London to Newcastle fare help

[class303]

Hi,

I'm going from London to Newcastle on Friday 20th Feb for a stag do. Coming back on the Sunday.

Off peak return of £129.10 seems extortionate, i went to Glasgow + onward connection for Christmas for £135. £50.50 each way advances seem on the pricey side too.

Could do with some advice from you forum fare gurus . Best places to split etc etc. I'm pretty flexible, arriving Newcastle midafternoon on Friday, happy to travel back last train on the Sunday if need be, no earlier than mid day though. I have a gold card and zone 1-3 season, but not valid on east coast these days so maybe irrelevant.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[First class]

Hi,

I'm going from London to Newcastle on Friday 20th Feb for a stag do. Coming back on the Sunday.

Off peak return of £129.10 seems extortionate, i went to Glasgow + onward connection for Christmas for £135. £50.50 each way advances seem on the pricey side too.

Could do with some advice from you forum fare gurus . Best places to split etc etc. I'm pretty flexible, arriving Newcastle midafternoon on Friday, happy to travel back last train on the Sunday if need be, no earlier than mid day though. I have a gold card and zone 1-3 season, but not valid on east coast these days so maybe irrelevant.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers

£50 each way on Advances isn't bad at all really. It's one of the cheapest Advance fares available.

 

[Abpj17]

That's half term...you'll be lucky

The more convoluted routes via Cross country were more expensive

Megabus is £13 each way (for 6 to nearly 8 hour journey each way)

Or you can fly for around £100

 

[cuccir]

Or you can fly for around £100

Which is the same as Advances at the mo - fares at £50 each way on east coast website.

You could search splits at Doncaster, particularly if you're willing to change trains there. Alternatively there are some Advances to Sunderland at £35 each way - search for direct trains to find these. You will then need a Sunderland-Newcastle single each day

 

[DaveNewcastle]

As a regular traveller between Newcastle and London, I can confirm that those prices are about as low as you will find when booking this close to the travel date.
You can often shave a few pounds off these prices by 'splitting' tickets at Peterborough or Grantham, (buying both legs of the one journey as 2 separate transactions) and I've just had a quick look to see if that would help you on Feb 20th & 22nd.
On the northbound 11:30am from Kings Cross, you can split at Peterborough with a total cost of £48.
On the southbound 10:00am from Newcastle, you can achieve the same price, though you'd actually have to get off at Peterborough and catch the following train (from Leeds) 3 minutes later. (a risky strategy as any delay to the first train may mean that you miss the connection!).

If you want to return later on the Sunday, then you can do it for £38 on the 20:01 departure from Newcastle (arrive Kings X at 23:08) by 'splitting' the journey's tickets at Grantham.

I'm not sure that the saving of £14 is worth it, I'd probably spend that much more for the extra leg room, peace and coffee by travelling in First Class.

 

[yorkie]

Off peak return of £129.10 seems extortionate

Actually that's the Super Off Peak Return. The Off Peak Return is £204.40
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I have a gold card and zone 1-3 season, but not valid on east coast these days so maybe irrelevant.

The Season is valid on East Coast (in conjunction with a string of single/return tickets), but it's unlikely to be any cheaper to use it.

 

[bb21]

You haven't really said what time you would be able to leave on Friday or whether you were flexible at all.

The following itinerary may be able to save you a bit more if you are flexible with travel times and willing to put up with a change at York.

Friday 20th Feb

King's Cross 0908 - York 1130 £20.60 (East Coast)
plus
York 1208 - Newcastle 1317 £7.10 (TPE)

or if you cannot leave this early

King's Cross 1108 - York 1329 £28.40 (East Coast)
or
King's Cross 1121 - York 1320 £29.00 (Grand Central)
plus
York 1336 - Newcastle 1440 £15.70 (East Coast)
or
York 1408 - Newcastle 1512 £13.30 (TPE)

Similar prices are also available for the 1308 from King's Cross changing at York, arriving Newcastle around 2 hours later.

Sunday 22nd Feb

Newcastle 1804 - York 1913 £7.10 (TPE)
plus
York 1952 - King's Cross 2144 £29 (Grand Central)

or if you really fancy the last train of the day because it is the cheapest

Newcastle 2010 - York 2114 £7.10 (TPE)
plus
York 2135 - King's Cross 2359 £20.60 (East Coast)

Splitting at York is a good trick given that you can then take advantage of the competition between XC, TPE and East Coast north of York, and the cheaper prices on the two-hourly East Coast stopper south of there. Obviously you then lose the benefit of a direct train and all the hassle involved with changing trains, but then you do have the opportunity to nip into the tap for a drink or two so it really depends on what you would be most comfortable with.

Book on East Coast website for the discounted prices quoted travelling with EC.

 

[mikeg]

How about getting a Grand Central service to Sunderland and then Northern Rail/Metro to Newcastle?

The 1121 Grand Central to Sunderland going out has advances for £35.10 and arrives into Sunderland at 1451. If you're willing to go a little earlier, the 0802 is available for £26.90, though I appreciate it may be a little early. Coming back, the 1812 has a £35.10 advance. You'd then need to add a £3.40 single from Sunderland to Newcastle, and a £3.40 single from Newcastle to Sunderland. I appreciate it may be a bit indirect, but I don't think you're going to beat those prices.

 

[mildertduck]

If you're not fussed about the route you take:

Euston to Carlisle, Friday 1243 - £35
Carlisle to Newcastle, anytime return, £19.80
Carlisle to Euston, Sunday 1709 - £35

Total £89.80

 

[Crossover]

On the southbound 10:00am from Newcastle, you can achieve the same price, though you'd actually have to get off at Peterborough and catch the following train (from Leeds) 3 minutes later. (a risky strategy as any delay to the first train may mean that you miss the connection!).

I'm not sure that is such great advice to be giving - 3 mins at Peterborough is clearly under the minimum connection time for the station and thus, I wouldn't expect the TOC's to be all that helpful in accomodating a missed connection.

The time mentioned it also before the midday earliest start that the OP specified

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I'm not sure that is such great advice to be giving - 3 mins at Peterborough is clearly under the minimum connection time . . . .

Well of course you are quite correct, thanks.
I was really trying just to illustrate to class303 the general technique of looking for 'split tickets' on the east coast and leaving him to look for some that suit their group's plans.
Bb21 posted some better illustrations since my examples.
In practice I wouldn't expect any issues between 2 East Coast trains running out of sequence from Peterborough in this way and ticket acceptance when they do, but you are technically quite correct. Hopefully the general points I was making and illustrating were helpful.

 

[class303]

thanks all for your comments. some good ideas here.

 

[andythebrave]

Well of course you are quite correct, thanks.
I was really trying just to illustrate to class303 the general technique of looking for 'split tickets' on the east coast and leaving him to look for some that suit their group's plans.
Bb21 posted some better illustrations since my examples.
In practice I wouldn't expect any issues between 2 East Coast trains running out of sequence from Peterborough in this way and ticket acceptance when they do, but you are technically quite correct. Hopefully the general points I was making and illustrating were helpful.

My curiosity was piqued by the idea that a following service could depart Peterborough 3 minutes after the arrival of the first one. The 10:00 from Newcastle arrives around 30 minutes before the service from Leeds but does itself leave 2 minutes after its own arrival.

16:15 from Newcastle works with a split at Peterborough but without any need to change for £41.15.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Although as one ticket for the whole journey is less at £38.20 I'm not so sure that that split is particularly worthwhile!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Another trick that sometimes works is to look from Finsbury Park to Newcastle, or add a via point of St Neots on London to Newcastle. This tips you on to the Great Northern train from London to Peterborough and can sometimes (but not always) make things a little bit cheaper.