOT use ticket barriers. Always show your ticket to the barrier line staff

Also, pay by Credit Card, obtain a receipt, and take a photocopy of the ticket

Normally the Rover Ticket will be presented in a ticket wallet
Keep this separate from your wallet (where that Credit Card, receipt, and photocopy are kept together)

Inside the ticket wallet, put your contact details just in case you do lose it!
As above, don't remove it from the wallet
If a staff member wants to inspect, they will remove it and replace it
However in the two weeks I used mine no member of staff ever did!

 

[linesider]

My advice, based on personal experience,is to allow plenty of time between connections. Its Sods Law that the train you are on will be late,but the next train you want will leave on time.I missed out on the Settle Line thanks to Northern not holding the Carlisle to Leeds train for one minute to connect to their service from Newcastle to Carlisle,which was a few minutes late.

 

[D6975]

If you are only staying in specific regions, then regional rail rovers may be a cheaper option
The money you save can then be used for travel on the sleepers and B&Bs

I used mine quite intensively such that I generally travelled northbound each day and then southbound on the sleeper

Couldn't agree more, the cost per day of an ALR is now so high that buying a succession of regional rovers, even if you only use each one for part of its validity is far cheaper. String them together with advance tickets for long distance moves that take all day and you'll cover much of your B&B costs with what you save on tickets. If you're taking breakfast in the B&Bs you won't be catching early morning trains anyway, so the time restrictions only hold you up by an hour at most.
Another point - don't try to cram too much into one day, 14 days on the road can be exhausting, getting to kip late at night every night soon takes its toll and you'll find yourself knocking out bits of your itinerary just because you're so tired.

 

[d1015fan]

if visiting devon or cornwall there is the very good devon ranger £10 or £6.60 with railcard and the ride cornwall or there is a three day devon and cornwall ranger and of course the FOSW

 

[Minilad]

And don't forget as of January this year there are now some restrictions on times an ALR can be used. Which in my opinion is a disgrace

 

[Oliver]

Another point - don't try to cram too much into one day, 14 days on the road can be exhausting, getting to kip late at night every night soon takes its toll and you'll find yourself knocking out bits of your itinerary just because you're so tired.

That's the key point. You're doing it for pleasure (hopefully), so plan for enjoyment. Eat well, sleep properly (don't plan to use a chair on the sleeper, buy a berth), go easy on the beer and try to get some exercise. Otherwise you'll be knackered. Take a good book or two - there will be dull moments.

 

[Busterfridge]

Thanks for all the tips, they have been taken on board and this is going to be thought through carefully with some contingencies in case of missed trains/delays etc.First four days sorted, sorts out most off the scottish lines i want to travel on, any thoughts ?

Day 1- Mon
Edinburgh-Fort William (early morning start) 04:50-09:54
Fort William-Mallaig (steam) 10:18-12:22
Mallaig – armadale (ferry) 13:45-14:15
Armadale- broadford-kyle (bus) 14:15-1437/14:45-15:07 (pint and a B&B)

Day 2-Tues
Kyle- Inverness 06:21-08:53
Inverness – Aberdeen 09:03-11:23
Aberdeen – perth 11:42-13:14
Perth – Inverness 14:52-17:05 (B&B)

Day 3-wed (easy day)
Inverness – wick 07:06-11:32
Wick- Inverness 12:36-16:48

Day 4 –thurs
Inverness – kyle 09:00-11:28
Kyle – broadford – armadale (bus) 13:00-1322/13:32-13:54
Armadale – mallaig (ferry) 14:30-1500
Mallaig – fort William 16:05-17:19
Fort William – London (sleeper) 19:50-07:47

and now to sort out the west of england !!

 

[EltonRoad]

On day 2, consider a longer stop in Aberdeen, get some breakfast or something, and time it so you catch the Chieftain back to Inverness from Perth. That way you get to do an HST on the highland main line. However it does also extend an already long day by another 3 hours!

One idea for day 4: stay on the 1605 from Mallaig as far as Corrour. Have supper in Station House - a really atmospheric B+B-type-hostel that also has a bar/restaurant. Then flag down the Sleeper as it passes at 8.50 pm and travel to London.

 

[linesider]

You are planning for some very early starts,are you sure your ticket will be valid? I had to wait till after 8:45 to use my ticket on weekdays.

 

[142094]

You are planning for some very early starts,are you sure your ticket will be valid? I had to wait till after 8:45 to use my ticket on weekdays.

Is that only for selected lareg stations, preventing you from boarding and alighting?

 

[Busterfridge]

Thats the first alteration done ! thanks elton.
Working on the highland chieftan idea now, thanks boys
Keep the ideas coming, many thanks
busterfridge

 

[linesider]

Is that only for selected lareg stations, preventing you from boarding and alighting?

Could not be used at any station,except Weekends and Bank Holidays.By the way I am refering to the Regional rover ticket,not the All Line rover,sorry for any confusion!

 

[142094]

Could not be used at any station,except Weekends and Bank Holidays.By the way I am refering to the Regional rover ticket,not the All Line rover,sorry for any confusion!

Sorry, I thought you were talking about the new restrictions for the ALR.

 

[Busterfridge]

Morning all, major change of plan, i've negoiated 3, 1/2 weeks off work for september, so i'm taking some advice from some suggestions on here, instead of tearing round for a fortnight driving myself up the wall, i'm going to break the country up into chunks and cover it that way using regional railcards etc with the odd day or two at home to recharge the batteries and change my socks !
I've basically sorted out what i want to do in scotland but i'll be adding alot to it, ie glasgow suburban lines, stranraer,fife circle A-B etc
Then i'm going to sort out the southwest/south wales then move onto east anglia, then west & north wales............thats as far as i've got so far
Any help tips or hints would be most welcome, also timetable plans people have come up with in the past or trips that folks have been on, i've already found a few myself but will always welcome new ideas
These are some of the places and lines i want to travel on
Fishguard - west wales
Hs1
ipswich - Lowestoft - Yarmouth -norwich
Skegness - sleaford - lincoln
Whitby - darlington
Carlisle settle
manchester - Buxton
Sheffield – stockport
Reading – Birmingham
Stratford – Richmond
Pwhelli-festiniog-holyhead
Weymouth – Southampton
Ashford – hastings

Thanks in advance, hope i have as much fun as sonic is having at the present !

PS: home is west cumbria

 

[junglejames]

Morning all, major change of plan, i've negoiated 3, 1/2 weeks off work for september, so i'm taking some advice from some suggestions on here, instead of tearing round for a fortnight driving myself up the wall, i'm going to break the country up into chunks and cover it that way using regional railcards etc with the odd day or two at home to recharge the batteries and change my socks !
I've basically sorted out what i want to do in scotland but i'll be adding alot to it, ie glasgow suburban lines, stranraer,fife circle A-B etc
Then i'm going to sort out the southwest/south wales then move onto east anglia, then west & north wales............thats as far as i've got so far
Any help tips or hints would be most welcome, also timetable plans people have come up with in the past or trips that folks have been on, i've already found a few myself but will always welcome new ideas
These are some of the places and lines i want to travel on
Fishguard - west wales
Hs1
ipswich - Lowestoft - Yarmouth -norwich
Skegness - sleaford - lincoln
Whitby - darlington
Carlisle settle
manchester - Buxton
Sheffield – stockport
Reading – Birmingham
Stratford – Richmond
Pwhelli-festiniog-holyhead
Weymouth – Southampton
Ashford – hastings

Thanks in advance, hope i have as much fun as sonic is having at the present !

PS: home is west cumbria

One quick one by looking at your list above. The Ashford to Hastings trains now all extend to Brighton. You could then get the Brighton Mainline up to London on a Southern 442. Surely the best 3rd rail EMU we have. In fact, probably the best EMU we have in my opinion!!
Also, looking back at your previous days in Scotland, Id recommend you ensure the scenic lines are all done in daylight. You say its for September? You will be ok on the Highland Chieftan then.

Probably a good idea your spreading it over extra time now. On my 2 week rover, I originally wanted to do an awful lot of areas, as well as doing it virtually all in daylight, and spending time in the places i visited as well. Not being happy with just 1 trip on certain trains also ate up the time!!
So in the end i had to take Cornwall off of the plan, as well as the line up to Whitby and Middlesborough. Kyle of Lockalsh also fell by the wayside to give me more time in Wick.
So i now plan to do a couple of regional rovers around Cornwall and Wales later on sometime.
As it was, a lot had to be changed, as I just never had time for it all.

 

[Damien1986]

Hi everyone

I'm planning a birthday present to myself that has been long overdue, I'm planning to do a fortnight railrover round the UK in september and i'm in need of some tips and hints etc
I've sat with the timetable and maps for a few hours and come up with a list of definite's of where i want to go
West highlands of scotland,
North scotland,
all 3 main lines across wales,
cornwall/devon,
east anglia,
and various others
I'm staying at B & B's and using sleepers where i can
What i'm after is any help/advice, do's/don'ts, experiences of anyone else that has done this, even reccomendations of where to stay, cheers Thanks in advance
Busterfridge

If using the sleeper to Glasgow Central,there is a free(with valid rail ticket) bus from Central to Queen Street and then connect with a train to Oban or Mallaig or simply get a train from Glasgow Central low level to Dalmuir either via Singer or via Yoker and connect at Dalmuir into a West Highland service!