The Fridays Tour

[mcshroom]

I'm not cycling back the same way, but I do have my road map on dining table with desk lamp situation room set up this evening, and looking into heading over to Cape Wrath, then down to Mallaig and train back from there. Can't decide whether to go down the west coast, or out onto the islands. (This does rather depend on the time I can have off though)

 

[Davywalnuts]

I'm not cycling back the same way, but I do have my road map on dining table with desk lamp situation room set up this evening, and looking into heading over to Cape Wrath, then down to Mallaig and train back from there. Can't decide whether to go down the west coast, or out onto the islands. (This does rather depend on the time I can have off though)

Yes, lots of options. For me, ild want to have beers and sleep after for sure, no doubt at Wick. There after, I want to see Loch Nessy, few national parks and North Yorkshire, to York, so quite open still to options, but just wanting to make sure am back for the Night Ride

 

[Cayopro]

Sat... Double/twin Yeung Sing. With Chris H
Sun...York YHA. With Chris H
Mon...Castleneuk B&B twin. With Chris H
Tues..meadhon house B&B, twin with Chris H
Wed...windlestrae B&B, twin with Chris H
Thurs..Larik House B&B, double with Chris H
Fri...Dornoch Bridge B&B, twin with Chris H

I think that's all sorted now, just need to work out what's happening on the Saturday night ;-)

 

[ianmac62]

Hi, I'm only coming for the midnight-to-first-breakfast part of the ride. But I'll tell you three stories about coming home from Wick by train after an End-to-End in 2010.

First story: I wanted to book an advance ticket and a bike reservation with a senior railcard. The route was Wick to Inverness, Inverness to Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh Waverley to Birmingham International, Birmingham International to Northampton. In 2010 you couldn't make a bike reservation over the net. Phone only. ScotRail had one number and a dizzying host of automated choices.

I'd chosen a particular day, Tuesday 17th August. The connections are easier midweek. There were two trains leaving Wick, one just after 6 a.m. and one just after 8 a.m. The B&B landlady (I'd booked in January) offered me her early cyclists breakfast at 5 a.m. but I was hoping for the 8 a.m. departure.

On the phone to ScotRail: "I'd like to book ..." I could feel the customer services advisor's eyes glaze over at the phrase "Senior Railcard" but we both persevered. She gazed at her screen, I gazed at mine. Finally we agreed the departure and arrival times of the four legs of the journey and I gave her my credit card details. She then attempted to finish the conversation with, "That's it then, you're booked with a senior railcard from Wick to Inverness to Edinburgh to Birmingham to Northampton - with a bicycle from Wick to Inverness and from Edinburgh to Birmingham to Northampton." Me, quick as a flash, "What about my bicycle from Inverness to Edinburgh?" She, "Oh, I can't get a bike on that service." Me, holding back sarcasm, "But I want to take the bike on all four legs." She, "You'll have to book a different time for the journey."

We go through the screens again and agree that a man and a bike can travel all four legs together if I leave Wick just after 6 a.m. I buy those tickets and ask her to cancel the first set of tickets. She, "Oh, I can't cancel the first set of tickets. You'll have to speak to refunds!"

I phone ScotRail again and negotiate the system through to refunds. Chap this time. Him, "Oh, we don't do refunds on advance tickets." Me, "But it was your customer services adviser who made the mistake." He, eventually, "You'll have to send me proof that you've made two bookings for the same journey on the same day." Me, "How do I do that?" He, "Phone bookings and ask them to e-mail me proof of your purchases."

Again, I negotiate ScotRail's phone system. Fortunately I've got a very distinctive surname and I'm remembered. I ask, "Can you send an e-mail to your refunds department as evidence that I should be entitled to a refund?" She, "I don't know why the refunds department has asked you to ask me to send them an e-mail. They know that we don't have e-mail facilities in this office!"

[Footnote: My credit card account received a refund two months later - less a £10 "administration fee"!]

 

[dellzeqq]

Ian - I've seen people with cycle reservations chucked off the train south of Wick - because Scotrail had oversold the reservations. I've had to grind down a guard at Waverley to allow a cyclist without a reservation to put his bike on because I had two reservations in my hand that Scotrail had sent me from two different offices, and common sense told me that there would be at least one space free (it turned out that there were three spaces free). It's not just that the office staff are out to lunch - the guards are unreasonable.

People should not rely on Scotrail to get their bikes home.

 

[ianmac62]

Hi,

People should not rely on Scotrail to get their bikes home.

That was going to be the second of my three stories. I was anxious to get my bike reservation because the CTC Info Pack stressed that there was limited space on the Wick - Inverness trains. Well ...

The platform at Wick was fairly crowded at six o'clock in the morning and there were a fair number of bikes. I recognised a Dutch couple I'd last spoken to at Spean Bridge five days earlier. They put me to shame. They'd pedalled from Amsterdam to Calais, from Dover to Land's End, and from Land's End to John O'Groats - camping every night. Their plan was to make a train journey from Wick to Hull to catch a North Sea ferry home. They hadn't made any ticket purchases in advance; just bought tickets at Wick without bike reservations.

I got on the train, found a rack from which one can hang one's bike (with my reservation neatly tied to the handlebars) in the same carriage as my seat reservation. The Dutch couple stood with their bikes in the same carriage. The ticket inspector was forgiving and let them travel.

[I have to add that Wick to Inverness is the most beautiful train journey I've been on in Britain. For much of the way through Caithness it doesn't follow the roads; the "stations" ("halts" is a better word) are tiny and have signposts for cyclists on the platforms; some of the halts are request stops; some of the stations - Invergordon stands out - have wonderful murals; and the scenery is brilliant. Four hours of value!]

Anyway, at Inverness we crossed the concourse for the Edinburgh train. It's shortly after ten o'clock and this train is full! There are passengers from all over the Highlands and Islands. Again, I get on and hang my bike from a rack; another cyclist does the same; the Dutch couple are slow and, because the train is full, they stand in the aisle with their bikes. There's a bit of pushing and shoving but most people are friendly. Later a ticket inspector arrives. Most people in the carriage tell him it's OK but he's not having any of it. "Health & Safety" at the top of his voice, although I thought he was more concerned that the trolley with the coffee (?) in the polystyrene cups couldn't get past. He chucks the Dutch couple off at the next station.

It happened to be Pitlochry - it's a beautiful spot but it's useless as a ferry connection for Holland!

So Dellzeqq is right! And, in my experience, it's the worry about the journey home that can give you the most anxiety.

 

[dellzeqq]

....hence the two van strategy

Nasir has kindly brought this to my attention

I used your suggested sites, aside Kinross, where Burnbank was full. I've booked into a B&B about 150 yards away - Loch Leven House, run by a lady called Fiona Hyde.

They've still got lots of rooms. Contact details 66A Muirs, Kinross, Kinross-shire, KY13 8AU, 01577 865785

 

[dellzeqq]

Sat... Double/twin Yeung Sing. With Chris H
Sun...York YHA. With Chris H
Mon...Castleneuk B&B twin. With Chris H
Tues..meadhon house B&B, twin with Chris H
Wed...windlestrae B&B, twin with Chris H
Thurs..Larik House B&B, double with Chris H
Fri...Dornoch Bridge B&B, twin with Chris H

I think that's all sorted now, just need to work out what's happening on the Saturday night ;-)

Nigel (and others) - do please e-mail me your accommodation lists!

 

[mistral]

Team Redfalo & Mistral

Bingham YeungSing
York Crook Lodge
Castleside Dene View
Jedburgh Airenlea
Kinross Kirklands
Newtonmore Greenways B&B
Dornoch Highfield House
Wick Nethercliffe Hotel

 

[wanda2010]

Updated accommodation information sent.

 

[dellzeqq]

Chris W tells me that this place in Wick has bike storage... http://www.theclachan.co.uk/index.html

 

[GrumpyGregry]

So Dellzeqq is right! And, in my experience, it's the worry about the journey home that can give you the most anxiety.

Any one got any thing good to say about the weekday midday or four o'clock trains from Wick - Inverness?

I'm sort of committed to the train back if I stay on a bit as I plan to, got a bit of a Co2 bee-in-my-bonnet about rail vs air. Wouldn't die in a ditch over it though if it really is an unrealistic option and could always stay a day or two longer in Inverness and Pitlochry on my May trip I guess.

 

[mistral]

Team Redfalo & Mistral

Bingham YeungSing
York Crook Lodge
Castleside Dene View
Jedburgh Airenlea
Kinross Kirklands
Newtonmore Greenways B&B
Dornoch Highfield House
Wick Nethercliffe Hotel

Just changed my Wick booking from the Nethercliffe to the Bank Guesthouse - it's more central and they have inside cycle storage. So there is a twin at Nethercliffe if needed.

 

[snorri]

Any one got any thing good to say about the weekday midday or four o'clock trains from Wick - Inverness?

Yes ...there have been no ticketing disputes on these trains since the guards have been armed..
It will not be relevant if you have already booked accomm. in Wick, but are you aware that the Wick - Inverness train goes via Thurso? If you were to start your rail journey at Thurso it would knock half an hour off the overall journey time. OTOH boarding at Wick should avoid the possibility of disputes with any cyclists hoping to board at Thurso.

 

[ianmac62]

Any one got any thing good to say about the weekday midday or four o'clock trains from Wick - Inverness?

Boarding at Wick should avoid the possibility of disputes with any cyclists hoping to board at Thurso.

Don't really know about the later trains from Wick as it's a 13 or 14 hour journey from Wick to Northampton and this necessitated an early morning start. However, accommodation in Wick seems geared to the early start so maybe there are fewer cyclists later in the day.

Very much agree that the train is fairly full when it gets to Thurso after leaving Wick. Nobody gets on or off at Middlemas Junction (I think that's what it's called) which is the "halt" where the line splits. Interesting experience though: the train leaves Wick, gets to the junction, reverses into Thurso, then goes forward. Trains do this in reverse order as they go north.

One cheap option if it's available at the time and if you're 55 or older is ScotRail's 55Club ticket. The 55Club fare between any two stations in Scotland is £19; and, for the promotion, Carlisle and Berwick stations are included in Scotland. It would be a gamble, however, to wait to see if 23rd June or a few days after was to be in such a promotion.