Opposite diagonal

"Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I am considering cycling Dover - Durness sometime in the future (may have

to

Quoted message said:

wait until next year due to available holiday). I will not have vehicle support, so need to return
from Durness to Leicester. As there are no

trains

Quoted message said:

nearby that is a bit of a problem. Any ideas?

Do National Express coaches take bikes if you arrange it beforehand? I saw two bikes being put on a
Scottish City Link Coach I was getting on in Glasgow once. Actually it might have been a National
Express coach...can't remember whether I was going North or South now.

In message <[email hidden]>, Jo Hardman
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I am considering cycling Dover - Durness sometime in the future (may have to wait until next year
due to available holiday). I will not have vehicle support, so need to return from Durness to
Leicester. As there are no trains nearby that is a bit of a problem. Any ideas?

Cycle East along the coast to Thurso and get the train from there? it's not as daft as it sounds.

It's about 70 miles, so if you've ridden from Dover, then should manage that in day ok.

Bit hilly (but then it is the highlands.....) as you cross the valleys, a nice ride (unless you get
a strong headwind)

Alternatively, find a taxi firm that would have a car large enough and willing enough to take you?
--
Chris French, Leeds

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Do National Express coaches take bikes if you arrange it beforehand? I saw two bikes being put on
a Scottish City Link Coach I was getting on in Glasgow once. Actually it might have been a
National Express coach...can't remember whether I was going North or South now.

Yes and no! Depends on the bike. They have different rules for normal bikes and for folding bikes
etc. When I was trying to transport my bike (either 'as a bike' or in a hard case) they could not
guarantee a space because it was larger than the allotted 2 pieces of luggage allowance. They were
willing to take my money but said the driver had a right to refuse my 'luggage' if the coach was
full and everyone has there full allowance. Yeah right,as if I was going to do that. At the time I
was trying to get to a race in Cologne Germany, I wouldn't have minded being refused at Victoria but
you can imagine being turned away from a coach at 11pm in the centre of Cologne? I offered to pay
double (it was an important race for me) to compensate for the 'extra luggage' but they would not
entertain it.

In the end I went across on the ferry and drove down to Cologne in a Hire car. Worked out really
well in the end.

Ring NE by all means but get it in writing if they say yes to taking your bike.

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling of contents may
have occurred during transmission

"Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I am considering cycling Dover - Durness sometime in the future (may have

to

Quoted message said:

wait until next year due to available holiday). I will not have vehicle support, so need to return
from Durness to Leicester. As there are no

trains

Quoted message said:

nearby that is a bit of a problem. Any ideas?

As an aside, now that I've remembered where Durness is a ferry trip and cycle ride to Cape Wrath
might be a nice ending if you haven't considered it.

"Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am considering cycling Dover - Durness sometime in the future (may have

to

Quoted message said:

wait until next year due to available holiday). I will not have vehicle support, so need to return
from Durness to Leicester. As there are no

trains

Quoted message said:

nearby that is a bit of a problem. Any ideas?

No sorry, I've really only considered it as a pleasant day-dream but I wish you best of luck. If you
haven't sorted a route the CTC have one based on Youth Hostels.

Julia

"chris French" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Bit hilly (but then it is the highlands.....) as you cross the valleys, a nice ride (unless you
get a strong headwind)

Oh yeah, forget my idea about National Express then. Should have remembered where Durness was, I was
only there a few months ago. Great beach to have a well earned rest on.

AndyP said:

Do National Express coaches take bikes if you arrange it beforehand? I saw two bikes being put on
a Scottish City Link Coach I was getting on in Glasgow once.

Recently (November, possibly late October) I asked a City Link driver at Perth bus station if they
took bikes (we had three with us, and one of our number a bit under the weather a bit under the
weather and the next train was in 1 hour 57 minutes). And he said that no, they didn't. Thus I'd
assume a driver discretion thing.

If you've just ridden all that way might be easiest to hook across the top of the country and pick
up a train in the usual places. It's further, but distance presumably not a *huge* obstacle given
the overall plan!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

In message <[email hidden]>, AndyP <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I am considering cycling Dover - Durness sometime in the future (may have

to

Quoted message said:

wait until next year due to available holiday). I will not have vehicle support, so need to
return from Durness to Leicester. As there are no

trains

Quoted message said:

nearby that is a bit of a problem. Any ideas?

As an aside, now that I've remembered where Durness is a ferry trip and cycle ride to Cape Wrath
might be a nice ending if you haven't considered it.

Yes, I think that would be good. It's a nice day trip out from Durness. It's a rough old road though
now - I broke an axle on it on my tourer when I did the trip.

I didn't realise until the next morning when I was loaded up to go. I spent a day hitching to Thurso
and back to get a replacement axle.
--
Chris French, Leeds

chris French said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Jo Hardman
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>

Cycle East along the coast to Thurso and get the train from there? it's not as daft as it sounds.

It's about 70 miles, so if you've ridden from Dover, then should manage that in day ok.

It's not the mileage that is a problem, but fitting in the time. I know from doing Land's End to
John O'Groats that there is one train a day from Thurso, leaving at around 6 in the morning, so I
would need a day for the cycle ride, then another day for the train journey, and my time off work is
limited. If I have spare time at the end I was hoping to go to Cape Wrath, but I think I may have to
resign myself to a two day journey home.

Quoted message said:

Bit hilly (but then it is the highlands.....) as you cross the valleys, a nice ride (unless you
get a strong headwind)

Alternatively, find a taxi firm that would have a car large enough and willing enough to take you?

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 10:22:54 -0000 someone who may be "Jo Hardman"
<[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

there is one train a day from Thurso, leaving at around 6 in the morning,

On a Sunday, when it leaves at 12:28. Every other day there are three trains. How useful they are
for you depends on where you live, but the sleeper trains take bikes if you live along their route
and so can save a day travelling.

You can get train times from the Network Rail web site.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

David Hansen said:

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 10:22:54 -0000 someone who may be "Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]>
wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

there is one train a day from Thurso, leaving at around 6 in the morning,

On a Sunday, when it leaves at 12:28. Every other day there are three trains. How useful they are
for you depends on where you live, but the sleeper trains take bikes if you live along their route
and so can save a day travelling.

I think the reason I remembered there only being one train was because that is the only one I can
catch to get home in one day - I live in Leicester. My previous train journey from Wick took from
somewhere around 6am to about 10pm. (there were some delays at Birmingham, otherwise I would have
been home about 8.30 pm.)

Quoted message said:

You can get train times from the Network Rail web site.

In "]news:[email hidden],
Jo Hardman <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

David Hansen said:

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 10:22:54 -0000 someone who may be "Jo Hardman" <[email hidden]>
wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

there is one train a day from Thurso, leaving at around 6 in the morning,

On a Sunday, when it leaves at 12:28. Every other day there are three trains. How useful they are
for you depends on where you live, but the sleeper trains take bikes if you live along their
route and so can save a day travelling.

I think the reason I remembered there only being one train was because that is the only one I can
catch to get home in one day - I live in Leicester. My previous train journey from Wick took from
somewhere around 6am to about 10pm. (there were some delays at Birmingham, otherwise I would have
been home about 8.30 pm.)

The sleepers do stop at Crewe according to the Scotrail website, but last time someone I know tried
to book a ticket to get on them there, they weren't sold it. (Don't think Crewe to Leicester's that
easy a journey either.) Overnight should be possible from most of southern England, and if you can
get off the Inverness sleeper at Crewe, that should add in the rest of England as well.

A

Jo Hardman <[email hidden]> wrote ...

Quoted message said:

If I have spare time at the end I was hoping to go to Cape Wrath, but I think I may have to resign
myself to a two day journey home.

Quoted message said:

It's about an hour and a half from the ferry to the lighthouse and back, no hanging around, 11m each
way, and the first ferry will be at 9 to 9:30 (as far as I remember). It's then 72m Durness to
Thurso, but it doesn't matter if you are late arriving as it's light 'till late, and all you are
going to do the next day is snooze on the train. Do-able if you want - leave Durness 1200, ride
12mph, 1 1/2 h for lunch/rest, takes you to 7:30pm.