Sandwell - Nottingham via Leicester

Evening all,
Wonder if anyone can help advise - as I am having a little trouble trying to plan a journey this weekend and which ticket(s) would be the most cost effective/cheapest.

I need to get from Sandwell & Dudley or Birmingham New Street to Nottingham on this Saturday - arriving around 10:30am.

After 5pm on the same day I will be continuing my journey - into Leicester that evening.

I’ll be then working the Sunday in Leicester itself before travelling back to Birmingham at around 5pm on Sunday evening.

Can anyone with good knowledge of the ticketing system, restrictions and Permitted Routes be able to advise exactly what ticket or combination of I will require to make the journey for the best cost?

My starter for ten would be to get a Birmingham to Loughborough off-peak return for £21.85 that is valid via either Derby or Leicester. On Saturday, you would travel via Derby, where you would break journey - but stay on the same train to Nottingham using a Derby to Nottingham day return costing £7.65 that you had already purchased. On Saturday evening, you would use your Nottingham to Derby ticket to travel back to Derby. At Derby you would resume your journey to Loughborough. You would start your return journey from Loughborough immediately you arrived there, travelling via Leicester. You needn't get off at Loughborough, but you must use a train that stops there. You would break journey at Leicester, completing your journey from Leicester direct to Birmingham on Sunday evening.

On Saturday evening, instead of going via Derby, you could catch a train direct from Nottingham to Leicester, provided that it calls at both East Midlands Parkway and Loughborough. Your Nottingham to Derby ticket is valid via East Midlands, your Birmingham to Loughborough ticket would then cover you from East Midlands to Loughborough, and your Loughborough to Birmingham ticket would get you to Leicester. If you do this, probably best to book a Derby-Nottingham ticket with an itinerary via East Midlands, and don't forget to show the right ticket for the right bit of the journey! Note that while you would have tickets that are valid for all three legs of this journey, I am not sure how legitimate it would be to break your Birmingham - Loughborough journey at Derby and then unbreak it at East Midlands. However, there is nothing to say that you can't break your journey more than once, and I am not aware of anything that says a ticket is only valid if you make the complete journey, that says you can't make part of the journey by other means.

Easiest would simply be a Sandwell/Birmingham to Nottingham Off-Peak Return, valid for coming back via Leicester and continuing the day after. Price £26.15

There may be cheaper loophole tickets some forum members may send you private messages about, with varying levels of potential for hassle, but worthiness of saving depends on your preference for the convenience factor.

My main concern would be the Break of Journey Overnight at Leicester - and if that would knock out the validity of the return portion - as I'd be arriving into Leicester on the Saturday with services back to Birmingham still running.

On the return portion of the Off-Peak ticket suggested by @bb21 , there are no restrictions on the number or duration of breaks of journey, providing any travel is within the overall validity of the ticket (1 calendar month)

Cool. Thanks for clarifying and thanks for all the suggestions