Kent Coast loop... best ticket option

[bussnapperwm]

I'm planning on doing the class 395 rounders in a couple of weeks from Stratford International, going out to Ramsgate via Sittingbourne and back via Dover.

What would be the best walk on ticket for a weekday for a disabled railcard holder (planning in getting off at a couple of stops to photo the buses of Chalkwell and Stagecoach Thanet/Folkestone).

Planning to leave after 10am and return during the PM peak

 

[Watershed]

There aren't any 'rounder' trains anymore - these ceased during Covid and were never reinstated. Instead there are trains to Ramsgate via either Sittingbourne or Dover, as well as trains to Margate via Canterbury West.

A return from Stratford International to somewhere like Deal is, however, valid both via Sittingbourne & Ramsgate as well as Dover. All of the walk-up fares on this route also permit break of journey so there would be no problem with stopping off intermediately.

The cheapest option would involve buying a Super Off-Peak Day Return, route "not via Ashford" (£20.95), and then obtaining a change of route excess to route "Plus High Speed" at a cost of £2.40 to allow you to return via Dover & Ashford - total cost thus being £23.35. This excess should be available at any ticket office, but in any event you could pay it on the train without penalty.

Alternatively you could just buy the Super Off-Peak Day Return, route "Plus High Speed", at a cost of £25.70.

It might be a little difficult to get PlusBus tickets for towns that don't match your ticketed origin/destination, mind. And if you are actually travelling from further afield by rail, it may be cheaper to buy a through ticket (particularly if you can take advantage of Chiltern's cheap Super Off-Peak tickets).

 

[bussnapperwm]

There aren't any 'rounder' trains anymore - these ceased during Covid and were never reinstated. Instead there are trains to Ramsgate via either Sittingbourne or Dover, as well as trains to Margate via Canterbury West.

A return from Stratford International to somewhere like Deal is, however, valid both via Sittingbourne & Ramsgate as well as Dover. All of the walk-up fares on this route also permit break of journey so there would be no problem with stopping off intermediately.

The cheapest option would involve buying a Super Off-Peak Day Return, route "not via Ashford" (£20.95), and then obtaining a change of route excess to route "Plus High Speed" at a cost of £2.40 to allow you to return via Dover & Ashford - total cost thus being £23.35. This excess should be available at any ticket office, but in any event you could pay it on the train without penalty.

Alternatively you could just buy the Super Off-Peak Day Return, route "Plus High Speed", at a cost of £25.70.

It might be a little difficult to get PlusBus tickets for towns that don't match your ticketed origin/destination, mind. And if you are actually travelling from further afield by rail, it may be cheaper to buy a through ticket (particularly if you can take advantage of Chiltern's cheap Super Off-Peak tickets).

I've got a ENCTS so the buses are covered. I didn't realise the actual rounders themselves had stopped, very unfortunate.

I'm planning on arriving in London the day before as my brothers attending the Disney100 event while im in Kent so we're stopping at the Premier Inn by Stratford International (and leaving the day after, using Chiltern each way as it avoids the crossing of Brum/Smethwick Shuffle from off a Snow Hill local).

 

[paul1609]

Worth bearing in mind that only the XX 20 ex St Pancras train gets as far as Thanet (Margate/Ramsgate) via Sittingbourne now, the other High Speed North Kent service terminates at Faversham and theres no connection further along the coast.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Worth bearing in mind that only the XX 20 ex St Pancras train gets as far as Thanet (Margate/Ramsgate) via Sittingbourne now, the other High Speed North Kent service terminates at Faversham and theres no connection further along the coast.

Cheers for that

 

[brad465]

Had the rounder been running still the best ticket option by far would have been Ebbsfleet-Gravesend or vice-versa, but going the long way round, which was valid as long as you never got off en route. It was a RailUK forum meet at least once back in the day.