Heathrow to Cardiff on a weekday.

[Envoy]

Trying to figure out the cheapest way to get from Heathrow to Cardiff on a weekday morning without having to pre-book - due to being unable to figure out exactly when available to get going from airport.
I see that I can go from HAF (Terminal 4 rail station) to SWIndon for £27.20 if using the 9.52 or later from HAF. Change at Hayes & Harlington and then to Reading. It then tells me to board a train going to Temple Meads - which I would leave at Swindon to wait for one to Cardiff. SWI > CDF off peak = £22.50 so total = £49.70. Would I be allowed to simply catch the next train to Cardiff from Reading rather than having to change again at Swindon?

The through ticket price (off peak) is £51.30 so the saving of such a split is not worth the bother. Does anyone know of a cheaper way of doing it?

 

[tiptoptaff]

Up to you, I personally don't think it's worth it for the sake of 2quid.

A SWI-CDF off peak single would be valid to travel direct from Reading to Cardiff in any case (in combination with the LHR -Swindon ticket, obviously!)

Swindon is the best split point for Cardiff to London tickets, but it's only noticeably cheaper on an Anytime

 

[Hadders]

Surely Didcot is the appropriate place to split?

 

[tiptoptaff]

Surely Didcot is the appropriate place to split?

Swindon and/or Didcot work. Swindon was the one I was taught by the Cardiff booking office.

 

[30907]

The super offpeak from HAY to CDF is only £45. The 140 bus runs every 7 min from Heathrow and costs £1.50 with contactless/Oyster at any time.

 

[Envoy]

Many thanks guys for your speedy responses. If using the 140 bus, it looks like it might be a bit awkward for someone from abroad to find the ticket office at Hayes & Harlington station as it is in a temporary building due to modernisation. (I am enquiring for a foreigner). Something is wrong with the National Rail website as it keep s crashing - unless I use in the middle of the night! Anyway, on the GWR website, they do not make it easy to do a HAF > CDF through ticket without directing you to go via PAD and charging £72 +. Hmm....

So, it looks like it can be done by buying on the day a HAF (Heathrow) > SWIndon for £27.20 (9.52 or later on a weekday) plus a SWIndon > CDF off peak single for £16 (11.14am or later) to make a total of £43.20. (Earlier trains cost a few quid more but nothing like the ridiculous prices quoted by GWR for going via PAD).

Mention has been made of Swindon as a split for pay on the day PAD > CDF and vice versa. Doing another split at DIDcot reduces still further the pay on the day return tickets between the two capitals. However, not all trains stop at Didcot - which would break the ridiculous rule regarding splits.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Mention has been made of Swindon as a split for pay on the day PAD > CDF and vice versa. Doing another split at DIDcot reduces still further the pay on the day return tickets between the two capitals. However, not all trains stop at Didcot - which would break the ridiculous rule regarding splits.

Trains no longer need to stop at the station they pass through for a split to be valid, provided it's along a permitted route. So CDF-PAD split at DID is fine on all trains. IIRC, that change hadn't come in when I was in Cardiff BO, which would explain Swindon being regarded the "better" split

 

[alistairlees]

Trains no longer need to stop at the station they pass through for a split to be valid, provided it's along a permitted route. So CDF-PAD split at DID is fine on all trains. IIRC, that change hadn't come in when I was in Cardiff BO, which would explain Swindon being regarded the "better" split

Oh yes they do. At least for these tickets anyway.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Trains no longer need to stop at the station they pass through for a split to be valid, provided it's along a permitted route. So CDF-PAD split at DID is fine on all trains. IIRC, that change hadn't come in when I was in Cardiff BO, which would explain Swindon being regarded the "better" split

Not sure where you're getting that idea from. Non-stopping splits are permitted you're combining a season ticket, ranger, rover, PTE product etc. with any (one) other ticket, but it never has been, and still isn't, the case on ordinary tickets.