Lands End to John O'Groats
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Lands End to John O'Groats |
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A journey in more ways than one |
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Trains, vans or parcels.
They were the three choices I came up with with for getting myself and the bike to Land's End and back from John O'Groats.
I ended up on the train with my bike, it may not have been the best decision, but I did get there.
Trains
This was the choice I ended up with. It wasn't without it's mishaps, and it certainly wasn't cheap, but I got there and back in one piece with no major drama. Mostly the station staff were helpful when called upon and I was only turned away from one train for lack of cycle space (and I would have been ok if I'd reserved space, not that I knew that at the time!).
All in all I'd recommend it. I suppose it depends on the connections you can get from wherever you live. But like I said, it worked for me. If I was doing it again, I'd still take this option.
Van Hire
The other serious contender. It has advantages from a timing point of view, not relying on train timetables would have been a huge relief. It was a little more expensive, but possibly worth the extra for more flexibility.
It fell down with the lack of rental companies in the right spot that did one way hire, I just couldn't get close enough.
Postage
No, I wasn't intending wrapping myself up mummy style in brown paper and standing next to a post box! To be honest I read about someone else who sent the bike via parcel force to save the bother on the train.
I can see the logic behind it if there's more than two of you doing the trip, as you may well not get all the bikes on a train at once. But I just couldn't see the point of the extra expense.
I've no idea how much it might have cost, I didn't look into it that far. I only mention it here in case others are thinking of a group ride, it would make more sense in that case.
This page last updated on 28/08/2002