Severn Beach line long-distance anomalies

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

An Off Peak return from Temple Meads to Gloucester is £11. An Anytime return from the inner half of the Severn Beach line to Temple Meads is £2. Yet an Off Peak return from eg Redland to Gloucester is £15.20. Even if allowing for two singles at £1.50 each rather than a return, that's still £1.20 more than buying separate tickets. What's the explanation for this? Perhaps it's something at Gloucester rather than the Beach line, as it was effectively zero up to Leeds. I hope the answer isn't "split tickets at Cam & Dursley"!

[johnneyw]

I used to find it best to buy a return ticket from Redland to Bristol (Severn Beach Line) and the a separate return from TM^‡(resolve) to Cheltenham for a day trip as it would save me quite a bit.  For example, with an "advanced middle age" Railcard, an open return TM to Cheltenham is £7.50 and the Redland to TM day return is £1.30 making a total of £8.80.  A Redland to Cheltenham open return is £10.  There had been times when the saving was even greater.
This pales into insignificance should you purchase a Redland to Kidderminster (for example) open return ticket on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) App.  Temple Meads to Kidderminster (again with Railcard) open return £42.40 while from Redland it's £51.65.
I should add that if you travel in other directions from the Beach line, such as heading south, southwest or east, this seems not to be an issue.

[Bmblbzzz]

Yes. Well for the sake of fewer bits of card to lose it might be considered worth paying the extra £2.20, but not if I were going to Kidderminster! But I was really wondering why this happens? I recall a similar instance of finding a single from Ashchurch to Filton Abbey Wood cost more than to Temple Meads and the reason for this was explained that fares from TM^‡(resolve) are set by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) whereas that FAW to ASC fare is set by Cross Country. Although I don't think there are any XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains that stop at Filton? Could it be something similar here?

[johnneyw]

It doesn't seem to be just with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services either.  For example, Redland Station to Leominster works out as £13.40 more (again with railcard) than the same open return journey from Temple Meads.  It's FGW services to Newport and the Transport for Wales from there.
With my local station being Redland, I'm quite careful to check for these anomalies.