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Even cheaper if you have a Railcard--travel at a time nobody wants to....same principal as a low cost flyer.
THEN-If you want really low cost travel--go by bus. Those with bus passes could make the whole journey for free...what an adventure that would be?
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Thanks both of you ill have a look in a few weeks then. Last time o looked at train trave it was on the day as it was spur of the moment and it would of cost £60 each to Milton Keynes and I don't think I spent £20 on fuel but ill kept looking for train fairs I a few weeks and look at the cost of the coach.
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Just some casual comments.
Keep looking and try different train companies, not just the train operator that runs the route in question. I find tpexpress is often cheaper than others. Also check the other non franchised ticket sellers, also megatrrain. The advance tickets are usually cheapest around 8-14 days before travel. I got some ridiculously cheap deals, but you have to be prepared to go on specific off peak times. Also sometimes first class is cheaper than standard....
Second comment, fuel represents less than half the true cost of a car journey. Depreciation, insurance, tax, smr, even parking charges dominate car costs. So many people just don't seem to understand that.
You have 6 people to transport, so unless you have an MPV you would need 2 cars to be legal.
Edited by brum on 29/03/2016 at 11:53
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You also sometimes have to be cute in how you search for tickets - sometimes a route which appears to be the "wrong" way can be cheaper, but the search engines will give you what they think is the best route.
My wife travels from Leeds to Cardiff a couple of times a year. Do a national rail search and the route choice will be Cross Country via Birmingham with a change at Bristol. She found its cheaper to go via Manchester then change.
My parents live in Sheffield, but Midland Mainline fares are never as competitive value as East Coast fares with a change at Doncaster.
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Yes and they say that sometimes its cheaper to split journeys into 2 or more hops although you assume reponsibilty for a missed connection due to late arrivals. I think there is a website that can search this way but don't know its name.
Also two advance singles I.e. seperate outward and inward tickets are almost always cheaper than a "return ticket" when booking advance fares.
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There's no indication from the OP from where he is travelling to Leeds. If it's from Manchester then, yes, it looks a bit steep (to put it mildly!) at approx. £66 per person. However, if it's from Aberdeen or Penzance then it's a different kettle of fish altogether. My own experiences of train travel have been, by and large, quite good. It's mainly involved travelling from Liverpool to London and, if you are able to plan your trip well in advance it's surprising what sort of deals are available. The best one that I can remember was my wife and I going to watch the tennis at Wimbledon a couple of years ago. I booked our tickets about 4 weeks in advance (travelled south on Saturday morning and back on Monday morning) and the total cost was £32 – 4 single tickets at £8 each!
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You have 6 people to transport, so unless you have an MPV you would need 2 cars to be legal.
I do indeed have a MPV a large comfortable one. The car isn't worth much so depreciation isn't really a problem and I've already paid the insurance and parking is free where we are going. But thanks for the tips I will look in to it further. I always try to find he best possible deal.
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You have 6 people to transport, so unless you have an MPV you would need 2 cars to be legal.
I do indeed have a MPV a large comfortable one. The car isn't worth much so depreciation isn't really a problem and I've already paid the insurance and parking is free where we are going. But thanks for the tips I will look in to it further. I always try to find he best possible deal.
You didn't say where you are travelling from, to Leeds. Penzance to Leeds is obviously more than Watford to Leeds. However a rail card is good advice and worth it if you travel regularly by train. It may be you will have to invest some time on the internet to explore the routes and changes to get the best deal, usually within 10 to 12 weeks of travel for current schedules. I have found that eventually I can get an acceptable route and fare. Best of luck. Concrete
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You have 6 people to transport, so unless you have an MPV you would need 2 cars to be legal.
I do indeed have a MPV a large comfortable one. The car isn't worth much so depreciation isn't really a problem and I've already paid the insurance and parking is free where we are going. But thanks for the tips I will look in to it further. I always try to find he best possible deal.
You didn't say where you are travelling from, to Leeds. Penzance to Leeds is obviously more than Watford to Leeds. However a rail card is good advice and worth it if you travel regularly by train. It may be you will have to invest some time on the internet to explore the routes and changes to get the best deal, usually within 10 to 12 weeks of travel for current schedules. I have found that eventually I can get an acceptable route and fare. Best of luck. Concrete
I am travelling from Bromley in kent/ south east London.
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One of the major factors, other than the idiotic complexity of the UK rail ticketing system (as has already been described) is when you are travelling - weekdays or weekends, bank holidays (some firms have special offers tied in with visiting major attractions in cities), and most importantly (when travelling in the week) whether some part of your journey is taken in the 'rush hour', which in many areas is classed as arriving/passing through certain places between 7 - 9.30am and 4.30 - 7pm going back: as such, just travelling for 5 minutes during what is considered the 'peak period' may bump some or all parts of the fare up to a peak ticket.
Often departing just a few minutes earlier/later can make a huge difference in price. Most peak fares on commuter routes/interconnections (likely for you to be the part from Bromley to Victoria [or other South London terminus]) and London's Tube (it would be a full paper single ticket each way or a day travelcard - using an Oyster card for each person may well prove far chear for that portion) would be probably twice the cost of outside the peak times. 'Intercity' rail services, are, as I understand it (and as others have said), very different due to them being able to be book in advance and at the best time as prices change a lot depending on demand/day of booking. Commuter and Tube fares don't vary as much, especially when travelling on one line and not changing train operators during the journey.
I was travelling to your neck of the woods from Hertfordshire about 18 months ago and found it was cheaper for me (than by train either on the day or the night before) to drive down the night before my (work) survey visit, stay in a hotel near the site, have breakfast and walk (free parking at the hotel - I even got them to extend that for the rest of day even after check-out time) to the site for 9am, ready to go - far better, plus I got 45p a mile in mileage from work.
Whilst doing so may not be what you want, if you don't want to drive that far (it is a long way), then it might be far cheaper to all travel during off-peak hours and stay overnight in a local hotel or guest house, especially if you choose the right day when they are less busy and drop prices considerably (sometime you may benefit from booking at the last minute, depending on when you're going - not always a good idea in school holidays though!). Worth always considering such alternatives.
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Thanks I don't mind the drive I've driven with 2 other drivers 20 hours before in to the mountains in Austria. So long drives arnt bothersome I just like the best value for money way to travel. With the three adults sharing the cost of fuel I think the car will be the best bet.
Thanks to everyone for their advice and combined wisdom.
Edited by dan86 on 29/03/2016 at 14:27
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As Davey said in the first reply : Advance tickets are typically available from 12 weeks in.
You might (if it is a return journey) need to wait until both legs of the trip are within 12 weeks (if a few days away, for example) to get the very best deals
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The booking dates for each company are published on the National Rail website, just Google 'rail booking horizons'.
For Virgin Trains East Coast it's currently up to June the 19th, but keep an eye on that site as they can change unpredictably.
Occasionally it can be much closer to the travel date before advance tickets get released, for example if they're waiting for details of engineering work.
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Choosing a date in May tickets currently start at £25 each way.
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The UK railway network operates on a socialist cost-plus basis of pricing - while there's a little internal competition, there's no competition with other forms of transport, nor any requirement to do so.
Besides cars, all other forms of transport are charged per person - air travel, rail, buses - only car travel has the same cost regardless of the number of passengers, so if there's more than one then rail is inevitably more expensive.
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Virgin do a family ticket - might be worth using this to get you to Manchester then a local connection from there.
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The UK railway network operates on a socialist cost-plus basis of pricing - while there's a little internal competition, there's no competition with other forms of transport, nor any requirement to do so.
There's some truth in that for regulated commuter fares but for longer distances or of peak travel fares are, as with airlines, driven by a demand matrix.
If I want to go from here (northampton) to Liverpool tomorrow I can't get it much below £40 single. If I looke early next week it's as low as £10 on corresponding weekday services.
The OP is on an upward struggle pricing for a large party and where the sole comparator is the marginal extra cost for fuel. Also, given the size of his group rail 'tricks' that involve multiple changes are too much trouble. He could though try the core Kings Cross/Leeds bit of the route and see if offers like 'GroupSave' are available nearer his date of travel.
Family group of four today did Northampton to Euston and return £72.60 (£18.15 each). Day was planned at British Library then Holborn/Trafalgar Sq area. Couple of quid for me on a Boris bike and one bus ride each. Other transits on foot.
Yes we could have driven to Stanmore/Cockfosters, say 120miles which is nigh on £20 in diesel and hope to park for free in a side street. Another £12 a head for travelcards and the costs looking pretty close. Then the tube/car option takes twice as long and is three times as stressful. Been home an hour now and I'd just be leaving the M1 in the car.
No contest.
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You'll soon be able to rent/ride a 'Boris Bike' in MK Bromptonaut! However, when I commuted the 'Redway Network' was the cause of almost all of my 'incidents & near-misses' – other folks fault obviously!
MILTON KEYNES SET TO BENEFIT FROM NEW CYCLE HIRE SCHEME FROM SANTANDER AND NEXTBIKE
- Seven-year partnership signed to support infrastructure of the town
- Utilises the city-wide 'Redway' network with a scheme footprint that reaches across Milton Keynes
- Working with nextbike, cycles can be accessed via app, phone, member cards and on the cycles themselves
- New cycle scheme will be the second largest outside London and launch Spring 2016
Santander and nextbike are set to bring a brand new cycle hire scheme to Milton Keynes from Spring 2016. In a deal signed in close collaboration with Milton Keynes Council (MKC) and Milton Keynes City Centre Management; Santander and nextbike will connect the city with major hubs at key points across the city centre, business parks and residential estates.
The exact details of the scheme are being finalised but it’s expected to include over 500 bikes, available at up to 60 docking stations across the town. The scheme will use the city-wide ‘Redway’ network; a 169.3 mile network of shared use paths for cyclists and pedestrians. Surfaced with red tarmac, the network ensures cyclists can avoid using roads to undertake most journeys.
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Bromley. Not too far from me really, Mid Kent. There are lots of options to get around London apart from going through it. It is a bit of an exercise on the internet, but you soon get use to the way the websites operate and some canny deals can be had, especially if you are fairly flexible about when you travel. One old chap from the village, now deceased unfortunately, used Clapham Junction as pivot for a lot of his journeys. Not investigated it myself as I don't visit the Midlands. Cheers Concrete
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Agreed - CJ is an ace interchange/terminus.
I did MK to Seaford (East Sussex) last Oct on a day return. Computer said I had to travel from Bletchley (rather than MK Central) with changes at CJ and Lewes. No biggie...
...Cost my pal £10 something with a Senior Railcard and me £16 without (finally bought one last week). Truly excellent value for an almost 400-mile journey. A long day I'll grant you (just short of 3-hrs each way) but most enjoyable - with a free lunch/afternoon stroll along the cliffs thrown in!
I'm planning a day-trip to Sheffield soon. Now I would have thought MK to Brum, Brum to Sheff or Bedford and up the East Coast line, but no, the cheapest option that came up was MK to Stockport on the Virgin Flyer then Stock to Sheff on the local one. Would never have thought of that myself!
Loads and loads of advance deals/permutations to be had - but only if you're prepared to do the spade-work...
Best,
RB
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Unfortunately we would be travelling at rushour as we'd be leaving when school finishes so I guess that's part of the problem with ticket prices.
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Go by car.
You get to decide when you travel that's convenient to you.
You get a comfy clean seat. Your choice of in car entertainment.
You can stop for refreshments when you like.
You can change the route at the drop of a hat to avoid problems.
No waiting around on draughty platforms. No running for connections. No strikes or late running.
And it's cheaper too. What's not to like about all that.
Why do people imagine that 21st century travel problems can only be solved by 19th century solutions. Trains may work for some but they are far from a universal solution.
Above all that cars and bikes represent the ultimate in personal freedom. That's why greens and politicians hate them so.
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