Cycling UK Forum

Ian the woodworker wrote: ↑12 Jan 2024, 10:46am
My biggest concern is that if it all proves too much, and we have to get back to Oban via train from say Ullapool is this easy to achieve with the bikes. The last think I would want is to be stranded in the middle of Scotland.

Via train from Ullapool certainly not easy, as the railway doesn't go to Ullapool...
Hovever, Scottish CityLink buses do allow for bicycle storage on their booking website, and popping in a speculative Ullapool to Oban request with a bike it does seem to think it's possible.

Digging a little further gives us https://www.citylink.co.uk/conditions-o ... e/bicycles and the Help & Support page has:

Can I take my bike?
Yes, subject to availability of accommodation, bikes in a box/bag or fitted with a bike sock will be carried on our coaches.

We have partnered up with HITRANS to pilot a scheme which now makes it easier to take your bike on a number of our services running in the Highlands.

A maximum of two bike socks will be available for use on the following routes; Inverness/Portree, Inverness/Fort William, Inverness/Ullapool, Fort William/Glasgow, Glasgow/Fort William/Skye Stops, where we can safely permit cyclists to board/alight, are listed here

You can book your bike on the bus at the same time as making your seat reservation. Bike space can be reserved as an Additional Hold Item when buying a ticket online via our journey planner.

When we were doing the Western Isles many years ago we weren't progressing as well as we'd hoped and bailed quite successfully out to Skye and from there back to Mallaig rather than carry on all the way to Stornoway, so worth realising that's another way you can cut short and still have a nice time.

Pete.

There's a parallel thread about the same region, with a similar request for advice on bail-outs if needed:
viewtopic.php?t=159458

We've used Garve as an access point to trains for both Ullapool and Wester Ross.

Previous discussion of bikes on buses from Ullapool:
search.php?keywords=bus+ullapool

Where are you starting from before driving to Ardrossan?

Jonathan

Going via Ullapool to Inverness, either cycling or bus is the answer. Even if this means not going right to the very north of Lewis because of time limits. The best scenery is further south anyway. Decent coastal scenery but north of Stornaway the interior is flat drab moorland. And I say that as someone whose family on one side came from the area.

Above assumes you arrive at Oban by train. If you are parking there and need to return then a different solution required. Starting in Mallaig is better for a circular route.

I think I can help a bit. If you are planning to return to either from Ullapool or Uig on Skye, you can book your bike onto a Citylink bus onward to Inverness. I have recently done this Ullapool to Inverness. It worked a treat but your bike just goes in the hold under the coach but ours were fine.

From Inverness you can get train to Glasgow & then Oban.

Details of the services carrying bikes are at https://www.citylink.co.uk/conditions-o ... /bicycles/

Follow the links for details. When booking add hold items and select bicycle.

Al1969 wrote: ↑18 May 2023, 11:25am Thinking of doing this in August/September;

How much forward planning do you think I’ll need? and do you have much cycling to do when you get off at Ullapool?

I've cycled into Ullapool on the A835. Like most A roads in the north of Scotland, it's pretty much the only road, and I found the traffic a little unsettling even though I was coming downhill and was only on it from the A832 junction (Around 10 miles). I wouldn't particularly fancy being on it all the way to Garve to pick up the Inverness train. ymmv.
One alternative to consider is the bus. City link run a service which connects with the ferry. They claim that it is now possible to book a bike onto it. There's a thread here somewhere with some details if you search. It's about 1hr20 to Inverness where you can train onwards.
If you choose that option, I'd be interested in the outcome - perhaps you could update the thread!
If you've got a day spare, cycle up the nc500 to Scourie and get the Durness bus back to a railhead. Bikes can definitely be prebooked on that.

I'll post a couple of pics when I get back.
Kinlochewe to ullapool today. Cloudless skies, empty roads.
There is a but though - there was a 20 mph south easterly wind, and I spent 25 miles cycling mostly into it this afternoon. Cycling to a schedule when the wind gets up is hard work.
I was very tired when I got to ullapool. Delifish chippy served me within 5 minutes, and (top tip) there is lovely little bus shelter in the ferry terminal which is comfy and warm.
Different scenery today, more emphasis on mighty mountains. Still spectacular.

A quick update on this. Hopefully others can add as things progress.
I contacted a representative from HiTrans, which is the Highlands travel partnership. They sent the following reply (19th April 2022) :

"Yes, it was a pilot project we worked with Citylink to run last year (we funded the bike covers; they did all the rest!). It seemed to work really well, with the route between Ullapool and Inverness being the most used. Citylink are in the process of adding bikes to their booking system, so when you book your seat you’ll also be able to book your bike on; this should be ready to use in the next 6-8 weeks.

If you’re travelling before the booking system is launched, you can still take your bike but will have to take your chances. Two bike socks are provided on each bus, but additional bikes may be carried at the driver’s discretion (it will depend on how much other luggage there is).
Citylink are potentially looking to expand the service to all their routes in Scotland (at the moment it’s only routes operating out of Inverness). You can get more information if you email info@citylink.co.uk"

So it looks as if a little more certainty may soon come to bike/bus travel in those parts of Scotland which are hard to reach by rail.
Sadly a little late for me, as I've just come back from a train/boat trip to the Highlands and Islands which has scratched my Scottish itch for a while, but I'm keen to use this in future and will report back if no-one else does.

Just chewing over a few days in scotland, and saw this :
https://hitrans.org.uk/News/Story/1260
The article is a year old. Does anyone have any useful information about how this is currently working?
I'm specifically looking at the inverness/ullapool route because I don't particularly fancy the A835 road to/from civilisation, but any contributions are welcome.
I'll obviously contact them directly, but as the bank holiday weekend is here I wouldn't expect a response for a few days at least...

Adnepos wrote:

phil parker wrote:If you’ve got time...

I cycled from Glasgow train Station to Ardrossan, ferry to Brodick (Arran), cycled to Lochranza, ferry to Claonaig, cycled to Oban, Ferry to Castlebay. On the way back: ferry from Stornaway to Ullapool, Cycled to Fort William, via Inverness (Beauly) and train from Fort William.

Excellent call!

When I've cycled the Western Isles, I haven't spent a lot of time at my 'destination'. I have made to journeys out and back part of the fun. Consider going directly from Ardrossan to Wemyss Bay or Gourock. It's not a long cycle although the road isn't fun on a bike. There's a Stagecoach bus but you would need to check whether onboard cycles are taken on this route. You could also get a train from Ardrossan to Glasgow then out to the west coast, eg still catching a ferry either from Gourock or Wemyss Bay; takes less time than public transport to Oban, Mallaig or Ullapool. After the ferry you get to cycle in beautiful territory that can take you to Castlebay in a few days (and more ferries). Ferry prices are all reasonable.

If you really want to spend a lot of time in the Western Isles and have deep pockets, then consider flying there. You can rent cycles at Castlebay and arrange to deposit them in Stornoway.

Last time I was there (last summer, we go every year) it looked to me as though there were rental bikes available at Barra airport.

phil parker wrote:If you’ve got time...

I cycled from Glasgow train Station to Ardrossan, ferry to Brodick (Arran), cycled to Lochranza, ferry to Claonaig, cycled to Oban, Ferry to Castlebay. On the way back: ferry from Stornaway to Ullapool, Cycled to Fort William, via Inverness (Beauly) and train from Fort William.

Excellent call!

When I've cycled the Western Isles, I haven't spent a lot of time at my 'destination'. I have made to journeys out and back part of the fun. Consider going directly from Ardrossan to Wemyss Bay or Gourock. It's not a long cycle although the road isn't fun on a bike. There's a Stagecoach bus but you would need to check whether onboard cycles are taken on this route. You could also get a train from Ardrossan to Glasgow then out to the west coast, eg still catching a ferry either from Gourock or Wemyss Bay; takes less time than public transport to Oban, Mallaig or Ullapool. After the ferry you get to cycle in beautiful territory that can take you to Castlebay in a few days (and more ferries). Ferry prices are all reasonable.

If you really want to spend a lot of time in the Western Isles and have deep pockets, then consider flying there. You can rent cycles at Castlebay and arrange to deposit them in Stornoway.

We often leave the car for up to 2 weeks. Choose a residential area. Not outside someone's house. Preferably a parking spot where there is no pavement so that people have no reason to walk past.It is always a leap of faith leaving your car. I once left it on a busy road in Newquay where the road narrowed on a bus route (only one car can pass at once so plenty or mirror room and outside an old folks home so strangers cars commonplace.It was fine.

I am taking a sabbatical next year The first trip will be Glasgow -Ardrossan -Inner Hebrides, Hebridean Cycle Way, Ullapool, Cape Wrath, but not sure after that. We have 4-6 weeks.
For this trip, full camping gear, one touring bike and a fully loaded big dummy cargo bike so the dog can come (sits in the back), we will use one way van hire. Manchester airport (near me) to Glasgow airport (near Ardrossan). One quote came in at £35

A couple of years ago I wanted to travel to Stornaway.
I used my bus pass to get to Boston. From there the train got me to Inverness by evening of the same day. Two changes, and a restful ride with good views. Without knowledge of the arcane cheap ticket procurement fiddles I was lucky enough pay only £30.
I don't have a car, but this seems cheaper, and I did not want to return the same way in any case.
A bus to Ullapool was about £15 and the ferry trip about the same.
Why trains?

Just out of interest, My friend and I were planning this ride for next year around end of May beginning of June and returning to the train afterwards was posing a problem. We wanted to travel to Oban by train from Glasgow to start and return via Inverness. Eventually we found a great solution. A local haulage company will take our bikes back from Stornoway to Glasgow for £50-60 and we will get the bus from Ullapool with our bus passes. The joys of being pensioners !

Hi
I have done this trip before however it is a bit more problematic than it used to be. The trains from Glasgow to Oban have been or are due to be upgraded. This means of course that the number of bikes allowed is reduced. The new trains will only take two bikes instead of six. Also there is only one train a day that arrives before the ferry departure, so most who use the train will have to stay overnight in Oban and get the ferry the next day. Not an issue in its self but the reduced capacity and the increasing popularity is.

Book early for the train, you must book in advance, three months before departure if you want to be assured of a cycle space. As for accommodation book now for next year would be my advice. Throughout the highlands accommodation has become difficult to find at short notice or even at all over the last few years, also accommodation is not plentiful or cheap on the islands. Hostels or camping I think would be the only turn up on the day option, best to check though.

I would go from Barra right up to lewis and come off at Stornoway, there was a bike carrying bus service from Ullapool to inverness which met the last train to Glasgow. This meant that in theory you could get off the islands and back down to Glasgow with your bike on the same day. Check that that sevice is still availiable though.

I did enquire some years ago about bike hire, at that time there were two operators they were not based on Barra but at Stornoway and Howmore I think. Bikes were delivered to the ferry at Eriskay and collected in Stornoway, this could have changed of course.

I'm in the very early stages of thinking about all this and am homing in on:

car to Ullapool,
ferry to Stornaway
Shuttle Bus from Stornaway to Barra,
cycle back to Lewis,
ferry back to Ullapool
drive home.

Car parking and accommodation all to be worked out yet : )

My house to Oban is 280miles/7hours
or to Ullapool is 400miles/8 hours
Ullapool to Oban is 155m/6h?!

John