FNRttC The Fridays tour 2014

[lilolee]

BTW I am a tart and will share with anyone willing to pay me money.

 

[AKA Bob]

OK @AKA Bob I shall plan on the van not carrying back to Caen the bike owned by @redfalo on the grounds that you will have murdered him on the tour.

I think both Olaf and myself might be thinking of completing the journey on our Bromptons and heading back to Blighty by train????

 

[redfalo]

Clown bike though

Oi!

 

[mmmmartin]

Very long but important update - with extra added strong urging to book the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen very soon.....
FRIDAYS’ FRENCH FROLIC (Fr3)
Ian and I cross are booked on the 8.15am crossing on Friday June 13. We will pick up the van on Friday afternoon and meet you off the ferry at 7am on Saturday morning. Luggage goes in the van. We will all ride to the statutory iconic edifice that is necessary for the beginning of all Fridays' adventures. This will be Pegasus Bridge, which is close, dead flat to ride to and has a nearby cafe that will open especially for us because while on the recce, Gordon will have used his charms on the madame just as he did on the lady in the boulangerie in Brix .
I suggest you book the Friday night June 13 ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen with Brittany Ferries as soon as you can
THE RETURN
A few days ago Brittany Ferries told me there were 75 bike spaces on the return trip, the overnight ferry on Saturday June 21. Today they tell me a charity ride has booked all 75 bike spaces on that crossing. We have to plan on another crossing.
Fortunately, there is a 4.30pm crossing from Caen to Portsmouth on Saturday June 21. This is £39 and gets you in to Portsmouth at 9.15pm. This gives plenty of time to get a train to London - the last one is at 11.24pm. Even more fortunately, Friendly and Cheerful White Van Man is prepared to get up at sparrow's fart very early in the morning and drive (with me as co-driver) from Bordeaux back to Caen by 2pm on the Saturday. (He and I may even drive back on the Friday night to ensure that we have masses and masses of time in hand to get back and lessen the risk of something going wrong.) So you will be able to get your bikes and get to the ferry in good time.
To get there: There are two trains from Bordeaux (remember that suggestion that we stay in the Ibis hotel next to Bordeaux railway station....?) that get you to Caen in time -

• one at 5.28am, change at Tours (not Paris ) and arrive Caen at 12.13pm. Bookings don't open until April but to give an idea of cost, to travel in February costs €53;
• the other at 7.28am change at Paris (oo-er more complicated) arrive 13.59, cost €40 non-cancellable, €70 cancellable. This is the latest train you can get:

You'll need to ride your bike from the railway station to the ferry and check in by 3.30pm to get the 4.30 ferry.
You may wish to get a bloody move on and book the ferries so you know you can actually get across the channel
Some may prefer to spend the night in a Caen hotel rather than on a ferry, in which case there is a boat at 8.15 Sunday morning , cost £29 arrives Portsmouth 1.15pm.
Obviously some may go southwards from Bordeaux and not need the van to return the bike to Caen, others may risk the bike to baggage handlers and fly back, others may get the European Bike Express (leave Bordeaux Sunday night, arrive Thurrock Monday lunchtime), some may go on Eurostar via Paris to London so there are several options for getting back. But there is only one option for getting over. You might want to get that sorted now. Just sayin' like. Because if you don't get to Caen by about 8am on the morning of Saturday June 14, you'll miss it all.
Er, that's it.

 

[redfalo]

Actually, I've already booked my ferry ticket a couple of weeks ago, being traumatised after having real difficulties getting a bike space on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry a few years ago.

Regarding the way back, the Eurostar might even an option for non-clown-bike riders. Booked three months in advance, a ticket from Bordeaux to Paris costs 70-100 euros, accoring to the SNCF website. Plus 10 euros for the bike reservation on the TGV Bordeaux-Paris and another 30 euros on the Eurostar. Leave Bordeaux 9am-ish, arrive in London 4pm-ish . This option saves about a day. If you factor in all fares (train to Caen, ferry, train to London) the price difference may not be that large. And having to deal with fewer bikes makes things easier for the van-bikes handling team. The snag is that train tickets can only be booked three months in advance.

 

[srw]

Does anyone have any experience of travelling from Portsmouth to Ouistreham as a foot passenger with large luggage? There's apparently a shuttle bus at Ouistreham from the boat to the terminal, but Brittany Ferries says nothing about getting to the boat on foot - I presume there must be a bus.

We're weighing up the pros and cons of travelling as cyclists or luggage-toting pedestrians.

 

[lilolee]

Ferry booked. Also got a 2 berth cabin if anyone wants to share. I do snore BTW.

 

[StuAff]

Both ferries booked- Friday night outward (might try and get the day off but I'll be fine to get to the port in time if I don't), the 1630 back from Caen. Cabin for the night crossing. I haz ear plugs.

Point of order Martin: the last direct train from Pompey to London is the 2224 (2228 from Fratton), the one an hour later terminates at Guildford.

 

[mmmmartin]

Point of order Martin: the last direct train from Pompey to London is the 2224 (2228 from Fratton), the one an hour later terminates at Guildford.

change at havant and arrive in waterloo at 1.19am?

 

[StuAff]

change at havant and arrive in waterloo at 1.19am?

Don't know where you got that from. National Rail Enquiries computer says no.

 

[mmmmartin]

I went to the southern trains website. admittedly that is a date for a saturday night in the middle of february so perhaps june is different

 

[AKA Bob]

Ferry booked on way out and will be booking Eurostar home. Getting very excited about the trip already....

 

[StuartG]

Ferry booked. Also got a 2 berth cabin if anyone wants to share. I do snore BTW.

Can I grab t'other bunk outbound. I have never snored in my life

 

[wanda2010]

Friday night ferry and outbound cabin booked. Saturday 4.30pm return ferry also booked. Anybody want the spare berth let me know. I don't snore. I think.

Edit: Also booked IBIS Bordeaux Centre Gare Saint Jean for the night of 20 June. Happy to share with a(nother) female/lady/woman .

 

[lilolee]

Can I grab t'other bunk outbound. I have never snored in my life

It's yours.