50% off train tickets sale means you can visit the English Riviera from just £20

It can cost an arm and a leg to travel by train in this country, with regular on the day fares from the north to London costing hundreds of pounds.

But every now and then, you can find a real gem that makes travelling up and down the United Kingdom a breeze.

No traffic or motorway delays, and no worrying about parking - it's bliss, when the price is right.

Enter the Great British Rail Sale, with up to 50% off fares up and down the country.

Launched today (23 January) and lasting for only one week until 29 January, the government initiative has placed discounts on more than one million rail tickets.

It applies to selected advance and off-peak rail tickets for trips between 30 January and 15 March.

The kind of savings passengers can expect is a rail fare from Birmingham to Bristol dropping from £30.60 to £15.30.

A trip from Manchester to Leeds will also be down from £8.60 to £4.30, with Leicester to Sheffield reduced from £7.30 to £3.60.

Avanti West Coast / PA Wire

But if you fancy something a little more exotic, we're going to head to the south west.

Situated on the English Riviera, all eyes are on Torquay if you want a spring trip.

The gorgeous, traditional and thriving seaside town was named the UK holiday destination in 2021.

It's home to idyllic beaches with some of the best sea swimming, paddling and kayaking that you can find in all of England.

If you want to take advantage of the Great British Rail Sale, you can get there for just over £20.

A ticket in late February will cost £21.60, if you're heading from the likes of Birmingham or Portsmouth.

And it's only £32 if you're heading from London.

P A Thompson / Getty

A bargain - just hope the weather holds out.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: "The return of the Great British Rail Sale is good news for passengers, following the success of the previous sale which saw passengers benefit from around £7 million in savings on their travel costs.

"With discounts on more than a million tickets, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to connect with friends and family and explore great destinations across the country – I hope passengers make the most of this sale and choose to travel by rail."

Thomas Faull/Getty

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "Train travel is the greenest way to explore our towns and cities as well as connect with your family and friends because nothing beats being there in person for those special moments.

"Following the success of the Great British Rail Sale in 2022, we are really excited that it’s coming back, and customers will be able to once again purchase over a million advance ticket fares starting on 23 January 2024 and enjoy what rail has to offer."

Topics: Money, Travel, UK News, Weather

Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

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