UK Train Travel-- book in advance for July 5-18 trip or wait until I arrive?
 

I have not traveled using trains in the UK much-- just to and from the airports in London, the train from Paddington to Windsor and the Eurostar to Paris. I need some help on understanding how things work.

Here is my brief schedule

July 5 arrive Manchester
July 6 train to LLandudno
July 11 train to Chester
July 12 train to either... London, York, Birmingham or somewhere else :)
July 17 train back to Manchester
July 18 fly home to Oregon

Should I do a britrail pass? If so which one?

Should I purchase point to point tickets? In advance or day to day?


Thanks again,
susan

No - a Britrail pass probably won't save you anything. And since your itinerary is still pretty much in flux - buying in advance isn't possible for some of your trips.

I just plugged in morning on July 6 and got £20.10 for a standard single to Llandudno. So you can see fares aren't that expensive.

Be sure when you look at the schedules, you use dd/mm/yy format - You don't want July 6 to end up 7 June :)

Thanks Janisj--
I had checked out a few trips and the prices seemed reasonable for just point to point tickets-- so that is what I was planning on, but I just wanted to make sure that was a good decision.

You've been a great help and I really appreciate everything.

susan

For the long trips, like Chester-London and London-Manchester, you need to book ahead as the price difference is huge.

For example, if you purchase right now, you can get Chester-London for as low as £12.50 one-way. If you wait until day of travel and buy a standard ticket, a "Saver Single" is £56.20, regular standard fare is £82. I am not kidding.

On journeys over 80-100 miles or so, booking in advance can save you a great deal of money. How much varies widely by time of day, phases of the moon and more other variables than human nature can comprehend.

But a Virgin Advance single from Chester to London is £12.50, while a booked on the spot open single is £82.

You should go now to nationalrail.co.uk, plug in each proposed leg and go through to the "fares" section. Play with different times, too, then follow each different fare's link to understand the conditions.

On journeys like Llandudno-Chester, it'll rarely matter when you travel or when you book. On many longer journeys, there's a very high price indeed for travelling on the spur of the moment - but booking as little in advance as the previous evening, or delaying your journey by half an hour, can save you a very great deal.

Thank you rkkwan & Cotswold Scouser-- The cost for those long trips will sure make a difference if I get them in advance.

I really appreciate your information. I just need to make a decision about where to go after Chester.

I'll let you know what I decide :)

Kind Regards,
susan