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I've a general aversion to owning and being dependent upon too much stuff. Plus climate change etc. etc. you've heard it all before.
The result is that I've been trying to work out how to get out on some proper adventurous rides without the car, without it being a major PITA.
So I was wondering if there were any decent resources out there specifically for biking routes -- both mountain and road -- served by trains? If not, as I have a fair few myself (pretty much all Yorkshire based though), I figured I may start a blog archive thingy at some point, if this is something that interests anyone...?
An example of a train served ride I did recently...
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/new-stooge-first-ride-snow-so-much-snow/
For me the advantages of getting out on the train is that its nice to have a few hours of proper calm rather than the relative frantic-ness of the roads, and that I like being as car-free as possible for for both environmental and financial reasons.
But the real bonus is that I can start and finish in completely different places...
Anyone have any good routes themselves?
There are lots, it's quite a popular sub-culture.
So many towns have stations, so just get an OS map out, look for the red lines and cross-check with Strava heatmap, then off you go. Basically in the North, any ride will do.
Only downer with train/bike for MTBing is getting back covered in mud. I got filthy in the campsite of a Mayhem once when I hadn't even ridden and was refused access to a train...
I've got a pipe dream of cycling from rural Hampshire and get the train to London.
Sleeper to Glasgow central, cycle out to milngaive and do the WHW then great Glen to Inverness. Sleeper back to London.
It's the bit from Waterloo to Euston that scares me most.
Depending on how old you are this may be of interest with Scotrail..their 50 club .. ( you can start your journey from Carlisle ) ...the main part of the offer is that you can have a return journey anywhere in Scotland for £17.00 once you are a member ...which opens up a whole host of opportunities for the Highlands / Cairngorms etc.
I have been meaning to give it a try for a few years now ..but still haven't ..
Depending on how old you are this may be of interest with Scotrail..their 50 club .. ( you can start your journey from Carlisle ) ...the main part of the offer is that you can have a return journey anywhere in Scotland for £17.00 once you are a member ...which opens up a whole host of opportunities for the Highlands / Cairngorms etc.
I have been meaning to give it a try for a few years now ..but still haven't ..
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/club-50
It’s the bit from Waterloo to Euston that scares me most
Don't worry, cycling in central London is better than cycling in almost any other urban part of the UK. Small town, big town, city.
What TheBrick said
Over the bridge, round Aldwych a little bit and then straight up Kingsway and just keep going. You'll be moving faster than the traffic and it will take 15 mins.
Cheers folks. It's a pipe dream at the moment as cobrkai mk2 is due in august.
I say pipe dream, but it will be done.
If you live in London or the South East of England then this is a great book, all the rides are based around accessibility by train:
http://lostlanes.thebikeshow.net
I've posted this lots of times before but worth mentioning again, Dales rail service on summer Sunday's if well worth a look. Loads of route options for a different ride every time!
https://www.communityraillancashire.co.uk/lines/dalesrail/
And the cheap northern rail day ranger tickets
https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/jpress
I've been using the train for my mini MTB adventures for years. At least one Saturday a month usually between March and October I head out of the small Lincolnshire town I'm unfortunate enough to reside in on the first train to Sheffield, do some riding in the area and then cycle the 40 odd miles home, off road as much as is possible. On occasion I do catch the train back, usually around half way home and have never had any issues although once or twice I've felt the need to jet wash the bike down at a petrol station.
I keep meaning to do similar on my road bike, roll down to the nearby station and get a train somewhere and then cycle home. Part of me dislikes circular routes from home because you spend half the time cycling away and then half getting back again where as if it were linear I could start from further afield. I must look into the options again actually!
I've done it a few times, train to malvern, ride the hills then ride home, had some cracking summer adventures
It’s the bit from Waterloo to Euston that scares me most.
Shouldn't do. There are loads of quiet back streets, some massive cycle superhighways, cyclists and peds outnumber cars, drivers are concentrating far more than in the rest of the country (they have to) and traffic speeds are low anyway. At rush hour bike is definitely King. Just avoid the really busy roads like Edgeware Road or Marylebone Road etc.
Yes, definitely mud and rain is a major factor against train-served riding. That's one reason I've been madly scouting out winter-proof rides in the Dales, and watching the forecast like a hawk (or more like an OCD sufferer) for those cold frozen days on the hills.
There is one route from Leeds I've been meaning to do -- train to Wennington, a few road miles to the very wild looking Salter Fell Bridleway, a few more road miles to Gisburn forest and a lap of the red, then back to Long Preston.
Road riding by train definitely makes sense. From Leeds I can catch a train to beyond the North of the Dales, ride pretty much all the nicest roads through them, and back to my doorstep. Something like 100 miles and a fair few 1000ft of climbing.
I've never had any trouble getting a filthy bike back on the train on the Carlisle Settle or Leeds Morecambe lines. The guards are hardened to it, and if you're standing at the right door you're on before they can do anything about it anyhow.
The main problem is overcrowding in the summer, which is normally solved by riding a bit further to get on somewhere unfashionable, so your bike is in place before the hordes jump on at Horton or Settle.
I agree with the Central London comments, it's far safer there than the majority of the rest of the country.
I've done it a couple of times, get the train to Chester, pick up the cycle path along the Dee and head to Wales and then ride home.
*Bookmarked.
Haven't done it for years. Would love to again. Can you still throw yr bike in the guard's carriage next to the mailbags? And is it still £12 return from Birmingham to Plymouth?
No.
Booking in advance required on most trains.
I've done it a few times although not so much for a while.
One of my old favourites is train from stoke to Macclesfield and then cycle home, I can then include as much of the tech stuff around Macc forest as I want before the long ride home over through Leek and and Biddulph. I've also done a couple of mutli-day tours, just taking a backpack and stopping at B&Bs and usig the train to get home. Using this method I've cycled Stoke to Cardiff and Stoke to Machynlleth too.
Last November, I booked my Wazoo on the train from Southampton to Warminister, £13 return Advance ticket. The wheel holder in a standard carriage wasn't designed for wide tyres, so I had to stand supporting the bike.
I then cycled across to The Mendips to climb three cat3 hills, sadly running out of time to ascend the planned fourth (Draycott Steep), but at least I got to descend that insane gradient on the way to the spectacular Cheddar Gorge.
I had a head cold and the route was my longest on the Wazoo (on 2.35" G-Ones), so I had to take it steady, but it felt like a more more productive day than the rest of the family had, getting stuck in a big queue to book-in to Longleat Center Parcs!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1273656671
https://www.strava.com/activities/1279869805
No.
Booking in advance required on most trains
Depends on the train, train operator and time of day. Transpennine, Northern Rail and Arriva Trains Wales are generally pretty relaxed about carrying bikes without reservation outside peak commuter periods