Great Western Coffee Shop

I'm away for a couple of days during next week ... and making my plans:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/wheretonextweek.jpg)

Where am I headed from and to?  Why would it cost me 96 pounds for a return going out on the 07:20, but only 23.10 for a return out on the 19:47?

The dreaming spires of Oxford?

A return out on the 19:47 implies you stay there overnight and all journeys are therefore off peak and assuming you are going on two successive days, you would only do one return journey.

Right on most counts.   The 4:1 ratio of peak to off peak tickets was a bit of a surprise; turns out on looking deeper that 96 pounds is "not via London" and 23.10 is "not via Reading".  Not offered an anytime "not via Reading" fare; not sure why. I won't be risking day trips, but rather staying over.

Sadly, I wasn't very green this week ... the balance tipped in favour of driving from Melksham to Oxford on Thursday morning (leaving about half an hour before the 07:20 train) and driving back on Friday evening.   Where I was working was fairly close to the station, so I fought my way in from the A34 (solid from just North of Abingdon to the RingRoad, and again along Botley Road); fortunately, the place I was working has visitor parking.   What would have tipped me to using the train?

Well - the 07:20 timing from Melksham would have been ideal ... had the train carried on to Oxford (and perhaps Banbury and Birmingham), and the return at 19:10 into Melksham - 18:10 off Oxford - would have been perfect too.  And I would have been happy to pay somewhere between 20 and 30 pounds for each single journey (so that's up to 50p per mile).    Looks remarkable like the GoCo proposal ... but, alas, "manjana" for improvements it sometimes feels.

... ma^ana ... your spelling in Spanish is no better (or indeed worse!) than your spelling in English, grahame.  ;) :D ;D