Break of Journey Query Winchester <-> Lewes

[HantsExile]

Can anyone help with a Break of Journey query?

I plan to travel between Winchester & Lewes as follows:

• Thur 4th Feb Winchester to Lewes leaving Winchester at 10.19
• Fri 5th Feb Lewes to Winchester leaving Lewes at 16.03

The journey passes through Chichester and I want to break my journey there on the outward leg.

I have a Senior Railcard.

NRE gives the off-peak period return fare as £20.95. I have delved deeply into the website but cannot find a definitive answer as to whether I can break my journey with this ticket - it says it depends on the code but that's as far as I can get.

If I book 2 separate off-peak period returns it will cost me a lot more:

• Winchester <-> Chichester £20.95
• Chichester <-> Lewes £16.35

I usually book online but on this occasion plan to go to the booking office - but would like to be armed with the right information before I go!

Appreciate any help offered.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

I'm no expert, but I think you'll be OK.

BRFares.com (which isn't official but as I understand it runs off the publicly available official information) gives the details of your fare at https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail?orig=WIN&dest=LWS&rlc=SRN&rte=947&tkt=SVR

I can't see anything there that explicitly bars a break of journey on the way out - so I think you'll be OK. And surely if there was something in the ticket type (historically a Saver, now called an Off-peak Return) it would say so on the webpage?

 

[jfollows]

Break of journey is allowed as long as it's not explicitly forbidden and as long as the other rules are adhered to such as time of day when travelling. So on the outbound journey there's no problem as long as all the travel to Lewes is completed on the same day; in the reverse direction the only significant requirement is to complete the journey within one month of the date on the ticket, so the break of journey in the reverse direction could also encompass more than one day.

So it's all fine for the OP to do as proposed, and buying the ticket from the ticket office on the day of travel is fine also.

 

[HantsExile]

Many thanks for these reassuring replies. (And love the cat pic, my last cat was a "tuxedo"!)

I'm wanting to avoid the reply I sometimes get at the ticket office: "It should be all right". (Don't get me wrong, we have very helpful people at Winchester booking office but even they can be challenged by the system's deeper complexities.)

It sounds as though I should be OK - and no worries about the return journey as I'm not planning BoJ on that leg.

Thanks again - more contributions welcomed of course ...

 

[jfollows]

Many thanks for these reassuring replies. (And love the cat pic, my last cat was a "tuxedo"!)

I'm wanting to avoid the reply I sometimes get at the ticket office: "It should be all right". (Don't get me wrong, we have very helpful people at Winchester booking office but even they can be challenged by the system's deeper complexities.)

It sounds as though I should be OK - and no worries about the return journey as I'm not planning BoJ on that leg.

Thanks again - more contributions welcomed of course ...

If it were me, I would simply ask for the ticket you want at the booking office. Just don't mention that you plan to break your journey, because you know you can, and you don't need to ask for permission from them to do so.

Like you, I find Wilmslow station staff helpful also. I once asked for a ticket and saw a slight frown, so I said "8:45" to them and they were happy. I said "you can look it up if you want to" to which they replied "no, you're the one travelling, and if you say that it's valid from 08:45 then it's up to you now". That made sense to me.

EDIT And, in your case, if there are barriers at Chichester and your ticket doesn't work in them, just go through the staffed barrier and present your ticket and say "I'm breaking my journey here". My expectation is that it won't be a problem in any way, in that if you seem to know what you're doing it's only a perverse minority of rail staff who will (incorrectly) seek to disagree and argue with you. Essentially the type who make up the rules to suit their view of how ticketing should work according to them, rather than the reality. They're the exception rather than the rule I find. Don't ask, but tell politely.

 

[Jan Mayen]

A little bit off topic, but what would be the best thing to do if the OP were told at Chichester (either breaking or resuming their journey) that they weren't allowed to do so?

 

[jfollows]

A little bit off topic, but what would be the best thing to do if the OP were told at Chichester (either breaking or resuming their journey) that they weren't allowed to do so?

It'd only be when resuming the journey that it'd be an issue, in which case the OP should pay for a single to Lewes which is wrongly being demanded and take the issue up with the appropriate ticket issuer subsequently. It's best to avoid conflict with people who don't know what they're doing in circumstances like this, cough up extra money with good grace and sort it out with a cool head at a later date.
I don't think it very likely, though.

 

[HantsExile]

Some very useful further thoughts, thank you!

 

[jfollows]

I could add that I follow my own advice, I tend to ask for a specific ticket and - if I break my journey - I have never had a problem doing so.
The only time I have had a problem with rail staff was when I was asked to "date a box" on an all-line rover. Unfortunately Manchester Piccadilly had issued the ticket on the wrong type of blank ticket stock, and the conductor insisted that I had to date a box on the ticket. It didn't cause me a problem, it just amused me a little when he said "I've been doing this job for 20 years" or somesuch and I thought to myself "and getting it wrong for 20 years" but I complied with his request/demand.
Breaking a journey on a ticket is normal and regular for 99% of passengers and staff. It'd be highly unusual for anyone to cause a problem because of it - just not completely impossible, that's all.

 

[Class800]

The only issue - and it was quizzical response rather than persistent refusal - that I ever had with break of journey was breaking my journey at a station on the line of route but a station at which the train from my origin to my destination would not call. It was Woolwich Arsenal to Cranbrook, breaking journey at Vauxhall. They allowed it with some reluctance.

 

[HantsExile]

Thanks for further contributions - I'll report back on my experience at the weekend.

 

[Hadders]

Break of journey is perfectly valid in either direction.

Don’t mention break of journey when you purchase the ticket, it just confuses things and there’s a possibility you could get a clerk making up their own rules.

When I break my journey, if there is a gateline, I approach the staff and just say ‘I’m popping out for some supplies’. It’s never failed yet.

 

[infobleep]

I broke my journey at Chichester between Christmas and the New Year and had no issues. My ticket even opened the barrier and staff expected it to. I hadn't expected it to.

 

[londonbridge]

I use a Brighton-Southampton (not via London) return to travel East Croydon-Clapham Junction-Eastleigh whenever I visit my mother. On alighting at East Croydon on my return I usually just show gateline staff the ticket and say “I’m breaking my journey” and they’ll open the gate and let me out. Only had one staff member who queried it with a sarcastic “where have you come from”? However, last time I did the journey was the first time I’d done it on an e-ticket and it opened the gate, whereas with paper tickets it usually doesn’t.

 

[nanstallon]

I had the opposite problem many years ago. I had a day return from Plymouth to Bristol, got on a Plymouth to London train, meaning to get off at Taunton to change. However, the guard insisted I should get off at Exeter St Davids and threatened to excess me if I didn't. All rather pathetic, but if that how some idiot was getting his jollies, who was I to argue?

 

[paul1609]

In my experience you'll have no problems at Chichester, the barriers will probably let you out. If not the friendly staff will. I regularly travel from Appledore on Marshlink down to Portsmouth and I've never had a problem breaking the journey anywhere along the coast.

 

[mmh]

On one of my occasional journeys the restriction code was changed to disallow break of journey a few years ago. I have never been stopped from doing so. Most staff are reasonable - they don't care for minutiae, why would they?

I do suspect a lot is down to approach, however. If you ask to be let through a barrier, you will be. If you begin with a declaration of your rights then there's a rather higher chance the staff member might decide to act "by the book."

 

[73128]

Gate lines should normally allow break of journey unless you are on an obscure alternative route or they are first generation (which software was very simple and only seems to cope with starting or terminating journeys). Mind you many places aren't very good with rover tickets!!

 

[Class800]

I've never had rover issues - almost always worked gates and never questioned

 

[plugwash]

On one of my occasional journeys the restriction code was changed to disallow break of journey a few years ago. I have never been stopped from doing so. Most staff are reasonable - they don't care for minutiae, why would they?

My understanding from others on this forum is that break of journey restrictions are normally only enforced to the extent that the lack of them would create fare loopholes. Afaict this applies on some Avanti fares, and also a lot on TFW set fares that are valid on crosscountry services (for example IIRC Manchester to Newport is valid via Bristol).

 

[Joshua_Harman]

I've never had rover issues - almost always worked gates and never questioned

I'd say the opposite! Never had a rover ticket that worked at all. :/

 

[HantsExile]

Many thanks to everyone who advised. Here's what happened on Thursday.

The reason for my break of journey in Chichester was to attend a theatre matinee with a friend, then to travel on to stay overnight with another friend in Lewes.

I was already on the train from Winchester when I received an email saying that the Chichester theatre performance was cancelled due to COVID in the cast. And the theatre restaurant where we had lunch booked would not be opening.

Quick consultation with friend led to the conclusion "Let's forget it" - so I travelled on to Lewes without needing to trouble the Chichester gateline.

All rather disappointing - but at least thanks to my fellow forum members I'm much more informed about the BoJ issue!