No return fare available

[whole diary]

[froome]

We are hoping to travel from Bath Spa to Moreton-in-Marsh next week, travelling on an early morning train which requires changes at either Didcot Parkway or Reading (depending on which train we get). As far as I can see, no return fares are available, either same day or period returns. To get a return ticket, it appears we cannot travel until after the peak hour, i.e. about 10am.

This does not make any sense to me, as presumably most people making such a journey would want to return, and would not be commuting. The only reason I can think of for not offering a return fare, is that if a return ticket was available, it could be used to break the journey along the route towards Reading, and thus be used to get a cheap fare to travel that way in the early morning peak (I haven't checked if it actually would). But if that is the case, surely it should be possible to stipulate that a break of journey in Reading isn't available on the ticket, rather than just not to offer it as an option. If that isn't the reason, does anyone know what is?

PS I should add that I was looking purely out of interest, as we actually only intend to travel one-way (we will be walking back to Bath along the Cotswold Way), but it intrigues me why a return fare isn't available.

[TonyN]

Return fares are available see:http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=BTH^» (Bath Spa - next trains)&dest=MIM

It may be that you are not seeing them in a journey planner because they are all not via Reading

[stuving]

All three (period) returns exist - but the anytime one costs more than an anytime single plus an off-peak single. In that case wouldn't you expect to be offered the cheaper combination?