Fare Advice - Paddington to Totnes

[GT]

Hello!

I'm looking for some advice on the best/cheapest way to buy tickets for London Paddington (PAD) to Totnes (TOT).

I regularly travel from PAD to TOT on a Friday evening, say the FGW1803 service, and then return from TOT to PAD on a Sunday evening, say the FGW1812 service.

Unfortunately my 16-25 Railcard expired yesterday (I'm approaching my 27th birthday so can't renew) and from my brief research it looks my options are limited. Buying in advance is generally a good idea but unfortunately doesn't appear to yield a significant benefit.

Any ideas, suggestions, possibilities? Any guidance is very much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[EltonRoad]

Put that journey into www.eastcoast.co.uk for a few different dates. I suggest this site in particular as it's a user-friendly interface.

 

[GT]

Thanks for your reply and for the suggestion.

I just took a look at www.eastcoast.co.uk; a great interface as you mentioned but unfortunately no difference in fare prices for the days/times I have in mind.

I think I'm pretty stuck unless I'm prepared to change my days/time.

Would also be very interested in any advice on any season ticket type discounts I can try... effectively I want a weekend season ticket.

 

[mathmo]

It is worth looking at Advance tickets, booking generally at least a month in advance, but ideally as far in advance as you can, and being flexible. I picked 13th and 15th August as an example (though maybe I just got lucky):
£68.70 Super Off-Peak return (valid on 1903 not 1803 on Friday)
£84.00 Off-Peak return (valid on 1803 Friday)

Currently available Advance fares are:
£34.50 outward journey
£23.50 return journey
but only £12.50 if you get the 1840 return.
Total £58.00 on your preferred trains or £47.00 returning on the 1840, which is a good amount cheaper but don't miss the 1803 outbound due to Tube delays!

But for dates such as next weekend it's £70 using Advances which isn't great. The sad truth is that if you want popular times (like Friday evenings) then you will have to pay for it.

 

[asylumxl]

I regularly travel down that way (Plymouth) and unfortunately, there is no cheap way to get there!

I've always found the Advance fares to be more than a Super Offpeak Return so rarely do I bother checking.

There's no places to split to make it cheaper either unfortunately.

 

[rail-britain]

Friday evening, out of London
Sunday evening, into London
Advance fares are likely to sell quickly
Furthermore travelling out of London between 16:00 and 19:00 will attract premium fares

What dates do you intend to travel, or will this be regular?

I did however manage to get "anytime" by breaking the journey into three singles, cheaper than half the off-peak return :
London - Reading
Reading - Exeter
Exeter - Totnes

 

[GT]

Thanks for all the great suggestions guys. Will have a look at a few of these options and report back.

WRT your question, I'm not looking at particular dates; this is quite a regular trip, once every 3 weeks say, so I've got quite a bit of interest in finding a way to do this regularly without paying over the odds.

 

[moonrakerz]

I don't know how much "notice" you get for one of these trips, but....
try getting your "return" tickets from Totnes rather than Paddington - if you follow me.

ie: get a single from PAD to TOT on the first trip, then book both tickets for the next two legs from TOT.
You may find that a "peak" train out of PAD on the first leg of a trip may not be a "peak" train on the second leg of a trip !

I used to do something like this years ago between Eastleigh & Woking - suggested by the man in the ticket office at Eastleigh !

 

[John @ home]

You may find that a "peak" train out of PAD on the first leg of a trip may not be a "peak" train on the second leg of a trip !

This trick does work sometimes, but not at present with London - Totnes, where both fares and restrictions are symmetrical.

 

[GT]

Yeah it's a shame that trick doesn't work. I've optimistically tried it several times hoping that one day it'll work but no luck so far.

John - your phrasing suggests this might change; is it possible that this will become an option?

Breaking the journey into singles to gain flexibility looks like a good approach although I'm quite happy with specific trains. I did try it however and couldn't seem to find the right combination of services. Not to worry though.

Seems like I'm a bit stuck!

 

[John @ home]

This trick does work sometimes, but not at present with London - Totnes, where both fares and restrictions are symmetrical.

John - your phrasing suggests this might change

Yes, these things can and do change. Taking only the info on London to Totnes I have to hand, I see

January 1999 SVR valid from Paddington M-F 0925-1632 and 1819-0230, return from Totnes by any train.

September 2005 SVR valid from Paddington M-F 0904-1636 and after 1800, return from Totnes M-F 0650 or later.

May 2008 SVR valid from Paddington M-F 0903-1650 and after 1801, return from Totnes M-F at 0705, 0750 then 0800 or later.

January 2009 SVR valid from Paddington M-F 0840-1640 and after 1801, return from Totnes M-F at 0750 then 0800 or later.

September 2009 SVR fare increased by 24% and valid from Paddington M-F 0810-1640 and after 1801, return from Totnes M-F at 0650, 0750 then 0800 or later. New SSR fare introduced at 101% of previous SVR fare and replaces SVR as the fare with a regulated price. New single SSS fare introduced at 50% of SSR fare. SSS/SSR fares valid from Paddington M-F 1010-1459 and after 1859, return from Totnes M-F at 1030 or later.

January 2010 SSS fare increased from 50% to 57% of SSR fare.

I have no knowledge of a planned change but my expectation is that the rate of change is likely to be higher than usual in the first year of a new government.

 

[devon_metro]

Try advance tickets on the 1945/2035 trains out of Paddington. Both of which are quiet and should offer a decent advance fare.

The 1803 is a key commuter/business train so the chances of cheap AP is low and is particularly busy on Fridays at this time of year.

 

[richw]

Try advance tickets on the 1945/2035 trains out of Paddington. Both of which are quiet and should offer a decent advance fare.

The 1803 is a key commuter/business train so the chances of cheap AP is low and is particularly busy on Fridays at this time of year.

i normally use the 1903 which is cheaper due to being later,think it gets to Totnes around 10ish!