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Transporting Tandem to Lands End

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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

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