Deals of the Week: Dear rail fares; hop it to Ireland; you'll never get to Moscow
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Your support makes all the difference.A train
If a rail fare seems implausibly high, it almost certainly is – and there is probably a way around it. The busiest rail link between two big British cities is from London to Birmingham. The obvious route is on the Virgin Trains main line from London Euston to Birmingham New Street, taking about 1 hour 45 minutes. If you book a week in advance, the fare is £15. But for business travellers, and anyone else who wants to travel from the capital to the West Midlands early in the day, the cheapest turn-up-and-go fare is £92. This applies on all Virgin Trains before 10.10am.
Fortunately, there are plenty of low-cost alternatives. The cheapest is a Saver on Chiltern Railways' route from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, which takes half an hour longer but costs only £25.50 return. The lowest fare from London Euston is on a Silverlink train, taking about 2 hours 15 minutes, costing £40.
But if you insist on the speed and comfort of Virgin Saver return, consider buying a Saver ticket from London Euston via Birmingham to Aberystwyth. Bizarrely, there are no restrictions on this ticket, which means you can use it on peak-hour trips. The return fare is only £50.80, saving more than £40 on the London-Birmingham price.
A boat
You have until Saturday, 6 July, to book a cut-price short break to Ireland before the school summer holidays. Stena Line (08704 00 67 34, www.stenaline.co.uk) is selling five-day returns between Fishguard and Rosslare for £154. This covers two people and a car; the fare for additional passengers is £20 each. The outward voyage must be made before 19 July.
A plane
Russia appears to be doing all it can to discourage tourism. Getting a visa for the world's biggest country is even more difficult than it was back in the days of the USSR. As a consequence, visitors who are committed enough to battle with the bureaucracy will enjoy a destination with few other tourists. Interchange Travel (020-8681 3612) has just put together an impressive package to Moscow, using British Airways flights from London Heathrow, and costing £285. The deal includes three nights at a reasonable hotel, plus breakfast. The catch is that you have to allow an additional £55 to get a visa.
A bed
Forest Holidays is the branch of the Forestry Commission that rents out cabins in some of Britain's lovelier patches of woodland. This summer, the fruits of a programme to rejuvenate accommodation have begun to ripen; the first site, at Deerpark in Cornwall, opens later this month. Book on 0131 314 6505 or visit www.forestholidays.co.uk.
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