Permitted routes Rochdale to Liverpool

[Oldhamloop]

Yesterday I wanted to buy a ticket from Rochdale to Liverpool stations. The guy in the office asked which way I wanted to go. I said Via Headbolt Lane to Liverpool Central but he said he couldn't do it as it was not a permitted route, it wasn't direct. I told him I'd done it several times when Kirkby was the Northern destination. After several minutes searching for an economic alternative he said you can have it anyway as nobody will check you. So I got my ticket £21.80. So is it a permitted route or not?
As an aside, the Northern train had Headbolt Lane as the destination but the Merseyrail train had Kirkby H'bolt Lane on the front when it arrived there.

 

[jfollows]

Routeing point Manchester:

• NO
• NR

Routeing point Accrington:

• CP
• JP
• KW

Maps at https://data.atoc.org/routeing-maps

Manchester-Wigan-Liverpool not included unless it’s within 3 miles of the shortest route.
EDIT It looks like it is - shortest route 35m9ch, via Wigan 37m76ch

SO Manchester-Wigan-Liverpool Central is a permitted route, and by extension Rochdale-Manchester-Wigan-Liverpool Central is also a permitted route.

For historic reasons it'd be slightly potty if Manchester-Wigan-Liverpool was not a permitted route, but of course there aren't through trains on the route any more. However I think that - because of the 3 mile rule - it's still a valid route and therefore also valid Rochdale-Liverpool.

 

[sonic2009]

Did you return the same day? And which way did you return?

 

[Merseysider]

If you're coming back the same day, split at the TfGM boundary (Orrell) to save £8 or so.

 

[TUC]

What was noticeable when I just tried to check this journey was that, whilst the Northern and LNER websites found Headbolt Lane OK, the TPE website could not identify such a station.

 

[Djgr]

Yesterday I wanted to buy a ticket from Rochdale to Liverpool stations. The guy in the office asked which way I wanted to go. I said Via Headbolt Lane to Liverpool Central but he said he couldn't do it as it was not a permitted route, it wasn't direct. I told him I'd done it several times when Kirkby was the Northern destination. After several minutes searching for an economic alternative he said you can have it anyway as nobody will check you. So I got my ticket £21.80. So is it a permitted route or not?
As an aside, the Northern train had Headbolt Lane as the destination but the Merseyrail train had Kirkby H'bolt Lane on the front when it arrived there.

The name saga continues!