mocha_dolce

We need to purchase 2 sets of one way rail tickets for dates in August. I did get an alert that tickets went on sale for the first date in mid-August, but I also read a warning not to purchase too soon lest we get socked with a higher price than will be available closer to the dates. We'll probably at least look at first class tickets, so could anyone please tell me what would be reasonable first class fares for those routes?

janisj

There are different rail cards you can buy that will get you discounted fares. One is a Senior Railcard and another one is a Two Together. They get you 1/3 off. For example a 2 Together card costs £30 but 1/3 off trains saves a lot on First Class long distance. Senior Railcards work the same way except you'd each need your own railcard (assuming you are seniors) so the 2 together is actually cheaper. You don't need to have your cards in hand to book the tickets. You book as though you already have the railcard and then present the photo and buy the rail card in a London train station. Just as long as you have the railcard by the time you board the train.

You can do a search now (with say a 2 Together rail card) for a date in the current schedule - The fares after that should be the same once that booking period opens.

https://www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk
https://www.senior-railcard.co.uk

sofarsogood

Two companies operate between London and York - LNER and Grand Central

If you’ve had an alert saying Advance tickets are on sale then they are the cheapest tickets and they won’t come down in price.

What can happen is people buy Anytime or Off-Peak tickets months ahead thinking they are getting a bargain, but they are walk-up fares that are always available. Then the limited-availability Advance tickets are released, and people wonder why the prices have gone down - same journey but different ticket type.

First-class Advance tickets with LNER on 16 Aug start at £61 for the 09.06 train (£23 in standard class). For the less frequent Grand Central trains, the 11.27 train is £56 in First class (£23 standard).

bilboburgler

If you look for "British Rail" you will not find it,
I took that LNER train up from London last week. The reservation process is there because you need it if using standard class. Not a spare seat in the place. Wifi good

travelguy1919

Absolutely agree with this, I've done this route as well about 3 times, absolutely jam packed!

mocha_dolce

Thanks all. I struggled a bit with the Two Together Railcard but succeeded in getting the digital version and the app to display on my phone. I was also surprised that the York to Edinburgh tickets were already so scarce for August (even in first class); we got the train we wanted and seats together but they weren't the type I would have preferred. According to the website, they were the last on the train. I was a little skeptical about that, so I will check back to see if others are released closer to my date. But let that serve as a heads-up to others. Also, now I have the LNER app on my phone, which I will delete after the trip as we aren't frequent travelers to the UK.

Gardyloo

Probably not happening, but have you considered renting a car and driving from York to Edinburgh? The coastal route between Yorkshire and Edinburgh offers a lot of scenery and points of interest if you have the time - Durham, the Northumberland coast (castles, picturesque villages, wildlife) as do the Berwickshire and East Lothian coasts once over the border.

janisj

"York to Edinburgh tickets were already so scarce for August (even in first class)"

Anything and EVERYTHING Edinburgh-related in August is impacted by the massive crowds in the city. The Fringe, International and some other festivals, and the Tattoo all running concurrently draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. The entire city will be wall to wall people and they have to get there somehow . . .

I am a bit surprised you could book tickets now. I thought the current booking period only goes through mid July-ish?? But I haven't checked the schedules

mocha_dolce

I hear you, janisj. My original timeframe for this trip was shoulder season, but surprisingly it was far easier to get a nonstop daytime flight to LHR and a nonstop back from EDI to DC (IAD) in August. Yes, I thought I had more time to book the trains, but the tickets are for mid-late August and apparently I should have been looking earlier.

mocha_dolce

Best laid plans & all, if there should be a strike on the LNER line on one of our dates in August, what alternatives are there for transport from London to York ; York to Edinburgh? Bus? Car service?

bilboburgler

coach probably
but that is what everyone will doing

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

janisj

A car service will cost a king's ransom. Buses will likely be booked up very soon so get on that immediately. You might at this point need to consider the idea of dropping York.

For London to Edinburgh you could fly to EDI or even GLA. Because of the strike you'd probably need to book ASAP.

bilboburgler

I'd advocate also looking at Flixbus or Megabus

You might like this https://www.checkmybus.co.uk/london/york

This is also very useful https://www.traveline.info/

But take care, this is advocacy.

mocha_dolce

Thanks all, Since they haven't announced the August strike dates (if any), this is contingency planning. But none of the non-train options are ideal, so I will hope for no strikes on our dates. I had considered a "transfer tour" from York to Edinburgh, so that might be a possibility if needed and we're nimble.