What do you like to get out of an ALR?

anti-pacer · 16 Jan 2018

When I did mine I decided to get a 1st Class one as I wanted the better seating, generally quieter coaches, food and drink, and private sleeper cabins for the added supplement.

I'm not an enthusiast so have zero interest in train numbers, what unit I'm travelling on, etc. I am interested in what stock I'm riding on but that's as far as it goes. Anyway, what I also wanted was to see as much as the country as I could fit into a week, but not in any logical geographical order. I liked the idea of spending most of the day on the train and being at one of the country, finishing at the other end. For example, travelling from St Ives in Cornwall up to Holyhead one day, the next from Holyhead to Wakefield via London and Cromer.

What do you like to get out of an ALR and why?

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Shaw S Hunter · 16 Jan 2018

It's nearly 40 years since I did my first one and my priorities have changed quite a bit over the years. Initially it was all about line bashing though short branches tended to get ignored. Hence I once did the HOWL with class 120 dmus on a summer Saturday when I could have had who knows what exotic loco haulage somewhere else! When loco haulage was revived in the 1980s I started paying more attention to that helped by the publication of some diagram information though in pre-internet times it was always a touch out of date. When Sprinterisation started to hit the loco opportunities I went back to routes but fitting in more branches. In the 1990s I started doing railtours which met my desire for interesting traction so ALRs were often about racing around the country with "boring" HSTs/electrics to link up pockets of local line coverage.

Then came privatisation and I lost interest for a number of years. When I got "back in the game" in the 2000s I found myself revisiting lines that I hadn't been over for very many years which was quite nostalgic especially south of the Thames where all the Mk1 emus had been replaced. However it's been a while since I did an ALR simply because so many trains are so busy/crowded that the relaxation factor has been seriously eroded. I have always enjoyed just looking out of the window and so scenic lines have remained of interest throughout. One challenge is sampling traction on everyday routes where new stock is due: in fact the rate of change in that regard is currently so high that it's impossible to keep up but it does provide ongoing interest.

One way of getting the best out of an ALR is to use overnight services. Back in the day these were quite plentiful and gave a lot of scope for varying your plans at the last minute. The remaining Sleeper network is much less useful in this regard. I have also found that as I've got older I find overnight trains less and less comfortable and a static overnight in a pre-booked hotel is much more acceptable than would have been the case when I started.

I have never been the least bit interested in sampling 1st Class, I can think of better ways of spending my money! As an aside during one autumn there was a lot of discussion on here about ways of maximising the freebie opportunities on a 1st Class ALR only for the following January fares revision to introduce quite significant am peak restrictions on most of the operators providing such facilities: I do not think this was a co-incidence.

One of the more interesting challenges is covering all lines west of Plymouth in a single day. By using the sleeper in at least one direction it's perfectly do-able but involves quite a lot of detailed planning. The first time I tried I started off the Down Night Riviera at Plymouth for the first Gunnislake and gradually worked my way west to finish up on the Up Night Riviera. But the last attempt failed when a 221 on just 2 engines eventually gave up the ghost and destroyed my carefully crafted plan. OTOH the beauty of an ALR is there is no real penalty to changing plans and I ended up with an unexpected lunch break in Newquay where the fish and chips were absolutely delicious!

An obvious tip is take good care of your ticket. This should go without saying but you never know. I have always avoided putting one through a ticket gate: they almost never work so it's pretty pointless and I'll happily wait for the gateline operator to inspect it manually even though most of them have no idea what the ticket is when they see it. And don't lose it! I managed to do so once; thankfully it was on day 6 (of 7) and I was relatively close to home so the replacement ticket didn't break the bank. And I have never lost a ticket since: lesson learned!

anti-pacer · 16 Jan 2018

Shaw S Hunter said:
It's nearly 40 years since I did my first one and my priorities have changed quite a bit over the years. Initially it was all about line bashing though short branches tended to get ignored. Hence I once did the HOWL with class 120 dmus on a summer Saturday when I could have had who knows what exotic loco haulage somewhere else! When loco haulage was revived in the 1980s I started paying more attention to that helped by the publication of some diagram information though in pre-internet times it was always a touch out of date. When Sprinterisation started to hit the loco opportunities I went back to routes but fitting in more branches. In the 1990s I started doing railtours which met my desire for interesting traction so ALRs were often about racing around the country with "boring" HSTs/electrics to link up pockets of local line coverage.

Then came privatisation and I lost interest for a number of years. When I got "back in the game" in the 2000s I found myself revisiting lines that I hadn't been over for very many years which was quite nostalgic especially south of the Thames where all the Mk1 emus had been replaced. However it's been a while since I did an ALR simply because so many trains are so busy/crowded that the relaxation factor has been seriously eroded. I have always enjoyed just looking out of the window and so scenic lines have remained of interest throughout. One challenge is sampling traction on everyday routes where new stock is due: in fact the rate of change in that regard is currently so high that it's impossible to keep up but it does provide ongoing interest.

One way of getting the best out of an ALR is to use overnight services. Back in the day these were quite plentiful and gave a lot of scope for varying your plans at the last minute. The remaining Sleeper network is much less useful in this regard. I have also found that as I've got older I find overnight trains less and less comfortable and a static overnight in a pre-booked hotel is much more acceptable than would have been the case when I started.

I have never been the least bit interested in sampling 1st Class, I can think of better ways of spending my money! As an aside during one autumn there was a lot of discussion on here about ways of maximising the freebie opportunities on a 1st Class ALR only for the following January fares revision to introduce quite significant am peak restrictions on most of the operators providing such facilities: I do not think this was a co-incidence.

One of the more interesting challenges is covering all lines west of Plymouth in a single day. By using the sleeper in at least one direction it's perfectly do-able but involves quite a lot of detailed planning. The first time I tried I started off the Down Night Riviera at Plymouth for the first Gunnislake and gradually worked my way west to finish up on the Up Night Riviera. But the last attempt failed when a 221 on just 2 engines eventually gave up the ghost and destroyed my carefully crafted plan. OTOH the beauty of an ALR is there is no real penalty to changing plans and I ended up with an unexpected lunch break in Newquay where the fish and chips were absolutely delicious!

An obvious tip is take good care of your ticket. This should go without saying but you never know. I have always avoided putting one through a ticket gate: they almost never work so it's pretty pointless and I'll happily wait for the gateline operator to inspect it manually even though most of them have no idea what the ticket is when they see it. And don't lose it! I managed to do so once; thankfully it was on day 6 (of 7) and I was relatively close to home so the replacement ticket didn't break the bank. And I have never lost a ticket since: lesson learned!

Good read, thank you.

I must admit, the week I did mine, the only disappointment in First Class was the lack of breakfast on the one EMT train I used with First Class. However, like you've pointed out, there is no penalty for changing plans last minute. I found myself doing just that in the lounge at Derby station, thinking the country was mine for the taking, whilst enjoying some free refreshments. I knew I had to be in Swansea that evening as I had a Travelodge booked, but it mattered not a jot which way I got there. I went via Winchester, Weymouth, Bath and Bristol as I'd originally planned, albeit not via Leicester, Nuneaton and Coventry, but direct from Derby to Winchester.

I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much in Standard Class, simply because I find First Class comfier, and as it was a week off work and in effect a holiday, I quite enjoyed the service. Apart from AGA, and the unfortunate EMT fiasco, I had great service. Food and drink was plentiful and I don't think I've drank so much pure orange juice in my life. I also brought various goodies home with me.

I agree about the sleepers and during my week I used two (London-St Erth and Fort William-London). I remember being on the ferry from Portsmouth to Ryde late one morning thinking, "This time yesterday I was in Glasgow, an hour before boarding the train up to Mallaig". I also remember standing that afternoon on Brockenhurst station on my way back up to Wakefield, thinking, "I'm coming back through here tomorrow, but going all the way home to West Yorkshire first". I just loved being able to zig-zag across the country in any order I pleased, and boy did I do that!

Friends thought I was mad that I went to St Ives in Cornwall for all of 30 minutes. I spent the same amount of time in Mallaig, and only an hour in Broadstairs. The longest I stayed in one place was both Cromer and Weymouth at just over 2 hours, followed by Cardiff at 90 minutes. I didn't matter though. I'd never been to Cornwall, or on the West Highlands Line, but I have now. I will go back to both but next time for longer. It was all about sampling as many journeys as I could, covering as much of the UK as possible, and enjoying in most cases the First Class offerings which in most cases were good.

Another thing that surprised my friends was the cost, which when I did it was £731. Given how expensive train fares are in this country, and given I travelled First Class with all its offerings, travelling all over the UK for just over £100 a day I thought was pretty good value.

EDIT TO LAST POST: Also, agreed about looking after the ticket. I still actually have it in my wallet, and apart from the print fading, it's in great condition. I do remember periodic checking of said ticket to make sure it was still there though, and luckily I didn't lose it.

TT-ONR-NRN · 16 Jan 2018

anti-pacer said:
Good read, thank you.

I must admit, the week I did mine, the only disappointment in First Class was the lack of breakfast on the one EMT train I used with First Class. However, like you've pointed out, there is no penalty for changing plans last minute. I found myself doing just that in the lounge at Derby station, thinking the country was mine for the taking, whilst enjoying some free refreshments. I knew I had to be in Swansea that evening as I had a Travelodge booked, but it mattered not a jot which way I got there. I went via Winchester, Weymouth, Bath and Bristol as I'd originally planned, albeit not via Leicester, Nuneaton and Coventry, but direct from Derby to Winchester.

I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much in Standard Class, simply because I find First Class comfier, and as it was a week off work and in effect a holiday, I quite enjoyed the service. Apart from AGA, and the unfortunate EMT fiasco, I had great service. Food and drink was plentiful and I don't think I've drank so much pure orange juice in my life. I also brought various goodies home with me.

I agree about the sleepers and during my week I used two (London-St Erth and Fort William-London). I remember being on the ferry from Portsmouth to Ryde late one morning thinking, "This time yesterday I was in Glasgow, an hour before boarding the train up to Mallaig". I also remember standing that afternoon on Brockenhurst station on my way back up to Wakefield, thinking, "I'm coming back through here tomorrow, but going all the way home to West Yorkshire first". I just loved being able to zig-zag across the country in any order I pleased, and boy did I do that!

Friends thought I was mad that I went to St Ives in Cornwall for all of 30 minutes. I spent the same amount of time in Mallaig, and only an hour in Broadstairs. The longest I stayed in one place was both Cromer and Weymouth at just over 2 hours, followed by Cardiff at 90 minutes. I didn't matter though. I'd never been to Cornwall, or on the West Highlands Line, but I have now. I will go back to both but next time for longer. It was all about sampling as many journeys as I could, covering as much of the UK as possible, and enjoying in most cases the First Class offerings which in most cases were good.

Another thing that surprised my friends was the cost, which when I did it was £731. Given how expensive train fares are in this country, and given I travelled First Class with all its offerings, travelling all over the UK for just over £100 a day I thought was pretty good value.

Oh, please do a report on that! I would love reading that, reading about what first class freebies were handed out, how the service was, where you went etc

507021 · 16 Jan 2018

I usually go to an area I haven't covered and go on long-distance journeys.

If I ever do another ALR, it will be the South Coast and East Anglia.

anti-pacer · 16 Jan 2018

TT-ONR-NRN said:
Oh, please do a report on that! I would love reading that, reading about what first class freebies were handed out, how the service was, where you went etc

I did a post on it, although since I posted it in June 2016, one of the days has disappeared. It was there but now isn't.

Mike99 · 16 Jan 2018

My last ALR was back in late September early October 2017, 1st class 14 day as a treat, I live on the South Coast so planned a few days overnight stop in Ibis next to Shipley station, which Ive done before, its cheaper than Leeds hotels and has a very good service, although two of the days of the three I was based there Northern were on strike so it took a bit of additional planning to get round that. I had a few stray bits of track in Northern land that I needed to cross off, Morecambe to Heysham, also the 17.16 ex Leeds, Goole service I needed the bit from Knottingly to Goole, couple of other odd bits, I also needed to clear some track around Glasgow so a couple of nights at the Premier Inn above Charing Cross station is ideal for such work. On the subject of doing spur of the moment trips, I planned an overnight in Doncaster on a Friday night to position myself for a early departure via Retford to do a 'SO' trip Worksop through to Grimsby and then return to do the Barton on Humber branch. I arrived at Doncaster (from the Leeds - Goole journey) for about 19.45, so I had a choice of check into the hotel or 'zip' down to Kings Cross on 1A49 the 19.48 arrives KGX 21.26 and then a quick change of platform for the 1D33 21.35 Leeds service back to Doncaster at 23.32 which all worked well and I did just that. No reason to do it other than I could, saved sitting in the hotel on my own till bed time. I like to have a plan for an ALR but its also nice to go where the mood takes me. I also fitted in the 17.16 ex CDF to enjoy a meal on the train as well!!.

anti-pacer · 16 Jan 2018

Mike99 said:
I also fitted in the 17.16 ex CDF to enjoy a meal on the train as well!!.

Me too! One of the highlights of my trip. I did it end to end, had a few hours kip in the Holyhead Travelodge, then the next morning I travelled home to Wakefield... via London, Norwich, Cromer, Norwich again, and Peterborough... like one does! :lol:

cambsy · 16 Jan 2018

I started doing 7 day ALR’s about 25 years ago, back then it was standard class, bashing 37’s in Scotland, on the Kyle, Aberdeen and West Highland lines, with overnighters on the Edinburgh-Fort William portions, for bus to Inverness from Spean Bridge, then more 37’s from Inverness, and double headed 37’s on load 16 on the Euston-Inverness sleepers, had some right mad times with the bashing fraternity, also had a lot of 86 and 87’s for haulage on the WML, as loco haulage dwindled and gotten older, what I have looked for out of my 7 day ALR’s has changed, to where now I look for a nice relaxing break, lots of travel, nice bit of indulgence, so to achieve this I go first class, as its relaxing, get free food and drink, sit in first class lounges between trains, freshen up in the showers, and private berth on sleepers, My plan evolves mainly around Virgin trains, because of complimentary offering, and Caledonian sleepers, though this time On one of the days, I’m doing the GWR IET’s Padd to Bristol run and to Swansea run to try them out thoroughly,

I plan to start Tiverton Parkway on the 4th Feb, fairly early, and end back Tiverton Parkway Sat 10th Feb late evening, will use sleepers for 6 nights, 5 nights on Caledonian and one Night Riviera, and because am out solid for the 7 days, this where the free showers come in very handy, so can de rancify, Ill cover about 8-9000 miles, though travelling and realaxing in comfort, am still hitting it pretty hard, with generally 1-2 hours between trains, and quite possibly 20 or so hours in some days, will be spent on travelling on trains.

I once in my early days of ALR’s decided to see if could match the then current record of over 10.000 miles in a week, even thought about going for record but decided didn’t want the aggro of setting it up just for it to fail, so I just went to see how many could do, and I managed just over 10.500, which needed all trains to run pretty much on time, including sleepers, and was basically up and down the East Coast all day and lowland sleepers every night, with during the day about 2-4 hours on the trains, with 20 mins for connections day after day, train after train, and by the end of that I was whacked out on travel but happy with what I managed to do.

Shaw S Hunter · 16 Jan 2018

Mike99 said:
No reason to do it other than I could
(snip)
I like to have a plan for an ALR but its also nice to go where the mood takes me.

This, to me, is the ideal attitude to take towards an ALR. Have a plan to help you achieve your goals but accept that the plan isn't everything. At some point the chances are that something will go wrong but that doesn't have to spoil the fun, just do some other jaunt instead!

Mike99 · 17 Jan 2018

cambsy said:
I started doing 7 day ALR’s about 25 years ago, back then it was standard class, bashing 37’s in Scotland, on the Kyle, Aberdeen and West Highland lines, with overnighters on the Edinburgh-Fort William portions, for bus to Inverness from Spean Bridge, then more 37’s from Inverness, and double headed 37’s on load 16 on the Euston-Inverness sleepers, had some right mad times with the bashing fraternity, also had a lot of 86 and 87’s for haulage on the WML, as loco haulage dwindled and gotten older, what I have looked for out of my 7 day ALR’s has changed, to where now I look for a nice relaxing break, lots of travel, nice bit of indulgence, so to achieve this I go first class, as its relaxing, get free food and drink, sit in first class lounges between trains, freshen up in the showers, and private berth on sleepers, My plan evolves mainly around Virgin trains, because of complimentary offering, and Caledonian sleepers, though this time On one of the days, I’m doing the GWR IET’s Padd to Bristol run and to Swansea run to try them out thoroughly,

I plan to start Tiverton Parkway on the 4th Feb, fairly early, and end back Tiverton Parkway Sat 10th Feb late evening, will use sleepers for 6 nights, 5 nights on Caledonian and one Night Riviera, and because am out solid for the 7 days, this where the free showers come in very handy, so can de rancify, Ill cover about 8-9000 miles, though travelling and realaxing in comfort, am still hitting it pretty hard, with generally 1-2 hours between trains, and quite possibly 20 or so hours in some days, will be spent on travelling on trains.

I once in my early days of ALR’s decided to see if could match the then current record of over 10.000 miles in a week, even thought about going for record but decided didn’t want the aggro of setting it up just for it to fail, so I just went to see how many could do, and I managed just over 10.500, which needed all trains to run pretty much on time, including sleepers, and was basically up and down the East Coast all day and lowland sleepers every night, with during the day about 2-4 hours on the trains, with 20 mins for connections day after day, train after train, and by the end of that I was whacked out on travel but happy with what I managed to do.

Thanks for posting, all very interesting

mrcheek · 18 Jan 2018

Shaw S Hunter said:
However it's been a while since I did an ALR simply because so many trains are so busy/crowded that the relaxation factor has been seriously eroded.

I have never been the least bit interested in sampling 1st Class, I can think of better ways of spending my money! !

Sometimes, the answer is just staring you in the face.

I have done 10 ALRs. I basically do one every year now. I always go for two weeks, and I always go First Class. The difference in price between standard and first really isnt that much on an ALR, and its worth the extra, not for the free food and drink, but because on long distance services First Class more or less guarantees you a seat. and a seat on your own as well!

Initially I just wanted to do as much travelling as possible. Over time, I have tried to ensure that I always cover at least a few new lines each year. But Ive done most of the best ones now, the main lines I havent done are inner city and commuter lines around London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow.

Whilst I would obviously like to cover every line in the country eventually, I find that after a few years, there are lots of places that I want to go back to, so Ill often do a journey I have already done rather than doing something new just for the sake of it.

Essentially, I guess my main aim is just to travel as much as possible, since I find train travel so relaxing.

In all these years, I have never once used a sleeper, since its hard to enjoy a journey when you cant see anything.

robbeech · 18 Jan 2018

Seems to be a trend here. I have done a few, I like to try to do one every year if time allows, I didn’t manage last year but I did do 2 in 2016.
I like to plan fairly carefully but I am open to different things on the day if I feel like it.
I’ve only ever done first class ones but I don’t feel I haven’t had good value if I don’t spend all day sat in first eating and drinking. I’ve done lots of standard class only little branch lines on them with an intercity run either end to get me in the right place for the next day.
I’ve never had enough consecutive days to do a 14 day one. And to be honest usually when I’ve finished a 7 day one I’m ready for a break from being on a train.

PeterY · 18 Jan 2018

I'm reading this thread with great interest.

I've never done an ALR but now I've just turned 60 (1/3 off), I intend to do an ALR 1st class in April because there'll be more daylight . I've no real target, distance wise and I don't go for unit numbers either but I do like the idea of being able to jump on and off most trains.

During February I shall get out my free UK GWR Network map and "sort of" plan a route. I do like the suggestion of staying in Shipley instead of Leeds and it had also crossed my mind to stop in Skegness for 1 night. Living in Hemel Hempstead the 10am restriction is a bit of a pain but a forum member said it's OK to start making my way up north using Hull trains early morning. I shall also be coming home for 1 night Saturday to Sunday, it cuts my luggage by 50% (and my own bed

)

anti-pacer · 18 Jan 2018

PeterY said:
I'm reading this thread with great interest.

I've never done an ALR but now I've just turned 60 (1/3 off), I intend to do an ALR 1st class in April because there'll be more daylight . I've no real target, distance wise and I don't go for unit numbers either but I do like the idea of being able to jump on and off most trains.

During February I shall get out my free UK GWR Network map and "sort of" plan a route. I do like the suggestion of staying in Shipley instead of Leeds and it had also crossed my mind to stop in Skegness for 1 night. Living in Hemel Hempstead the 10am restriction is a bit of a pain but a forum member said it's OK to start making my way up north using Hull trains early morning. I shall also be coming home for 1 night Saturday to Sunday, it cuts my luggage by 50% (and my own bed)

The restrictions apply on VTEC, VTWC and EMT, and also XC (although only at Birmingham NS). If you're only having night at home in Hemel, and that's at the weekend, you won't be restricted there. Also, on your first day, you could also use GN services north to Peterborough, LNR services north or south from Hemel. AGA and GWR services are not restricted, nor are any of the TOC's south of London.

Another suggestion would be to start on the Riveria Sleeper, but from Reading where your ALR will be valid as it's after midnight. Maybe buy a 1st Class ticket from Paddington to Reading for the Sleeper train, and that way you could use the lounge at Paddington where free wine is readily available. Also, by starting your ALR just after midnight, you've effectively positioned yourself to a different part of the country before you would have normally started.

Just a thought anyway.

Mike99 · 19 Jan 2018

PeterY said:
I'm reading this thread with great interest.

I've never done an ALR but now I've just turned 60 (1/3 off), I intend to do an ALR 1st class in April because there'll be more daylight . I've no real target, distance wise and I don't go for unit numbers either but I do like the idea of being able to jump on and off most trains.

During February I shall get out my free UK GWR Network map and "sort of" plan a route. I do like the suggestion of staying in Shipley instead of Leeds and it had also crossed my mind to stop in Skegness for 1 night. Living in Hemel Hempstead the 10am restriction is a bit of a pain but a forum member said it's OK to start making my way up north using Hull trains early morning. I shall also be coming home for 1 night Saturday to Sunday, it cuts my luggage by 50% (and my own bed)

The Ibis Shipley is about 4-5 mins walk from Shipley Station most of that time taken with waiting at the traffic lights to cross a large road junction between the two, its ideal to cover a lot of Northern routes as Leeds and Bradford FS are only 15 minutes or so away, also going north Carlisle is 2 and a bit hours plus a ride on S&C to boot. On an ALR I've done Shipley to Carlisle and Carlisle to Glasgow via Dumfries which makes for a nice ride.

Andy Pacer · 21 Jan 2018

Silly question time - I plan on doing my first ALR in July, when the time comes so we just purchase it from a ticket office as normal?

cambsy · 21 Jan 2018

You can purchase an ALR from ticket office as Normal, though smaller ticket offices can struggle a bit to do, as it is quite an usual ticket, I’m doing a 7 day 1st class ALR in 2 weeks, and am getting ticket and some reservations this week, if you want any advice or help just ask me.

backontrack · 21 Jan 2018

I've never had one, but if ever I got one then I'd be tackling as much of the country's scenic lines as I could, doing the West Highland and Kyle Lines (with a day on Skye), using things like friends and the two sleepers to overnight.

fowler9 · 21 Jan 2018

backontrack said:
I've never had one, but if ever I got one then I'd be tackling as much of the country's scenic lines as I could, doing the West Highland and Kyle Lines (with a day on Skye), using things like friends and the two sleepers to overnight.

Yeah, I've never done an ALR but I would definitely do the Kyle line and the far north (Already visited the West Highland all the way to Mallaig, still got to visit Oban). Also I have to see more of the west country. I have also never travelled on the HOW line so that would be on the list.

Andy Pacer · 21 Jan 2018

cambsy said:
You can purchase an ALR from ticket office as Normal, though smaller ticket offices can struggle a bit to do, as it is quite an usual ticket, I’m doing a 7 day 1st class ALR in 2 weeks, and am getting ticket and some reservations this week, if you want any advice or help just ask me.

Thanks, i'll pm you if thats ok

ashworth · 22 Jan 2018

Mike99 said:
The Ibis Shipley is about 4-5 mins walk from Shipley Station most of that time taken with waiting at the traffic lights to cross a large road junction between the two, its ideal to cover a lot of Northern routes as Leeds and Bradford FS are only 15 minutes or so away, also going north Carlisle is 2 and a bit hours plus a ride on S&C to boot. On an ALR I've done Shipley to Carlisle and Carlisle to Glasgow via Dumfries which makes for a nice ride.

The Bradford Central Premier Inn is also a good central base to stay to cover lots of routes in the north. Far cheaper prices than Leeds with most nights available at approx £35 if booked a few weeks in advance. It’s also one of the better Premier Inns that I have stayed in. Bradford Interchange so close its visible from the hotel and only a few minutes walk through the nearby shopping centre to Forster Square.

James Wake · 22 Jan 2018

I've done three All Line Rovers. I always set off with a plan, but as has been mentioned, sometimes I just go with the flow and change it a bit to get a bit more in or less if I need some rest. I found on my first ALR I was doing too much and had too many heavy days and as a result I was very tired for a lot of it. My third ALR in September 2017 I did plenty of GWR HSTs, including the diverts from Paddington to Swindon via Greenford and Oxford Parkway to clear that track, finished off the Norfolk branches, did the Cambrian Coast, Ffestiniog, Northern area routes, the Brigg line and a little bit of TPE. My first one I did the Skye Circular amongst other things, doing Three Bridges-St Pancras-Edinburgh-Inverness on a Sunday, then Inverness-Kyle-Armadale-Mallaig-Dalmuir-Glasgow Central on Monday.

PeterY · 22 Jan 2018

I'm not quite at the planning stage yet for my 7 day ALR but I've been around most London termini over the last two days picking up various free timetables . I do love timetables.

.

Shaw S Hunter · 23 Jan 2018

James Wake said:
I've done three All Line Rovers. I always set off with a plan, but as has been mentioned, sometimes I just go with the flow and change it a bit to get a bit more in or less if I need some rest. I found on my first ALR I was doing too much and had too many heavy days and as a result I was very tired for a lot of it. My third ALR in September 2017 I did plenty of GWR HSTs, including the diverts from Paddington to Swindon via Greenford and Oxford Parkway to clear that track, finished off the Norfolk branches, did the Cambrian Coast, Ffestiniog, Northern area routes, the Brigg line and a little bit of TPE. My first one I did the Skye Circular amongst other things, doing Three Bridges-St Pancras-Edinburgh-Inverness on a Sunday, then Inverness-Kyle-Armadale-Mallaig-Dalmuir-Glasgow Central on Monday.

This is a very good point. During the planning of a rover trip all sorts of overnight moves look like great ways of cramming in more of the country but if you are insufficiently rested there is nothing quite like the feel of wheels on rails to set you dozing off! But if you feel young enough to handle that situation then I say go for it. Just imagine how things can be if you extend your horizons to the European mainland...

cambsy · 23 Jan 2018

Just to give a taste of what I like to get out of my rover, here’s my plan at the moment, all sleepers are in berths,

Sun 4th Feb
10.31 TIVERTON-PLY
12.52 PLY-MAN PIC
Any train to Euston
23.28 EUS-GLASGOW[sleeper]

Mon 5th Feb
07.37 GLASGOW-EUS
14.00 KINGS CROSS-ABERDEEN
21.43 ABERDEEN-EUS[sleeper]

Tue 6th Feb
10.00 EUS-MAN
12.55 MAN-EUS
18.03 PADDINGTON-PAR
22.56 PAR-PADDINGTON[sleeper]

Wed 7th Feb
06.30 PADDINGTON- BRISTOL TM
08.30 BRISTOL TM-PADDINGTON
10.45 PADDINGTON-SWANSEA
14.29 SWANSEA-PADDINGTON
21.15 EUS-AVIEMORE[sleeper]

Thurs 7th Feb
08.31 AVIEMORE-KINGS CROSS
17.40 EUS-CREWE
19.29 CREWE-EUS
23.50 EUS-GLAS[sleeper]

Fri 9th FEB
07.37 GLAGOW-EUS
14.00 KINGS CROSS-ABERDEEN
21.43 ABERDEEN-EUS[sleeper]

Sat 10th Feb
08.30 EUS-GLAS
13.40 GLAS-EUS
20.03 PADDINGTON-TIVERTON

Some of the plan may well change as go along, either because of delays or fancy something bit different, I plan my days around the sleepers as they are the one train I have to make, and I like to try go North one night and south the next, should be a good trip.

D841 Roebuck · 26 Jan 2018

No plans to do one (or money, either). But if I did, it would be a two week second class affair.

I'd have three objectives:
Clear the last few bits of GB track I've not traveled over.
Travel on every TOC
Travel on or behind all possible types of unit or loco, with particular emphasis on the latter.

I had a dibble on Real Time Trains to start a potential plan. Starting at just after midnight on Monday from Preston, this involved the sleeper to Perth, then to Cowdenbeath via the required North to West curve at Glenrothes, do the two loco hauled turns into Edinburgh, then the Tweedbank branch, over to Glasgow via Shotts (both required) then bash around Glasgow before the 21:05 across to Edinburgh via the suburban line, out to Kirkcaldy, then the sleeper south ready for a day in Kent and along the North downs...

Must start saving up!

eastwestdivide · 26 Jan 2018

Shaw S Hunter said:
This is a very good point. During the planning of a rover trip all sorts of overnight moves look like great ways of cramming in more of the country but if you are insufficiently rested there is nothing quite like the feel of wheels on rails to set you dozing off! But if you feel young enough to handle that situation then I say go for it. Just imagine how things can be if you extend your horizons to the European mainland...

The relentless tiring travelling is certainly a factor.
On the plus side, European ALRs (i.e. Interrail tickets) can be bought as X days in Y (even 3 days within 1 month for some), so you can alternate days travelling with days in one place recovering/exploring locally, without wasting validity on your ticket.
If only they'd do that with the UK tickets, I'd consider having one again.

cambsy · 26 Jan 2018

The relentless travelling can be a factor if were using seats a lot overnight, I have done it that way when younger, but as got older I prefer a more relaxed ALR so go First Class and use berths for 6 nights, but it’s costing me 470 on top of ticket to use berths for 6 nights, which piles up the cost to about 1500 for the week, which include everything, any meals, taxis, berths etc, but well worth it in my opinion.

noddy1878 · 26 Jan 2018

I’ve only done one ALR but loved every minute of it. I left Plymouth on a Friday night with the intention of getting an PLY - TOT ticket so the rover kicked in after midnight. The guard just let it go. I used the Cally sleeper every night (except the sat as it obviously doesn’t run) in a seat. Was I tired? Yes, but adrenaline kept me going and I even bolted an additional last day on to the end and went to east anglia with a mate!

Would love to do another but not sure my wife would let me :lol:

I have since done the GBRF four day charity tour (and planning to do this years) and normally do something before that too so that tends to see me away from home for nearly seven days anyway!

What do you like to get out of an ALR?

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