Bristol to Derby, making it interesting

[Quincy]

Hello, due to work, I’m going to need to travel between Bristol (Temple Meads) and Derby about 4 times a month for the next few years, as you could imagine, the direct XC voyager between the two would become very repetitive and boring. Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to make it more interesting? Any changes ect that would still be considered an allowed route. I would be travelling on days where I wouldn’t be working or doing anything except being sat in a hotel room anyway so it would also kill some time. Tia

 

[Blindtraveler]

Well there is the obvious option of via London and indeed if you used split advances and oyster or contactless on the underground then it could quite easily be cheaper, but again I should imagine this could also get repetitive as well as not being the fastest

Could you do the coach in One direction? Perhaps on your way home

 

[birchesgreen]

Derby to Crewe, Crewe to Newport down the Welsh Marches Line (loco hauled usually), Newport to Bristol?

Or vice versa of course.

 

[edwin_m]

You can go via Gloucester or Worcester or both. Gloucester has the added benefit that it's possible to avoid Voyagers completely, by using GWR then the Cardiff-Nottingham 170.

 

[jp4712]

According to map PY on the NR routing guide, you can travel Birmingham to Derby on an 'any permitted' ticket from Birmingham via Nuneaton and Leicester; or you could get a 730 from Birmingham to Lichfield Trent Valley, then Lichfield to Tamworth, then from there to Derby. You might be slightly potty to do so, but it might stave off the boredom!

 

[Quincy]

You can go via Gloucester or Worcester or both. Gloucester has the added benefit that it's possible to avoid Voyagers completely, by using GWR then the Cardiff-Nottingham 170.

Ah yes, this was a route I did consider quite a lot, which I would end up taking a bit,
I think this alteration to the router would be slightly excessive (xc) TM to parkway, (GWR) parkway to Gloucester, (xc) to Worcester parkway, (GWR) to shrub hill, (wmr) to Birmingham) then (xc) to either Derby or Leicester then (emr) to Derby.

Idk if that is covered under a permitted route but that would really spice the journey up.

 

[Quincy]

Well there is the obvious option of via London and indeed if you used split advances and oyster or contactless on the underground then it could quite easily be cheaper, but again I should imagine this could also get repetitive as well as not being the fastest

Could you do the coach in One direction? Perhaps on your way home

Oh yeah, haven’t considered that yet, I would probably have to do that at some point too!
Unfortunately regarding the coach, i probably wouldn’t as ,even though it’s cheaper, my employer doesn’t actually reimburse for the coach, only the train or plane for some reason.

 

[Quincy]

According to map PY on the NR routing guide, you can travel Birmingham to Derby on an 'any permitted' ticket from Birmingham via Nuneaton and Leicester; or you could get a 730 from Birmingham to Lichfield Trent Valley, then Lichfield to Tamworth, then from there to Derby. You might be slightly potty to do so, but it might stave off the boredom!

Thanks for your reply! I saw on the routing guide but I didn’t have a clue what PY meant so this was really helpful. I did consider routes via Leicester and swapping for emr then the direct XC. I may have to try your suggestion though one day just to be able to tick off some traction types I haven’t ridden before!

 

[zwk500]

Crosscountry are, of course, highly likely to make the journeys "interesting" off their own back but I presume that's part of what you're thinking of avoiding.

Once EWR opens and if the times line up, there'd be the option of changing at Tamworth, MKC, Oxford and potentially Didcot. The Didcot change would depend on whether the Bristol-Oxford services do go to 1tph all-day as has been mentioned.

 

[duffield]

You can go via Gloucester or Worcester or both. Gloucester has the added benefit that it's possible to avoid Voyagers completely, by using GWR then the Cardiff-Nottingham 170.

I'm not convinced that swapping to the XC 170s is necessarily a "benefit" of avoiding the Voyagers, given the number of cancellations on the Cardiff to Birmingham leg of the Cardiff to Nottingham route, and the fact that the 170s are sometimes as rammed as the Voyagers (particularly if the previous hourly service was cancelled).

 

[xotGD]

How about Bristol - Didcot - Oxford - Coventry - Nuneaton - Tamworth* - Derby

*Or Leicester

 

[Lewisham2221]

Derby to Crewe, Crewe to Newport down the Welsh Marches Line (loco hauled usually), Newport to Bristol?

Or vice versa of course.

Don't think that's a valid route with a direct ticket, but certainly doable with splits. It does take a little while though...

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Derby to Crewe, Crewe to Newport down the Welsh Marches Line (loco hauled usually), Newport to Bristol?

Or vice versa of course.

That was also going to be my suggestion but concur with @Lewisham2221 that's it's almost certainly not valid using a through ticket. Only available options for walk-up (through) tickets seem to be "route✠via London" and the cheaper "route via Birmingham" alternative. P.S. @Quincy. Who's paying for these?

 

[Quincy]

That was also going to be my suggestion but concur with @Lewisham2221 that's it's not valid using a through ticket. Only available options for walk-up through tickets seem to be "route✠via London" and the cheaper "route via Birmingham" alternative.

I didn’t know via London tickets were available, I’ll have to have a look because I’d rather gwr and Emr then xx tbh.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Is Birmingham-Bristol valid via Hereford and Newport?
Within that there are the two routes Birmingham-Droitwich (via Bromsgrove or Stourbridge).

If not there's the Heart of England Rover which covers all of the routes through Birmingham, good value if you go more than once a week.
You'd just need an add-on from Cheltenham/Hereford to Bristol.

Heart of England Rover rail pass

The Heart of England Rover rail pass gives you unlimited travel in the Heart of England, which includes the Midlands, the Peak District and Shropshire.

ukbytrain.com

 

[Quincy]

Is Birmingham-Bristol valid via Hereford and Newport?
Within that there are the two routes Birmingham-Droitwich (via Bromsgrove or Stourbridge).

If not there's the Heart of England Rover which covers all of the routes through Birmingham, good value if you go more than once a week.
You'd just need an add-on from Cheltenham/Hereford to Bristol.

Heart of England Rover rail pass

The Heart of England Rover rail pass gives you unlimited travel in the Heart of England, which includes the Midlands, the Peak District and Shropshire.

ukbytrain.com

From what I’ve seen, it’s valid via Worcester then on the WMR routes, but not Hereford, could be wrong though.

In my case, it would be 4 trips over the course of 2 weeks but it’s covered by the company so I wouldn’t need to reduce the cost using a rover, it’s a good idea though if travelling for pleasure!

 

[Quincy]

Is Birmingham-Bristol valid via Hereford and Newport?
Within that there are the two routes Birmingham-Droitwich (via Bromsgrove or Stourbridge).

If not there's the Heart of England Rover which covers all of the routes through Birmingham, good value if you go more than once a week.
You'd just need an add-on from Cheltenham/Hereford to Bristol.

Heart of England Rover rail pass

The Heart of England Rover rail pass gives you unlimited travel in the Heart of England, which includes the Midlands, the Peak District and Shropshire.

ukbytrain.com

After having a Quick Look, I may have to mention that to the company as a week ticket on the rover is cheaper then one return to Derby

 

[Mcr Warrior]

After having a Quick Look, I may have to mention that to the company as a week ticket on the rover is cheaper then one return to Derby

Is it? I have the Off Peak Return (route "via Birmingham") for a through journey between Bristol TM and Derby as being £101.10 whereas the Heart of England Rover (3 days in 7 version) is £114.00 and doesn't cover you for the bit between Hereford or Gloucester or maybe Oxford (as the case may be) and Bristol TM.

 

[Quincy]

Is it? I have the Off Peak Return (route "via Birmingham") for a through journey between Bristol TM and Derby as being £101.10 whereas the Heart of England Rover (3 days in 7 version) is £114.00 and doesn't cover you for the bit between Hereford or Gloucester or maybe Oxford (as the case may be) and Bristol TM.

Yeah it is, but the company pays for an anytime return which is I believe 140ish but we take off peak trains. But we take mutiple journeys over the period including some smaller ones in the Derby area so probably would’ve be overall

 

[Grecian 1998]

Bristol - Worcester - Birmingham is quite cheap if splitting tickets - even more so than the split at Cheltenham.

Bristol - Stafford - Tamworth - Derby? Pretty sure it wouldn't be a permitted route, but with split tickets it could be done.

 

[Harpo]

Use a Manchester service to Brum to go in via Camp Hill instead of university.

 

[The exile]

From what I’ve seen, it’s valid via Worcester then on the WMR routes, but not Hereford, could be wrong though.

In my case, it would be 4 trips over the course of 2 weeks but it’s covered by the company so I wouldn’t need to reduce the cost using a rover, it’s a good idea though if travelling for pleasure!

The rover also widens your choice of routes (basically add on from boundary to Bristol) The trans you use when doing this don’t have to stop at the boundary station - unlike “normal” split tickets.