Transporting Tandem to Lands End

[neilh]

We are doing the End to End at the end of July. Unfortunately, I have not solved the problem of transporting the tandem from Bristol to Lands End, and back from John O'Groats to Bristol.

I do not believe that the train companies carry tandems anymore.

Anybody got any ideas or had a successful experience?

NeilH

[graham]

It's not quite true to say that train companies don't carry tandems. On 'One' in the anglia region, Tandems are allowed on the intercity route from Liverpool St. to Norwich. But not on the branch lines. And not during weekday rush hours.

I think it would be worth your while asking the train companies you intend to use what they'll let you do.

[neilh]

Thanks Graham,
I had assumed that the railways were increasingly reluctant to carry tandems but I have discovered that First Great Western carry tandems on their HST and Adelante services (express inter city trains). So we are booked onto a Penzance train; hopefully everything will go smoothly!!!
I had used Virgin, First Great Western and whoever it is that serves Norfolk/Suffolk when we first got our tandem back in 2001/2. However, Virgin stopped carrying them, we had to beg our way onto a train from Harwich and then First Great Western would only carry on HST. So cynically I ignored the obvious method. Thanks for the encouragement needed.

Neil H

[neilh]

Thanks Graham,
I had assumed that the railways were increasingly reluctant to carry tandems but I have discovered that First Great Western carry tandems on their HST and Adelante services (express inter city trains). So we are booked onto a Penzance train; hopefully everything will go smoothly!!!
I had used Virgin, First Great Western and whoever it is that serves Norfolk/Suffolk when we first got our tandem back in 2001/2. However, Virgin stopped carrying them, we had to beg our way onto a train from Harwich and then First Great Western would only carry on HST. So cynically I ignored the obvious method. Thanks for the encouragement needed.

Neil H

[neilh]

Thanks Graham,
I had assumed that the railways were increasingly reluctant to carry tandems but I have discovered that First Great Western carry tandems on their HST and Adelante services (express inter city trains). So we are booked onto a Penzance train; hopefully everything will go smoothly!!!
I had used Virgin, First Great Western and whoever it is that serves Norfolk/Suffolk when we first got our tandem back in 2001/2. However, Virgin stopped carrying them, we had to beg our way onto a train from Harwich and then First Great Western would only carry on HST. So cynically I ignored the obvious method. Thanks for the encouragement needed.

Neil H

[graham]

It's now the 'One' lot that do Norfolk & Suffolk. Although they laughingly have a 'Harwich International' station, it's not on the main intercity London-Norwich line so their rules say they don't carry tandems. If you're lucky a guard may take pity on you but if he doesn't, you'd have to ride the bike to Manningtree, some 15 miles away to pick up the main line.
We have the same problem with the Dunwich Dynamo. I'd like to be able to put the tandem on a train between Darsham and Ipswich to get us home but that's a branch line and we'd have to cycle to Ipswich to pick up the main line. And if we do that we might almost as well carry on home to Colchester. But that makes it 175 miles in under 24 hours instead of 125 overnight. And we're just too old and feeble to do that. (Well, I might be mad enough to have a go but it's too much to ask the wife to do.)

[graham]

It's now the 'One' lot that do Norfolk & Suffolk. Although they laughingly have a 'Harwich International' station, it's not on the main intercity London-Norwich line so their rules say they don't carry tandems. If you're lucky a guard may take pity on you but if he doesn't, you'd have to ride the bike to Manningtree, some 15 miles away to pick up the main line.
We have the same problem with the Dunwich Dynamo. I'd like to be able to put the tandem on a train between Darsham and Ipswich to get us home but that's a branch line and we'd have to cycle to Ipswich to pick up the main line. And if we do that we might almost as well carry on home to Colchester. But that makes it 175 miles in under 24 hours instead of 125 overnight. And we're just too old and feeble to do that. (Well, I might be mad enough to have a go but it's too much to ask the wife to do.)

[Carl Kingston]

Hi Neil

Did you solve this problem? We too are trying to get a Tandem to the 2 points for the end to end. We are starting at JOG. Just to let you know, Scot rail have told me today they do not allow Tandems. So you might get up there, but cant get back! Virgin Trains or GNER go to Glasgow or Edinbrugh, but you still have to get to JOG.

We have looked at shipping our bikes with a carrier (cheapest option approx £230 total...£130 to JOG, £100 to LE.)but you have to pack the bike well, and dismantle it! We are also looking into hiring a van. There are some that let you hire 1 way, and then leave it where you start/ finish your journey.

After reading your post, we have contacted 1st Railways to see if we can get to London from LE... That will save some costs hopefully. otherwise we will have to hire another Van

Good luck in July. We would share with you, but we are going the other way and not until September!

Carl

quote:Originally posted by neilh

We are doing the End to End at the end of July. Unfortunately, I have not solved the problem of transporting the tandem from Bristol to Lands End, and back from John O'Groats to Bristol.

I do not believe that the train companies carry tandems anymore.

Anybody got any ideas or had a successful experience?

NeilH

[freddered]

I did LeJOG on a solo bike so my suggestions may not apply to Tandem:

1) Rent a car from Hertz.  They collect from Lands End using their NewQuay office.  Can you get a tandem into a people carrier (if you remove wheels and so on?)

2) Cycle to Lands End (2 days cycling).  Ok I would understand it if you don't fancy adding 200 miles of cycling.

3) Get a mate to drive you to Lands End in the vehicle you normally use.  

4) Check with EasyJet.  They fly from Inverness to to Bristol I think.  Maybe a Tandem is no problem for them, they didn't bat an eye-lid when I turned up on a Solo. (Inverness to Luton = No charge for bike in 2002).  John OGroats has loads of locals making money out of taking people to Inverness.

[neilh]

Hi,
we've just completed LEJOG on our tandem.

Bristol to Penzance: GWR train. The service used an HST125 which has space for upto 6 bikes, we actually shared the space with another tandem and two solo bicycles. Its only 12 miles to LE so we had a short day to begin with and stayed overnight in Penzance. (£22 single for the both of us.)

JOG to Inverness: we hired a taxi (Ross' Taxis Thurso). He has a bike trailer. Our tandem at 8ft long stuck out the back by about a half wheel length but the bike was very secure. I think the trailer would accomodate 4 solos or maybe a tandem and two solos. At £150 it was not cheap but the service was very good.

Inverness to London: GNER direct service (one per day). About 8 hours long, but the first half was through some beautiful countryside. (£49 single for both of us.)

London to Bristol: GWR. Unfortunately we were on a Pendelino (?). The cycle carriage on these trains is from vertical hooks, into which a bikes front wheel is hooked. GWR will book and take tandems on these trains but the guard was initially reluctant to let us board. The tandem was too long to give him access to the equipment lockers, when the bike was resting on both wheels. However, when we lifted the front wheel onto the hook the guard was happy. It still took up a lot of space but I was not complaining. (£25 single for both of us).

Hiring vans may have been cheaper but the train and taxi was more convenient (IMO).

Thanks,

Neil H

[Carl Kingston]

Hi Neil

Well done on completing the tour! How long did you take? We plan to do a leisurly ride in 3 weeks! What route did you do. We are going to try the western side.

That is useful information. Thanks. When you say it cost you £22 and £49 for both single....did you mean each or total?

We are planning to take a childs buggy/trailer to carry clothes in rather than put the weight on the bike in panniers. Do you think we will have any trouble getting this on as well as the bike? I know how some guards can get on these trains from experience!

Thanks again for sharing the info, glad you got back ok. Do you have a tel No. for Ross's taxi also?

Carl

quote:Originally posted by neilh

Hi,
we've just completed LEJOG on our tandem.

Bristol to Penzance: GWR train. The service used an HST125 which has space for upto 6 bikes, we actually shared the space with another tandem and two solo bicycles. Its only 12 miles to LE so we had a short day to begin with and stayed overnight in Penzance. (£22 single for the both of us.)

JOG to Inverness: we hired a taxi (Ross' Taxis Thurso). He has a bike trailer. Our tandem at 8ft long stuck out the back by about a half wheel length but the bike was very secure. I think the trailer would accomodate 4 solos or maybe a tandem and two solos. At £150 it was not cheap but the service was very good.

Inverness to London: GNER direct service (one per day). About 8 hours long, but the first half was through some beautiful countryside. (£49 single for both of us.)

London to Bristol: GWR. Unfortunately we were on a Pendelino (?). The cycle carriage on these trains is from vertical hooks, into which a bikes front wheel is hooked. GWR will book and take tandems on these trains but the guard was initially reluctant to let us board. The tandem was too long to give him access to the equipment lockers, when the bike was resting on both wheels. However, when we lifted the front wheel onto the hook the guard was happy. It still took up a lot of space but I was not complaining. (£25 single for both of us).

Hiring vans may have been cheaper but the train and taxi was more convenient (IMO).

Thanks,

Neil H