Off-peak return from Paddington to Yate: valid for a break of journey at Bristol Temple Meads?

[Jimini]

Morning all,

The title says it all really. On Thursday I've got a meeting near Yate so I've got a bog standard off-peak return. Journey planner suggests the best way to make this journey is via. Bristol Parkway, fine by me. I've got a bit of time to kill on the way back, and wondered if I can travel via. Temple Meads on the way back to London, and break my journey there for a couple of hours or so, have a mooch around the city etc.?

Thanks in advance as always for your expert knowledge!

-Jim.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Morning all,

The title says it all really. On Thursday I've got a meeting near Yate so I've got a bog standard off-peak return. Journey planner suggests the best way to make this journey is via. Bristol Parkway, fine by me. I've got a bit of time to kill on the way back, and wondered if I can travel via. Temple Meads on the way back to London, and break my journey there for a couple of hours or so, have a mooch around the city etc.?

Thanks in advance as always for your expert knowledge!

-Jim.

Very few Off-Peak Returns have restrictions on break of journey, and this one is no different. You can break your journey as many times as you like whilst staying on a given permitted route for each leg of the ticket. In any case, at least up until recently the policy has been that break of journey is always allowed on the return portion of an Off-Peak Return.

Since Bristol Group is the appropriate destination Routeing Point for Yate, you can go via Bristol Temple Meads on either leg as far as I can tell; most journey planners will happily sell you an itinerary doing just that.

 

[Gareth Marston]

No issue with what OP is proposing.

 

[Jimini]

Thank you both, most appreciated!

 

[father_jack]

Don't the time restrictions apply from the origin though, so if you were continuing from Temple Meads later it couldn't be while a SVR is invalid from Paddington ?

 

[WelshBluebird]

Don't the time restrictions apply from the origin though, so if you were continuing from Temple Meads later it couldn't be while a SVR is invalid from Paddington ?

Generally, (at least in my experience, and I've just checked for London to Yate too), off peak returns between Paddington and the Bristol area tend to only have evening restrictions coming from Paddington. So heading back towards London, there will be no evening peak restriction and OP can get any train they like.

 

[extendedpaul]

Morning all,

The title says it all really. On Thursday I've got a meeting near Yate so I've got a bog standard off-peak return. Journey planner suggests the best way to make this journey is via. Bristol Parkway, fine by me. I've got a bit of time to kill on the way back, and wondered if I can travel via. Temple Meads on the way back to London, and break my journey there for a couple of hours or so, have a mooch around the city etc.?

Thanks in advance as always for your expert knowledge!

-Jim.

In case you don't know - Bristol Temple Meads station is about a mile from most of the city centre. Part of the most direct route is along some poorly lit roads after dark.

 

[yorkie]

Generally, (at least in my experience, and I've just checked for London to Yate too), off peak returns between Paddington and the Bristol area tend to only have evening restrictions coming from Paddington. So heading back towards London, there will be no evening peak restriction and OP can get any train they like.

Fares regulation (which we need to fight to keep!) prevent evening peak restrictions on regulated* fares out of anywhere other than from the London area (this does include Reading), they are certainly not allowed to have evening peak restrictions from Bristol.

(* Ok technically the Off Peak return isn't the regulated fare for this flow; the Super Off Peak is. However by definition the Off Peak Return cannot be more restrictive!)

 

[father_jack]

Generally, (at least in my experience, and I've just checked for London to Yate too), off peak returns between Paddington and the Bristol area tend to only have evening restrictions coming from Paddington. So heading back towards London, there will be no evening peak restriction and OP can get any train they like.

You are correct, I misread the OP.