My limited experience of UK railways is that they are a bit more flexible than airlines!  I would book train tickets away from rush hours…….perhaps in the week, in the middle of the day, and not at weekends when there may be sporting events  …..so that the train is not overfull.  I would then expect you could get extra baggage on.

I was very happy with GWR who honoured my 2 week out of date ticket from LHR to Taunton recently after the Iran War delayed me in Sri Lanka.

I don’t know the arrangements London to Edinburgh but a lot of trains now have bike storage areas at the ends of the coaches that you sit in so you load the bike in there yourself and can see it.  Longer distance trains may still use the guards van?

Good advice PH.
Would just add:

- Scottish Ferrys seem to be the news at the moment due to cancellations.  Hopefully resolved by the time you are here, but worth considering options if you plan to use them.
- Nessie photographs best from his right hand side…….

 

I am planning my next bike tour.  I have never been to the UK before, so I thought I would mention it here, where many if not most forum users are in the UK.

Just a bit of background, I started planning a LEJOG trip in 2019.  Then Covid happened.  Later, got back to the planning on that and decided that was too much of a trip, dropped that plan.  Thus, twice I started planning a UK trip, both times did not follow though.  Maybe this time will be different.

Tentative plan:

Fly to Edinburgh.  Why am I flying to Edinburgh?  Delta flys there.  They also fly to London.  But I would rather avoid flying in and out of such a busy airport in such a huge metro area, so do not want to fly to London.  And the photos I see of Edinburgh makes that look like a very interesting place.

Stay in a hostel in Edinburgh for probably two nights while I reassemble my bike, look at maps, talk to people, buy butane canisters, buy some food, do a bit of sightseeing, etc. 

Then take a train to London.  Looks like there are two train options, Avanti or LNER, both of which have the same luggage criteria.  I have no clue which train to take.  Stay in a London hostel, probably about three nights.  Play tourist.  Avoid the extreme tourism spots, but check out museums, etc. 

Then start riding my bike north, aim for Edinburgh.  Once I leave London, I would have no reservations, until a few days before my flight home.  So I can travel at whatever pace I want to, can camp on nice days and look for a hostel when I want to get out of the rain.

Over the weekend I was looking at maps, putting hostels and campsites into my GPS, etc.  I also looked at Ride With GPS, looked to see if anyone had planned out a ride like that before.  Someone had mapped out a route that looked like it was on quiet trails and back roads, about 15 percent unpaved.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49188937

I have not yet looked to see what Komoot says about London to Edinburgh, so I am not yet sure if that RideWithGPS route is the right one for me.  But tentatively, I like the looks of that route.

Plan is to mostly camp in campgrounds, occasionally hostels if I want to get out of the rain.

When I get to Edinburgh, relax a day or two at the hostel, then keep going north towards John-O-Groats.  Then turn around and back to Edinburgh.  The part of the track on this ride that is north of Edinburgh is probably what I would do.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43518622

But I still plan to compare that to what Komoot might suggest.

Or if I am going too slow and can't make the distance I planned, turn back early to make sure I make my flight home on time. 

Or, if I get lazy, cut the trip shorter and see how many photos I can get of Nessie.

And fly home after about six weeks.  But first do a bit more sightseeing in Edinburgh while I am packing up my bike, etc.  The hostel there will store my S&S backpack case.

I am looking at a trip that would start in about two months, I have made no reservations yet.  So far I have about $35 USD invested in a map and renewal of my Hi Hostel membership.  But if I do this, I will probably start making reservations in a week.

The Nomad Mk II is a heavier duty bike than I need for a trip like that, but having an S&S coupled bike so I can avoid oversize luggage makes that the right bike for this trip.  I was thinking 40mm tires, until I realized that about 15 percent of that route out of London is unpaved, so would probably use 50 or 57mm wide tires on the Nomad if I take that route. 

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks, Ian.  Glad my notes were helpful, and good to know you've found a sun-protector at Decathlon.

My GE Anti-Cyclone rainjacket has a hood folded into the raised collar, accessible by zipper.  It's a snug fit, intended to fit under a helmet.  I don't use it, though -- I have a longish tubular & slightly elasticized muff, which goes under my helmet & which I fold over 3"+ for my forehead & ears; & I carry a separate raincover for my helmet.

A 'Strayan history is first-rate experience for dealing with Mr Sun.  Have to say that I've found the sun in Gold Coast (where our son & his family live) to be stronger than anything I recall from spending 15+ years across four-plus decades in Central/Southern Africa. A consequence of the shrinking-but-not-finished hole in the ozone layer?  Or maybe simply because we were almost always on the highveldt oin Sn Africa.

Cheers,  John

Thank you for the reply. Wishing you many happy KMs on your Thorns.