Cycling UK Forum

Thanks for the reply.

"As a matter of interest, what are you doing when you get here?"

I'll continue by train to Bruges to visit friends. Then, as yet unspecified bike tour which will include Ghent.

I have booked my bike on Eurostar. They send maps of St Pancras and Brussels Midi. The St P map shows the bike handover location at the end of line of arrows marked Eurodespatch Centre.
The Brussels map has a line of arrows that seem to lead out of the station to the Coach set-down area. Elsewhere within the station is "SNCB luggage office". No mention of Eurodespatch.

Can someone please tell me where I should go to collect my bike?

When you get off the train at Harwich International port you go up in the lift to the bridge over the lines. Foot passengers turn north towards the Arrivals/Departures areas. Cyclists turn south to the lift at the end of the bridge. Go down in that lift and exit into the car park. This is the car park for visitors to the station, not for vehicles travelling on the ferry. Go out of that carpark and you will find a roundabout with the usual signs for vehicles entering a port. Go into that car park along with cars, vans and trucks. Check in in the usual manner as part of the vehicle stream.
You can find a map of the station on the National Rail website.

My cycling partner bought her Dahon at Fudge's cycles in Chiswick. They stock various models. She has had the bike for (guess) 5 or six years and has used it for local rides and short tours in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Hers is a Speed 7.

I have walk behind mower which is fine going in a straight line. However I now find it is quite heavy when trying to mow under low trees and close to tree trunks. There's a lot of pressing on the handles and heaving the machine round and pulling backwards.
I have thought of a hover mower (petrol) but they aren't common so it is difficult to get an opinion from someone who has used one. Does anyone here have experience please?

According to an item in the French newspaper Ouest France, from 22 March children less than 12 will be required to wear helmets. This applies to a child riding a bike or passenger. There is a potential fine of 90 Euro.

I've been to Tornio in June but I was in a hostel, not camping. There was no lying snow and I walked about in late evening in light clothes. I travelled then to hostels at Gallivare and Narvik. There was no precipitation and the wind was light. However, one short experience might be a bit unreliable.

I have had 2 bikes stolen (one was stolen twice) over a period of about 35 years.

As a youth I had an old utility bike. I loaned it to someone. They left it unattended. It disappeared and was never seen again.

Many years later I left my home-to-station bike parked rather carelessly against a tall post (with a sign at the top) outside the station. Unfortunately the security chain was rather loose round the frame and post. When I returned the bike had gone. I took a quick walk round and found it parked behind a wall. It had obviously been too much of a temptation to the students at the nearby college.

I loaned the same bike to someone to go a concert. The borrower mistakenly thought that the bike should be parked out of sight in the dark yard behind the concert hall with just a locked cable thro' frame and wheel. He reported to me that the bike had been stolen. I went back in daylight. The yard was surrounded by a high fence with bushes behind. With difficulty I went along the fence looking in the bushes. There was my bike with lock and cable still in place.

The M5 viaduct over the River Avon might be worth considering. Below is a quote from Wiki. Although it says that the main span is 164m, the cycleable bit comprises a number of spans....but is probably less than the total 1388m.

" The Avonmouth Bridge is a road bridge that carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon into Somerset near Bristol, England. The main span is 538 ft (164 m) long, and the bridge is 4,554 ft (1,388 m) long."

I have a Bike Friday New World Tourist (NWT) which I bought new in 1998 and I agree with Richard Fairhurst's assessment above. My tours haven't been as extensive as Richard's but include a collection of European countries.

My choice was based on a very positive recommendation in Chris Juden's article in CT&C Feb/Mar 1995 in which he assessed the Bike Friday and the APB. I still have the article. Chris referred to the NWT as "a genuine performance bicycle".

The bike has been very reliable and only suffered from normal wear.

From the OP's point of view, Bike Friday is rather expensive and the folded size isn't brilliant.

I use the Liverpool St/Colchester etc line fairly frequently and can confirm JamesE's response. Bikes are normally put in the vestibule. You need to keep an eye on it because in many journey's the platform isn't always on the same side so you might have to be on hand to let passengers in and out.

I saw a duck with nine ducklings on my local river a couple of days ago.
Blackbirds are taking food to their nests. (Essex)

A view of a Llama from a bridge over a little stream.

I use Caxton fx Euro card and have done so in several European countries.
It has worked very well.
One of the earlier posters mentioned that on changing from Visa to MasterCard they have dropped the facility to check your balance and to load the card by text message. At the moment you have to use their App.
That doesn't suit me because I have a basic mobile phone.

Caxton have told me that they are working on restoring the text facility soon.

Eurotunnel is £22 in July and Aug. Other times it is £18.