Route Salisbury

[Argyle 1980]

I often travel from Cornwall/Plymouth to Durrington on Sea, normally either changing at Bristol TM or Wesbury depending of best timings for connections and normally with an off peak return (£56.65p) when I can't get an advance fare or for short notice.
Last night (26th) I tried to buy a ticket for today (Sat 27th) and GWR website quoted me over £80 for a super off peak return. The journey was routed changing at Exeter St Davids and Clapham Junction becauseof the engineering work at Romsey. When I tried to add via Southampton it went down to the usual £56 but included a replacement bus.
I tried the same journey search on Southern's website and this time it quoted me the usual £56, even via Clapham.
I didn't buy it but went and boarded the 0527 XC service from Plymouth this morning and explained that to the train manager and low and behold, her machine also quoted the lower £56 fare.
Can anyone tell me if this route is in fact a permitted route (via Clapham) on a route Salisbury ticket plz?

I've had tickets before Worthing/Durrington to Epsom which state on them "Route NOT London and NOT Clapham" but the Route Salisbury tickets I buy never have "NOT Clapham on them"

Thanks.

 

[Hadders]

I assume the prices quoted are railcard discounted. There are two sets of fares from Plymouth to Durrington:

Any Permitted £80.65 (Super Off Peak Return)
Via Salisbury £56.65 (Off Peak Return)

Journey planners will normally default to the fastest journey which I assume was not via Salisbury (hence why the more expensive fare was offered). Putting in a via point of Salisbury should bring up the desired result.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm not an expert in this, but could it be that the discount is to get people off of the main line into Paddington, so they've given any route via the South Western mainline the discounted price ?

 

[Argyle 1980]

Both the fares quoted include the railcard discount. Whilst I'm not disputing that the £80 (any permitted including +) fare is correct, my question was that GWR seem to be attributing this fare to going via Salisbury/Clapham on SWR so I was curious as into if travelling Plymouth to Durrington changing at Exeter and Clapham Junction via Salisbury is a permitted route under the £56 route Salisbury ticket?
National Rail website prices that route in it's journey planner as £56.65 yet when you click buy and it links you to GWR site, it says ticket not available, and when you re enter the journey adding via Salisbury, it quotes you the £80 ticket including railcard discount.
I tried the same on Southerns site and it quoted the lower £56 fare for the same journey.
Because of the discrepancy, I didn't buy and waited and asked the train manager this morning on the 0527 XC service and she too quoted and sold me the £56 ticket.

 

[infobleep]

I have just gone on the National Rail Enquiries app and they are quoting the £80 ticket and also another route that has no ticket but is faster.

That is:
Plymouth to Exeter
Exeter to Basingstoke
Basingstoke to Fareham
Fareham to Durrington on Sea

It is 28 minutes faster. No idea why it isn't permitted. Maybe the millage is longer.

I'm not seeing the cheaper fare until I put in via Salisbury. This then gives me the route:
Plymouth to Exeter
Exeter to Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction to Durrington on Sea

It is also 28 minutes slower than the one that has no ticket price. However, as it is overtaken by the route showing no ticket price it doesn't show up unless you put in a via Salisbury.

 

[Argyle 1980]

I have just gone on the National Rail Enquiries app and they are quoting the £80 ticket and also another route that has no ticket but is faster.

That is:
Plymouth to Exeter
Exeter to Basingstoke
Basingstoke to Fareham
Fareham to Durrington on Sea

It is 28 minutes faster. No idea why it isn't permitted. Maybe the millage is longer.

I'm not seeing the cheaper fare until I put in via Salisbury. This then gives me the route:
Plymouth to Exeter
Exeter to Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction to Durrington on Sea

It is also 28 minutes slower than the one that has no ticket price. However, as it is overtaken by the route showing no ticket price it doesn't show up unless you put in a via Salisbury.

I've just this second booked the same journey for next Saturday at identical times via the same route for £56.65 return on Southern's website. The Eticket even has suggested journey reservations on it.
0552 Plymouth-Exeter B seat 67
0725 Exeter-Clapham
1052 Clapham-Durrington

1630 Durrington-Clapham
1827 Clapham-Exeter
2232 Exeter-Plymouth J seat 36

 

[paul1609]

I've just this second booked the same journey for next Saturday at identical times via the same route for £56.65 return on Southern's website. The Eticket even has suggested journey reservations on it.
0552 Plymouth-Exeter B seat 67
0725 Exeter-Clapham
1052 Clapham-Durrington

1630 Durrington-Clapham
1827 Clapham-Exeter
2232 Exeter-Plymouth J seat 36

Southern are right the £56.65 ticket is valid via Clapham Junction.
Durrington (and all West Coastway stations Portslade to Angmering incl) have routing points Brighton Group and Ford Group.
Both of these have routing maps LB +LE as a permitted route to Plymouth.
(LB is basically Brighton and the West Coastway out to Chichester up to Bedford via Blackfriars and London Victoria via Clapham
LE is the West of England line via Salisbury down to Exeter and Penzance.)
Some of the shorter distance fares are routed either "Barnham" or "Clapham Junction Not London" but I believe anything beyond Salisbury is just route Salisbury.
By the way if you are doing this journey regularly (and travelling via Southampton) its worth looking at Freedom of Southwest Rovers I think 8 out of 15 days is about £104 with a railcard which covers Plymouth to Portsmouth. The last station that offers off peak returns to Durrington is Fareham about £16.