I'm planning a possible journey from Oxford to Stirling and back in a couple of weeks (which if it goes ahead will be my first Anglo-Scottish train journey, and only my second long-distance one of any kind, since pre-Covid). The not-London Off-Peak Return costs £165.90 according to brfares.com, so that should be the maximum that I have to pay. However, NRE is showing either no fares at all, or stupidly expensive ones -- going out on Saturday 29th May and back on Saturday 5th June, the best it offers for most of the day is two singles adding up to £350 (sometimes I can get the £183.40 Any Permitted off-peak to appear at the top of the screen, but without trains on which it is available in both directions). Using Trainsplit, flexible fares are still over £200, with Advances a bit less but still more expensive than the normal off-peak fare.
If I try Fridays 28th May and 4th June, NRE finds one train in each direction on which I can use the off-peak return, and no fares at all on most others. Trainsplit finds various flexible options slightly below the off-peak price, and Advances a bit cheaper again, but mostly only if I select the 'cheap' option, and there seem to be more changes than usual.
(Oddly, both NRE and Trainsplit seem to have a tendency to send me from Edinburgh to Stirling via Croy).
I presume this is to do with compulsory reservations and social distancing, plus for the Saturday journeys engineering works reducing the number of trains, but it very much gives the impression to the intending passenger that they aren't welcome back.
Moreover, I don't understand why Trainsplit would offer, for example, three separate off-peak returns split at Leamington and Newcastle and adding up to £225.00 instead of a through ticket at £165.90 -- surely all seats are either bookable with any valid ticket, or not available at all.
Presumably I could just buy an off-peak return with no reservations and take my chances, as long as I avoid LNER, but with Inter-City TOCs mostly at least theoretically requiring reservations (what is TPE's current policy?), that might be risky around a bank holiday weekend.
Can anyone add any useful information on what's going on or how best to deal with it?
If I try Fridays 28th May and 4th June, NRE finds one train in each direction on which I can use the off-peak return, and no fares at all on most others. Trainsplit finds various flexible options slightly below the off-peak price, and Advances a bit cheaper again, but mostly only if I select the 'cheap' option, and there seem to be more changes than usual.
(Oddly, both NRE and Trainsplit seem to have a tendency to send me from Edinburgh to Stirling via Croy).
I presume this is to do with compulsory reservations and social distancing, plus for the Saturday journeys engineering works reducing the number of trains, but it very much gives the impression to the intending passenger that they aren't welcome back.
Moreover, I don't understand why Trainsplit would offer, for example, three separate off-peak returns split at Leamington and Newcastle and adding up to £225.00 instead of a through ticket at £165.90 -- surely all seats are either bookable with any valid ticket, or not available at all.
Presumably I could just buy an off-peak return with no reservations and take my chances, as long as I avoid LNER, but with Inter-City TOCs mostly at least theoretically requiring reservations (what is TPE's current policy?), that might be risky around a bank holiday weekend.
Can anyone add any useful information on what's going on or how best to deal with it?