Taking a bike to the UK

Effects

Hey, I'm not sure if there's anyone here who can offer advice but thought I'd ask.
I'm going to London for a bit and plan to take my bike on the boat and then the train.
There doesn't seem to be much info on taking a bike and how to book it.
I know I can book it onto the boat but I'm unsure about when I get to Holyhead.
Do train companies willingly take bikes on trains? Will I have to book a certain train that connects after my boat docks?
Any help much appreciated.

Cyclewizard

Just roll up to the port and they will put bike with the luggage in the little van that goes onboard and then it's a case of just putting your bike onto the train (stenaline) but I assume Irish ferries are similar. I travel often with bike and always use stenaline they are generally less hassle than Irish ferries and the staff are a lot more flexible and relaxed. Holyheads the first station so you will be first on and should have plenty of room to put your bike on and get a seat close to it. Trains have designated areas in one or two of the carriages. Virgin trains go direct to London and would be less hassle than having to change a couple of times as is the case if you get an arriva train but it all depends on timetables.

Cyclewizard

And ask for a sail and rail the ticket will get you from Dublin to London at a massively discounted rate than a separate ferry / train ticket

cdaly_

I bought my sail-rail ticket through stena line IIRC. It included bike on the boat and I think it travels free on the trains. I then went hunting for my train itinerary and phoned the individual train companies to book the bike.

Virgin trains from Holyhead to London was fine, London to Stanstead was restricted to outside of rush hours and not allowed on the stanstead express. Stanstead to Holyhead via Birmingham was fine also though the Birmingham to Holyhead train split along the way so I had to make sure I (and bike) were in the correct carriages on that one.

Virgin train had dedicated bike storage, others had an area in one car where you could lock the bike to a handrail. I locked mine to the racks just in case.

Total cost was around EUR100 return. Enjoyable way to travel...

Effects

I'll go ahead and book it this weekend so. I knew about the rail and sail tickets but wasn't sure on the bike end of it. Does the rail and sail cover any train that you need to take, regardless of who the operator is?

cdaly_

As I understand it, yes, any operator.

My experience was that I paid €X for the sail-rail ticket plus and extra €20(?) for the bike on the ferry. However, when it came to checking in, they insisted that the bike go in the luggage van and refunded my €20.
At the Dublin Port side, I had to wheel in around to the luggage van and could probably have joined the vehicle boarding queue along with the motorbikes.
At the Holyhead side, I checked in, they cold me I clouldn't cycle it to the ship as I had no hi-vis (plenty of lights on the bike) so I wheeled the bike around to the luggage drop-off and the guy there said "What are you giving me that for?" "The told me to" "Ah you're grand, go on ahead if you like". So I cycled it the 1.5km to the boarding queue and went on with the motorbikes. Much faster...

As for the rail itinerary, head to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/, work out your itinerary (allow ~40 min from ship docking to train departure though you probably won't need that), figure out who the train operators are and call them direct to book bike space (and reserve seats).

gaffmaster

I did the rail and sail from London to Dublin and back last September. I booked through thetrainline.com

I think whether you get to cycle aboard on your bike, or it gets put in the main luggage van is a matter of luck and the mood of the staff. I got to cycle aboard on both trips. Kinda cool being the first off the ferry in Dublin.

I'd recommend booking your Rail and Sail to the final destination train station as this can save money (rather than just booking as far as Euston in London). But bear in mind, not all tube stations allow bikes through.

You need to book your bike onto the train services where applicable. This is free but some services (like Virgin trains) can be a bit picky about having reserved your bike onboard. You can do this by calling thetrainline mentioned above, or you can do it at the rail enquiries booth on arrival in Holyhead. Probably best to make the reservation as virgin trains only have room for 4 bikes.

I'd recommend bringing a small cable lock for securing your bike to the dedicated bike stands, as you might not be able to sit near it.

Enjoy your trip.

gaffmaster

I did the rail and sail from London to Dublin and back last September. I booked through thetrainline.com

I think whether you get to cycle aboard on your bike, or it gets put in the main luggage van is a matter of luck and the mood of the staff. I got to cycle aboard on both trips. Kinda cool being the first off the ferry in Dublin.

I'd recommend booking your Rail and Sail to the final destination train station as this can save money (rather than just booking as far as Euston in London). But bear in mind, not all tube stations allow bikes through.

You need to book your bike onto the train services where applicable. This is free but some services (like Virgin trains) can be a bit picky about having reserved your bike onboard. You can do this by calling thetrainline mentioned above, or you can do it at the rail enquiries booth on arrival in Holyhead. Probably best to make the reservation as virgin trains only have room for 4 bikes.

I'd recommend bringing a small cable lock for securing your bike to the dedicated bike stands, as you might not be able to sit near it.

Enjoy your trip.

Effects

Left it pretty last minute to book my bike. Leaving at 2.15 AM tonight/tomorrow morning. Just rang Virgin to book the 6.55am train. They answered after less than a minute on hold and booked it all for me no problem. I've two changes which takes me within 100m of my destination but will probably just cycle when the train stops in Euston which is about 10km away.
Thanks for the help and advice.