after reading loads and loads about jogle i think iv got my head round what im doing, the one thing im stuck on is getting from birmingham to john o groats? train to wick is much more expensive than i had thought, and if i fly will i have to strip my bike down and put it in a bag which i dont fancy doing. are there any other ways?
getting to the start?
- Thread starter p90ade
- Start date
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robgul
Legendary Member
If you are wanting to fly from Birmigham to Wick you will have a problem - they will not book bikes, only take them on standby if there's room on the plane - not very helpful. I looked at that way to get back from JOG on our ride next June
If you look around there are some reasonable train fares, you just need to book well ahead - and sometimes booking segments of the journey as separate tickets is a lot cheaper - try with National Express/GNER whatever they call themselves now - they are usually most helpful
... and I assume you have seen my site at www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk where there's loads of info
Rob
If you look around there are some reasonable train fares, you just need to book well ahead - and sometimes booking segments of the journey as separate tickets is a lot cheaper - try with National Express/GNER whatever they call themselves now - they are usually most helpful
... and I assume you have seen my site at www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk where there's loads of info
Rob
robgul
Legendary Member
If you are wanting to fly from Birmigham to Wick you will have a problem - they will not book bikes, only take them on standby if there's room on the plane - not very helpful. I looked at that way to get back from JOG on our ride next June
If you look around there are some reasonable train fares, you just need to book well ahead - and sometimes booking segments of the journey as separate tickets is a lot cheaper - try with National Express/GNER whatever they call themselves now - they are usually most helpful
... and I assume you have seen my site at www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk where there's loads of info
Rob
If you look around there are some reasonable train fares, you just need to book well ahead - and sometimes booking segments of the journey as separate tickets is a lot cheaper - try with National Express/GNER whatever they call themselves now - they are usually most helpful
... and I assume you have seen my site at www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk where there's loads of info
Rob
robgul
Legendary Member
p90ade said:
I did JOGLE in 2005 (No 176 in The Journals) - went to London (from Stratford-upon-Avon) and got the sleeper from Euston to Inverness and then should have got the train to Thurso (but that's all in our Journal)
There are often some really good fares on the sleeper, and if you go from Brum to Marylebone you can quite often get a ticket for a fiver in the afternoons (it's a special ticket that they transmit to your phone) - it's about a 10-15 min ride from Marylebone to Euston, quite safe on a bus lane.
Rob
robgul
Legendary Member
p90ade said:
I did JOGLE in 2005 (No 176 in The Journals) - went to London (from Stratford-upon-Avon) and got the sleeper from Euston to Inverness and then should have got the train to Thurso (but that's all in our Journal)
There are often some really good fares on the sleeper, and if you go from Brum to Marylebone you can quite often get a ticket for a fiver in the afternoons (it's a special ticket that they transmit to your phone) - it's about a 10-15 min ride from Marylebone to Euston, quite safe on a bus lane.
Rob
If you're willing to commit to specific trains you can book in advance and get much cheaper tickets. My ticket home from JOG to Brighton cost about £40 last summer if I remember correctly. It wasn't particularly pleasant and I was travelling for 15 hours but if you're on a budget!
I think the advance tickets go on sale 3 months before the date of travel and the earlier you book them, the cheaper they are. www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com allows you to book tickets with the bike reservations which you'll need, though it's a bit of a nightmare of a website!
Also, Thurso is about the same distance from JOG as Wick, but before it on the line and so cheaper.
I think the advance tickets go on sale 3 months before the date of travel and the earlier you book them, the cheaper they are. www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com allows you to book tickets with the bike reservations which you'll need, though it's a bit of a nightmare of a website!
Also, Thurso is about the same distance from JOG as Wick, but before it on the line and so cheaper.
£132 is the standard price but you should be able to find cheaper! 
I put Birmingham - Thurso into National Rail for two months time and if you flick through the times of day there are different prices. A 9:20am start with 4 changes seems ok for £51.50, or there's a horrible one which involves waiting overnight at Crewe for 6 hours which costs only £20.50.
I can't link to them but there must be something you're missing in the settings as you rarely have to pay full price if you are booking in advance and are flexible about travelling times.
I put Birmingham - Thurso into National Rail for two months time and if you flick through the times of day there are different prices. A 9:20am start with 4 changes seems ok for £51.50, or there's a horrible one which involves waiting overnight at Crewe for 6 hours which costs only £20.50.
I can't link to them but there must be something you're missing in the settings as you rarely have to pay full price if you are booking in advance and are flexible about travelling times.
Downward
Guru
- Location
- West Midlands
That's a fair journey on the train though. I have driven it and it's a 10 hour trip.
How long on the train ?
Why not get the train to LE with bike and ride up to JOG.
Then Courier bike back to brum and fly back down ?
How long on the train ?
Why not get the train to LE with bike and ride up to JOG.
Then Courier bike back to brum and fly back down ?
