Far North Line (Inverness - Wick and Thurso)

[Sealink]

I am using this line in August, and ScotRail have decided they are not releasing any Advance fares.
According to Twitter, (X) this is because they anticipate high demand. I've used this route for 20 years and they've always had Advance fares available in the summer. Ho-hum.

I also arrive at Inverness at 2007 (LNER from KGX.) I stupidly didn't add Tain as final destination as this would have added £3 to the fare. For what was a traditionally good value service, I find the fares eyewatering.

My plan is

DAY ONE
Inverness - Tain on the last train SINGLE FARE: £18.70
DAY TWO
Tain - Wick on a mid morning train SINGLE FARE: £22.90
DAY EIGHT
Wick - Inverness at lunchtime. SINGLE FARE: FARE: £27.00

Above Booking single tickets gives a total of £68.70
Above booking INVERNESS - TAIN return and TAIN - WICK return is £68.80

However from Inverness to Wick, ScotRail are charging the same price for both Anytime and Off Peak Returns (£41.60)
This is where some vague memories about breaking "Anytime" journeys comes in. You could break your journey overnight and continue on the first service to your destination the next day. I'd rather travel slightly later the next day if possible.

Is this still the case? BR Fares shows the Outbound valid for five days from the date of issue.

Hope this all makes sense!

 

[AlterEgo]

An Anytime Return is valid for five days on the outbound portion, yes. Break of journey is always permitted, even overnight.

 

[Watershed]

ScotRail have made the Off-Peak fares they control valid all day. They have done this by both removing the restriction codes on Off-Peak fares, as well as reducing the cost of Anytime fares to the cost of the equivalent Off-Peak fare.

In cases like this, where you want to break your journey overnight, this provides a significant benefit to you as you can now make use of an Anytime Return without paying the usual premium for this. An Anytime Return is valid for 5 days in the outward direction and 1 month in the return direction, and you can break your journey (including overnight) as often as you like en-route.

For completeness, the outward portion of an Off-Peak ticket is also valid to break your journey overnight, but only where the "journey cannot be completed". The definition of that is very ambiguous, but since you are arriving from London 2 hours after the last train to Wick (but before the last train that goes part-way along the route) I think it'd be fair game to break your journey overnight on an Off-Peak Return in the circumstances.

It is, however, a moot point for now since you can just buy the Anytime Return at the same cost and get unambiguous validity for your overnight break of journey.

 

[Sealink]

Thank you!

So do you think I can use it on the second train from Tain to Wick?

My recollection on these kind of journeys is that you had to travel on the first train to complete your journey

 

[tspaul26]

Thank you!

So do you think I can use it on the second train from Tain to Wick?

My recollection on these kind of journeys is that you had to travel on the first train to complete your journey

There is no requirement to travel on the first train after an overnight break of journey, whether travelling on an Off Peak or an Anytime fare.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thank you!

So do you think I can use it on the second train from Tain to Wick?

Yes, you can, certainly.

My recollection on these kind of journeys is that you had to travel on the first train to complete your journey

Not at all, it’s open for five days on the outbound portion. You can take whichever train you want.

 

[najaB]

My recollection on these kind of journeys is that you had to travel on the first train to complete your journey

No, you didn't have to travel on the first train. However, you would probably find that the looks you got from ticket checkers would get increasingly stern as the day progressed!

 

[John R]

To be fair, £42 for an Anytime return journey of 320 miles is hardly eye-wateringly expensive. And even if you take the mileage as the more direct road journey of 208 miles return, it’s still not bad.

 

[Sealink]

Thank you for all the help!
Yes, £42 return is not too bad given the flexibility offered. Just that last year it was £22 return (admittedly with Advance tickets)

 

[Sealink]

I have given up on ScotRail, and am using Citylink for all but one journey (Inverness - Tain, and even then there's a chance I can get a lift) in Scotland.
I have travelled on trains for donkeys years, and used to always look forward to it, not so much these days.

LNER: London to Inverness - booked First Class as I prefer the seats for that length of journey, and a two-course lunch and dinner was a nice perk. That's now been downgraded to "Deli", so a few sandwiches and a salad offered. Still, at least I won't have the ironing board seats in standard class.

ScotRail: Inverness - Wick - was planning to buy the £42 return ticket, I qualify for Club 50 ( ) but that doesn't apply to Anytime Returns, even though it's now the same price as an Off Peak Return. I doubt the five day validity of the Anytime return would work on a Club 50 Off Peak Return. In any case, I couldn't upload a pic to the Club 50 website as no matter what orientation I used, it defaulted to a sideways pic with no ability to rotate.
So dear reader, I gave up, for the simplicity of a Citylink coach to Wick and back again.

Then there's the reliability of ScotRail which seems to be all over the place at the minute.
I won't be using rail for any future trips to Caithness,
So thanks railways, after 50 years of travelling by train you've got me scurrying back to BA/easyJet and the coach.
Apart from perhaps the Caledonian Sleeper, which at £55 in advance is pretty much impossible to beat on value, and I've always had a great experience with them. (Even on the seated Sleeper!)

 

[Sealink]

Incidentally, I asked on Twitter in June when would ScotRail be releasing Advance tickets for the Far North Line.
They replied and said they were not, due to anticipated demand. (Or maybe they were preparing for the timetable alterations.)

x.com

x.com

@ScotRail Is there a reason not one single Advance fare has been released for the Far North Line in August? Have been waiting for months now.

It'll be due to the demand, we have fewer seats to fill as it's already very busy. ^Angus

I've used this route for over 20 years and it's not "demand", it's ScotRail not releasing Advance tickets.

We're not releasing Advance Tickets as these lower priced tickets are to encourage use of the railway. We don't need to do this in the summer months as it's already very busy as ^Angus confirmed. ^Paul

Anyway... I discovered that from Inverness to Tain, there are no Advance fares. But I could book an Advance from Kingussie or Aviemore - Tain and save £5 on the journey. Which I have done (despite my earlier post saying I'd given up on ScotRail )

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Anyway... I discovered that from Inverness to Tain, there are no Advance fare. But I could book and Advance from Kingussie or Aviemore - Tain and save £5 on the journey. Which I have done..

Ingenious, but not sure if starting short at Inverness on an Advance Single ticket originating from a station further South is allowed, particularly so if the purpose of doing so is solely to save some ££ on your trip to Tain.

 

[Merseysider]

Ingenious, but not sure if starting short at Inverness on an Advance Single ticket originating from a station further South is allowed, particularly so if the purpose of doing so is solely to save some ££ on your trip to Tain.

Agreed - but highly likely to go under the radar.

 

[Sealink]

Ingenious, but not sure if starting short at Inverness on an Advance Single ticket originating from a station further South is allowed, particularly so if the purpose of doing so is solely to save some ££ on your trip to Tain.

As a change at Inverness is required anyway, I am going to chance it.