Thank you for that help with split ticketing - will play with that more at the weekend. That's a big improvement and £20 better than I was getting with Avanti. Realistically I would like to keep my return as PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-NWP-CRV so I get home for dinner on a Friday.

It's indeed an attractive fare, but at 5hr 25m for a journey that can be done in 3hr 15m it means it is only for the time-rich (which sadly I am not, yet)!

Late to the party here, but just noticed this. I travel weekly Monday morning CRV-HFD^» (Hereford - next trains)-(EVE)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) (which has been off-peak using the 0642 HFD-PAD train) and return Friday off-peak (PAD-NWP-CRV).

With the changes in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) fare restrictions I now seem to face a >130% increase in cost of my weekly commute, from £101.30 to £237.60. I appreciate it may be considered an anomaly that the 0642 was off peak in the past, but considering how much slower it was than the journey from HFD to London via NWP it seemed reasonable that there was a difference in fare.

It looks like it may now be slightly cheaper to travel with Avanti West Coast via Crewe (and at least they seem to have some advance ticket availability), so it looks like this change will be self-defeating from GWR's perspective, at least in my case.