Sidcup to Ashford International

[robbob700]

I am considering a journey from Sidcup to Ashford International. There are 3 fares available for an off-peak day return (all with a railcard)

£12.35 NOT LONDON
£14.70 +NOT VALID ON HS1
£18.50 +ANY PERMITTED

The quickest route is via HS1 changing at Gravesend and Ebbsfleet, but according to all the journey planners the £12.35 fare is not valid on this route. They all say that the fare would be £18.50 which is more than the fare from London to Ashford via HS1!

I could reduce this a little by splitting at Gravesend (£3.55 + £11.35 = £14.90), but I can't see why the NOT LONDON fare is not valid on HS1 as it must surely be the shortest route as well as the quickest.

Do others agree?

 

[MikeWh]

If you don't mind a 5-10 minute walk where some of it is on grass verges then you could save a little more by changing at Northfleet and walking to Ebbsfleet. Given that the direct trains from Sidcup all stop at Northfleet (apart from the odd peak one) you certainly shouldn't lose time, and may even gain by not waiting to double back from Gravesend.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
PS. The £12.35 fare will be Sidcup to Hither Green to Ashford.

 

[robbob700]

Checking the journey planners it seems that the £12.35 fare is actually via Strood and Maidstone which takes over an hour longer. The route via Hither Green does not give a through fare - it says that multiple tickets are required (although I would have thought that the £14.70 fare should be valid as it allows you to travel via London Bridge).
Looks like the best bet is to take up MikeWh's suggestion and walk between Northfleet and Ebbsfleet (£2.95 + £11.35 = £14.30)

 

[MikeWh]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=nor...ent=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

Turn left outside the station entrance and follow station road then railway street towards the roundabout. Don't worry that it's a no through road because pedestrians can still get through. Turn left and follow the road under the railway bridge. Go straight over the roundabout and accross the Ebbsfleet car park to the station entrance. It's very obvious what to do once you are under the railway bridge. I did it with a couple of kids in tow and it took just under 10 minutes.