I’ve booked a steam railway tour in Kent and Sussex in April and, rather than go for the inclusive price with rail travel, I’ve decided to book my own rail tickets, from Exeter (Polsloe Bridge to be exact) to Maidstone and return.
I have a fare of £69.95 for a super off-peak return with Senior Railcard. I entered “not via London terminals” to get a fare via the North Downs line, Redhill and Tonbridge, departing POL at 09.46, the earliest possible with this ticket. Arrival at Maidstone West is at 15.31, this route being quite slow but avoids going via London with luggage.
The quickest route, via Paddington, St. Pancras, then HS1 to Strood, gives an arrival at MDW at 14.27 (from the opposite direction, of course). This also comes up with a fare of £69.95.
My question is - as the fare by both routes is the same, can I decide on the day which way to go or do I have to commit myself to one route or the other when I book? In other words can I ask for an “any permitted route” ticket? A possible snag with the North Downs route is that trains between Redhill, Tonbridge and Maidstone are only hourly so a cancellation could make me late checking in to the hotel.
I’m not going to book just yet as we can’t be sure what timetable will be operating in April, but we hope the Covid situation will mean there will be more trains and not fewer. There’s also the matter of possible engineering works over the Easter period.
Any advice welcome!
I have a fare of £69.95 for a super off-peak return with Senior Railcard. I entered “not via London terminals” to get a fare via the North Downs line, Redhill and Tonbridge, departing POL at 09.46, the earliest possible with this ticket. Arrival at Maidstone West is at 15.31, this route being quite slow but avoids going via London with luggage.
The quickest route, via Paddington, St. Pancras, then HS1 to Strood, gives an arrival at MDW at 14.27 (from the opposite direction, of course). This also comes up with a fare of £69.95.
My question is - as the fare by both routes is the same, can I decide on the day which way to go or do I have to commit myself to one route or the other when I book? In other words can I ask for an “any permitted route” ticket? A possible snag with the North Downs route is that trains between Redhill, Tonbridge and Maidstone are only hourly so a cancellation could make me late checking in to the hotel.
I’m not going to book just yet as we can’t be sure what timetable will be operating in April, but we hope the Covid situation will mean there will be more trains and not fewer. There’s also the matter of possible engineering works over the Easter period.
Any advice welcome!