On 5 Jun, 19:02, "Ian F." wrote:
Tomorrow I have to go from Balham to Esher, then from Esher into zone 1
and then later back to Balham. As Esher is beyond zone 6 it would clearly
be impractical to get a Z1-6 paper travelcard (I have only a PAYG Oyster).
Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best way to manage the journey?


This is very much do-able. Buy a zones 1-6 Day Travelcard at Balham,
then also buy a return extension ticket from the boundary of zone 6 to
Esher (though I suppose you could even buy a zones 1-4 Day Travelcard
and then an extension from boundary zone 4 to Esher).

The only possible problem might be coaxing the ticket office at Balham
to sell you the appropriate extension ticket. Then again perhaps I'm
just being a pessimist. Regardless the ticket office at Clapham Jn
would certainly sell you the right ticket without any problems.