York-Humber Bridge-York Saturday, June 9th, 2018

[ColinJ]

I JUST managed to catch a train on Wednesday to go for a hospital appointment. I thought I had 5 minutes to buy my tickets from the machine in the tunnel under the platform. The tickets were being printed when I heard the train rumble in above me. I dashed up to the platform and got on board just before the doors closed and the train departed - 4 minutes before it was supposed to ...

I spoke to the guard*** and he said that the train had left exactly on time. He showed me a printed sheet which had the timetable for the route and it confirmed what he said. So ... I took out my phone and showed him the departure times shown on the National Rail app, which were different by several minutes! He went off to consult some book or other and by the time he returned the app had replaced the timetable with the correct one!

I asked him if I was going mad but he confirmed that it had been wrong 5 minutes earlier!

As for funny fares. I have been looking at fares to get to various forum rides and I am fairly sure that I found that one far was higher if I got on the same train nearer the destination! I am going to see if I can track down which route it was. It made no sense whatsoever.

I have found that many of the routes are blighted by the timetable fiasco so I have not been able to buy cheap tickets yet, but I was able to buy them for nickyboy's Llandudno ride ages ago.

Obviously, I haven't bought tickets for this ride yet because we haven't finalised the date.



*** In theory they are called 'train managers' these days but he referred to himself as a 'guard' and his colleagues as 'guards', so he was a guard!

 

[Soltydog]

Obviously, I haven't bought tickets for this ride yet because we haven't finalised the date.

*** In theory they are called 'train managers' these days but he referred to himself as a 'guard' and his colleagues as 'guards', so he was a guard!

I will be able to get a limited number (4 at present) of tickets for cheap travel on Northern services only if they are of any use. I need to check to see if they will be issued as 4 separate tickets though, or if it will be 1 group ticket, so I'll check that out in the morning.

On Northern trains 'at present' we have conductors, the job title was changed a fair few years ago from guard, but maybe we'll join the other TOCs one day & have onboard/train managers

 

[Supersuperleeds]

@ColinJ Any decision on the date yet?

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ Any decision on the date yet?

I'll try and trawl through the posts later this evening and see what the numbers are like for the 2 options.

I'm inclined to go for the June date because that would give us the possibility of postponing to July if we got ghastly weather in June. (Day-long thunderstorms with gale force winds, whatever.) It would be a bit annoying to have had wonderful weather on June 9th and not ridden then do the ride in ghastly weather in July!

Obviously, the problem with postponing rides is that some people (e.g. ME!) book rail tickets way in advance, and other people book rooms, days off work etc. We wouldn't change the date without a majority being in favour and there being a very good reason for the change.

We usually stick to the arranged dates but there have been days where it would have been stupid and/or horrible to go ahead as planned. We got soaked last year for the first few hours but at least 2/3 of the ride was done in reasonable conditions. The year before it was the other way round - a good start and then a thunderstorm after we crossed the bridge. 10 hours of it would be a bit grim though!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I'll try and trawl through the posts later this evening and see what the numbers are like for the 2 options.

I'm inclined to go for the June date because that would give us the possibility of postponing to July if we got ghastly weather in June. (Day-long thunderstorms with gale force winds, whatever.) It would be a bit annoying to have had wonderful weather on June 9th and not ridden then do the ride in ghastly weather in July!

Obviously, the problem with postponing rides is that some people (e.g. ME!) book rail tickets way in advance, and other people book rooms, days off work etc. We wouldn't change the date without a majority being in favour

We usually stick to the arranged dates but there have been days where it would have been stupid and/or horrible to go ahead as planned. We got soaked last year for the first few hours but at least 2/3 of the ride was done in reasonable conditions. The year before it was the other way round - a good start and then a thunderstorm after we crossed the bridge. 10 hours of it would be a bit grim though!

Cheers, I've been looking at rooms, York is bloody expensive on Saturday nights but I think the day will be too long if it is a drive up, do the ride and drive back.

Train service back to Leicester is abysmal as well.

Riding with @13 rider and @tallliman tomorrow so will chat through options with them.

 

[Soltydog]

Cheers, I've been looking at rooms, York is bloody expensive on Saturday nights but I think the day will be too long if it is a drive up, do the ride and drive back.

Train service back to Leicester is abysmal as well.

Riding with @13 rider and @tallliman tomorrow so will chat through options with them.

I think York is expensive most nights. I looked a couple of years ago at a stop over on a C2C ride, ended up riding a little further onto Ripon for a cheaper room Maybe worth looking slightly further afield, Pocklington, Selby ??? I'm sure the extra miles won't be a problem for you

 

[Pale Rider]

My cycling group has stayed in York Youth Hostel a couple of times.

Not my choice of accommodation, but this is York so the hostel is about as good as they get.

You even get a power point next to the top bunk.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/yh...0b1883a731bd01eb;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl

 

[NorthernDave]

There's also Naburn Station on the Solar Cycleway - I think cyclists get a discount too!

 

[EasyPeez]

Re: trains my local rag does a semi-regular offer where you buy 3 papers, collect the slips then send them off to Northern Rail with a tenner and you then get a voucher in return that can be activated for a day of your choosing to ride anywhere, all day on any northern trains. We make regular use of these for days out walking in the Dales etc.

I know there is an offer coming up again next month in the Hull Daily Fail for said voucher scheme which would then allow the voucher to be used anytime May through July I believe. It may be that other local papers run by the Trinity Mirror group have the same offer - worth a look for those who will be solely/mostly using Northern Rail for this ride. Or worth dropping any Hull & ER-based friends a line, as if you know anyone living locally they could send you the slips from the paper.

 

[Soltydog]

Re: trains my local rag does a semi-regular offer where you buy 3 papers, collect the slips then send them off to Northern Rail with a tenner and you then get a voucher in return that can be activated for a day of your choosing to ride anywhere, all day on any northern trains. We make regular use of these for days out walking in the Dales etc.

I know there is an offer coming up again next month in the Hull Daily Fail for said voucher scheme which would then allow the voucher to be used anytime May through July I believe. It may be that other local papers run by the Trinity Mirror group have the same offer - worth a look for those who will be solely/mostly using Northern Rail for this ride. Or worth dropping any Hull & ER-based friends a line, as if you know anyone living locally they could send you the slips from the paper.

I can get 8 (maybe more) Northern only tickets for £7 each. The ticket will allow you to travel on Northern only for a full day & no need to buy any newspapers

 

[EasyPeez]

I can get 8 (maybe more) Northern only tickets for £7 each. The ticket will allow you to travel on Northern only for a full day & no need to buy any newspapers

Is this something anyone can do that I'm missing a trick on, or via some special powers of yours?

 

[ColinJ]

I don't think that I will be doing the full journey on Northern trains. It is possible but the timing might be wrong. I'll check again later.

 

[Soltydog]

Is this something anyone can do that I'm missing a trick on, or via some special powers of yours?

I work for said company & we get issued a few vouchers each year

 

[EasyPeez]

I work for said company & we get issued a few vouchers each year

Very good. I assume that's intended for family and friends and that you get free travel year-round for yourself?

 

[Soltydog]

Very good. I assume that's intended for family and friends and that you get free travel year-round for yourself?

That's right. I only had 1 of my vouchers left (4 tickets per voucher) but managed to get a spare from a work mate & possibly another coming, so upto 12 cheap tickets, expire in June though, so only good for the June proposed date