On 22/10/2012 22:24, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:07:48 +0100, Arthur Figgis
wrote:

On 22/10/2012 21:14, Mizter T wrote:

On 22/10/2012 21:05, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
20:33:17 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
It is possible to save money by booking tickets which are tied to a
specific train, which makes sense for long intercity journeys, and on
some routes there are operator-specific tickets where it is possible
to save money by making a slower journey, but these are probably a
case of asking the station (or using the internet) to explain the rules.

But not available at all on the London-Cambridge line, so it's a bit
confusing to mention them.

But in the context of a brief overview of how things work (which is what
Arthur seemed to be aiming for), a legitimate inclusion.

Especially if someone has said something which might possibly be
understood as suggesting it is an issue for this route, and there is
talk about doing other trips as well.

Some people seem to get worked up about knowing TOCs, when you don't
really need to.

Err I am not getting "worked up".

But I rather suspect you know a little more than most people about
ticketing!

There were mentions about different
fares and different routes / companies in posts prior to mine but no
real context was given.

Hence my comments about not really needing to worry about it.

I gave the info as an aid to the OP and also
in the context of the Anglia Plus ticket which has some complex
validity rules north of Cambridge depending on whose train you step on
/ where you want to travel to.

Your basic point is fair enough - generally you do not need to worry
*provided* you buy the "any permitted" ticket.

Which is generally what you'll get, unless you ask for something else.

However we have no idea quite how well off the OP is

Though if he is visiting London and Cambridge and contemplating Oxford
and the coast, I think we can make some rough assumptions. If he said he
was arriving by coach and wanted to know where there were some park
benches, or arriving at Biggin Hill and wanted to know if there is
somewhere to get a new plane as the ash trays will be full, we might
make other guesses.

and whether he would be tempted to
opt for what look like cheap tickets but which can be riddled with
restrictions. Don't FCC have some complex restrictions on trains out
of KX if you happen to hold an off peak ticket?

Yes, but they will probably be time specific, rather than something else
specific (though the option to go via Liverpool Street potentially
complicates things with the Cambridge - London specifically).

I'm pretty sure the people at Cambridge ticket office will have some
experience of selling tickets to foreign tourists wanting to visit
London for the day. I think the situation will have arisen before.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK