Rover Tickets - Filling all the boxes before I go

[cookiescrumble]

I have a question that relates to Rover tickets, I've done a search and come up with nothing.

Basically I am traveling up to Scotland in November and will be spending a week there. I'll be traveling around on a Freedom of Scotland 8 in 15 Rover. I was wondering if I can fill in the dates for the 7 days before I travel up to Scotland?

Is this frowned upon or will it invalidate the ticket in any way?

 

[Welshman]

I'm not sure if it would invalidate the ticket or not.

But why would you want to do that?

Filling-in the date as you use it gives you more flexibility to change your plans at the last minute, whereas trying to change dates you have already filled-in would deface the ticket, and that would invalidate it.

 

[34D]

I don't think its wrong, but its silly to do that, especially if plans change, for example due to weather.

 

[cookiescrumble]

I wanted to do it so I don't have to worry about filling it in.

Even if my plans change I would probably still use the ticket just to see other places. I'm only there for 7 days so the dates would still cover the whole trip.

 

[yorkie]

It validates the ticket, but there is no need to commit to your choice of dates in advance.

 

[wintonian]

The only stipulation is that you fill in the relevent date box before travel, normaly that involves poping the current date in each morning before travel, but there is no reason whay you can' do them all at once.

When using such rovers I have on occasion forgot to fill in the current date before travelling and all that has happened is on inspecting the ticket the guard has reminded me to fill in the date. I wouldn't worry about it's quite an easy thing to forget and would be rather punitive for you to be asked to buy a new ticket just forgetting to date the one you have,

In any case if you are only there for 7 days and the valid from date on the rover is the first day you use it then you can't possibly commit fraud by using it for 9 or 10 days as you won't even be in Scotland that long.

 

[cookiescrumble]

Thanks for the responses! Think I'll just stick the dates in before I travel up there, can't forget it that way.

The Rover starts on the 18th November, which is the day I am travelling up from Portsmouth via London on the Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh, arriving Monday 19th. The Rover is valid til the 2nd December but I am travelling back to London on the 25th from Inverness on the sleeper. I'll probably just cross through the last day on the ticket.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

If you get a bout of something - happens too often on holiday - you may wish you hadn't!
Have a good time!

 

[Goatboy]

Thanks for the responses! Think I'll just stick the dates in before I travel up there, can't forget it that way.

The Rover starts on the 18th November, which is the day I am travelling up from Portsmouth via London on the Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh, arriving Monday 19th. The Rover is valid til the 2nd December but I am travelling back to London on the 25th from Inverness on the sleeper. I'll probably just cross through the last day on the ticket.

There is simply no need to be this paranoid and do it this way. Fill it in daily. Heck I sometimes fill it in by requesting a pen from the guard (I know you are not supposed to do this but it's never been an issue as I request the pen before he knows I have a Rover so it's obvious I'm not trying to get away without doing it).

 

[ainsworth74]

I wanted to do it so I don't have to worry about filling it in.

Part of the fun when I was using a 3 in 7 day rover down in Devon/Cornwall was trying to find a pen to fill in the date box before the guard could check it. I always managed to forget to fill it in before leaving my B&B so I'd be wandering around Plymouth station trying to find a pen, I think one day I used the booking office (got a very strange look from the clerk), a lottery pen in shop and on one occasion I had to ask a fellow passenger on board to borrow a pen. All good fun

 

[wintonian]

Part of the fun when I was using a 3 in 7 day rover down in Devon/Cornwall was trying to find a pen to fill in the date box before the guard could check it. I always managed to forget to fill it in before leaving my B&B so I'd be wandering around Plymouth station trying to find a pen, I think one day I used the booking office (got a very strange look from the clerk), a lottery pen in shop and on one occasion I had to ask a fellow passenger on board to borrow a pen. All good fun

You could always ask the guard if you can borrow one before they start checking tickets.

 

[ainsworth74]

You could always ask the guard if you can borrow one before they start checking tickets.

Where's the ingenuity in that

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It validates the ticket, but there is no need to commit to your choice of dates in advance.

I bought one this morning on the train from the guard (ATW) - NW 4 in 8.
He printed off both parts from his machine using a debit card.
Did not ask where I boarded (Helsby - unstaffed) and left me to fill in the date.
The whole process took about 90 seconds, just like a normal ticket.
I was expecting a lot more trouble (like having to buy a local CDR on the train and get off to buy the rail rover at Warrington).
Great service.