I've just been offered a shedload of cash by my employer to cycle from one end of the country to the other. Which is nice :-)
They're going to pay for food & accommodation during the ride, which leaves me free to raise funds for my son's school, Saxon Wood in Basingstoke, which caters for children with physical disabilities.
Apologies in advance for any inane questions I may ask here in preparation over the next few months. I've found many useful tips from Ian Clare's site and, of course, Vernon's log. If there are any other useful sites or freely available tips then I'd welcome the advice.
My aim is to go East of the Pennines in less than 12 days during May next year. I aim to travel light and not restrict myself by booking accommodation in advance. Beyond that, I'd be grateful for any advice from the collective wisdom that is u.r.c.
"Russell Fulker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I've just been offered a shedload of cash by my employer to cycle from one end of the country to the other. Which is nice :-)
You jammy git!!!
Quoted message said:
Apologies in advance for any inane questions I may ask here in preparation over the next few months. I've found many useful tips from Ian Clare's site and, of course, Vernon's log. If there are any other useful sites or freely available tips then I'd welcome the advice.
Seeing that your employer is picking up the tab for accomodation - seek out the 'country houses' and hotels to enjoy the cuisine and luxury sleeping provisions :-) But seriously, for modestly priced calories during the day I picked up on using transport cafes and Asda restaurants for their all day breakfasts. There isn't a lot of advice to pick up on once you have your route sorted. I used the Phillips's OS based road atlas for route planning. It was cheap enough to vandalise and have only the relevant pages ripped out and taken with me. I can still be pretty cool in May so make sure that you have enough layers to add/remove to stay comfortably warm. You have got plenty of time to get some miles under your belt before the adventure so you'll be fit and raring to go when the big day arrives.
If you are getting back via train, make the booking several days in advance, preferably at a station and get written confirmation of your bike booking. Much has been written about Scotrail's inflexible bike policy but providing you have a booking and written/printed confirmation that you have booked a bike on board than everything should be OK. I don't know where you live but budget for a long day on your way home. It took 11 hours to get from Wick to Leeds. A fellow passenger observed that she could get to Cambodia more quickly.
"Russell Fulker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I've just been offered a shedload of cash by my employer to cycle
from
Quoted message said:
one end of the country to the other. Which is nice :-)
Get a big map of Britain to stick on the office wall, and mark your proposed route in yellow felt marker. Send them a postcard each night, show how far you have got. Let them colour it in on the map.
If you want the map and/or postcards after you get back, make that crystal clear **before** you set off. It turned out that our secretary was a postcard collector, and thought I was doing it for her collection.
"Russell Fulker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
If you are getting back via train, make the booking several days in advance, preferably at a station and get written confirmation of your bike booking. Much has been written about Scotrail's inflexible bike policy but providing you have a booking and written/printed confirmation that you have booked a bike on board than everything should be OK. I don't know where you live but budget for a long day on your way home. It took 11 hours to get from Wick to Leeds. A fellow passenger observed that she could get to Cambodia more quickly.
Thanks for that. I was wondering how best to get home. I guess by that stage I'll have a better idea of what distance I can expect to cover in a day, so booking a few days ahead shouldn't cause too much grief. A first class sleeper looks an attractive option!
"vernon levy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Russell Fulker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I've just been offered a shedload of cash by my employer to cycle from one end of the country to the other. Which is nice :-)
You jammy git!!!
I echo that sentiment with a distinct shade of green included...
It's a new scheme they've launched to help us with our 'work-life balance' or somesuch. Mind you, if they knew how much my balance was already skewed towards 'life', and not 'work', they'd probably have binned my application on receipt.
Maybe they figure productivity goes up when I'm out of the office!
Thanks for that. I was wondering how best to get home. I guess by that stage I'll have a better idea of what distance I can expect to cover in a day, so booking a few days ahead shouldn't cause too much grief. A first class sleeper looks an attractive option!
When it comes to booking a ticket...try to avoid doing it by phone with Virgin...you'll get a voice activated aggravation ordering automaton before the system gives up and transfers you to a clueless operative in India. The whole farce took me 25 minutes to sort out. Try to use a real person in a station.
As for a sleeper...hah! The train left Thurso at 06:50 or thereabouts. First class sleeper....nahh..... You'll have to change at Inverness and Edinburgh at least. It also might be worth your while to research the independent hostels in Scotland. They weren't of interest to me as I used campsites and fields all the way. Don't be put off using certain roads by the Scots telling you that they are busy and horrendous....their notion of busy is several magnitudes below what I'd consider to be busy in West Yorkshire. Do take the time to soak in the majesty of the Scottish landscape. I'll be returning to Scotland for some more cycle touring.
Thanks for that. I was wondering how best to get home. I guess by that stage I'll have a better idea of what distance I can expect to cover in a day, so booking a few days ahead shouldn't cause too much grief. A first class sleeper looks an attractive option!
When it comes to booking a ticket...try to avoid doing it by phone with Virgin...you'll get a voice activated aggravation ordering automaton before the system gives up and transfers you to a clueless operative in India. The whole farce took me 25 minutes to sort out. Try to use a real person in a station.
I've no idea which railway company has the best sales hotline. I imagine any staffed station in northern Scotland would have a reasonably astute person working in it, so that'd probably be good.
Quoted message said:
As for a sleeper...hah! The train left Thurso at 06:50 or thereabouts. First class sleeper....nahh..... You'll have to change at Inverness and Edinburgh at least.
There's a perfectly good sleeper from Inverness to London with no change at Edinburgh and a fair amount of bike space. Online bookings start from £50 each way. First class is more pricey, but also worth it. Obviously, a sleeper service to Thurso would be just silly. -- Ambrose
I've just been offered a shedload of cash by my employer to cycle from one end of the country to the other. Which is nice :-)
They're going to pay for food & accommodation during the ride, which leaves me free to raise funds for my son's school, Saxon Wood in Basingstoke, which caters for children with physical disabilities.
Apologies in advance for any inane questions I may ask here in preparation over the next few months. I've found many useful tips from Ian Clare's site and, of course, Vernon's log. If there are any other useful sites or freely available tips then I'd welcome the advice.
My aim is to go East of the Pennines in less than 12 days during May next year. I aim to travel light and not restrict myself by booking accommodation in advance. Beyond that, I'd be grateful for any advice from the collective wisdom that is u.r.c.
Festive cheery things,
Russ
I'd recommend west of pennines, A49 from Cheshire to A6 near Preston. A49 fast and over quite quickly and old A6 very quiet and pleasant. Worst of it was a huge multi lane island in Wigan AFAIrecall and weird scary public bog (Wigan again on way out on edge of park) full of odd blokes. Best breakfast in whole journey was at Houston's in Wick.
There's a perfectly good sleeper from Inverness to London with no change at Edinburgh and a fair amount of bike space. Online bookings start from £50 each way. First class is more pricey, but also worth it. Obviously, a sleeper service to Thurso would be just silly.
I'll be aiming for Reading. Not that I actually live there, but it's the most covenient big place at which I can consider myself 'nearly home'. It's been a while since I checked, but IIRC the Inverness sleeper seemed a reasonable way of both getting home & breaking the monotony of the journey. I'll do a bit more research nearer the time though.
"Russell Fulker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Ambrose Nankivell said:
There's a perfectly good sleeper from Inverness to London with no change at Edinburgh and a fair amount of bike space. Online bookings start from £50 each way. First class is more pricey, but also worth it. Obviously, a sleeper service to Thurso would be just silly.
I'll be aiming for Reading. Not that I actually live there, but it's the most covenient big place at which I can consider myself 'nearly home'. It's been a while since I checked, but IIRC the Inverness sleeper seemed a reasonable way of both getting home & breaking the monotony of the journey. I'll do a bit more research nearer the time though.
We did JOGLE in June this year and used the London-Inverness sleeper - excellent, on time etc BUT be warned that the Thurso/Wick to Inverness train service is a nightmare for bikes (although I think there may be a bus from Wick to Inverness that takes bikes) .... our "story" is at www.beewee.co.uk and the obvious link if you want to see the route etc ... albeit that we did the E2E "downhill" version.
There's a perfectly good sleeper from Inverness to London with no change at Edinburgh and a fair amount of bike space. Online bookings start from £50 each way. First class is more pricey, but also worth it. Obviously, a sleeper service to Thurso would be just silly.
I'll be aiming for Reading. Not that I actually live there, but it's the most covenient big place at which I can consider myself 'nearly home'. It's been a while since I checked, but IIRC the Inverness sleeper seemed a reasonable way of both getting home & breaking the monotony of the journey. I'll do a bit more research nearer the time though.
In contrast to daytime train journeys I find the sleeper service comfortable, friendly, efficient, and well worth the money. It doesn't go as fast as a daytime train, of course, but you don't mind that because you're asleep, and when you wake up you just get off the train at your destination. In practice even when travelling second class you rarely have to share, but first class is definitely nicer (the difference being, chiefly, that you /know/ you're not going to have to share).
There's a perfectly good sleeper from Inverness to London with no change at Edinburgh and a fair amount of bike space. Online bookings start from £50 each way. First class is more pricey, but also worth it. Obviously, a sleeper service to Thurso would be just silly.
If you can wait till the appropriate time and guess when you will be coming back then you can pick up a bargain berth for 19/29 scottish pounds. It includes breakfast as well. The sleeper is one of the parts of the railway I do like..
"vernon levy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... Do take the time to soak in the majesty of the Scottish
Quoted message said:
landscape. I'll be returning to Scotland for some more cycle touring.
That's a sound piece of advice. I did it in 15 days generally on the West. I wish I'd taken a week longer in Scotland, and intend to head back that way one day.
"vernon levy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
It also might be worth your while to research the independent hostels in Scotland. They weren't of interest to me as I used campsites and fields all the way.
and
Quoted message said:
Do take the time to soak in the majesty of the Scottish landscape. I'll be returning to Scotland for some more cycle touring.
