Ullapool to Glasgow

[billy80]

I am planning a cycling holiday in the Outer Hebrides, finishing in Stornoway.

At the end of it, there will be 4 of us, with bikes, wanting to get from Ullapool to Glasgow on a Sunday in June. When we were planning this last year, we were relying on timetables for a bus with a cycle trailer that would have taken us from Ullapool to Inverness, but that service has been cancelled and I am looking at alternatives. Cycling from Ullapool to Inverness would be too much for us or would take more time than we have - we are pretty feeble cyclists compared to most of the people on this forum.

I know about a couple of cycle taxi services (https://www.tickettoridehighlands.co.uk ... nsport.php and have written to mtbflo). I am also looking at one way hire of a van or a minibus, but I was hoping that someone here might have some better suggestions or know about other cycle taxi services.

We have booked accommodation in the Hebrides and finding out at the last minute that the transport wasn't going to work out was a bit of a blow. If you have any advice (apart from don't make that mistake again) it would be welcome.

Thanks,

Billy.

[rualexander]

http://www.highlandcycletransport.co.uk/

[philsknees]

I think the bike taxi above is your best option though I had a similar problem after horrendous weather & ferry cancellations confounded a planned meet up in Ullapool with a cyclist doing the Outers. I eventually managed to meet up on Skye using the Inverness/Kyle of Localsh railway.
You don't disclose your ultimate homeward destination so the following is only of use as far as Glasgow:-
Inverness is about 56 miles from Ullapool but you can catch a train to Inverness at Garve which cuts the cycling down to 31.8 very easy miles. There's a short sharp climb at 11 miles out from Ullapool, just by Braemore but the following 20 miles are then pretty much flat/slightly downhill.
Only one Inverness/Kyle rail service runs on Sundays which returns east through Garve at 16.51, reaching Inverness at 17.47 with an onward connection for Glasgow(via Perth) at 18.50. Unfortunately, that only gets you in to Queen Street at 23.38, too late for any further progress southwards (after crossing to Glasgow Central) until after 4am next morning.

If you can manage the 30+ mile cycle and if you book tickets well in advance to catch all the offers, you can travel cheaply. However, Sunday isn't the best day to try to travel long distance & 4 is the maximum number of bookable cycle spaces on many Scottish services so, again, book early to secure them. And don't buy your tickets until you are certain of the cycle reservations.

[gloomyandy]

This may be another option...
https://www.hebshuttle.co.uk/
With this you will stay on the Hebrides and could return either to Oban or get the ferry from Locboisdale to Mallaig and the train from there.

[bikepacker]

As stated by previous poster; cycle to Garve catch the train from there to Inverness.

[billy80]

Thank you all.

Glasgow is our final destination, give or take 10 miles.

Cycling to Garve is a good idea but... there are four of us and Scotrail tell me that the limit on trains from Inverness to Glasgow is THREE bikes, so we are going to have to take two successive trains. On Sunday, the 18:50 train you mention is the last train of the day, so one or two of us would have to stay in Inverness overnight.

As you say, Sunday is not a good day to travel on - I thought that I had found a feasible route, but it doesn't give me any flexibility when things change, so that is a lesson learned.

Highlandcycletransport look like a possible solution. I'll contact them, thanks. It would avoid the uncertainty of not being able to book the bikes on to a train until 12 weeks before travelling, but wanting to book accomodation before that.

Billy.

[Cyril Haearn]

Is Sunday still special in Scotland?

[pjclinch]

Is Sunday still special in Scotland?

Once you're out of the likes of the Western Isles, not so much, though train timetables will be affected and more so in the Highlands.

My experience over the years with Scotrail and bikes is the staff are almost always interested in getting you and your bike where you want to go, even if it means a slight bending of the letter of the occupancy rules (and that's with rather unwieldy recumbents). Though of course "almost always" is not the same as "always"...

Pete.

[philsknees]

I've found a worrying deterioration in the bikes-on-trains service since Abellio took over Scotrail, so wasn't surprised to learn that the available bike spaces seem to have been restricted even further. Let's hope there's a spark of hope for the future from this:-
http://road.cc/content/news/235402-carr ... s-scotland.

Regarding the OP & the possible Garve/Inverness/Glasgow rail option (and depending on your spannering ability), have you considered dismantling the smallest bike & distributing big parts (wheels, fork etc) amongst the 3 booked bikes, while the unbooked guy boards downtrain with his frame in a bin bag? I've travelled by train in the past with a bagged frame as hand luggage without producing any comment from the conductor.
You'll certainly have sufficient time at Garve to strip one bike. Of course it helps if the one carrying the frame isn't dressed in lycra & a helmet.
Only a very slightly tongue-in-cheek suggestion but as you say, it is the last train of the day & success may depend on the mood of the conductor if you're rumbled...........