Ticket advice required Ely - Reading - London

[Deerfold]

Hi,

Looking for advice with this one. Not a simple return, so not as easy for the split ticketing sites.

Tomorrow evening (sometime after 1700) my wife and I will travel from Ely to Reading Central (assuming via central London and Paddington). On Saturday morning we'll return to London - heading for Fulham Broadway. We'll make several other journeys that day within Zones 1 and 2.

We've got a Two Together card and cards for tapping in and out.

If First isn't silly prices, would be interested (we spent £70 between us getting from Keighley to Ely First class but there don't seem to be advance options on this route).

 

[Watershed]

Hi,

Looking for advice with this one. Not a simple return, so not as easy for the split ticketing sites.

Tomorrow evening (sometime after 1700) my wife and I will travel from Ely to Reading Central (assuming via central London and Paddington). On Saturday morning we'll return to London - heading for Fulham Broadway. We'll make several other journeys that day within Zones 1 and 2.

We've got a Two Together card and cards for tapping in and out.

If First isn't silly prices, would be interested (we spent £70 between us getting from Keighley to Ely First class but there don't seem to be advance options on this route).

Will you be making any other rail journeys within the next month, e.g. returning to Ely/Keighley? This may impact what ticket option is best.

 

[Deerfold]

Will you be making any other rail journeys within the next month, e.g. returning to Ely/Keighley? This may impact what ticket option is best.

Our only travel outside Yorkshire in the next month will be a return trip between Keighley and London 21/26th November which is planned to be by advance tickets (but not yet booked).

 

[Watershed]

Our only travel outside Yorkshire in the next month will be a return trip between Keighley and London 21/26th November which is planned to be by advance tickets (but not yet booked).

Ok. In that case it may be worthwhile buying a Super Off-Peak Return from Keighley to Reading (£93.85 p/p), using the outward portion from Ely to Reading tomorrow, and then the return portion from Reading to London on Sunday, breaking your journey in London, and recommencing your use of the return portion on 26th Nov when you return to Keighley.

Of course, this is dependent on Advance tickets to London being reasonably priced at the times you want to travel on your journey down to London on 21th Nov.

For your journeys around central London on Saturday, using contactless is probably the best option - the daily cap is £7.70, which you would hit after 3 or 4 journeys. Remember that you have one cross-London transfer included for free (e.g. Paddington to Kings Cross) if you buy the Super Off-Peak Return to Reading.

 

[Deerfold]

That's a good find, but we usually manage to find decent First advances between London and Keighley. What would you suggest without that?

 

[Watershed]

That's a good find, but we usually manage to find decent First advances between London and Keighley. What would you suggest without that?

It's a difficult one. There aren't any Advances from Ely to Reading, only Ely to London (on Greater Anglia, which is of course quite a bit slower than GN/TL services) - nor are there Advances from London to Reading.