Great Western Coffee Shop

Living up in the Midlands, this Rover seemed worth a couple of days out. Could get to Worcester for just over a fiver on a local ticket, but the most suitable train then leaves Worcester at 08.57, which is before the Rover start time of 09.00, the next not until 11.06.

Is there anything in the "small print" about the ticket being valid on the 08.57 off Worcester Shrub Hill? If not, it's not really worth me buying it.

Yes, it is - buy a ticket to the next station south on the 0857, where it'll be after 9 on arrival, and the rover is then valid.....

May be worth checking what tickets you can get on it, as The Manual states:

"Available after 0900 (Monday-Fridays) or when Off-Peak Day Return is valid (whichever is earlier). Available all day Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays."

Thanks for replies.

Off-Peak Day Return tickets are not valid on the 08.57 from Worcester to Ashchurch (next station). Difference in price between Off-Peak & Anytime Return is just 5p (^4.70 and ^4.75)

So the only option from where I live is Cradley Heath to Ashchurch anytime return at ^9.05 instead of ^5.55 Cradley Heath to Worcester return. Extra cost is ^3.50, so save money by cutting back on cups of tea during the day! Surprising how expensive just a few minutes can be!

Looks like it is still a practical proposition for a couple of good days out during the 7 day period.

Another case of lack of joined up thinking.

If there is train just before the 09:00 start time of the Rover and then not another train within say 30 minutes why not make the Rover valid on that train? After all people are going to able to join the train with a Rover at its intermediate stops. Or is that too difficult.

Presummably they don't want hordes of Worcester people buying Rovers and travelling on that train. 

I hardly doubt anybody is going to be bothered about being 3 minutes too early. Personally i'd chance it.

Lucky isn't my middle name, if anybody got caught out - it would be me.

I've even looked at the timetable after May 22nd & the departure time is still 08.57.

You'd think there would be an exception when the choice of trains is so limited, as it is basically only a 2-hourly service.

Anyway, I've worked out that getting the 08.57 will get me to Taunton in reasonable time to catch a bus to Bishop's Lydeard station for a trip to Minehead & back. That's one day planned!

A worcester - Taunton Off Peak return is valid after 08:50, so you should actually be perfectly legitimate travelling on the 08:57 service. 

You're a star. I didn't think of checking beyond Ashchurch for times of Off Peak tickets.

Thanks very much.

Edit - changed prices to times

Or even 'valid from' *times*, I think you mean?....

Welcome to the Coffee Shop forum, Sharpo - and I'm delighted to see that we were able to answer your query!  ;) :D ;D

Thanks, Chris. There's always somebody who can come up with solutions that I can't think of!

You're from Nailsea, I see. Used to live on Old Church Road before all those new estates were built, surrounded by fields in those days. Changed a lot since 1971, I'm sure!

It has indeed. As has the rail service.

If you missed the first train down to Weston (0740) you'd have to wait until 1257 for the next one. And going towards Bristol, if you missed the 0827 by a minute, you'd also be a bit late for work as the next one left at 1338.

We like to whinge about modern day train services, but in most cases they are so much better than 40 years ago.

Another option, allowing a later start, but still getting you to Taunton at the same time if you went via Worcester would be to go via Birmingham. You can do this with a Cradley Heath to Ashchurch Anytime Day Return (route - any permitted) for the railcard price of ^12. Okay it means even fewer cups of tea, but you could always take a Thermos^!!

You could take the 0824 from Cradley Heath to Birmingham Moor Street arriving 0849, do the short walk to New Street and catch the 0912 CrossCountry service direct to Taunton. Even though this train doesn't call at Ashchurch you would be permitted to combine the Cradley Heath to Ashchurch Anytime Day Return with your Severn & Solent Rover. This is allowed under the National Rail Conditions of Carriage:


I've highlighted the relevent parts of the condition. This is a useful rule for anyone combining tickets for travel into an area for which they have a rover ticket. There is no need to use a train that calls at a boundary point, it merely has to pass  through.

Hope I haven't overloaded you with this alternate option. You may desperately want to trundle from Worcester to Cheltenham in a (likely) draughty Class 150, but I'd prefer the slightly more expensive, but quicker option of going via Brum - even if it does mean travelling more miles with CrossCountry!

But as Ollie said upthread 'The Manual' states this rover is "available after 0900 or when Off-Peak Day Return is valid (whichever is earler)"

There are no "Day" fares between WOS and TAU.

An off peak day return is valid on the 08:57 ... from Worcester to Swindon (or at least the web site offered to sell me one when I asked!  :D )

The ticket routed by Stroud (the day return) is valid after 7:45, according to NFM05.  Whereas the Off Peak Return (Any Permitted) is only valid after 8:50.

Wow, this does get complicated!

I'm not really desperate to go anywhere in a 150, as that is all that runs on my local line (except when a 153 is stuck on the front or rear) just trying to find the cheapest way to get onto the area covered by the Rover ticket.

This "any permitted route" clause is complicated, as none of the options I've looked at show the route via Birmingham. One was even via Droitwich & Bromsgrove.

I've been careful with more than one ticket for "one train" journeys in the past, as I thought the train had to stop at the stations referred to by the tickets. You live & learn.

One thing in my favour is a senior railcard, which probably also explains why I'm trying for the cheapest option.

I found the ^12 (railcard) Anytime Day Return, any permitted Cradley Heath to Ashchurch by putting Moor Street as a via point in to a Journey Planner. It was then a case of looking for suitable services that would get you into Brum and from Brum to Taunton.


With normal split tickets, say two Off Peak Day Returns, it is indeed the case that a through train must call at the split point. But if one of your tickets is a Season or a Rover, just passing through the split point is acceptable. I'm sure there's a reason why this is so, but I can't think of one!


Your not wrong, it helps if you are borderline OCD like me when it comes to finding the best/cheapest/most interesting way to make a journey. And if it's any consolation, there are no split ticket opportunites between Bishop's Lydeard and Minehead!

It's a concession so that season ticket holders from (say) Bedwyn to Paddington can get on the "Penzance Flyer" on a Friday evening and travel on it to (say) Redruth without haveing to get one of the occasional 125s that stops at Bedwyn and then change onto a later Penzance train at Taunton or Exeter.