Train Travel

Train travel in Britain. . .

& by ferry to the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man & Scottish Islands...

Enjoy a meal in the beautiful restaurant on GNER trains from Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen, Newcastle, York and Leeds. Treat yourself to a full English breakfast for #13.50 or dinner for #14.

Britain's train network is now run by over 20 different private companies. They all work together as 'National Rail' to provide fares, ticketing and passenger information. One website supplies details for all operators and a ticket purchased is valid for the whole journey, irrespective of the company or companies covering the trip.

Train travel UK to anywhere in Europe

For train times & fares visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or call National Rail Enquiries on 0845 7 484950 for details for any train journey in Britain. You can also purchase tickets online. Check all details of your trip and then select fares and select a ticket selling website and then 'buy ticket'. Tickets can be collected from any major railway station or posted to a UK address. Purchases can be made 8 or 9 weeks before departure. USA, Canada or Australia customers check agencies selling point to point tickets at a much higher price. The best tip is to buy from a local website and select pick up ticket from the 'FastTicket' machines at major train stations.

TheTrainline.com has now imposed a charge for credit card bookings of #2.00 - the other ticket sellers do not charge for credit card bookings. Other ticket selling sites shown on www.nationalrail.co.uk include www.chilternrailways.co.uk or www.gner.co.uk.

UK rail fares have a reputation for being complicated, but the Seat61 guide will make it simple. If you book in advance (up to 18:00 the day before travel) you can find some great fares available.

Good value one-way fares

London to Edinburgh standard class £12.50 1st class £29.50

London to Glasgow standard class £13.50 1st class £29.50

London to Newcastle standard class £10.00 1st class £29.50

London to Leeds standard class £9.50 1st class £29.50

London to York standard class £9.50 1st class £29.50

London to Sheffield standard class £8 1st class £28.00

London to Manchester standard class £12.50 1st class £28.00

London to Liverpool standard class £12.50 1st class £28.00

London to Oxenholme (Lake District) standard class £16.50 1st class £32.00

These Advance fares are restrictive as they are only valid on the train you've booked, no refunds, limited or no ability to change travel plans once booked. Returns are twice the single. Book early and look for off-peak trains. Although strictly the tickets should be booked by 6.00pm the day before travel, they are often available up to 23:59 the night before.

Railcards

Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for information on :

* details of running times and disruptions.

* general information for travelling in the UK

* other websites for tickets.

* travel assistance, telesales, customer services and telephone numbers.

A live departure board is available on www.nationalrail.co.uk/ldb/ - enter the name of your station and it will show the departures for the next hour or so and if they are on time or not.

Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk and search for 'maps'. London, SouthEast and several regional area maps are also available. An excellent map of the rail network in the UK & Ireland, if avialable from Thomas Cook which shows scenic routes, ferry routes and places of interest.

www.LondonTransport.co.uk is the best place to visit for London Underground, bus, Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink and other London transport information. www.TheTube.com for London Underground information. www.traintaxi.co.uk is a great place for taxi firms local to each UK railway station.

www.calmac.co.uk for details of ferries to Skye and the Hebrides - Caledonian MacBrayne. For ferries to Orkney and the Shetland Islands (Scrabster-Stromness and Aberdeen-Lerwick), visit www.northlinkferries.co.uk. Ferries to the Isle of Wight can be booked on www.wightlink.co.uk for Portsmouth-Ryde and Lymington-Yarmouth, www.redfunnel.co.uk for Southampton-Cowes, www.hovertravel.co.uk for hovercraft Portsmouth-Ryde.

Local bus times information can be found at www.traveline.org.uk, or call Traveline on 0870 608 2 608. Also check out www.transportdirect.co.uk with information designed to give train, bus, road and air details for any journey within the UK.

BritRail passes (unlimited train travel for overseas visitors)

A BritRail pass is ideal if you live overseas and are planning to visit or explore the UK by train. Unlimited train travel is available with a BritRail pass but if you are not doing a lot of train travel check that normal tickets wouldn't be cheaper. For budget accommodation visit discount hotel websites. Hostels are also available from www.hostelbookers.com. BritRail passes are not available to UK residents.

Rail Rovers (unlimited train travel for UK citizens)

Rail Rovers give a UK resident, unlimited travel over all or selected parts of the UK network - visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/promotions/ for the best deals. An All-Line Rail Rover gives unlimited travel with no time restrictions over the whole British national rail network:

7-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £375 (child or railcard holder £245)

14-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £565 (child or railcard holder £375)

7-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £565 (child or railcard holder £375)

14-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £860 (child or railcard holder £560)

Rail Rover passes are available from any train operator telesales line or railway station. They can only be purchased within 3 days of the date you want to start travelling or 5 days if bought from telesales. As a guide, full fare returns during peak travel can cost #202 for a London to Manchester trip. You only have to make this trip twice and an All Line Rail Rover is more cost effective. Call National Rail Enquiries on 0845 7 48 49 50 for more details.

Taking your bike?

Most trains are able to carry bicycles (but almost never tandems), sometimes for free, sometimes for a small fee with advance reservation required. Visit www.atob.org.uk for details on which trains take bicycles.

London sightseeing

A trip to London isn't fulfilled unless you book a ticket on the Big Bus Company - you can jump on or off a London Bus to all the sights. A London Pass is also worthwhile for free entry to the all the main attractions.

A separate train ticket is needed to travel around the UK before connecting with Eurostar, but saver fares are available from most stations to connect to London International. These fares include a normal saver return ticket to London but include the Underground fare to Waterloo and they have no time restrictions - so you can travel during the Monday to Friday peak times. Tickets to London International are only available from ticket offices and you will need to show your Eurostar ticket or have your booking reference to hand.

You can travel to Scotland from London on an overnight train from £19 one way. It's a great time effective, civilised and sometimes romantic way to get to the heart of Scotland. Two Caledonian Sleeper trains leave London Euston every night, except Saturday, and travel to Inverness, Fort William, Aviemore, Gleneagles, Aberdeen, Stirling, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Minature hotels on rails, these sleeper trains have 1 and 2 berth compartments with real beds and a place to wash. Towels, soap and a complimentary toiletry pack are provided. They are fully air conditioned, have a lounge with steward service of spirits, beer, wine and soft drinks and snacks. Breakfast is included in the fare and is served in your berth. There are also cheaper reclining seats. ScotRail run Caledonian Sleepers and are crewed by Scottish staff. To book a place on the train call ScotRail on 0845 7 48 49 50 or visit www.firstscotrail.com.

The Caledonian overnight sleeper from London to Fort William is sometimes known as 'The Deerstalker' and is a fantastic train ride. Arrive in Fort William in the West Scottish Highlands at 9.43am after boarding in London at 9pm the previous day. Regular fares start at £49 one-way or £99 return including breakfast sharing a 2-berth room or £169 with a room to yourself (passengers travelling alone can book a berth in a 2-berth room and share with another passenger of the same sex, if they don't want to pay the 1st class single berth fare). 'Bargain Berth' fares are available online for just £19/£29/£39/£49 one-way, although these cheap deals are few and far between on this particular train.

For the complete experience, take the connecting train from Fort William to the end of the line at Mallaig, a small fishing port and ferry terminal for Skye. Alternatively, just 15 minutes walk from Fort William you could climb Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain.

London to the Isle of Man

Ferries and Seacats to the Isle of Man from Liverpool, Heysham, Belfast and Dublin are operated by The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Check times and book online by visiting www.steam-packet.com or call 0870 5 523 523.

London to the Channel Islands

Comfortable fast catamans are operated by Condor Ferries from Weymouth and Poole to Jersey and Guernsey or by ship from Portsmouth to Jersey and Guernsey. Train and Ferry fares are available from any train station in the UK to Jersey and Guernsey. Visit www.condorferries.co.uk for more details.

Here is a quick guide to UK rail fares:

* Basically, there are 3 types of fare - Open, Saver or Advance.

Open - Valid any time, any day, any train, any train operator. Aimed at business travellers, fully-flexible but expensive. Valid on any permitted route unless a specific route is shown on the ticket. Valid for 1 month and a reservation is not necessary.

Saver - Not available to use Monday to Fridays before 10.30am or trains leaving London between 3pm and 7pm. Valid on any train any operator all other day or times. Check exact time restriction as this can vary by route. No advance booking necessary, you can buy a ticket on the day and get on any train on which your ticket is valid without a reservation. You can take any train operator's train, travel via any permitted route, unless a route is specified on the ticket. You can break your journey on the return leg, but not the outward leg. You must make the outward journey on the date shown on the ticket, but can return any day within 1 month.

Advance - Cheap tickets only valid for the journey you booked, no refunds or change of travel plans. Book 24 hours before travel. Advance tickets include Cheap day fares, One-way savers, Savers and Awaybreaks. Tickets have different names but they are all subject to restrictions. Always check with your ticket agency of the details and restrictions. Only a limited number of seats are available. visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for availability and fares.

* Check the conditions and/or restructions of all tickets when purchasing.