Bedford to Bangor via Milton Keynes

[Arglwydd Golau]

I've just been looking at services and fares from Bedford to Bangor via Marston Vale line and Milton Keynes for a friend. However no site that I have used will offer a fare using this route , all want to send me via London. I would split the fare at Milton Keynes anyway, but I am just curious to know why this route isn't offered. I did include via Ridgmont in the relevant box but still no joy!
I also recall when booking some years ago that Virgin would offer a bus to Milton Keynes (from Bedford) included in the fare.
Has anyone got any ideas why this should be so?

 

[AndyNLondon]

The nationalrail.co.uk journey planner is happy to offer me this route, even if I just ask for anything from Bedford to Bangor. Adding "via Ridgemont" successfully limits it to the Marston Vale journeys, though for all of these it shows the "more than one ticket required" warning. (Looking on brfares, the only though tickets are either "via London" or "via Chesterfield", so I think you need to split somewhere.)

 

[OwlMan]

Is "Via Chesterfield" a sensible option for Bedford - Bangor? I would have thought that it would be better as via Leicester assuming the intention was to travel north from Bedford. Perhaps EMT have just made an error with their routeing and it needs correcting? A "Not via London" routeing would allow travel via the Marston Valley as well.

 

[Haywain]

Is "Via Chesterfield" a sensible option for Bedford - Bangor? I would have thought that it would be better as via Leicester assuming the intention was to travel north from Bedford. Perhaps EMT have just made an error with their routeing and it needs correcting? A "Not via London" routeing would allow travel via the Marston Valley as well.

Bedford - Sheffield - Manchester - Bangor. Seems a viable route, even if a touch on the long way round. EMT tend to price everything to the north west 'via Chesterfield', whereas Virgin (West Coast) tend to use the 'Not via London' routeing from the southern end of the MML.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Thanks, didn't try National Rail, and, yes, it does give this route option. I've never used BR Fares before, on first lo I'm not sure how it works!

 

[Flying Snail]

I also recall when booking some years ago that Virgin would offer a bus to Milton Keynes (from Bedford) included in the fare.
Has anyone got any ideas why this should be so?

The Stagecoach Cambridge-Bedford-MK-Oxford X5 bus/coach service was one that had traditionally been a listed BR/NR connecting service with a listing in the full timetable and through fares.