Oxenholme - London - Coventry - Newcastle

[mad_rich]

Hello folks. I wonder if you could suggest some tickets for the following journey.

7 Mar Newcastle - Oxenholme (departing NCL 0725)
8 Mar Oxenholme - London (mid morning)
11 Mar London - Coventry (mid morning)
12 Mar Coventry - Newcastle (afternoon)

I've already bought an Advance for the Newcastle - Carlisle portion, and I plan to take the 0934 Carlisle - Oxenholme, but I want the other tickets to be flexible, not Advance. No railcards.

I don't mind coming home Coventry-Newcastle via Carlisle (if necessary) so I assume that some combination of returns on the Carlisle-London route would be the best?

NCL CAR £11.90 Advance (already bought)
CAR OXN £9.10 Advance
OXN EUS £123.20 Off-peak return (I will break return journey in COV)
OXN CAR £14.50 Off peak single
CAR NCL £19.70 Any time single

Is there any other combination better than £179? I can't find any return fares for CAR OXN, so I assume I have to get singles here?

Many thanks.

Edited to add: I had thought there might be some sort of combination of North Country Rover + a return to London that somehow lets me travel via Coventry, but I don't think there's anything there?

 

[alistairlees]

7 Mar Newcastle - Oxenholme (departing NCL 0725)
8 Mar Oxenholme - London (mid morning)
11 May London - Coventry (mid morning)
12 May Coventry - Newcastle (afternoon)

Are the last two really in May or is that a typo?

 

[mad_rich]

Are the last two really in May or is that a typo?

Oops. You're right, it's March! Corrected

 

[30907]

CAR-OXN Offpeak Return is £20.80. Still needs a train that calls at OXN.
May not show up online because Avanti claim to be fully reservable.

If time is not of the essence, you could split at Crewe and use LNR thence to/from London - but you've then got to call at CRE on the return.

 

[wilbers]

Newcastle-Carlisle anytime return £25 would have been a better option if you hadn't already got the advance.

 

[Haywain]

Newcastle-Carlisle anytime return £25 would have been a better option if you hadn't already got the advance.

Similarly, Carlisle to Oxenholme Off Peak Return at £20.80, with a cheaper TPE only option also available.

I can't find any return fares for CAR OXN, so I assume I have to get singles here?

Possibly not showing because the Sunday services are not open for booking. Try an 'open return' option.

 

[mangyiscute]

Have noticed that BoJ is not permitted on an Oxenholme to London off-peak return (restriction code 3A) on the outbound journey.
Whether this would be an issue is very unlikely, as I highly doubt any staff at Coventry would know this, but you technically cannot split this journey at coventry
To get around this you can buy separate tickets from Oxenholme to Preston and then Preston to London (which does allow break of journey) but it does cost like £5 more

 

[Haywain]

Have noticed that BoJ is not permitted on an Oxenholme to London off-peak return (restriction code 3A) on the outbound journey.

The OP is proposing to break the return journey at Coventry.

 

[mad_rich]

Yes, it's the return portion I'd be breaking.

Thanks for the information bout the CAR OXN return. I wouldn't have found that.

Unfortunately, it looks like the return from COV isn't going to work, as there's no reasonable COV-CAR trains at all on Sunday for some reason.

 

[sonic2009]

Unfortunately, it looks like the return from COV isn't going to work, as there's no reasonable COV-CAR trains at all on Sunday for some reason.

There isn't any trains because of Engineering works at Preston. Trains from London/W Mids terminate at Wigan North Western with buses to Preston and Lancaster.

 

[30907]

There isn't any trains because of Engineering works at Preston. Trains from London/W Mids terminate at Wigan North Western with buses to Preston and Lancaster.

...or you can go via Manchester, but still bus to Lancaster.
I wonder if, using a CAR-EUS ticket rather than OXN-EUS you would be allowed exceptionally to do COV-LDS-CAR? I suspect not....

 

[mangyiscute]

I reckon your best bet is to purchase a Hexham to London super off peak return routed any permitted for £168.40, along with the Newcastle to Carlisle ticket you already have and the Carlisle to Oxenholme advance too. You can then travel from Oxenholme to London with this ticket, and from London to Coventry on this ticket. On the way back from Coventry, you can use this ticket to travel to Birmingham New Street, purchase a Birmingham to Derby single for £21.10 and then use the Hexham to London ticket for travel from Derby to Newcastle.
Overall this is a bit more expensive at £210.50, but it allows you to return via the east coast to Newcastle, hence avoiding the bus replacement at Preston.
(you can reduce it to £203.80 by instead purchasing a Coventry to Leicester ticket and avoiding Birmingham, but this would take longer since there are more changes involved)
I'm sure someone can come up with a cheaper option returning by this route, but this is the best I see

 

[Haywain]

On the way back from Coventry, you can use this ticket to travel to Birmingham New Street, purchase a Birmingham to Derby single for £21.10 and then use the Hexham to London ticket for travel from Derby to Newcastle.
Overall this is a bit more expensive at £210.50, but it allows you to return via the east coast to Newcastle, hence avoiding the bus replacement at Preston.
(you can reduce it to £203.80 by instead purchasing a Coventry to Leicester ticket and avoiding Birmingham, but this would take longer since there are more changes involved)
I'm sure someone can come up with a cheaper option returning by this route, but this is the best I see

That is misusing a ticket to 'hop' between permitted routes.

 

[mad_rich]

Even if that Hexham to London ticket didn't work this time, I think I could make use of it in the future, doing this route the other way round?

OUT Newcastle to King's Cross on LNER
RTN Euston to Coventry (break)
Conventry to Oxenholme (break)
Oxenholme to Hexham

-

In the event, for the current trip I booked an Advance from OXN to MAN, and then a £103.90 Off-peak return from MAN to EUS.

I think this can be broken at COV on the return portion, and then used as far as Tamworth before I buy a new ticket to NCL. Is that right?

I think also it would be valid via Sheffield on Midland Mainline (but only if I don't go via COV).

 

[mangyiscute]

Even if that Hexham to London ticket didn't work this time, I think I could make use of it in the future, doing this route the other way round?

OUT Newcastle to King's Cross on LNER
RTN Euston to Coventry (break)
Conventry to Oxenholme (break)
Oxenholme to Hexham

-

In the event, for the current trip I booked an Advance from OXN to MAN, and then a £103.90 Off-peak return from MAN to EUS.

I think this can be broken at COV on the return portion, and then used as far as Tamworth before I buy a new ticket to NCL. Is that right?

I think also it would be valid via Sheffield on Midland Mainline (but only if I don't go via COV).

Yes all that you said is correct - the hexham ticket would be perfectly fine for the journey you suggested - the one thing that can often be an issue is the fact that the outbound is only valid for one day, but since your outbound is just the Newcastle to London that is fine.
you can head up to Sheffield and then through the Hope Valley on the manchester ticket
Tamworth would be the last point that you could use the Manchester to London ticket, but assuming you go via Birmingham, make sure that you board a train that calls at Tamworth, otherwise you must buy a Birmingham to newcastle ticket.

 

[mad_rich]

Pefect. Thanks!