Train ticket pricing?

[MetaKate]

This is my second year at Glasto ( coming from Canada) and I'm planning to travel by train and the dates are now open to buy tickets, They seem to be quite a bit more expensive than last year. I purchased my tickets on April 1 and it was £57 return vs. This year is £80 return. Should I book them anyways? Is the price just going to get higher, or is there a possibility of a sale?

Also...I'm not familiar with the ticket types, but if I book a ticket with an "open return" will I have any trouble getting the train on the Monday,  or will I have to "book" my open return? 

Thanks in advance!

[ripcurl85]

It's usually the case that train tickets are cheaper the further away from the date of travel you buy them. Without getting into too much (boring) detail regarding rail regulation in the UK, train fares tend to rise, sometimes fairly sharply, on an annual basis depending on the type of fare though the increase which you describe does seem fairly steep.

Tickets are broadly divided into peak and off-peak and you will need to check the timings for each of the train companies which you plan to travel with in order to check their timing restrictions. An open return will allow you to travel on the outward leg on the date specified on the ticket only, with the return journey to be completed within a calendar month of the outward journey. If it is an off-peak return then the above restrictions will apply to travel.

There is a guide to ticket types for the various train operating companies here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46548.aspx

It may be worth checking the above out before you buy to avoid any nasty surprises at the station/on the train.

Great Western is the train operating company which operates most of the services between Castle Cary and Bristol Temple Meads and they published this article ahead of last year's festival which may also be worth a look: https://www.gwr.com/about-us/media-centre/news/2016/june/which-are-the-cheapest-trains-to-travel-to-glastonbury

I hope the above links assist. Have a great festival and I hope the journey isn't too stressful!

[musky]

It's worth noting that there are usually a limited number of bargain tickets available 12 weeks before the travel date. It's possible that you managed to get one of these last time round, and hence the apparent massive rise this time.

[MetaKate]

So technically it's still 12 weeks and 2 days before the festival...I remember last yeat I could not book my train until exactly 12 weeks before, but this year its showing them earlier. I think I might wait a couple days and see if the price changes. There are quite a lot of options at the £80 price so I'm going to risk it for the biscuit. Thanks for the information! 

[musky]

On 27/03/2017 at 8:19 PM, MetaKate said:

So technically it's still 12 weeks and 2 days before the festival...I remember last yeat I could not book my train until exactly 12 weeks before, but this year its showing them earlier. I think I might wait a couple days and see if the price changes. There are quite a lot of options at the £80 price so I'm going to risk it for the biscuit. Thanks for the information! 

So, did you manage to pick up tickets at a better price.

[Rubber Soldier]

You'll really struggle getting a train from Canada to Temple Meads. I'd look into flying. 

[MetaKate]

3 hours ago, musky said:

So, did you manage to pick up tickets at a better price.

I did! Same train same time same price as last year... £58, booked and ready to go! 

[MetaKate]

2 hours ago, Rubber Soldier said:

You'll really struggle getting a train from Canada to Temple Meads. I'd look into flying. 

The soul train goes anywhere I take it. GWR unfortunately makes me fly into london. 

[musky]

8 hours ago, MetaKate said:

I did! Same train same time same price as last year... £58, booked and ready to go! 

Result!