Sending bike ahead with a courier?

[KneesUp]

I'm just watching the rain fall, and plotting adventures I might like to take next summer when I will definitely be fit enough - I'd like to do a Scottish loop (current thinking Inverness-Durness-Scourie-(Handa)-Ullapool-Inverness)

Given the uncertainty of fitting bikes on trains and the faff when you have to change trains (as I would) - plus the cost of an economy return by rail to Inverness, it strikes me that it would be cheaper, quicker and more convenient to fly to Inverness and send the bike up the day before with a courier - courier prices seem to be less than taking it on the plane, and if I wasn't checking in hold luggage I wouldn't have to hang around the airport at either end of the journey.

Has anyone done this, and if so is there a means I don't know of of the bike being delivered? All I can think of is if I booked into a hotel in Inverness and had the bike delivered there, but can you, for example, have bikes delivered to a courier depot, or the post office or something?

Thanks.

 

[ScotiaLass]

Every courier is different but as long as someone signed for it, I'm sure they would deliver to wherever you wanted

 

[Cameronmu917772]

£10.34 on amazon this may help? Sorry I had to.
Really though I havnt had these problems before but amagine that sending your bike up will cause more head aches than its worth. Why not try find someone like minded that drives and work out a deal with them?

 

[Yellow7]

KneesUp.
A while back I was looking at buying an old 70's bike from an ebay seller and found an ebay courier that advertised in the cycling section, specifically for bikes bought on there. Most private sellers (not retailers) will not post so worth a look, and within seconds on Google "Ebay bike courier" I found this;

http://www.directcouriersolutions.co.uk/product.php?id=207&refer=google

As they specialise in bikes I'm sure all would be fine.

Mark.

 

[KneesUp]

Thanks Mark - I found that courier, but sadly they won't be any good for my proposed trip because they don't deliver to the Highlands (Parcels can be collected from and sent to all Mainland UK postcodes except the following: AB30 - AB38, AB44 - AB56, FK17 - FK21, G83, IV1 - IV63, KW1 - KW14, PA21 - PA38, PH18 - PH50)

I think any courier would take a bike if it were packaged properly: it'd be no more work than packing it for the plane - it's just where to get it delivered to. I suppose a hotel is the obvious answer, but I wondered if any couriers would let you send straight to their depot, or if it was a service available at larger post offices or something?

 

[albion]

I never had problems with my bike on the train to Inverness, though usually it was to Aberdeen for either the ferry of the Dee route West.

The Sleeper Train also has/had 'bargain berths'.

 

[KneesUp]

The cheapest I could find on the train was £148 (from memory) and that was 3 changes for me - I just didn't fancy having to change three times and find bike space three times. Getting the bike collected from work and then just jumping on a plane with hand luggage (for less money) seemed a much better bet.

The sleeper looks fabulous, and I'd love to do it one day, but I'm an almost-two-hour train ride away from Crewe, which is the nearest place I could get on it.

 

[albion]

I think the most I ever paid was £30 though that excluded the cheap Chiltern line train to catch the Scotrail sleeper at London.
At peak times it was easier to drive up.

Where are you BTW?

 

[KneesUp]

I'm in Sheffield - think the changes were Doncaster, Edinburgh and somewhere else. We only have one car so I can't really drive up - persuading the other half that I can go off on my own for five days is one thing - persuading her to let me go off for five days leaving her without the car is a different mission entirely

 

[KneesUp]

(have family in Manchester so was going to fly from there)

 

[albion]

Ah summer,
the latest I ever went was June, and often east Scotland for a more midge free time.
I also recall spending one xmas heatwave cycling west to west from Aberdeen.

July train prices are certainly exorbitant.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I never had problems with my bike on the train to Inverness, though usually it was to Aberdeen for either the ferry of the Dee route West.

The Sleeper Train also has/had 'bargain berths'.

This. In both cases.

 

[MarkF]

I use most of the nationals to send out my materials every day but I would not send my own bike using one. The drivers are way stressed out and the box will get thrown from truck to depot to truck, it won't matter how many "Fragile" or "Careful" labels you put it on it, they haven't the time to deal with it any differently to any other "parcel".

 

[jay clock]

Royal Mail Parcels. Take a box of 20kg, max 1.50m long, max total dimensions of 3.0m (H+L+W) - about £28.... http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder?intcampaignid=CLT_0613_LP_27

Find a forumite to take delivery, or use WarmShowers to find a cyclist. Box free from LBS

 

[KneesUp]

Royal Mail Parcels. Take a box of 20kg, max 1.50m long, max total dimensions of 3.0m (H+L+W) - about £28.... http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder?intcampaignid=CLT_0613_LP_27

Find a forumite to take delivery, or use WarmShowers to find a cyclist. Box free from LBS

Than

Royal Mail Parcels. Take a box of 20kg, max 1.50m long, max total dimensions of 3.0m (H+L+W) - about £28.... http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder?intcampaignid=CLT_0613_LP_27

Find a forumite to take delivery, or use WarmShowers to find a cyclist. Box free from LBS

Thanks for that - if you say the value is £1,000 it's £75 though - a price difference that implies that 1 in 30 go missing, which is quite startling!