Severn & Solent Rover start times

[whole diary]

[Sharpo]

Living up in the Midlands, this Rover seemed worth a couple of days out. Could get to Worcester for just over a fiver on a local ticket, but the most suitable train then leaves Worcester at 08.57, which is before the Rover start time of 09.00, the next not until 11.06.

Is there anything in the "small print" about the ticket being valid on the 08.57 off Worcester Shrub Hill? If not, it's not really worth me buying it.

[ChrisB]

Yes, it is - buy a ticket to the next station south on the 0857, where it'll be after 9 on arrival, and the rover is then valid.....

[Ollie]

May be worth checking what tickets you can get on it, as The Manual states:

"Available after 0900 (Monday-Fridays) or when Off-Peak Day Return is valid (whichever is earlier). Available all day Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays."

[Sharpo]

Thanks for replies.

Off-Peak Day Return tickets are not valid on the 08.57 from Worcester to Ashchurch (next station). Difference in price between Off-Peak & Anytime Return is just 5p (^4.70 and ^4.75)

So the only option from where I live is Cradley Heath to Ashchurch anytime return at ^9.05 instead of ^5.55 Cradley Heath to Worcester return. Extra cost is ^3.50, so save money by cutting back on cups of tea during the day! Surprising how expensive just a few minutes can be!

Looks like it is still a practical proposition for a couple of good days out during the 7 day period.

[eightf48544]

Another case of lack of joined up thinking.

If there is train just before the 09:00 start time of the Rover and then not another train within say 30 minutes why not make the Rover valid on that train? After all people are going to able to join the train with a Rover at its intermediate stops. Or is that too difficult.

Presummably they don't want hordes of Worcester people buying Rovers and travelling on that train. 

[devon_metro]

I hardly doubt anybody is going to be bothered about being 3 minutes too early. Personally i'd chance it.

[Sharpo]

I hardly doubt anybody is going to be bothered about being 3 minutes too early. Personally i'd chance it.

Lucky isn't my middle name, if anybody got caught out - it would be me.

I've even looked at the timetable after May 22nd & the departure time is still 08.57.

You'd think there would be an exception when the choice of trains is so limited, as it is basically only a 2-hourly service.

Anyway, I've worked out that getting the 08.57 will get me to Taunton in reasonable time to catch a bus to Bishop's Lydeard station for a trip to Minehead & back. That's one day planned!

[devon_metro]

A worcester - Taunton Off Peak return is valid after 08:50, so you should actually be perfectly legitimate travelling on the 08:57 service. 

[Sharpo]

A worcester - Taunton Off Peak return is valid after 08:50, so you should actually be perfectly legitimate travelling on the 08:57 service. 

You're a star. I didn't think of checking beyond Ashchurch for times of Off Peak tickets.

Thanks very much.

Edit - changed prices to times

[ChrisB]

Or even 'valid from' *times*, I think you mean?....

[Chris from Nailsea]

Welcome to the Coffee Shop forum, Sharpo - and I'm delighted to see that we were able to answer your query! 

[Sharpo]

Welcome to the Coffee Shop forum, Sharpo - and I'm delighted to see that we were able to answer your query! 

Thanks, Chris. There's always somebody who can come up with solutions that I can't think of!

You're from Nailsea, I see. Used to live on Old Church Road before all those new estates were built, surrounded by fields in those days. Changed a lot since 1971, I'm sure!

[John R]

It has indeed. As has the rail service.

If you missed the first train down to Weston (0740) you'd have to wait until 1257 for the next one. And going towards Bristol, if you missed the 0827 by a minute, you'd also be a bit late for work as the next one left at 1338.

We like to whinge about modern day train services, but in most cases they are so much better than 40 years ago.

[JayMac]

Thanks for replies.

Off-Peak Day Return tickets are not valid on the 08.57 from Worcester to Ashchurch (next station). Difference in price between Off-Peak & Anytime Return is just 5p (^4.70 and ^4.75)

So the only option from where I live is Cradley Heath to Ashchurch anytime return at ^9.05 instead of ^5.55 Cradley Heath to Worcester return. Extra cost is ^3.50, so save money by cutting back on cups of tea during the day! Surprising how expensive just a few minutes can be!

Looks like it is still a practical proposition for a couple of good days out during the 7 day period.

Another option, allowing a later start, but still getting you to Taunton at the same time if you went via Worcester would be to go via Birmingham. You can do this with a Cradley Heath to Ashchurch Anytime Day Return (route - any permitted) for the railcard price of ^12. Okay it means even fewer cups of tea, but you could always take a Thermos^!!

You could take the 0824 from Cradley Heath to Birmingham Moor Street arriving 0849, do the short walk to New Street and catch the 0912 CrossCountry service direct to Taunton. Even though this train doesn't call at Ashchurch you would be permitted to combine the Cradley Heath to Ashchurch Anytime Day Return with your Severn & Solent Rover. This is allowed under the National Rail Conditions of Carriage:

19. Using a combination of tickets:
You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire
journey and one of the following applies:
(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at a station where you change from one
ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include
Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport
executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.
You must comply with any restriction shown on the tickets relating to travel in the trains of
a particular Train Company or Train Companies (see Condition 10).
If you do not comply with this Condition, you will be treated as having joined the train
without a ticket and the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply, either to the entire
journey, or from the last station where the train stopped at which at least one of the
tickets was valid.
For the purposes of this Condition, a ^leisure travel pass^ means any multi-journey ticket
(excluding Season Tickets) valid for:
(i) at least 7 consecutive days; or
(ii) at least 3 days in a period of at least 7 consecutive days
and includes rover tickets, travel passes, flexipass tickets and Britrail passes.

I've highlighted the relevent parts of the condition. This is a useful rule for anyone combining tickets for travel into an area for which they have a rover ticket. There is no need to use a train that calls at a boundary point, it merely has to pass  through.

Hope I haven't overloaded you with this alternate option. You may desperately want to trundle from Worcester to Cheltenham in a (likely) draughty Class 150, but I'd prefer the slightly more expensive, but quicker option of going via Brum - even if it does mean travelling more miles with CrossCountry!

[JayMac]

A worcester - Taunton Off Peak return is valid after 08:50, so you should actually be perfectly legitimate travelling on the 08:57 service. 

But as Ollie said upthread 'The Manual' states this rover is "available after 0900 or when Off-Peak Day Return is valid (whichever is earler)"

There are no "Day" fares between WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) and TAU^» (Taunton - next trains).