Stopping short

[samshltn]

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me using this forum to pick your expert brains on this subject:

I want to travel from Euston to Llandudno Junction, and 'return' from Bangor. (I'm going to walk between the two over the weekend). I don't want to buy two separate single tickets. My plan is to buy a return to/from Bangor (my journey takes me through Llandudno Junction), and just get off at Llandudno Junction.

My questions are:
Is this 'allowed'?
If there are barriers at LLJ, what do I need to say to get myself the other side of them?

Thanks,

Sam.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Hi,

That's a good 20 mile walk you are planning on!!

There are not any barriers at Llandudno Junction it depends which type of ticket you get if it will be allowed our not but generally on off peak or anytime tickets break of journey is usually allowed in both directions but not always . But in reality whichever ticket you purchase you will not have an issue.

 

[samshltn]

Thanks for your reply. We're doing it over two days, seems pretty straightforward. Should be lovely.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Romilly]

If you look at what National Rail Enquiries says about offpeak and super offpeak returns, it says:

Break of journey
Break of journey is allowed on the outward portion of Off-Peak tickets unless otherwise indicated by a restriction shown against the ticket's validity code and in all cases on the return portion of Off-Peak return tickets.

You may start, break and resume, or end your journey at any intermediate station along the route of travel on Off-Peak tickets unless the ticket restriction for the journey you are making does not allow it. If you intend to start, break and resume, or end your journey at any intermediate station, please call 03457 48 49 50 to check if it is available on your specific journey.

The link is here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46590.aspx

This means that you need to look at the validity code for your ticket. There are three different offpeak/super offpeak returns for London-Bangor. The "any permitted" offpeak return (i.e. any permitted route on any train operating on that route) is £97 and has code VN. The offpeak return valid only on Chiltern Trains and Arriva Trains Wales is £90 and has code WZ. The super offpeak return valid only on Chiltern Trains and Arriva Trains Wales is £70.50 and has restriction code PU. Although all those codes restrict when you can travel if you are travelling on a Monday to Friday, none of them restrict your right to break your journey. So you are fine to do what you propose.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

It is, which way will you go? Through Conwy and parallel to the A55 through Conwy Morfa and then through Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan?

 

[brick60000]

If you look at what National Rail Enquiries says about offpeak and super offpeak returns, it says:



The link is here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46590.aspx

This means that you need to look at the validity code for your ticket. There are three different offpeak/super offpeak returns for London-Bangor. The "any permitted" offpeak return (i.e. any permitted route on any train operating on that route) is £97 and has code VN. The offpeak return valid only on Chiltern Trains and Arriva Trains Wales is £90 and has code WZ. The super offpeak return valid only on Chiltern Trains and Arriva Trains Wales is £70.50 and has restriction code PU. Although all those codes restrict when you can travel if you are travelling on a Monday to Friday, none of them restrict your right to break your journey. So you are fine to do what you propose.

Does this mean you can't break your journey on the return portion then? I wasn't aware of this, though may have missed the line before.

So, for instance, if I had an off peak return (within 30 days) would I be required to complete the return journey on the day I commenced it, or could I break overnight on the return journey? Do the rules differ for anytime returns?

 

[Romilly]

Break of journey on the return portion should always be fine: the quote from NRE said:

Break of journey is allowed on the outward portion of Off-Peak tickets unless otherwise indicated by a restriction shown against the ticket's validity code and in all cases on the return portion of Off-Peak return tickets.

 

[brick60000]

Break of journey on the return portion should always be fine: the quote from NRE said:

Yes, so it did Sorry! Thanks for the clarification!

 

[robbeech]

Yes, so it did Sorry! Thanks for the clarification!

It’s understandable that passemgers get confused and think the rules are different to this as many staff either don’t know the rules or on rare occasions deliberately make them up to make tickets less valid than they are. There are many examples of this behaviour discussed on this forum. Many staff believe that once you start your return journey it must be completed on that day, which is incorrect. Usually (but not always) they will write the date on your ticket as an indication, if this happens and you plan on breaking your journey overnight it’s sonetkmes worth pointing that out to them politely.

 

[kieron]

The "any permitted" offpeak return (i.e. any permitted route on any train operating on that route) is £97 and has code VN. The offpeak return valid only on Chiltern Trains and Arriva Trains Wales is £90 and has code WZ. The super offpeak return valid only on Chiltern Trains and Arriva Trains Wales is £70.50 and has restriction code PU. Although all those codes restrict when you can travel if you are travelling on a Monday to Friday, none of them restrict your right to break your journey. So you are fine to do what you propose.

VN does, although I think this is mainly aimed at people who try to use a VN ticket to go to somewhere like Chester or Crewe (which don't have VN tickets from London). As Sam named Euston, this is probably the ticket of interest.

One alternative to stopping short on the outward journey would be to buy a return to Llandudno Junction and a single from Bangor. This would cost an extra £3.40.