No thanks - I will pay £9.85 less than this and still travel on exactly the same trains

Following a similar plan to two weeks ago, I set off about 4pm from Newbury, except this time I declined the £44.00 off peak return rail fare to Birmingham and purchased the following:

1 x Off Peak return ticket from Newbury to Banbury with 30% discount for Network Rail Card £18.95

1 x Off Peak return ticket from Banbury to Birmingham £15.20

Total cost £34.15

Saving with railcard, £9.85 to travel on exactly the same trains in exactly the same seat.

This time I took the Reading to Newcastle Cross Country train, which starts at Reading, and is therefore empty at first, so not only did I get a seat this week, but it was actually a pleasure to travel on this service.

So tonight here I am in the centre of Birmingham, with Zulu none the worse for being left alone here for the last 12 days, apart from an inch of snow still on the roof.  There is however almost no snow on the ground, so everything looks OK for an early morning departure.

Just time to pop out to Broad Street for some groceries and a pint…… or rather not thanks, on a Friday night its just a little bit on the busy side for me.   Back on the canal side there isn’t a soul around.  What a difference a couple of hundred yards can make!