Optimal use of a Northern free return

[Iskra]

I've got a Northern complimentary return ticket to use. Please could someone advise on the most advantageous way to use it (ie which station destinations to choose) for the below scenario:

My objective is to travel from Meadowhall to cover my two remaining lines on the Northern network on a Saturday.

These lines are the Wigan-Kirkby branch and the Blackburn to Bolton lines. Ideally, I would like to travel out via the Hope Valley and return via the Calder Valley for variety. Can anyone suggest a station where that itinerary would be valid? I'm aware I will likely need to pay a little bit on a seperate ticket to get the Kirkby branch covered, but if there is a destination station that allows travel via the aforementioned routing and minimises additional spend- then that's the ideal station choice. Suggestions please?

 

[Watershed]

I've got a Northern complimentary return ticket to use. Please could someone advise on the most advantageous way to use it (ie which station destinations to choose) for the below scenario:

My objective is to travel from Meadowhall to cover my two remaining lines on the Northern network on a Saturday.

These lines are the Wigan-Kirkby branch and the Blackburn to Bolton lines. Ideally, I would like to travel out via the Hope Valley and return via the Calder Valley for variety. Can anyone suggest a station where that itinerary would be valid? I'm aware I will likely need to pay a little bit on a seperate ticket to get the Kirkby branch covered, but if there is a destination station that allows travel via the aforementioned routing and minimises additional spend- then that's the ideal station choice. Suggestions please?

I think Adwick to Kirkby ought to do the trick. At least on public fares, this passes the fares check for all associated Routeing Points - Doncaster, Wakefield and Swinton on the origin side, and Preston, Wigan and Liverpool on the destination side.

The validity between Wigan and Kirkby is clear; the validity between Blackburn and Bolton arises under map combination XW+DW to allow e.g. Kirkby-Wigan-Preston-Blackburn-Bolton-Manchester-Sheffield-Doncaster-Adwick, stopping short at Meadowhall.

 

[Iskra]

I think Adwick to Kirkby ought to do the trick. At least on public fares, this passes the fares check for all associated Routeing Points - Doncaster, Wakefield and Swinton on the origin side, and Preston, Wigan and Liverpool on the destination side.

The validity between Wigan and Kirkby is clear; the validity between Blackburn and Bolton arises under map combination XW+DW to allow e.g. Kirkby-Wigan-Preston-Blackburn-Bolton-Manchester-Sheffield-Doncaster-Adwick, stopping short at Meadowhall.

Thank you

 

[yorkie]

I've got a Northern complimentary return ticket to use..

What date is your trip? I may be able to swap it for a day ranger ticket, if you aren't travelling before 0930.

 

[Iskra]

What date is your trip? I may be able to swap it for a day ranger ticket, if you aren't travelling before 0930.

This Saturday. Thank you anyway though, that is very kind of you to offer, but this trip wouldn't really make full use of such a ticket.

 

[Iskra]

A further query: on such a Northern only return ticket if I put my start point as Meadowhall, end point as Whitby and then travelled Meadowhall-Leeds-Carlisle-Newcastle-Middlesbrough-Whitby and return, would that be viewed as okay? I'm not sure if it's actually physically possible to get there and back in a day, but I'd quite like to travel the S&C and Tyne Valley in a day and return, possibly the Durham Coast too.

 

[yorkie]

A further query: on such a Northern only return ticket if I put my start point as Meadowhall, end point as Whitby and then travelled Meadowhall-Leeds-Carlisle-Newcastle-Middlesbrough-Whitby and return, would that be viewed as okay? I'm not sure if it's actually physically possible to get there and back in a day, but I'd quite like to travel the S&C and Tyne Valley in a day and return, possibly the Durham Coast too.

Should be. Might be better to use a rover if you can though. When is your journey? (Sorry I forgot to do the exchange last time!)

 

[Iskra]

Just theoretical at this point, obviously the beauty of such a ticket is that I can travel at short notice without attracting additional expense And no problem at all.

 

[30907]

A further query: on such a Northern only return ticket if I put my start point as Meadowhall, end point as Whitby and then travelled Meadowhall-Leeds-Carlisle-Newcastle-Middlesbrough-Whitby and return, would that be viewed as okay? I'm not sure if it's actually physically possible to get there and back in a day, but I'd quite like to travel the S&C and Tyne Valley in a day and return, possibly the Durham Coast too.

I've done that (one way) starting from Shipley without problems. Out and back would be impossible even from there.
You'd need to pay something like Middlesborough-York to bridge the gap
(I actually used Coastliner bus to Malton, being of an advanced age)

 

[Iskra]

I've done that (one way) starting from Shipley without problems. Out and back would be impossible even from there.
You'd need to pay something like Middlesborough-York to bridge the gap
(I actually used Coastliner bus to Malton, being of an advanced age)

Thank you for sharing your experience

 

[mangyiscute]

Surely the best use of a single ticket would be to do Scarborough to Whitby via Hull, Leeds, Carlisle, Newcastle, Durham coast, Middlesborough and then from Whitby get a £2 bus back to Scarborough

 

[yorkie]

Surely the best use of a single ticket would be to do Scarborough to Whitby via Hull, Leeds, Carlisle, Newcastle, Durham coast, Middlesborough and then from Whitby get a £2 bus back to Scarborough

For someone who loves on Scarborough and wants to travel literally all day (at very slow speeds) , maybe. Does the timetable allow this?

 

[Kite159]

.

For someone who loves on Scarborough and wants to travel literally all day (at very slow speeds) , maybe. Does the timetable allow this?

A quick play on RTT for a Saturday and it is possible to get from Scarborough to Whitby by Northern in a day.
Depart Scarborough on the 06;53 train, changing at Hull, Leeds, Carlisle & Hexham* for a Whitby arrival at 19;32. Although depends on engineering works.

However I don't think you can get away from Whitby by bus to Scarborough that time of night, the last X93 is at 18;41. I suspect if you wanted to do something like that you will be best changing to the bus at Middlesbrough.
The first bus from Scarborough towards Whitby just about misses the 08;45 train (bus arrives at 08;45) so doing it anticlockwise doesn't quite work

(* The Whitby train starts from Hexham, other stops are available)

 

[mangyiscute]

You could feasibly do it either way round starting in Whitby - you either get the early bus to Scarborough and connect onto the 13:18 Leeds to Carlisle train and don't get back to Whitby until 22:16, or the other way round you get the half 6 train out of Whitby and you end up with an 8 minute connection onto the last bus from Scarborough to Whitby

 

[Efini92]

If you have any friends or family that work for northern, ask them if you can have a friends and family ticket. That will cover you for all of northerns network.

 

[zero]

You could feasibly do it either way round starting in Whitby - you either get the early bus to Scarborough and connect onto the 13:18 Leeds to Carlisle train and don't get back to Whitby until 22:16, or the other way round you get the half 6 train out of Whitby and you end up with an 8 minute connection onto the last bus from Scarborough to Whitby

I planned something like this once, but I realised it didn't make sense as I'd need to pay to get to and from Whitby/Scarborough, negating the point of the ticket being free. Plus accommodation (or have to drive to and from Whitby overnight) Though in the end I happened to be so delayed on the trip that I got another free ticket.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

... I'd need to pay to get to and from Whitby/Scarborough, negating the point of the ticket being free.

How much is the bus fare just now? £2 maybe?

 

[mangyiscute]

I'd need to pay to get to and from Whitby/Scarborough, negating the point of the ticket being free.

So doing this journey for £2 compared to say £40 (what it may normally be) is not worth it?