Brit Rail terminology question
 

I can't remember what this lingo means . . . feeling kinda stupid, as I think it probably is pretty basic info:

Standard Day
Cheap Day

Also . . . would it be normal that a one-way ticket is just about the same cost as a 'return' (i.e. round trip--that much I do remember!)? Some fares look like one way ticket costs just about the same as the fare w/return.

I am looking at National Rail inquiry page trying to see if Southeast Pass would be a better buy vs. individual fares. Are bus fares pretty competetive? I.e. local bus, say from Canterbury to Faversham, to Sandwich, etc. cheaper, more interesting, better, worse than fiddling with the trains?

A standard day ticket is good any time of the day. A cheap day ticket is good outside peak hours. Peak hours can be defined differently by the various train companies, but commonly means before 9:30 am Monday to Friday. If it is a cheap or standard day return, it is only valid for return on the same day.

Yes, it is common for a single to be the same price, or within 5p of the same price, as a return.

I've had limited experience with comparing local bus to local train, since there seldom is the choice. What experience I have had suggests bus will be cheaper.

This looks like the local bus map for Canterbury:
http://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetab...terburyMap.pdf

But all they offer in the way of additional information is a phone number. You might be able to get them to send you a printed leaflet.

This looks like the local bus map and fare guide for Canterbury:
http://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetab...terburyMap.pdf

http://www.stagecoachbus.com/uploads...yFareGuide.pdf

The term " cheap day" (as in "cheap day return") is almost meaningless as its applicability varies locally.Sometimes it applies to times of the day, on other routes entire days are excluded (esp. Friday)
Until recently the single fare from my nearest station to the next one was more than the cheap day return.(???)It had been so for 5 years, Scotrail didn't seem to think it bizarre.
Don't try to infer anything from fare levels, they don't make sense.
Buses are usually cheaper but (not always) slower and less comfortable.
In some areas you can buy a pass which lets you on both buses and trains.
Ask a local!

Since I work in an academic institution, this lack of logic and variation from area to area are familiar thought patterns to me!

As noted above, cheap day refers to rail travel starting after 9:30 am. For the return journey (if you get a round trip ticket), be sure to check the announcement boards regarding the trains you want to take back. During evening rush hour for trains leaving London, the trains I usually take back are ok with cheap day tickets, but some specifically say "no cheap day tickets allowed." (On my route, those are usually fast trains heading to Oxford.) You might be able to get away with it if no one on board checks tickets (and in all honesty, they seldom do), but just in case...