Where are "overnights" still possible on the UK railway (NOT Night Riviera or Caledonia Sleeper).

[JonathanH]

4. Far north line - 320 miles on a 158!

No overnight trips on this one unless someone wants to hang around in Wick between the last and first trains.

I don't understand why someone would 'waste' the opportunity cost of a day of an all line rover on this, when other options such as a Highland Rover, or a day return from Inverness work out much cheaper.

 

[Tester]

No overnight trips on this one unless someone wants to hang around in Wick between the last and first trains.

I don't understand why someone would 'waste' the opportunity cost of a day of an all line rover on this, when other options such as a Highland Rover, or a day return from Inverness work out much cheaper.

In isolation that is true, but you need to get there, and as part of an overall trip it might sit well.

 

[xotGD]

No overnight trips on this one unless someone wants to hang around in Wick between the last and first trains.

I don't understand why someone would 'waste' the opportunity cost of a day of an all line rover on this, when other options such as a Highland Rover, or a day return from Inverness work out much cheaper.

I would presume that it is essentially a fill in move between Overnights?

Start the day at Inverness and end it at Aberdeen for different 73s.

 

[JonathanH]

I would presume that it is essentially a fill in move between Overnights?

Start the day at Inverness and end it at Aberdeen for different 73s.

It is doable but a bit tight. Need to catch the sleeper to Aberdeen, travel to Inverness, then Wick and back, with a six minute connection in Inverness. The afternoon far north train has long been a reliable connection into the Inverness sleeper. Can't be done the other way round.

 

[Oscar46016]

Sorry - what I meant to say - what do peeps think is a good idea for a Sunday on an all-line?

 

[mangyiscute]

Sorry - what I meant to say - what do peeps think is a good idea for a Sunday on an all-line?

I think the hardest part is sunday morning - after that most services are running almost as usual. On sunday morning, if it was up to me, I'd designate from about 10pm on saturday evening to say 8am sunday morning as recovery time, and book a nice hotel, especially if i was doing all nighters on the trains for most of the previous nights. I think something along those lines will be crucial to enjoy the whole experience a lot more.

 

[xotGD]

I would start on the Sunday and end on the Saturday, so that the night with no overnights can be skipped.

 

[A S Leib]

It doesn't look like it's the case today for some reason, but looking a few weeks ahead, Derby has an 00:08 arrival from St. Pancras and an 03:49 departure to the same. I don't know if there's anywhere you could wait for three hours though.

Milton Keynes Central has an 02:46 arrival from Euston and an 03:30 departure there; the first departures northbound aren't until 05:37 (Northampton) and 06:15 (Glasgow Central) though. I remember going to Aberystwyth a year or two ago and going to Bletchley by road to get the 05:32 starting there to Birmingham International with around 80 minutes to change; as there's now a service starting from Euston which gets to Birmingham International which gets there around five minutes before the Aberystwyth service leaves, getting to MKC that early doesn't have much benefit as far as I can tell now.

 

[mangyiscute]

getting to MKC that early doesn't have much benefit as far as I can tell now.

That 06:15 to Glasgow is the 05:31 from Euston, and as it'll catch up the via Northampton plus change route in most cases then yeah, you don't get any head start from Milton Keynes compared to London.

Also Oxford gets an arrive from London at almost 2am, and the first train is at 03:55 to Reading followed by trains in all directions (Banbury, Worcester or London) at around 5am.

It doesn't look like it's the case today for some reason, but looking a few weeks ahead, Derby has an 00:08 arrival from St. Pancras and an 03:49 departure to the same. I don't know if there's anywhere you could wait for three hours though.

Looks to me like Derby gets a 2am arrival from St. Pancras, so that cuts the time down a lot, and if you really want something to do the bus to East Midlands Airport apparently runs 24/7

 

[Bevan Price]

Caution - before choosing an overnight plan, check that it does not involve rail replacement buses - sometimes at short notice. (Real Time Trains will help - mostly....)

 

[JonathanH]

Caution - before choosing an overnight plan, check that it does not involve rail replacement buses - sometimes at short notice. (Real Time Trains will help - mostly....)

All the better if it cuts down the time waiting outside a station.

 

[Andy Pacer]

It doesn't look like it's the case today for some reason, but looking a few weeks ahead, Derby has an 00:08 arrival from St. Pancras and an 03:49 departure to the same. I don't know if there's anywhere you could wait for three hours though.

I'd just looked into this one and then spotted it mentioned in the thread, it looks to be a 0201 arrival and 0413 departure on a "normal" day which whilst does exceed the OPs hour its still a fairly short gap in comparison to some.

 

[Emaharg]

2300 Kings Cross to York, arrives around 0130 and the same train back to Kings Cross at 0440. York station is open 24/7 so you can stay in the station or have a walk into York. The waiting rooms at York are usually warm.

Waiting rooms are closed at night.

 

[Statto]

2300 Kings Cross to York, arrives around 0130 and the same train back to Kings Cross at 0440. York station is open 24/7 so you can stay in the station or have a walk into York. The waiting rooms at York are usually warm.

Or rather than waiting until the 04.40, (still catch the 23.00 to York) the OP could get one of the TP to Manchester, one scheduled for 01.38, & 02.35, from Manchester Piccadilly the OP could then get the 05.05 to Euston or 05.11 to Bournemouth,

By the way, the 05.11 Manchester Piccadilly - Bournemouth, has an interesting route too, goes through Heald Green, Crewe then to Stoke On Trent, by passing Stockport, think the only Crosscountry service that goes this way.

 

[greyman42]

Waiting rooms are closed at night.

Thanks, i did not know that they locked the newer ones on the platforms.