cycling on to ferries..or not

[meenaghman]

Seems H&S are to deny me the pleasure of cycling on to the ferry in holyhead. Instead bike and me to be loaded on a coach and bike "secured onboard" for me..apparently truck drivers can't be trusted not to hit me in the 20 zone between here and ship...similar problem far end..although nothing to stop me going down to car deck and waiting with bike...I've seen people cycle on off ferries here before so wondering if this is a new thing.

 

[rualexander]

Thats a real pain in the neck. Haven't come across a silly rule like that on any of the ferries I've been on.
It pretty much defeats the point in going by ferry, the only transport method where you can just roll on with all your luggage still attached to the bike!
Presumably if you've got to get on a bus, you will be told to take all your bags off the bike and have the hassle of dealing with your luggage.
I would cancel and fly instead I think or try another ferry operator.

 

[Arch]

I've cycled onto several ferries on the trike, no worries - last time was last summer, Portsmouth to Le Havre. In fact I'd only ride a trike on, I'd push a bike, thanks to the slippy metal ramps and longitudinal gaps between them. But no worries about mixing it with the 'traffic'. Anyway, they've always waved us on first, before the vehicles start up, it's another bonus of being on a bike.

Putting you on a bus is stupid. Name and shame the company?

 

[asterix]

Must be Stena? I left my camera on their ferry. Whoever cleans the ferries handed it in and Stena returned it FOC so they aren't all bad! IIRC the vehicle approach is a very long and tortuous one, narrow in places (we were foot passengers) unlike other ferries I have used. I guess they forgot about cyclists when it was designed.

 

[Glow worm]

No such problems in April on the Harwich - Hook route (also Stena). You even get to board the ferry first (as Arch says) - much to the annoyance of of all the seething Volvo drivers you leave queuing in your wake! I used to do Plymouth- Roscoff a lot as well (Brittany Ferries) and they were fine too with bikes.

 

[vernon]

I've used the Portsmouth - St.Malo ferry a couple of times and didn't object to being asked to push my bike up the metal ramps. The metal was wet and slippy and the request was sensible. Besides embarking and disembarking is only a minor part of the journey.

 

[Crackle]

Calmac don't let you ride on anymore and you don't get on before the cars either.

 

[Arch]

I've used the Portsmouth - St.Malo ferry a couple of times and didn't object to being asked to push my bike up the metal ramps. The metal was wet and slippy and the request was sensible. Besides embarking and disembarking is only a minor part of the journey.

Pushing a bike is sensible, as I said, I wouldn't ride on a ramp on two wheels. It's the not being allowed on under your own steam at all that seems stupid. No doubt under the erroneous excuse of 'health and safety', when really they probably just don't want to inconvenience (IE, make them wait a few minutes and pay proper attention) drivers.

 

[ColinJ]

You wanna hear about stupid H&S rules concerning pedestrians and cyclists, then how about this ...?

The Eastwood Recycling Centre near Todmorden does not allow people to cycle or walk through this gateway. Once motorists have driven in, they can get out and walk about the entire site, but you are not allowed in unless you are in a motor vehicle. I don't own one, so I can't recyle my stuff in there unless I hitch a lift 5 yards from the road and in through the gates!

 

[snorri]

Seems H&S are to deny me the pleasure of cycling on to the ferry in holyhead. Instead bike and me to be loaded on a coach and bike "secured onboard" for me..

It's not new, Superfast insisted on this nonsense in 2002 when they were running the Rosyth-Zeebrugge service. They also insisted on all baggage being removed from the bike and carried to the cabin at considerable inconvenience to the cyclist. I never sailed with them again after that and they gave up the route a few years later. I recall someone telling of seeing the bikes "secured" in a heap on the car deck where they had been unloaded from the van.
I had no such inconvenience when sailing with DFDS and Stena in recent weeks.

 

[meenaghman]

Well it was Stena line who insisted on the bus..I went over to Irish ferries who gave me the option of cycling on or use bus..when. I went to get a refund with Stena the woman said it was the port rules not theirs..so couldn't see why Irish ferries could offer me the option..bottom line cycled on and off..got on in front of cars..and off when I was ready.. To be Honest the worst thing was the diesel on the roads..the ramps were fine. As I said to the Stena line person..if theres a problem with bad driving..don't reward it.

 

[ufkacbln]

Embarrassingly......

I cycled my Catrike on to the Cowes Ferry during the IoW Randonnee

Unfortunately the rear wheel lost it's grip and was spinning - a fellow rider (and member of this Parish had to assist my progress

 

[ColinJ]

I can think of one ferry you certainly wouldn't be cycling onto ...

On our 'Flattish Seaside Century' forum ride earlier in the year, we took the little ferry from Fleetwood to Knott End. The tide was pretty much out so the ferry was sitting very low in the water. The crew had put a metal ramp up to the concrete jetty above where we were standing with our bikes and we had to pass them down one at a time to a burly sailor below. Once the bikes were safely on board, we had walk down the damp metal ramp at a 45 degree angle, while wearing cycling shoes. The inevitable happened and italiafirenze slipped and fell down into the ferry. Fortunately, said burly sailor caught him and prevented a faceplant on the deck!

 

[HLaB]

I've only been on one ferry with the bike (to Arran) iirc bikes were pushed into every nook and cranny. In the OP what would they do for just one cyclist?

 

[Arch]

I've only been on one ferry with the bike (to Arran) iirc bikes were pushed into every nook and cranny. In the OP what would they do for just one cyclist?

There's usually a cubby hole or something, where they fasten bikes upright with webbing straps and stuff. On trikes, we just park them in as small a space as possible against the bulkhead wherever we're directed to and apply handbrakes.

Being first off is very cool - down the ramp and pedal like heck out of the port! Le Havre has a nice long sweeping exit road.