24 pounds one-way is a steal? I'll take your word for it.

I'll have to do more research on this and maybe think about doing something like this -- I was in York and Edinburgh about 14 years ago, and I don't remember a thing. Never been to Newcastle or Durham.

I believe on the 24 pound fare you probably can't stop off - may have to buy more expensive segment tickets that would add up to more.

Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk and plug in your dates and times for the two-way trip. Follow the thread till you get to fares. Keep on adjusting the times till you get the best price. Click on the fare for the conditions. The cheapest (£39 return for early Sept booked now) don't let you break your journey, force you to commit to a specific train and sell out fast.

Check with the GNER website for possible deals not shown on the National Rail site, and remember it's sometimes possible (thouigh IMHO never advisable) to get slightly better prices from the Virgin site, though on a messier, less pretty and far less reliable route.

Thanks to all for the train info. We will not be making the trip until the first week in Nov. but I like to have all the info as early as possible as I tend to finalize my plans far in advance of our trips. We have used trains in Spain, Italy and the Chunnel and love them yet in the US I haven't been on public transit in years. Keep the advice coming as I will be printing out your comments for reference.