Kirkham & Wesham to London Return

[umontu]

I'm wanting to do a trip to London with some friends (most likely 2) this summer, I have a rail card (16-25) but non of them do, we're all flexible on dates but would like to stay as long as possible within a day.

We're all willing to split tickets or go by anywhere even if we have to ride in a cattle car.

Now, how low can I get the price?

 

[WestCoast]

There are a number of suggestions I can make, but the problem is if you use London Midland from Crewe for example, and are just going for the day, by the time you've got there it's time to come back! The only real option in this case is the Virgin train from Preston - around 2h15 from Preston to London Euston.

Firstly, Virgin West Coast priced fares never seem to enjoy any good splitting possibilities. :-x

For advance fares the key is to book as early as possible (as usual) - to get the very cheapest deals book as soon as they are released. Check the calender here.. I've found weekends are probably cheapest for a day trip. The very cheapest for 3 with 1 railcard is £77.10 return - that's two Advance singles from Kirkham and Wesham to London Euston.

It's a long shot but if anyone collects Tesco clubcard points you can exchange the vouchers for tickets on RedSpottedHanky you can get three times the vouchers value in rail tickets. So you'd need around £25 to buy the cheapest ticket.

If you really want to save money - Megabus have some good deals in summer (TIP: book one seat at a time to get it cheaper). You get something like 10% off with an NUS Extra card. Return for 3 from Preston to London can be had for about £24 if you look carefully. But again around 12 hours on a coach in a day is pretty rubbish.

 

[umontu]

Thanks for that Westcoast, we're not keen on busses/coaches, we've all had to use the 61, so go figure :roll: .

Might try to stretch it to two days if using LM would be cheaper, to be honest staying over (Even if more than one day) might be a good idea as I know a hostle that's cheap enough.
Was the £77.10 under Virgin only?

 

[WestCoast]

Thanks for that Westcoast, we're not keen on busses/coaches, we've all had to use the 61, so go figure .

No problem, I don't blame you but sometimes I'm forced to use the megabus.

Was the £77.10 under Virgin only?

Here's a link to the fare - don't be fooled by LM's website, I always use it easier to use than Virgin and no booking/postage fees.

Going 6:36 or 7.35, coming back either 19.30 or 20.31. It's booked train only, so Virgin services only Preston - London.

EDIT: sorry, the link didn't work I've attached a screenshot on a word document.

 

[umontu]

Thanks for your help!

I use tpe's for all mine.
I think between three of us it's doable.

 

[tony_mac]

If it's a Saturday trip, then the Virgin day ticket from Wigan might be of some use.
It's an Advance ticket down (so book ahead, and travel only on the service you are booked on), but you can use any Virgin train on the return - and for £35 includes a travelcard. There's no railcard discount with it, though.
It is available from Preston, but not worth the extra cost

I guess the cheapest flexible ticket would be via Liverpool, and on London Midland. That would be about £40 return, but slow! (and restricted times Mon - Fri)

For 3 or more people, a hotel may actually be cheaper than a hostel also. If two of you can share a bed, then there are some Formule 1 / Etap hotels around London that are cheap ( < £40 a night per room). Holiday Inns are sometimes around that price too (use the link on the railcard website for a possibly cheaper price).

 

[richardderby]

use london-blackpool route a lot, and cheapest fares are by specifying route 'manchester victoria'. this includes open ticket to and from manchester Victoria in conjunction with virgin booking from piccadilly,and the vic-picc tram. can usually get tickets for £14.50 as there are no bookings on the northern service.

 

[WestCoast]

For 3 or more people, a hotel may actually be cheaper than a hostel also. If two of you can share a bed, then there are some Formule 1 / Etap hotels around London that are cheap ( < £40 a night per room). Holiday Inns are sometimes around that price too (use the link on the railcard website for a possibly cheaper price).

Travelodge have done quite a few £15/£19/£29 room sales and their "family rooms" will sleep 3 adults - they have tonnes of hotels in the London area and Sunday nights tend to be the cheapest.