Hi all. This is most probably a very typical question, but I'd like to check with those in the know just-in-case.
My wife and I are visiting some family for a few days in St Ives in July (4th to the 9th). I thought I'd try to grab a bargain and get an advance ticket as soon as they became available. So, I logged onto the usual sites (thetrainline.com, FGW, etc), and was a bit surprised at how expensive it was to get down there.
I was a bit shocked at the fares that were coming back after my initial query. If I'm really not fussy about the times of day I travel, the minimum I can pick a return for two adults up for (including a gold-card discount) is £226 Standard Class.
I wasn't expecting to pick them up for £20 or anything, but it just struck me as rather a lot for such a seemingly long and slow journey, especially when I am totally flexible about the travel times. I am 6ft7, and I most certainly don't relish the thought of sitting in cattle class for six long hours, and neither do I feel that paying more than double is reasonable for a first class seat.
I have considered the sleeper train, but that adds another £120 to the standard-class fare. If it's a lot more comfortable, though, I can see it might be money well spent.
From a quick search, I discovered that I can get two return flights for just £12 more than the standard class tickets (with luggage), and that will get me to Newquay in just over an hour.
I could also hire a car for 6 days, and pay the fuel both ways for about £220 (I'd drive my own car, but just making a point).
In fact, I could drive there, stay in a decent hotel or B&B half way on the way down, and still have change from the £220.
So, this is my rather long-winded way of asking if this really is the cheapest fare available? Is there some trick to splitting the journey to reduce the ticket price, or is it really that expensive?
Assuming I did opt for the standard-class tickets, what are the carriages like? Would there be a chance of having a table seat to ourselves? Is there plenty of legroom, or is it like those horrible Virgin trains which have 5 completely empty first-class carriages, and 5 packed standard-class carriages with very little legroom?
I must confess, I am a little peturbed by this. I managed to get a cheap first-class fare a few years ago (about £200 for two adults) - what happened to all that?
Any feedback or advice very gratefully received.
My wife and I are visiting some family for a few days in St Ives in July (4th to the 9th). I thought I'd try to grab a bargain and get an advance ticket as soon as they became available. So, I logged onto the usual sites (thetrainline.com, FGW, etc), and was a bit surprised at how expensive it was to get down there.
I was a bit shocked at the fares that were coming back after my initial query. If I'm really not fussy about the times of day I travel, the minimum I can pick a return for two adults up for (including a gold-card discount) is £226 Standard Class.
I wasn't expecting to pick them up for £20 or anything, but it just struck me as rather a lot for such a seemingly long and slow journey, especially when I am totally flexible about the travel times. I am 6ft7, and I most certainly don't relish the thought of sitting in cattle class for six long hours, and neither do I feel that paying more than double is reasonable for a first class seat.
I have considered the sleeper train, but that adds another £120 to the standard-class fare. If it's a lot more comfortable, though, I can see it might be money well spent.
From a quick search, I discovered that I can get two return flights for just £12 more than the standard class tickets (with luggage), and that will get me to Newquay in just over an hour.
I could also hire a car for 6 days, and pay the fuel both ways for about £220 (I'd drive my own car, but just making a point).
In fact, I could drive there, stay in a decent hotel or B&B half way on the way down, and still have change from the £220.
So, this is my rather long-winded way of asking if this really is the cheapest fare available? Is there some trick to splitting the journey to reduce the ticket price, or is it really that expensive?
Assuming I did opt for the standard-class tickets, what are the carriages like? Would there be a chance of having a table seat to ourselves? Is there plenty of legroom, or is it like those horrible Virgin trains which have 5 completely empty first-class carriages, and 5 packed standard-class carriages with very little legroom?
I must confess, I am a little peturbed by this. I managed to get a cheap first-class fare a few years ago (about £200 for two adults) - what happened to all that?
Any feedback or advice very gratefully received.
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