I'm beginning to sketch out our next trip to England and Wales, planning to
fly into London, see some of what we missed the last time - then head west
to Bath, hire a car and enjoy the west coast, crash in Portmeirion for a
bit, ferry over and fly out of Dublin.

I see British Rail as an option to get from London to Bath, but am convinced
there has to be a cheaper way than the £89-111 per person the website
showed - at those rates, hiring the car from London could well be less
expensive, and we'd have the freedom to swing by Stonehenge again if the
mood struck.

Thanks as always for your insights.

"Fustanella" wrote in message
...
I'm beginning to sketch out our next trip to England and Wales, planning
to
fly into London, see some of what we missed the last time - then head west
to Bath, hire a car and enjoy the west coast, crash in Portmeirion for a
bit, ferry over and fly out of Dublin.

I see British Rail as an option to get from London to Bath, but am
convinced
there has to be a cheaper way than the £89-111 per person the website
showed - at those rates, hiring the car from London could well be less
expensive, and we'd have the freedom to swing by Stonehenge again if the
mood struck.

Thanks as always for your insights.

I don't know where you get the figure of £89 from - the most expensive
single (Standard Open) is only £45 and there may well be cheaper tickets
available if you are travelling off-peak and can book in advance.

Peter Smyth

Peter Smyth wrote:
"Fustanella" wrote in message
...
I'm beginning to sketch out our next trip to England and Wales,
planning to fly into London, see some of what we missed the last
time - then head west to Bath, hire a car and enjoy the west
coast, crash in Portmeirion for a bit, ferry over and fly out of
Dublin.

I see British Rail as an option to get from London to Bath, but am
convinced there has to be a cheaper way than the £89-111 per
person the website showed - at those rates, hiring the car from
London could well be less expensive, and we'd have the freedom to
swing by Stonehenge again if the mood struck.

Thanks as always for your insights.

I don't know where you get the figure of £89 from - the most
expensive single (Standard Open) is only £45 and there may well be
cheaper tickets available if you are travelling off-peak and can
book in advance.

True. The cheapest is an Apex Single at £18.50. To see what times/dates
would give you the best value, go to www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk and
click on the "Buy tickets" link on the right of the screen. First Great
Western are the train operator for London Paddington to Bath Spa.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

I don't know where you get the figure of £89 from - the most expensive
single (Standard Open) is only £45 and there may well be cheaper tickets
available if you are travelling off-peak and can book in advance.

Let's see if I can retrace my steps.

Aha. Rail Europe's website lists in US$, not pounds. My mistake, and sincere
apologies for the confusion.

Even so, I wouldn't think there's a need for me to pay a surcharge to a
company like theirs with so many trains running. Are there non-train options
I should consider, though?

True. The cheapest is an Apex Single at £18.50. To see what times/dates
would give you the best value, go to www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk and
click on the "Buy tickets" link on the right of the screen. First Great
Western are the train operator for London Paddington to Bath Spa.

Thank you very much. I've saved that link for the trip.

"Fustanella" wrote in message
...
I don't know where you get the figure of £89 from - the most expensive
single (Standard Open) is only £45 and there may well be cheaper tickets
available if you are travelling off-peak and can book in advance.

Let's see if I can retrace my steps.

Aha. Rail Europe's website lists in US$, not pounds. My mistake, and
sincere
apologies for the confusion.

Even so, I wouldn't think there's a need for me to pay a surcharge to a
company like theirs with so many trains running.

It's just like air travel: there are price options, depending on when you
book.

Are there non-train options
I should consider, though?

I don't recommend hitchhiking if you've got luggage.

:-)

--
Brian
The last time I used my Ouija board, we actually got the thing to work,
however it didn't work exactly how I had imagined: "Is anybody there...."
And the planchette moved to: "No"

I don't recommend hitchhiking if you've got luggage.

It's a bit of a walk too.

"Fustanella" wrote in message
...
I don't know where you get the figure of £89 from - the most expensive
single (Standard Open) is only £45 and there may well be cheaper tickets
available if you are travelling off-peak and can book in advance.

Let's see if I can retrace my steps.

Aha. Rail Europe's website lists in US$, not pounds. My mistake, and
sincere
apologies for the confusion.

Even so, I wouldn't think there's a need for me to pay a surcharge to a
company like theirs with so many trains running. Are there non-train
options
I should consider, though?

Well there is always the coach at £14.50 www.nationalexpress.com but it
takes 3h15m compared to 1h30m for the train.

Peter Smyth

In message , Peter Smyth
writes

Well there is always the coach at £14.50 www.nationalexpress.com but it
takes 3h15m compared to 1h30m for the train.
I have travelled once on National Express. I wouldn't recommend that
anyone put up with the same experience.
--
Clive

Well there is always the coach at £14.50 www.nationalexpress.com but it
takes 3h15m compared to 1h30m for the train.
I have travelled once on National Express. I wouldn't recommend that
anyone put up with the same experience.

I agree. I'd only use them if the alternative was a Fraser Eagle rail
replacement jalopy via various village lanes and small town centres.