Route advice

[Jones]

I need to go to Bognor Regis from Bangor and Swindon the next day.

Is Bognor-Swindon-Bangor an acceptable route for an open return?

 

[mildertduck]

There aren't any mapped routes in the routing guide covering it.

 

[Techniquest]

Just to make it clear, you're travelling Bangor to Bognor Regis on the first day, then from Swindon to Bognor Regis on the second day?

I would hazard a guess that most planners would direct you Bangor-London-Bognor Regis for the fact it'll be the quickest way for you to get there. I'm trying to think what your best option is for fares, struggling to figure it out at present.

 

[Jones]

Sorry, to clarify the two journeys:

day 1: Bangor to Bognor (via London)

Day 2: Bognor to Swindon and onto Bangor.

I have a meeting in Swindon on the return journey, and an open return (so a month to do the journey?) and I was wondering if it was a "permitted route".

Clear as mud?

 

[Altnabreac]

Its defintely valid via Didcot (Map XS + BC) but not via Swindon so you'd need a Didcot - Swindon return on top of it.

A cheaper option may be to buy a Bangor - Southampton return instead, this is only £3 more (assuming an off peak return via London) and is valid Bangor - Crewe - London - Barnham (for Bognor) - Southampton and Southampton - Reading - Swindon - Newport - Bangor on return.

The outward portion is valid for break of journey and resumption overnight but would obviously only work if you were returning the next day as you would need to travel Barnham - Southampton, still on the outward portion of the ticket. (You'd also need 2 x singles to/from Bognor from Barnham but this is cheaper than the Didcot - Swindon ticket).

Technically speaking I can't actually see a mapped route for Southampton - Bangor via Swindon, but it seems to pass the reasonableness test and National Rail will offer a Southampton - Reading - Swindon - Newport - Bangor itinerary on a single ticket so it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Greenback]

As this discussion involves routeings and fare combinations, it seems more approprite to be in Fares, Ticketing and Routeing. So I moved it here.

 

[Jones]

Called National Rail, who reliably tell me I have to travel back to London, buy a Swindon return, then travel on my original ticket from London to Bangor.....

WHY!?!?!?!

Can I not do the Didcot / Swindon return, and then travel to Bangor through W'brom or B'ham and Crewe?


Help, please?

 

[Hadders]

Called National Rail, who reliably tell me ...

Since when did NRE give reliable advice? You will get much more reliable advice on this forum

No need to travel back via London. As others have said it's perfectly valid via Didcot so you can break your return journey at Didcot, use a separate ticket to travel from Didcot to Swindon and back again, then resume your original journey back to Bangor.

 

[Altnabreac]

Called National Rail, who reliably tell me I have to travel back to London, buy a Swindon return, then travel on my original ticket from London to Bangor.....

WHY!?!?!?!

Can I not do the Didcot / Swindon return, and then travel to Bangor through W'brom or B'ham and Crewe?


Help, please?

I'm sure one of the Fares Advisors will be able to confirm but that advice from National Rail is not correct.

Bangor has one routing point - Llandudno Junction.

Bognor Regis has 2 routing points - Havant and Ford.

The Anytime Single (used to determine valid routing points) is the same price (£187.50) from Bangor to Bognor Regis/Ford/Havant so either routing point is fine.

Havant to Llandudno Junction gives valid routes of:
PD+EB+BC+CH
PD+EB+BC
LP+EB+BC
LP+EB+BC+CH
LONDON
LP+EJ
PD+EJ
RB+BC
RB+BC+CH
RJ
XS+BC
XS+BC+CH
XS+BJ

For completeness Ford to Llandudno Junction gives the following routes:
SC+EB+BC+CH
SC+EB+BC
LB+EB+BC
LB+EB+BC+CH
LONDON
LB+EJ
SC+EJ

The only map we need here is map XS which shows us validity between Havant and Birmingham (BC allows you to continue from Birmingham via Shrewsbury, BJ via Crewe).

Map XS shows a valid route Havant - Guildford - Reading - Didcot - Banbury - Birmingham. (as in fact do maps RB and RJ).

I believe this means that your ticket is not valid to Didcot via Horsham, Eastleigh or Southampton. However it is definitely valid via Havant and Guildford and most of the day this looks to be the quickest route anyway.

Just put in via Petersfield to restrict itineraries to your valid route. The nationalrail.co.uk journey planner will give you a valid itinerary for this route on a single ticket which is definitive proof the route is valid if you're concerned.

 

[Jones]

Brilliant advice!

Thank you so much.