Bedford - London - Bedford - Cheltenham

[googolplex]

I'm starting my new job at the end of the month, and have to go to the company's head office in the docklands for 3 days of training. I'm currently stopping with my parents near Bedford, so figure it's easiest to travel from there on the Wednesday morning, either going from Flitwick or Milton Keynes Central into London. They've booked me into a hotel on the Wednesday and Thursday nights, so I then plan to travel back to Flitwick/MK on Friday evening, before travelling on to Cheltenham (where I'll be based) on the Saturday or Sunday.
I notice that there are only day tickets (singles, travelcards and returns) available from Flitwick and Milton Keynes, although the Virgin Trains Only Anytime Day Single available from Milton Keynes, priced at £10.90 (with a 16-25 Railcard), seems fairly reasonable.

So, I have 2 questions:

1. Is it possible to go from Flitwick/MKC to London, then back to Flitwick/MKC 2 days later, then to Cheltenham a day or 2 after that for less than the approximate £50 (with railcard) I've found fares for (£10.90 MKC-EUS, £11.55 EUS-MKC, £24.95 MKC-CNM + tube/DLR journeys)?
2. What's the best way to get to the PricewaterhouseCoopers building on Marsh Wall (my company's office is near there) from either the WCML or MML during peak hours?

 

[SS4]

10.90 + 11.55

MKC - BHM
£5.45 CDR
London Midland only - book online to get 50% off
(if you plan to return within a month then £6.10 for a SVR)

BHM-CNM
£13.45
SVS
(there is an advance ticket at 13:30 and 14:30 for £4.95 single)

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Stagecoach service X5 Milton Keynes to Oxford £8 single,
There are advance tickets on numerous trains Oxford to Cheltenham (assuming you mean sat sept 3rd as wekeend in Question) for £6
making it a total of £14 (or £2 more to go from Bedford).

http://www.stagecoachx5.com/timesfares.aspx



http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/OXF/CNM/030911/1400/dep
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
If you want to keep it all rail don't mind an early start (07:44 on the sat morning)
You can make it more of a train journey and go from
STEWARTBY to B'HAM for a fiver
(should imagine also the other Marston Vale line stations as well if anyare closer)

http://tickets.londonmidland.com/Co.../JourneyPlanning/MixingDeck&NRCACHEHINT=Guest

and then B'Ham - Chelt for £7.50

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/BHM/CNM/030911/1000/dep

£12.50 from near to Flitwick to Cheltenham

 

[dzug2]

There's also an infrequent bus service from Oxford to Cheltenham that takes 90 minutes for £7.50 - cheaper than the average train fare on the route and certainly quicker

Google Swanbrook to find details

 

[googolplex]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'd prefer to keep it by train if possible, as I'd much rather spend my time on the train than the bus. I've also got about £30 worth of Red Spotted Hanky vouchers I can spend.
The Bedford-Bletchley line's not too far from my parents' house, however I'd rather not be starting that early, and Sunday is my preferred choice, so I get to spend some time with my family. I did however notice that there are trains running on the line that Sunday, so I might have a look and see if there's any cheap tickets for then (although I'm guessing there won't, as the extra trains are for the Woodworks Festival near Stewartby).
I had considered Birmingham as a split point, but was thinking of it more as a way to get a period return instead of a day return, nice to see how much can be saved though .

Does anybody have any advice on the travel within London, and I've lost my Oyster card, so what's the best way to go about getting a replacement?

 

[island]

what's the best way to go about getting a replacement?

Buy a replacement at any LU station or full-Oyster NR station in the usual way. Then, if your old card was registered, ring up the Oyster helpline and they'll stop it. You give them the new card's number and name a station where you'll be travelling from or to in the next eight days (but not the same day as you call), and they will send your old card's credit there to be collected.

I think (but I may well be wrong) that you can do this as well if you have an unregistered card but have a note of the number and can verify some recent journeys you made.

 

[googolplex]

Buy a replacement at any LU station or full-Oyster NR station in the usual way. Then, if your old card was registered, ring up the Oyster helpline and they'll stop it. You give them the new card's number and name a station where you'll be travelling from or to in the next eight days (but not the same day as you call), and they will send your old card's credit there to be collected.

I think (but I may well be wrong) that you can do this as well if you have an unregistered card but have a note of the number and can verify some recent journeys you made.

Thanks, it's registered online, so looks like I can do it that way. Thinking about it though, as I'll only be there for 3 days and am not planning to travel around London once I'm there, might I be better saving the £5 deposit for a new Oyster card (I know it's returnable, but sods law says I'll lose this one as well!) and getting my tickets to London Zones U12 instead of London Terminals? Would that cover me for the single journey to Docklands I'll need?

 

[island]

Thanks, it's registered online, so looks like I can do it that way. Thinking about it though, as I'll only be there for 3 days and am not planning to travel around London once I'm there, might I be better saving the £5 deposit for a new Oyster card (I know it's returnable, but sods law says I'll lose this one as well!) and getting my tickets to London Zones U12 instead of London Terminals? Would that cover me for the single journey to Docklands I'll need?

From Milton Keynes C, add £3 single/£6 return for Zone U12* Londn. It'll cover a single or return journey within zones 1 and 2, but Oyster will usually be cheaper.

 

[googolplex]

From Milton Keynes C, add £3 single/£6 return for Zone U12* Londn. It'll cover a single or return journey within zones 1 and 2, but Oyster will usually be cheaper.

As I'd be travelling in the peak, it looks like it'd be £2.50 with Oyster, so the extra 50p each way will be cheaper in the short term. If I end up making more trips to London, I can then look at replacing the Oyster.
If I have to go through barriers to change from the tube to DLR, will the ticket let me through both sets?

 

[Mike395]

As I'd be travelling in the peak, it looks like it'd be £2.50 with Oyster, so the extra 50p each way will be cheaper in the short term. If I end up making more trips to London, I can then look at replacing the Oyster.
If I have to go through barriers to change from the tube to DLR, will the ticket let me through both sets?

DLR stations don't have barriers with the exception of Tube interchanges at Canada Water, Bank, and Stratford (but, if interchanging from the Tube, you won't need to go through them )

 

[bb21]

DLR stations don't have barriers with the exception of Tube interchanges at Canada Water, Bank, and Stratford (but, if interchanging from the Tube, you won't need to go through them )

The DLR doesn't go to Canada Water