Cod said:Folks:
I'm based in Cork, ireland and would love to cycle the Natchez trace next year, probably early fall. Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to get to the start point in Natchez, and to return directly from Nashville?
I can fly into any one of the following airports from where I live: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, NYC, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis or Washington.
It might seem obvious that St Louis is the one to go to but what options are there to get to Natchez from there with a bike? Amtrak? Buses?
I'd be most grateful for any info and am glad to reciprocate if anyone is looking for info on touring in Ireland or the UK.
A little quick checking and my thought is that it might be easiest to fly to Dallas and rent a car one way to Natchez (Its about 300 miles, a bit over 600 from St. Louis), but I understand if you are reluctant to drive a car in a strange country!
Unfortunately for our country we have fairly limited train service. Amtrak looks better from St. Louis (From Dallas the trip is a bit round about and actually takes longer), but its a 10 hour trip, with an hour bus transfer if you go that way, plus many trains only run a few times a week so you have to be careful about when you want to go. (you can get schedules and routes at www.amtrak.com). Plus its not cheap to go by train $181 at minimum from St. Louis, and it will still only get you to a town that is 60 miles away from Natchez.
Bus Service is available directly from Dallas to Natchez, it takes about 10.5 hrs from Dallas including several layovers (www.greyhound.com) and costs about $87 right now. Bus from St. Louis takes 21 hours. I wouldn't recommend spending that long on a bus...
Sounds like a fun trip - good luck with your planning!
