Northern complimentary pass - Manchester Victoria to Whitby

I have a Northern complimentary pass that has been lying around since before lockdown. I have gathered from other posts on here that it's still valid for use.

On the 30th March I will have the chance to make a suitably long journey to make using this 'golden ticket' worth it. I want to travel from Manchester Victoria to Whitby, arriving late afternoon preferably. The 'normal' route is roughly Manchester - York - Middlesbrough - Whitby, but unfortunately there is no Northern service for the York to Middlesbrough section and no way around this, as far as I know. I am planning to return via the same route later that week, using the same comp ticket.

My question is - would it be acceptable to write Manchester Victoria and Whitby into the comp ticket, then buy a return or two singles on the TPE or LNER service from York to Middlesbrough to make up the middle section?

There is a way to get from Victoria to Whitby via Northern only, but it involves travelling via Carlisle and Newcastle and can't be completed in one day! I know that my journey will be very slow anyway but I'm not patient enough for that...

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Why not get the coastliner bus from York to Whitby, £2 each way.

I am not sure about the gap but I think it would be OK.
As far as I can see then it is no problem getting to Whitby in a day as long as you get the 0920 from Leeds. This is a great scenic route and I have done the run to Newcastle a few times starting at 0615 Chinley. There is a couple of hours slack in case of delays.
0736 Victoria (earlier 0721)
0905 Leeds (0842)
0920 Leeds
1200 Carlisle
1225 Carlisle
1353 Newcastle
1639 Newcastle (1556 from Hexham)
1939 Whitby
There are options to change at Hexham or get a fast Northern from Newcastle then pick up the Whitby train at Middlesborough.

DaveB10780 said:

I am not sure about the gap but I think it would be OK.
As far as I can see then it is no problem getting to Whitby in a day as long as you get the 0920 from Leeds. This is a great scenic route and I have done the run to Newcastle a few times starting at 0615 Chinley. There is a couple of hours slack in case of delays.
0736 Victoria (earlier 0721)
0905 Leeds (0842)
0920 Leeds
1200 Carlisle
1225 Carlisle
1353 Newcastle
1639 Newcastle (1556 from Hexham)
1939 Whitby
There are options to change at Hexham or get a fast Northern from Newcastle then pick up the Whitby train at Middlesborough.

Click to expand...

That's pushing the definition of a late afternoon arrival.

An alternative might be to travel with Northern from Manchester to Hull (via Leeds or Sheffield), then to Scarborough (via Bridlington) and finally by bus from Scarborough to Whitby.

Yes, you can buy Advance tickets on another operator to bridge the gap. Many forum members including me have done just that, and Northern’s guards see these tickets every day, so they’ll be used to it.

DaveB10780 said:

I am not sure about the gap but I think it would be OK.
As far as I can see then it is no problem getting to Whitby in a day as long as you get the 0920 from Leeds. This is a great scenic route and I have done the run to Newcastle a few times starting at 0615 Chinley. There is a couple of hours slack in case of delays.
0736 Victoria (earlier 0721)
0905 Leeds (0842)
0920 Leeds
1200 Carlisle
1225 Carlisle
1353 Newcastle
1639 Newcastle (1556 from Hexham)
1939 Whitby
There are options to change at Hexham or get a fast Northern from Newcastle then pick up the Whitby train at Middlesborough.

Click to expand...

M-F There is an 0800 B3 bus from Hebden Bridge to Keighley to save you go8ng to Leeds: £2 for a spectacular bus ride and saving enough time have a cooked breakfast in Keighley.

Merseysider said:

Yes, you can buy Advance tickets on another operator to bridge the gap. Many forum members including me have done just that, and Northern’s guards see these tickets every day, so they’ll be used to it.

Click to expand...

Great, this is exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks for confirming.

DaveB10780 said:

I am not sure about the gap but I think it would be OK.
As far as I can see then it is no problem getting to Whitby in a day as long as you get the 0920 from Leeds. This is a great scenic route and I have done the run to Newcastle a few times starting at 0615 Chinley. There is a couple of hours slack in case of delays.
0736 Victoria (earlier 0721)
0905 Leeds (0842)
0920 Leeds
1200 Carlisle
1225 Carlisle
1353 Newcastle
1639 Newcastle (1556 from Hexham)
1939 Whitby
There are options to change at Hexham or get a fast Northern from Newcastle then pick up the Whitby train at Middlesborough.

Click to expand...

Okay, I stand corrected! It's probably too long a day for me but nice to know it's possible.

Mcr Warrior said:

An alternative might be to travel with Northern from Manchester to Hull (via Leeds or Sheffield), then to Scarborough (via Bridlington) and finally by bus from Scarborough to Whitby.

Click to expand...

This is logical, I had considered it as a backup option if I couldn't take the LNER. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks everyone for your prompt advice on this topic! I dislike travelling by bus so try to avoid it (even if the train takes longer). I can't deny that it's a cracking deal though...

EDIT - For the sake of correctness, I should point out that there is LNER service from York to Darlington (the section Northern don't cover) but only TPE from York through to Middlesbrough.