Scenic Britain by Train 09.pdf - Association of Community Rail ...

•
The Wear and Framwellgate,
Durham, at night
Photo: Steve Highfield
Photography
Chester-le-Street is your local
National Rail station, wherever
you are.
Opposite the Cathedral,
across Palace Green,
Durham Castle is now
home to University
College, the oldest
constituent college of the
University of Durham. In vacations over Easter and the
long summer break its student accommodation is
available to visitors. The Norman chapel of the Castle
dates back to 1072, which makes it the oldest
university building in Europe and can be visited most
afternoons.
One of the best views of the Castle and Cathedral can be
had from the station, or indeed from passing trains, but do
get off (as Bill Bryson once did) to have a poke around one
of the finest mediaeval cities in Europe.
Rail Rovers
RailRovers are one of the great unmarketed products of the railway
industry, a leftover from British Rail, but which few of the TOCs like
to promote in case it loses them money! So Chester-le-Track
promotes them instead. There is a wide range of area schemes,
valid across specific areas, but the best deals are the All Line Rail
Rovers which are valid in 7 and 14 day variants in both Standard
and First Class. Even making two first class round trips from
Chester-le-Street to London in a week is cheaper with an All Line
Rail Rover, prices as follows (from 17 May 2009):
ADULT PRICES CHILD PRICES (5-15)
7 day 14 day 7 day 14 day
First Class £650 £990 £429 £653
Standard Class £430 £650 £284 £429
Some further railcard discounts are available – ask Chester-le-Track
for details.
There is a range of regional Rover tickets around the country.
To visit our area, the North East Rover is available in two forms:
Flexi Rover: (4 days out of 8) £75 (£37.50 child)
7 Day Rover: £87 (£43.50 child)
34% discount for holders of Senior, Young Persons and Disabled
Railcards. Valid after 0845 Mondays to Fridays, anytime weekends
and bank holidays, in an area bounded by the coast south to
Cleethorpes, Retford, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford,
Settle, Carlisle and Berwick.
TOURIST INFORMATION
www.durhamtourism.co.uk
j 0191 384 3720
Tourist Information Centre,
2 Millennium Place,
Durham, DH1 1WA
Lumley Castle:
www.lumleycastle.com
j 0191 389 1111
Durham Castle:
www.durhamcastle.com
j 0191 334 4106
Crook Hall:
www.crookhallgardens.co.uk
j 0191 384 8028
Chester-le-Street Station
Chester-le-Street’s railway station was
first opened in 1868, unstaffed from the
1980s and reopened by private company
Chester-le-Track in 1999. The company
has reinvigorated the station and
encouraged more train operating
companies (TOCs) to call so there are
now 28 trains each weekday.
The station also operates a virtual
booking office at
www.nationalrail.com
which provides information about rail
travel throughout the UK, including
Northern Ireland, and you can book
trains, accommodation, ferries and car
hire irrespective of where in Great Britain
you are going.
During office hours the station offers a
telephone booking service for journeys
anywhere in Britain on 0191 387 1387.
Give Chester-le-Track a call for your
journey requirements throughout the
country, or book on-line at
www.nationalrail.com