UK trains: which type ticket?
 

i've searched this forum, and www.nationalrail.co.uk, but i'm still confused:

we'll be traveling from london to brighton by train, and returning to london the following afternoon (a monday). travel times are flexible, but we'd like to leave london mid-morning, and leave brighton mid-to-late afternoon.

SO, which type ticket will we need? Saver Return, SuperSaver Return, or something else entirely?

thanks in advance for helping me sort this out!

when i've gone to nationalrail.co.uk they've easily given all the fares for the types of tickets you mention and all the conditions? Please explain why you're confused and i'll help.

i guess my confusion is that i don't really understand the differences between the various types of tickets...

Does www.thetrainline.com help?

I but many train tickets from this site. To be honest, I have very little clue about all the different types of ticket and how I seem to pay a different price almost every time I travel between London and Cheshire.

The site I mentioned is pretty clear in explaining what ticket will suit your needs best.

Generally, tickets should be cheaper if you travel at off-peak times, you book tickets on specific trains and if you book in advance.

For London - Brighton, I don't normally worry about types of tickets, and just buy them when I turn up at the station.

The only advantage of different sorts of saver is a reduction for committing yourself to a particular train, which you don't sound inclined to do, but the difference between them and an open return isn't likely to be that great on so relatively short a route - it certainly doesn't look it. You're planning to travel at off-peak times anyway (the only question-mark about Sundays is the possibility of maintenance work on the lines).

There are ticket machines at the stations as well as manned counters, so queueing (though it can be a bore) won't necessarily take up a lot of your time.

From London to Brighton, there's a limited choice of ticket types. There are no APEX-type fares which are cheap if you restrict yourself to a specific train. The different fares to Brighton depend on the time of day (fares are higher if your outward journey is in the peak commuting times) and on which route you take. Trains go from various stations to Brighton. If you want to go from Victoria, enter "London Victoria" as your starting station. The saver fare for staying overnight in Brighton is £23. If you are making other trips in the south east of England, consider buying a Network Card for £20 which lasts a year and gives a one-third discount for up to four people (www.railcard.co.uk). There is also a Southern day ticket giving a day's unlimited travel on Southern trains for £20 for four people if you buy the ticket in advance (www.southernrailway.com).

thanks for your help! :)