how do I get cheap train fayres?

[clottedcream]

Im looking to go London during Easter (April) for 2 nights stay from Grantham to Kings X and the prices are absolutely hideous!!! Ive looked at mid week and a weekend and for 2 adults and 1 child is workign out at £185!!!

should I wait till nearer the time?

thsi was train line btw

Family railcard? Even if your child is under 5 it can work out cheaper to get a railcard and child ticket in addition to your adult tickets.

Advance tickets are usually available from around 12 weeks before date of travel, so perhaps try again in a couple of weeks. Get in quick though ad the best ones disappear quickly.

You have to wait until 12 weeks before the date you want to travel if you want to book cheap advanced tickets. I think you're too early. And yes, family railcard always works out cheaper too.

I think the cheap advance tickets are generally released 12 weeks ahead, so you may be slightly too early.

Or it might just be Easter.

East coast do a 10% reduction on tickets for their line so try rhem. Also get a railcard. When exactly do you want to go - when I travel from York to kings cross I can can get singles for under £20 each way (is often cheaper to get two singles than a return).
Are you speicifying times pe doing an open return - open return much more expensive.

Just thought about the 12 week thing - you may be too early.

Have a look at www.redspottedhanky. They adverstise themselves as offering cheap train travel.

Use east coast directly and book 12 weeks in advance that's when the cheap fares are released.

I would expect to pay about £60 standard fare for that journey. The east coast website tells you what date the cheap fares goes up to on the homepage.

Definitely get a family railcard if you don't have one yet - even if your child is under 5 so doesn't technically need a ticket, the discounts on the adult tickets make it worthwhile using a railcard and buying a child's ticket too.

And I agree about waiting a month or so to book. To get an idea of what the reduced fare should be, try inputting details of the same journey (days of week/times of day) but for some time next month, and see what comes up.

it is 12 weeks! I want to go Grantham or newark to Kings Cross on 6thor 7th april returning either 8th or 9th - basically want a 2 night stay. 2 adults and 1 child age 7

the prices are workign out at £90 for 3 of us there and £92 coming back!!!!

East coast homepage is saying that cheap fares at the moment are going up to 4th April.

You may need to book next week to get the reduced fares.

check the 'booking horizon'.

How about the bus instead?

I just tried putting your details into the rail booking website I usually use (First Great Western, but they all get data from a central database), and assuming you are not travelling at peak times (I put in leaving at 10 and coming back at around 5pm) I got offered a super off peak return ticket for the three of you for £73.55 with a family railcard. The railcard costs about £25, I think, so total is under £100, and you can use the railcard for a year (it also gives discounts on some days out, theme parks etc). Did you look at return fares as well as singles?

...thanks for looking for me everyone. Yes these were single fares.

Yes I also noticed East Coast werent booking around 7th April, I may wait a little longer.

I want to get there around 10 - its only 1 hour from Grantham so train at 9ish, then back at anytime evening evening 7=8pm would be fine

if you use red spotted hankie you can pay in tesco vouchers..

Megabus also do train travel so it might be worth looking at their website. Ditto the suggestion for a railcard. I travel from Sheffield to London to visit family and even if you add in the cots of a railcard it works out cheaper than buying the tickets at full price.

Yep agree with red spotted hanky and sign up via quidco etc and get a voucher, make sure you have your family railcard and book as far in advance as possible