Great Western Coffee Shop

Next week, I'm working in Cambridge - want to get up there by train, arriving at about 9 p.m. on Monday, and heading back at around 6 p.m. on Friday.   I like to think I know a bit about fares, times of trains, etc ... but next Monday had me stumped, and the online system seemed to be doing some funny things too (like trains calling at Melksham that I didn't know existed and aren't shown on any timetables) ... so I made a couple of calls.

I'm advised there's a train at 10:31, but there's no through fare available, so I should buy a single to Westbury at 3.20.   The fare from there to London isn't quoted anywhere, so I should ask the train manager before I join the train and he'll quote me a price to London. A travel card at 4.30 will get me to King's Cross, from where I should buy a 21.20 single.   All sounds a bit peculiar to me;  the "no fare available" is silly, but I'll believe it, and that I need multiple tickets, but all those splits?  My advisor suggested I pop down to Melksham station and ask there ... which again strikes me as poor advise.   I'm inclined to believe that there is a train at 10:31 (and another was mentioned at 08:55, but that gets me to Cambridge even earlier than I need).

Return advise pointed me to a train at 19:25 from Cambridge which will get me to Westbury at 23:31.  I didn't "press" too much further on the fare for that one because, frankly, I had lost faith in the advise I was getting and neither my First representative nor I knew how I could achieve the final Westbury to Melksham leg.

I'm thinking ... get the bus to Bath on the Monday, or go on that 10:31 train (what should the fare be?  Good split?), return by train as far as Chippenham, hopefully in time to catch the last Melksham bus at 22:10 ... or drive all the way to Cambridge.  Any better ideas?

And - part of the reason for posting - a further example of how difficult, confusing  and inapproprate the services, systems and information are.  Travelling from a town of 25,000 served by First trains to a major city / destination, also served by their trains.  Let's look forward (hopefully) to train services, information, and fares that are easier to follow in the future.

I believe there's engineering work between westbury & reading all weekend, until Monday afternoon, so I think the London - South West trains are going via Melksham.

So that 10:31 "change at Westbury" is not offering a fare because it doubles back and comes through Melksham?  How hilarious!

If it makes you feel any better I was a bit puzzled with a few timetable changes this weekend..

Whenever I come across journey requirememnts at present - mine or others - TransWilts, I'm checking them again the sample timetable of 10 trains a day that's been analysed, and checking that they're suitable for the journey.   Tomorrow we could have:
-> 14:04 from Melksham, Cambridge arrival about 17:45
-> 14:51, Cambridge arrival about 18:30
-> 16:51, Cambridge arrival about 20:30
-> 17:39, Cambridge arrival about 21:30
All via Swindon, all easily priced - excellent set of connections for this particular journey.

What *really* makes me feel better is that each test that I've done of this sort has worked, with a train arriving at destination within an hour of when the person travelling wants to arrive.

We actually have trains at 08:55, 10:31, 19:11 and 19:48 - none is right for a Cambridge arrival at 21:00 or so, so it's car.

Many thanks for the feedbacks.