Best Tickets For A Day Out On Greater Anglia?

[LBOTG]

Hi all,

as a "beginner" train enthusiast I'm really struggling to find a way of making my proposed day out on the Greater Anglia network sustainable - this is the first trip I've ever tried to coordinate by rail and it seems that flexibility isn't of the essence on the surface.

My plan is essentially to leave Liverpool Street just after 09:30 and clear the Southminster, Sudbury, (possibly) Harwich and Walton On The Naze branches, as well as going up from Ipswich to Lowestoft and then going through Berney Arms to Great Yarmouth, back to Norwich and then express back to London.

The problem being, I really cannot afford to spend more than £50.00 and the rovers and rangers only cover a small proportion of my trip. Buying singles all the way also really isn't viable.

It does look like a day of this size and scale is not possible, but if you intelligent railway experts have any clues on how to obtain a ticket that meets a decent proportion of my requirements, that would be superb!

 

[causton]

Very difficult I know, the GA branches are one of the few lines I have left to do in the country as there is no rover ticket for them!

The Anglia Plus rover may help covering the northern parts of that but otherwise it is just buying returns to travel up and down the branches I think :/

 

[Ianno87]

GA often do a 'sale' on Day Return tickets once a year if cost is an issue...but usually about January, I'm afraid.

 

[eastdyke]

I assume that you have no railcard with which to discount tickets?
In which case the lowest cost flexible ticket to get to the Anglia Ranger area on a weekday is £19.00.
This will get you an off-peak day return from Liverpool Street [LST] to Cambridge. First valid train 09.28 from LST.
With the ranger at £18.50 = £37.50 for tickets for the day.
It does mean that you cannot do the Essex branches or Ipswich-LST but those routes could perhaps wait until a 'sale' ticket is offered by GA as suggested by @Ianno87 .
Don't forget the Felixstowe branch, if you go just now (and the trains are running which they should be on a weekday) you get to see the initial works at Trimley preparatory to building the 'Trimley loop'.

 

[LBOTG]

Thank you all,

I'll probably just do what you guys said and get an Anglia Plus because that still enables me to ride the 37s which are my top priority at the moment. Thanks for the Felixstowe recommendation, I'll do that too.

 

[ge-gn]

What a sad loss the Anglia Day Ranger was. You would struggle to get all the lines in in a day. And all for a fiver as a child!