Low Stress Route from London Euston - London Victoria?

[John the Monkey]

Done! Thanks once again everybody.

We ended up on the TfL route, pretty good for the most part, although the bits around the mall and buckingham palalce road were something else.

A top tip - if anyone else is doing this, research the return direction as well! Our directions took in a load of one way streets (not all shown as such on the TfL maps, as the bike route line seems to overwrite the markings). This meant doing a fair bit of the return journey running with the bike cyclocross style (with panniers) through surprised shoppers... Despite that, we still made Euston with 10 minutes to spare. And then our train was 7 minutes late getting in...

 

[Origamist]

John, did you take your bikes on a Pendolino? I've got a journey to Chester (on a Pendolino, I think), then to N Wales in a couple of weeks and I think the bike storage is at the front, in a separate compartment? How did you find it?

 

[John the Monkey]

John, did you take your bikes on a Pendolino? I've got a journey to Chester (on a Pendolino, I think), then to N Wales in a couple of weeks and I think the bike storage is at the front, in a separate compartment? How did you find it?

It was fine. Do book your place, and take a couple of zip-ties to attach the bike reservation ticket to the bike (i used a hole punch to make a hole in the corner of the ticket for this).

Get to the station in plenty of time and ask the platform staff where they want you to be when the train gets in.

On the train, the bike space is in a separate compartment with seatbelt type straps to secure the bike. Once you leave the compartment only the train staff can access it again, so make sure you have everything you need!

The only thing you need to do then is tell the train manager that you have a bike aboard when they check your ticket so they can unlock the compartment for you at the end of the journey.

 

[Bromptonaut]

John, did you take your bikes on a Pendolino? I've got a journey to Chester (on a Pendolino, I think), then to N Wales in a couple of weeks and I think the bike storage is at the front, in a separate compartment? How did you find it?

The Chester trains are now almost exclusively diesel Voyagers. Many are 10 car trains with the rear five coaches detached at Chester and only the front set going on to Holyhead or Wrexham. Never tried it with anything but the Brompton, but if you're in the section terminating at Chester you won't have any hassle with short stops. Mind you, as there is time for the uncouple you won't be too rushed in the half that's going forward either.

 

[Origamist]

Cheers John and Bromptonaut.

Glad to hear that it's not a Pendolino. We've got bike reservations so I'm hoping that it will all run smoothly...

 

[jonny jeez]

John, sorry I missed this one...personally I'd have ridden the parks all the way, once at marble arch you can run Hyde and St James pretty much to vitoria ...would have been bliss!

 

[skrx]

Glad to hear that it's not a Pendolino. We've got bike reservations so I'm hoping that it will all run smoothly...

I used a Pendolino (the electric train from London Euston to Birmingham/Glasgow etc?). There was only space for two bikes, right behind the driver's cab, but so long as you reserve a space it's no problem.