I signed up with Northern to try for their free tickets. I'm not usually a sucker for these things but I reckoned I'd give it a go as it didn't cost anything, and Northern would be able to give away plenty of tickets.
Yesterday my ticket arrived! Woohoo! The freedom of Northern's luxury trains. Actually, although it IS easy to poke fun at the less-glamorous end of the industry, I like using Northern. The staff are nicer than most, for a start. Though it will be nice when the last of the really creaky, bouncy ones have gone (trains, not staff).
The Significant Other was excited by the prospect of a day in Scarborough, until I pointed out how long it takes to get there and back on the "direct" train from Sheffield. (Does that one still run ? I got it by mistake once in the other direction, suckered by "Direct to Sheffield". Hah!) And anywhere closer is so cheap (Lincoln? Harrogate?) that I'd rather pay cash for that trip and save the freebee for a couple of long solo trips.
Does anyone know how this ticket works? It says "2 journeys" and has two boxes to write dates (there are actually more spaces, but they are "VOID"). The letter that came with it says that if two people travel together, then I should fill in both date boxes.
- Can I use it on two solo trips on different dates? It seems obvious that I can. But one thing this forum has taught me is that relying on the "obvious" on the railway can land you in court.
- Once I have written a date in the box and set off, is it in effect an "All-Northern" Ranger for the day? Or will it get cancelled on the first train ? My guess is the former.
If it IS a go-anywhere ticket, I might use it for a weekend in Edinburgh, via Settle-Carlisle and the Tyne Valley (is that what the line through Hexham is called?). It will get me to Alnmouth, and I can get an advance to Embra for a fiver from there.
Yesterday my ticket arrived! Woohoo! The freedom of Northern's luxury trains. Actually, although it IS easy to poke fun at the less-glamorous end of the industry, I like using Northern. The staff are nicer than most, for a start. Though it will be nice when the last of the really creaky, bouncy ones have gone (trains, not staff).
The Significant Other was excited by the prospect of a day in Scarborough, until I pointed out how long it takes to get there and back on the "direct" train from Sheffield. (Does that one still run ? I got it by mistake once in the other direction, suckered by "Direct to Sheffield". Hah!) And anywhere closer is so cheap (Lincoln? Harrogate?) that I'd rather pay cash for that trip and save the freebee for a couple of long solo trips.
Does anyone know how this ticket works? It says "2 journeys" and has two boxes to write dates (there are actually more spaces, but they are "VOID"). The letter that came with it says that if two people travel together, then I should fill in both date boxes.
- Can I use it on two solo trips on different dates? It seems obvious that I can. But one thing this forum has taught me is that relying on the "obvious" on the railway can land you in court.
- Once I have written a date in the box and set off, is it in effect an "All-Northern" Ranger for the day? Or will it get cancelled on the first train ? My guess is the former.
If it IS a go-anywhere ticket, I might use it for a weekend in Edinburgh, via Settle-Carlisle and the Tyne Valley (is that what the line through Hexham is called?). It will get me to Alnmouth, and I can get an advance to Embra for a fiver from there.