Lancaster to Derby via Macclesfield

[digger600]

Hi Guys, long time reader first time poster here!

I'm travelling around a bit this weekend and am looking for the cheapest way to do it, given I usually split at Manchester to get to Macclesfield as it's cheaper.

I'm looking to do the following journeys and was wondering if anyone had any experience of the best way to go about it:

Saturday Lancaster - Macclesfield
Sunday Macclesfield - Derby
Monday Derby - Lancaster.

I do have a 16-25 railcard as well.

Many thanks!

 

[Romilly]

Welcome. The following would be straightforward. All prices are after your railcard discount, and assume that on Monday you would be travelling after 10am.

Lancaster-Poynton offpeak return £16.50

Poynton-Macclesfield anytime day single £2.45

Macclesfield-Derby offpeak return £15

Macclesfield-Poynton anytime day single £2.45

Total: £36.40

Using this combination you would need to catch trains that actually stop at both Poynton and Macclesfield on your outward journey and on your return journey.

If being limited to trains that call at Poynton is a pain, try:

Lancaster-Stockport offpeak return £16.50

Stockport-Macclesfield anytime day single (x2): £3.15 (x2)

Macclesfield-Derby offpeak return £15

Total: £37.80

But you would have to be on trains timetabled to call at Stockport and Macclesfield in both directions.

 

[cuccir]

First things first - check the cost of the simplest ticket!

A Lancaster - Derby Off-Peak Return with a Railcard is £35.25 and valid via Macclesfield. You can break your journey in Macclesfield overnight Saturday-Sunday.

Not valid for travel before 09:30 on Monday.
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Looking further for splits-

Lancaster - Manchester £12.70 off-peak return
Manchester - Tutbury & Hatton £12.70 off-peak return
Tutbury & Hatton - Derby £3.45 Anytime Day single (*2)

£32.30 - only valid on trains via Stoke and the Stoke-Derby line, but is valid on all of these. Note that there are no trains on this route until 14:29 on the Sunday. For earlier travel on the Sunday, the through ticket is valid for travel via Tamworth.

 

[Romilly]

cuccir's suggestions involve relying on that bit of the general terms & conditions for an offpeak return ticket which say that, if the passenger cannot complete their outward journey on the date stated on the ticket ("day 1"), they can break their outward journey overnight and complete the journey the following ("day 2") unless a specific restriction overrides this.

There has been relatively frequent discussion on this forum as to whether "cannot complete" only covers cases where the passenger starts their journey so late on day 1 that it is impossible to complete their journey on day 1 (which is perhaps the more literal reading) or whether it also covers cases where the passenger chooses to break their journey for such a period of time that they miss the last train of the day from their break-point to their destination (which seems to be the majority view on this forum). Personally, I think it's impossible to be sure which is the correct reading, hence my "straightforward" suggestions further up the thread which avoid this particular issue.

 

[Hadders]

cuccir's suggestions involve relying on that bit of the general terms & conditions for an offpeak return ticket which say that, if the passenger cannot complete their outward journey on the date stated on the ticket ("day 1"), they can break their outward journey overnight and complete the journey the following ("day 2") unless a specific restriction overrides this.

There has been relatively frequent discussion on this forum as to whether "cannot complete" only covers cases where the passenger starts their journey so late on day 1 that it is impossible to complete their journey on day 1 (which is perhaps the more literal reading) or whether it also covers cases where the passenger chooses to break their journey for such a period of time that they miss the last train of the day from their break-point to their destination (which seems to be the majority view on this forum). Personally, I think it's impossible to be sure which is the correct reading, hence my "straightforward" suggestions further up the thread which avoid this particular issue.

It is a passengers choice whether to break overnight and continue the next day. It does not have to be physically impossible to complete the journey on day 1. This has been confirmed several times on this forum.

Of course you might encounter staff who are poorly trained or lack knowledge....

 

[digger600]

That's brilliant all, thanks very much for your help!