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Aberystwyth <> Heathrow Airport

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Panceltic

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Hello,

I'm going to make this return journey (probably two or three times yearly) and I'm looking for a sensibly priced ticket ... I'd like to stick with trains and avoid Megabus if at all possible :D I prefer Chiltern to Virgin (they're usually cheaper and the trains far more comfortable)

So far, I've found these options:

- return ticket Aberystwyth<>Heathrow (the most expensive. There are tons of different Heathrow 'destinations' and I don't know which one to choose! Are they valid on the Connect/Express?)

- return ticket Aberystwyth<>Zone1-6 (or zone U6* :?:)

- return ticket Aberystwyth<>London + 2 Oyster fares on the Piccadilly Line

- advance tickets + Oyster

Is there something else to consider? What would you recommend?

I don't have a 16-25 Railcard yet, but I can buy one. Do I have to register my Oyster card to have the discount added, or can I get it done there&then?

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Thanks very much
 
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Hadders

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Firstly, I'd get a 16-25 Railcard.

Aberystwyth - London Terminals (route Chiltern & ATW only) Super Off Peak Return is £32.35 with a 16-25 Railcard discount. The outward portion is valid to arrive at Marylebone after 1130, the return is not valid to depart Marylebone before 0900 or between 1600-1900).

I'd then get the Underground to Heathrow Airport - take the Bakerloo line from Marylebone and change to the Piccadilly at Piccadilly Circus. This will cost £5.10 at Peak times and £2.05 at other times of you use Oyster PAYG with the 16-25 railcard discount added.
 

MikeWh

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Do I have to register my Oyster card to have the discount added, or can I get it done there&then?

Yes you do, but I believe the visible staff members at tube stations can do both at once using their special menu on the ticket machines.
 

Panceltic

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Thank you both for replies. I will definitely invest in a Railcard, the tickets you suggested are very good value.

Thanks
 

David Goddard

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My first thought was Advance Single to Reading (only one change at Wolverhampton or Birmingham International) as low as £18.90 for some journeys, then express coach to the airport.
 

Panceltic

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Thanks for your suggestion David, but I think I'll go with the Chiltern option.

Another question though (for the return journey): The last train I can catch before evening (in order to catch the 1725 connection at B'ham New Street) is the 1510 from Marylebone. If I miss it (very likely, coming from Heathrow) and I want to catch the 1615 from Marylebone instead (for which the return portion of the Super Off Peak is not valid), how much excess will I have to pay (£6.60 going by my calculations)?

Would I be able to get around this by taking the 1540 or 1543 from Marylebone to Banbury and catch the fast train there? I would be departing Marylebone before 1600 as per restrictions, even though later joining the technically prohibited train? Does it work like this? :D [I realise that I might as well stay on the 1540 all the way to Birmingham though, since the next train to Aberystwyth is the 1825]

Thanks a lot!
 
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Hadders

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If you need to excess your ticket to the Off Peak Return it will cost £13.20. Unfortunately a change of ticket type is the full difference in fares, only a change of route excess is half the difference.

You can't join a train at Banbury if it's left Marylebone at a prohibited time.
 

sonic2009

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You could catch the 1540 and change at Banbury for the Manchester Piccadilly service, changing at Birmingham International for the Aberystwyth service which leaves at 1809, you would guarantee yourself a seat then.
 

MarlowDonkey

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You could catch the 1540 and change at Banbury for the Manchester Piccadilly service, changing at Birmingham International for the Aberystwyth service

According to one of the posters, the ticket in question is restricted to Chiltern and ATW. You would have to use Cross Country to get from Banbury to Birmingham International.
 

higthomas

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To make the excess slightly cheaper, could he not do a change of route excess for only one leg of his journey into the appropriate 'via Birmingham' fare, which would be the off-peak return at £50.65. The excess then being 0.5*(£50.65-£32.35)=£9.15 ?
 

Hadders

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You can't excess a TOC specific ticket to a non-TOC specific ticket, sadly.
 

higthomas

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You can't excess a TOC specific ticket to a non-TOC specific ticket, sadly.

Whoops, forgot it was TOC specific. :oops:

And the first non-toc specific ticket is from Shrewsbury, but the price of the ticket from there to Aber (£19 with railcard!) put pay to that. :|
 

Panceltic

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It's possible to save a minimal amount by splitting at Borth. :) But other than that, I think we have found the cheapest option. Thanks to all for contributing
 

kieron

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I thought it might be worth reinforcing the point about advance tickets. Period returns between Aberystwyth and anywhere are quite pricy, but you can easily get advance tickets to Shrewsbury (say) for £11.20, and either use a cheap return ticket from there to London, or buy more advance tickets for that section (you probably wouldn't save much, but you may avoid the super off peak time restrictions).

It may also be worth looking at Aberystwyth-Wolverhampton or Aberystwyth-Birmingham.

Through tickets to Heathrow aren't attractively priced, even the "+ATW & LM Only" ones you'd never actually be able to use.
 

Panceltic

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I have already forgotten about the through tickets to Heathrow. They add as much as £25 to the journey which can be done for £4.10 with Oyster. Totally not worth it IMO.

You have a point regarding advances: There are actually B'ham-London advance singles at £3.65!

By combining Aberystwyth-Shrewsbury @ £5.60 and Shrewsbury-Marylebone @ £5.95, I can get the cost of the return journey under £30 which is amazing.

Are these tickets quickly sold out? And are they generally available on all trains when the sales start?

Thanks
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Why can you not use it?

Because neither ATW nor LM serve Heathrow, I suppose?
 

hassaanhc

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I have already forgotten about the through tickets to Heathrow. They add as much as £25 to the journey which can be done for £4.10 with Oyster. Totally not worth it IMO.

You have a point regarding advances: There are actually B'ham-London advance singles at £3.65!

By combining Aberystwyth-Shrewsbury @ £5.60 and Shrewsbury-Marylebone @ £5.95, I can get the cost of the return journey under £30 which is amazing.

Are these tickets quickly sold out? And are they generally available on all trains when the sales start?

Thanks
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Because neither ATW nor LM serve Heathrow, I suppose?

Those tickets with a "Heathrow Rail" destination are for use on Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect to/from Paddington. To use LUL Piccadilly Line you need a ticket with a "U1256" destination.
 

kieron

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I didn't know that tickets to Heathrow would be valid on trains on the GWML even without anything on the ticket to say as much. They're a lot dearer than splitting in London anyway.

For what it's worth, someone who had paid the extra for a +via Birmingham ticket could travel to Heathrow via Reading instead of London.
 

Gareth Marston

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The elephant in the room with all rail/ air journeys is the flight times check in and allowing for the airlines appalling punctuality. Given tnat Aberystwyth is so far from Heathrow the choices will be limited unless you consider staying overnight somewhere.

The one overriding benefit of doing the Aberystwyth to Heathrow Underground fare is that you don't have evening peak restrictions coming out of Euston.
 

Panceltic

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It's an early morning departure from Heathrow, so I'll take the last possible train/tube and spend the night there.

Just out of curiosity, how do I find those U1256 tickets? They don't seem to exist on brfares.com

Thanks
 

Panceltic

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Thank you! I seem to have been looking at a wrong destination (0035 LONDON ZONES 1-6) for which there are just season tickets available.
 

Panceltic

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Hello,

it's me again.

What about using a Borth-Hanwell Super Off-Peak Return (£29.70), combined with two Aberystwyth-Borth and Hanwell-Heathrow singles? Total £43.50.

Would this combination be valid on ATW Aberystwyth-Birmingham, CH Birmingham-Marylebone, the Tube to Paddington and HC Paddington-Heathrow?

There is again a restriction to depart Marylebone after 0900 and before 1600 on the return leg, but otherwise I think I should be fine? I can't get any journey planner to offer me this ticket.

Thanks for your help
 

Gareth Marston

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Hello,

it's me again.

What about using a Borth-Hanwell Super Off-Peak Return (£29.70), combined with two Aberystwyth-Borth and Hanwell-Heathrow singles? Total £43.50.

Would this combination be valid on ATW Aberystwyth-Birmingham, CH Birmingham-Marylebone, the Tube to Paddington and HC Paddington-Heathrow?

There is again a restriction to depart Marylebone after 0900 and before 1600 on the return leg, but otherwise I think I should be fine? I can't get any journey planner to offer me this ticket.

Thanks for your help

Hanwell to Heathrow - all tickets are valid "not via London" so no.
 

Paul Kelly

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What about using a Borth-Hanwell Super Off-Peak Return (£29.70)

I can't get any journey planner to offer me this ticket.

There is an error in the electronic restriction data used by booking engines - there is an explicit list of train companies that fares with the route "VIA HIGH WYC&SHR" may be used on, and Heathrow Connect isn't in that list. It's clearly an error as no other TOC serves Hanwell. You can see this better if you search for a journey to Southall, where you have both GWR and Heathrow Connect as options for the journey from Paddington - itineraries that happen to use GWR between Paddington and Southall come up with much cheaper fares than those that use Heathrow Connect. But it's certainly valid and would be accepted on Heathrow Connect.
 

Panceltic

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Ah, thanks for pointing this out. I have now seen that Hanwell is served by only one or two GWR trains per day, so that explains it.

If I try Southall, the journey planner indeed offers me some cheap fares.

I'm not sure I understood the part about the validity, though. Are you saying that ✠VIA HIGH WYC&SHR tickets can be used on Heathrow Connect, or only GWR?

Thanks a lot
 
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