bibiras

We're planning to spend 1-2 weeks in Lyme Regis in April. We arrive at Gatwick at 9:00 a.m. We'd like to travel to L.R. by coach or by train, breaking the journey in Salisbury for our first night. It looks like the easiest route is Gatwick to Waterloo by train. Waterloo to Salisbury by train. Then (the next day) another train Salisbury to Axminster, and from there taking the #31 bus to L.R. There's also a coach from Gatwick to Salisbury, but it departs one hour after our supposed arrival time. Probably not enough time to catch, although we don't plan to check in our luggage.
These are my questions:

1. Is it cheaper to buy train and/or coach tickets online ahead of time?
2. From the national rail site it appears that the train Waterloo to Axminster is cheaper (11 pounds) than Waterloo to Salisbury (29.40), even though it's the same train company and the trains follow the same route (to SAL). How is that possible? And if it's true, what's to prevent us from buying tickets to AXM, then jumping off in SAL?
3. How much in advance are National Express coach schedules posted online?
3. Can anyone recommend a nice B&B within walking distance to both rail station and coach depot in Salisbury?
Thanks for any help!

GeoffHamer

The standard one-way fare from London to Axminster is £51.40 (to travel on any train) or £48.30 (on any train outside peak hours).
The cheap advance fares must be booked in advance and are only valid on a specified train: if you miss that train, you need to buy another ticket (at the full fare) to go on another train.
If you'r travelling after ten o'clock or at a weekend, you can use a Network Card which costs £20 and gives 33% off for up to four people (www.railcard.co.uk).

opus

Are you staying in Lyme Regis for one to two weeks without a car? It's an interesting town and has lots to offer but there's everything else to see as well? It might really be a lot easier to train to Axminster or Salisbury and pick up a car there if you plan to return the same way.


Charmouth (Golden Cap) Bridport, Abbotsbury, Chideock--and my personal favorite--Beer! Walks, beach, boat, fossils-

And yes--to confirm--it's far cheaper to but tix ahead of time online--you lose and saver fares the closer you get to when you want to leave. If you miss your train you can usually apply that fare to yr ticket but it will cost you more. They'll send you an e-mail with your ticket number which you just put in the ticket kiosk and voila your ticket. Take the time to book a seat--depending on the route you may not be assured of one. Your ticket will show you the car and seat number when you retrieve it.
If you're traveling on a weekend you can often upgrade to first class for a few pounds more which is nice for a long journey.

cheers,
meg

bibiras

Meg, thanks for the info. I'm afraid we don't have the courage to drive in the UK, so we're going to rely on public transportation. As for redeeming tickets in the ticket machines, I've read they don't exist in all stations. Can we redeem all our tickets at Gatwick, including return tickets, if we decide to buy such? We'll be flying out of Heathrow on the return trip, so may be returning by a different route, but it'd be nice to have all tickets in hand for both trips.

GeoffHamer

If you're collecting tickets bought in advance, the ticket machines usually require the bank card you used to buy the tickets. When booking, you need to specify the station where you will be collecting the tickets, so you can see which stations are offered as alternatives.
I always prefer to allow plenty of time to collect tickets, in case there is a delay because of machines out of order or any other problem.

bibiras

Thanks, GeoffHamer, for that info.!