Manchester - Llandudno Saturday 12 May 2018

[rich p]

Just found this...

On the train We would like to welcome you and your bicycle to our services. You can take your bicycle free of charge on all of our services, but space is limited. Most trains have enough room to provide two dedicated bicycle spaces on board. Bicycle spaces cannot be reserved on current services and space is allocated on a first come, first served basis. The current fleet is changing, but detail of the train types and location of wheelchair, cycle and spaces for larger luggage will be provided on our website as these details become available

 

[MossCommuter]

Is anyone au fait with Northern train cycle policy - Chester to manc particularly.
The website says you need a bike reservation but having phoned them they aren't available.
Will we be able to rock up with a bike on Sunday afternoon?

Is that Northern Rail, the company, or rail in the north?

Northern Rail the company need no reservations but if the cycle car is full they reserve the right to turn you away. This has never happened to me even on busy commuter trains.

TPE you can gib on without a reservation; Nicky did after the Magic Rock ride last year.

 

[MossCommuter]

Just found this...

On the train We would like to welcome you and your bicycle to our services. You can take your bicycle free of charge on all of our services, but space is limited. Most trains have enough room to provide two dedicated bicycle spaces on board. Bicycle spaces cannot be reserved on current services and space is allocated on a first come, first served basis. The current fleet is changing, but detail of the train types and location of wheelchair, cycle and spaces for larger luggage will be provided on our website as these details become available

Sounds like Northern Rail the company; depending on the rolling stock that space for two will be able to carry at least four. If it's a Sprinter train (they're based on 1970's buses) then there is oceans of space.

If you can't get in the bicycle bit, any vesitbule will do. They're very chill

 

[si_c]

Sounds like Northern Rail the company; depending on the rolling stock that space for two will be able to carry at least four. If it's a Sprinter train (they're based on 1970's buses) then there is oceans of space.

If you can't get in the bicycle bit, any vesitbule will do. They're very chill

Yep, never had a problem getting a bike on a Northern train, even when there were several other bikes in the carriage. Providing you aren't blocking people from moving around the guards don't seem to mind very much.

 

[rich p]

Cheers chaps.

 

[NorthernDave]

If you can't get in the bicycle bit, any vesitbule will do. They're very chill

That's cos they're Northern - try getting that level of common sense on any of the poncey southern railways...

 

[StuAff]

Right, emailed Hull Trains and the answer was positive: I can get a full refund, no admin fee. So I'll be sending the refund form & tickets in. Thanks again @si_c for the cheap Chester ticket spotting, £47 first class ticket snaffled for the 1627. Might just be able to get to Chester in six hours…
Phew. Have checked bike reservation possibilities via the Hull Trains website, answers positive for that service & my already booked train up to Manchester. Will see if I can get spaces sorted, hopefully not in a 40 minute call (which is how long the VT call centre took to tell me I couldn't book a bike back on that preposterously priced ticket...!!).

 

[si_c]

Right, emailed Hull Trains and the answer was positive: I can get a full refund, no admin fee. So I'll be sending the refund form & tickets in. Thanks again @si_c for the cheap Chester ticket spotting, £47 first class ticket snaffled for the 1627. Might just be able to get to Chester in six hours…
Phew. Have checked bike reservation possibilities via the Hull Trains website, answers positive for that service & my already booked train up to Manchester. Will see if I can get spaces sorted, hopefully not in a 40 minute call (which is how long the VT call centre took to tell me I couldn't book a bike back on that preposterously priced ticket...!!).

Chester in 6 hours is easily doable with time for lunch and dinner too! Given the train situation, I think it likely that several people will be riding back on Sunday, so might be worth working out whose timing works best for you!

 

[nickyboy]

Right, emailed Hull Trains and the answer was positive: I can get a full refund, no admin fee. So I'll be sending the refund form & tickets in. Thanks again @si_c for the cheap Chester ticket spotting, £47 first class ticket snaffled for the 1627. Might just be able to get to Chester in six hours…
Phew. Have checked bike reservation possibilities via the Hull Trains website, answers positive for that service & my already booked train up to Manchester. Will see if I can get spaces sorted, hopefully not in a 40 minute call (which is how long the VT call centre took to tell me I couldn't book a bike back on that preposterously priced ticket...!!).

What a palaver

@Crackle had better organise some decent weather this year to make the faff worthwhile

Great price for 1st class BTW

 

[gavroche]

It looks like a good turn out again this year. Have you done the numbers yet Nickyboy?

 

[StuAff]

And cycle reservations are sorted. You don't need to ring the Virgin Trains call centre, you can do it via live chat & they do you a screen grab with reservation details. That was a lot better than trying to get it done on the phone the other week, it was very painful indeed!

 

[nickyboy]

It looks like a good turn out again this year. Have you done the numbers yet Nickyboy?

Work has got in the way. I'll update over the weekend with route files etc etc

 

[nickyboy]

Chester in 6 hours is easily doable with time for lunch and dinner too! Given the train situation, I think it likely that several people will be riding back on Sunday, so might be worth working out whose timing works best for you!

Deffo riding back. I rode all the way back to Glossop one year so back to Chester shouldn't be too difficult. Largely depends on how the evening before goes I think

 

[ColinJ]

Ha - I just looked at my bank statement to remind myself how much I paid for various rail tickets recently (including the one back from this ride) and I spotted a fraudulent transaction for just shy of £100!

I had forgotten to pick up the tickets, so I did that before cancelling my debit card. (The card used for the transaction has to be used to get the tickets from the ticket machine. It would probably still work after cancellation, but I didn't want to risk it.)

 

[rich p]

Chester to Manc on Sunday afternoon for only sick squid...