Trains are the most expensive way to travel in UK..

Holidaymakers weighing up their travel options for a UK break are being warned travelling by train is likely to be the most expensive option, according to new research.

Brimingham -london 
By train 
Standard Open Return  Adult Fare 2 £234.00 (2 adults @ £117.00)
Standard Open Return  Child Fare 2 £117.00 (2 children @ £58.50)
TOTAL PRICE: £351.00

0.47 p per mile per adult      

By car
is almost £40  travelling about 250 miles round trip + plus £10 for parking near airpot for example .. or free

0.16 p per mile

By Taxi
 is £130 one way ..

UK travel costs highest in Europe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6243561.stm

Most expensive in the world: London's fares rise again
http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,1981687,00.html

This  website is not quite right.. http://www.which.co.uk/press/press_topics/product_news/holiday_which_magazine/travel_060307_571_110393.jsp   
 

I'd say that depends on when and where you're travelling. If it's not peak holiday time, it costs me £39 for a return train ticket from Pembrokeshire to Cornwall by train. I've calculated my petrol costs for the same journey to be roughly £90. That's a whopping savings, not to mention saving the wear and tear on my car.

Also if you book early you can get cheap deals.  But if you're on a tight budget National Express coach is probably the cheapest option.

It costs my BF 70 pounds to take the train from Sheffield to Bath. I'm a bit more fortunate as I have a student railcard, so it's 45 pounds for me. He's moving to Dublin and it will cost 30 pounds on Ryannair to fly into Bristol. So yes, it will be cheaper for us to see each other once he moves to another country! Not to mention EVERY time he's come to Bath there's been something wrong with the journey. One night it took him about 6 hours to get here and it's a 3 hour trip. He spent most of that time sitting on the train outside of a station as a train in front had broken down. We've both dealt with cancelled trains. The last time I went to Sheffield there was a woman standing near the luggage smashed up against other passengers. She said she paid 110 pounds for her ticket and there wasn't even a seat for her.

The last time I went to Sheffield there was a woman standing near the luggage smashed up against other passengers. She said she paid 110 pounds for her ticket and there wasn't even a seat for her.

I often hear horror stories like this, but in my three years of regular train travel, not once has anything bad happened! I always book well in advance and have a reserved seat. My trains have been early a few times, but never late. I know I sound like a PR person for Great Western, but honestly I am a huge booster. I love the train!

I have to say, as much as I've taken the train I've been pretty fortunate with just some manageble issues. Fortunately, he's the one who's had most of the horror stories!    I like taking the train as well, more so with my student rail card, but the increase in prices is really making it harder to justify.

more so with my student rail card

Oooh, lucky you!   

Regarding the price increases, I just checked Qjump, pretending I was doing my usual train trip in a couple of weeks, and even at that relatively short notice I'm still showing a return fare of only £50. That's barely more than half what it would cost me to drive.

(Actually, that's not a return ticket - that's two singles. I've found it's often much cheaper to get two singles than it is one return.)

I often hear horror stories like this, but in my three years of regular train travel, not once has anything bad happened! I always book well in advance and have a reserved seat. My trains have been early a few times, but never late. I know I sound like a PR person for Great Western, but honestly I am a huge booster. I love the train!

Being a student (even with a railcard), I can't afford the luxury of booking in advance or reserving seats - but although I do usually manage to get a seat, I am prepared to stand because the trains are busy and sometimes it happens that there are no seats available. With a ticket bought on the day (i.e. a saver return), I'm not paying an extortionate amount, so I don't mind that much.

Once, on a train from London Paddington to Exeter, I had to stand for more than 2 hours - and ended up reading a whole book while I was there! On that occasion, I'd paid for a reserved seat, but two old ladies got on the train and one took the seat opposite me - I couldn't let the other one stand for 2 hours, so I switched with her and stood instead.

Brimingham -london 
By train 
Standard Open Return  Adult Fare 2 £234.00 (2 adults @ £117.00)
Standard Open Return  Child Fare 2 £117.00 (2 children @ £58.50)
TOTAL PRICE: £351.00

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This family would be advised to buy a Family Rail Card for £20.  Children get %60 off and adults 1/3.  That would take it down to 201.40.  Still expensive but no doubt if they shopped around for sales and Saver Fares they could save even more. 

Trains are expensive.  We found it was cheaper (and much much faster) to fly to Glasgow last month. 

Still expensive but no doubt if they shopped around for sales and Saver Fares they could save even more. 

Where do you look for sales on train tickets? I always hear the train companies say how they have deals out there, but other than saver fares (which you find on the regular booking pages) and railcards I never see anything about special weekend rates or anything like that. Because there's no competition between rail lines they aren't really able to advertise special deals like the airlines can.

I love my young person's railcard- that + booking in advance can save a ridiculous amount of money.  Two years ago, I booked a single ticket from Birmingham to Glasgow (8 hour train trip) for £11.70, three weeks in advance.

I agree the trains can be really expensive, though- my mum and I have to get down to London next week from up north to catch the Eurostar and we're having a hard time finding something that's not ridiculous. Sigh.

Where do you look for sales on train tickets? I always hear the train companies say how they have deals out there, but other than saver fares (which you find on the regular booking pages) and railcards I never see anything about special weekend rates or anything like that. Because there's no competition between rail lines they aren't really able to advertise special deals like the airlines can.

Checking the webites for Special Offers and keeping an eye out.  Virgin had a sale a while ago. 

I agree, and they're a huge nuisance whilst travelling with babies and small children.

That's why we have a car. 

We like to travel around Scotland and holiday in the UK, something that's far cheaper and more convenient by car.