Dutch Flyer

[Swiggy]

Has anyone used the Dutch Flyer with a bike recently? I want to travel Sun 29th July on the night crossing.
The Stena website says bicycles aren't included, but you can buy a bicycle ticket at the port. I guess I can book my bike on a train once I've got the ticket, and will make sure I get to Liverpool Street in plenty of time to allow for faffing about as will be fully loaded. I'll aim to take an earlier train than the dedicated ferry one, but obviously I don't want to arrive at Harwich and discover I can't get my bike on the ferry. Any advice much appreciated thanks.

[JakobW]

Do you need the rail ticket at the Dutch end? There are rail replacement works between Hook and Rotterdam until later in the year that won't take bikes. It may well be as cheap to get an advance train ticket to Harwich and just buy a cyclist's ferry ticket; IIRC London-Harwich rail tickets can be had for under £15, depending on the service, and bike ferry tickets from £49 (plus cabin for overnight crossings). Otherwise I wouldn't worry too much - there's always room to squeeze another bike in.

[Swiggy]

Thanks for your reply JakobW. Unfortunately I need the Dutch rail ticket.

For info for anyone thinking of using the Dutch Flyer with a bike: I've just called Stena who tell me they no longer let you buy the bike ticket at Harwich despite their website saying you can due to problems they've had recently with too many people turning up with bikes and not being able to get on the UK trains. I said i'd make my own train reservations once I had the ticket, but apparently that won't be allowed. Grrrr. They have suggested making my own way to Harwich, booking myself and bike as normal and then I can buy onboard a rail ticket for the entire Dutch network for 18 euros.

Annoyingly it will cost me £33 to travel from Liverpool St to Harwich on the 29th when I want to travel, but I can buy a through ticket from Swindon where i'm departing to Harwich for 20 quid. No idea how they work that out! Now I need to work out how to get off train, load bike and ride across London and onto another train in an hour flat. Getting out of the UK is always the hardest part...

[mjr]

Ride http://cycle.travel/map/journey/18801 in reverse: basically CS3, Queen Street and Bank. 35 minutes cycling. An obvious faster way would be Oxford Street, Holborn and London Wall at an estimated 28mins but it's not as easy a ride and more vulnerable to motorised congestion (especially Oxford Street buses).

[JakobW]

Thanks for your reply JakobW. Unfortunately I need the Dutch rail ticket.

For info for anyone thinking of using the Dutch Flyer with a bike: I've just called Stena who tell me they no longer let you buy the bike ticket at Harwich despite their website saying you can due to problems they've had recently with too many people turning up with bikes and not being able to get on the UK trains. I said i'd make my own train reservations once I had the ticket, but apparently that won't be allowed. Grrrr. They have suggested making my own way to Harwich, booking myself and bike as normal and then I can buy onboard a rail ticket for the entire Dutch network for 18 euros.

That is a bit of a pain. Most rail journeys to Harwich involve the main line train to Ipswich/Norwich (which has a proper guard's van for bikes) and a change at Manningtree onto a local service (bikes in the vestibules); there aren't any platform changes, but at Harwich you'll have to manoeuvre the bike into a small lift or up the stairs to get off the platorm there. On the Dutch side, in order to take a full-size bike on board the trains you'll have to buy a cycle ticket (€6,50 or so - not sure whether you can get these on the ferry), and you may have to wait until the off peak period - I can't remember what the precise restrictions are.

As mentioned, there's a rail replacement service to the Hook at the moment, so you'll have to make your own way to Schiedam station (~25 km from the port) before you can get on a train.

[Swiggy]

Good old cycle travel, my favourite route planner ever. Thanks for linking that route mjr. I've not cycled in London before so am a little apprehensive. I'm going to pop into my local station and see if the can do me a ticket with an extended transfer time across London as otherwise it'll be sods law my first train will be late and i'll arrive at Liverpool St just as they lock the doors!

Thanks for the tips re Harwich lift etc JacobW. I'm not worried about the diversion to Schiedam, figure by the time I get there the morning rush hour restrictions will have passed. I'd like to cycle across Holland really, but have another ferry booked Frederikshaven to Oslo on 3rd so doing a mix of train and riding/camping so I can get a little feel of Holland, Germany and Denmark.

[mjr]

There are no NS bike time restrictions July and August but trains may still be busy.

[foxyrider]

There are no NS bike time restrictions July and August but trains may still be busy.

And you should be able to pick up the Dutch rail system a bit closer by riding the short way from Hook to The Hague.

[mjr]

For info for anyone thinking of using the Dutch Flyer with a bike: I've just called Stena who tell me they no longer let you buy the bike ticket at Harwich despite their website saying you can due to problems they've had recently with too many people turning up with bikes and not being able to get on the UK trains. I said i'd make my own train reservations once I had the ticket, but apparently that won't be allowed. Grrrr.

On that note, I've just called Stena because the website wouldn't allow me to book bikes on, but was quite happy to sell me tickets if I took a car (containing the same number of people and bikes). As those who have used this crossing know, bikes on that route are simply strapped to fences bolted down in the car/van spaces, so the choice of how to split the space is mainly down to Stena. The people selling tickets apparently aren't interested in selling more tickets: "that's how many tickets we were given to sell and that's all there will be," I was told. Grrrrr. Complaint sent.

I'd tell people to avoid it, but getting to Harwich is much easier than crossing London and dealing with the Southeastern Failway to get to Dover or the Chunnel. I'm probably going to pack the bikes into a car and drive them, which some here would call a tragedy, quite rightly.

[Cyril Haearn]

You could try Hull - Rotterdam, a long overnight crossing, the boat has two cinemas

[Toffee]

For info for anyone thinking of using the Dutch Flyer with a bike: I've just called Stena who tell me they no longer let you buy the bike ticket at Harwich despite their website saying you can due to problems they've had recently with too many people turning up with bikes and not being able to get on the UK trains. I said i'd make my own train reservations once I had the ticket, but apparently that won't be allowed. Grrrr.

On that note, I've just called Stena because the website wouldn't allow me to book bikes on, but was quite happy to sell me tickets if I took a car (containing the same number of people and bikes). As those who have used this crossing know, bikes on that route are simply strapped to fences bolted down in the car/van spaces, so the choice of how to split the space is mainly down to Stena. The people selling tickets apparently aren't interested in selling more tickets: "that's how many tickets we were given to sell and that's all there will be," I was told. Grrrrr. Complaint sent.

I'd tell people to avoid it, but getting to Harwich is much easier than crossing London and dealing with the Southeastern Failway to get to Dover or the Chunnel. I'm probably going to pack the bikes into a car and drive them, which some here would call a tragedy, quite rightly.

I had this problem when we were booking to go over to Holland in May. There were plenty of car spaces but only 1 space for bikes and there were 2 of us. I found a week before the sailing we wanted that more bike spaces suddenly appeared. I assume they let more bikes on when there were not as many cars as expected.

[mjr]

The people selling tickets apparently aren't interested in selling more tickets: "that's how many tickets we were given to sell and that's all there will be," I was told. Grrrrr. Complaint sent. [...]

I had this problem when we were booking to go over to Holland in May. There were plenty of car spaces but only 1 space for bikes and there were 2 of us. I found a week before the sailing we wanted that more bike spaces suddenly appeared. I assume they let more bikes on when there were not as many cars as expected.

I just got a reply to my complaint. Apparently, the telephone ticket seller should have contacted "the revenue manager" to see if the space could be reallocated but they didn't. The manager apologised but I'm booked non-refundable with another operator now (at far lower cost but higher nuisance - but higher cost than if I hadn't already waited 10 days or so in the hope that Stena might release more bike spaces). I mention it here so that anyone encountering the same problem (bikes sold out, cars not) might discover what to ask the telephone ticket line to do.

[Swiggy]

I've now booked myself and bike now on normal crossing and will buy the train ticket on the ferry as i've checked and there is a saving there. Luckily I've persuaded daughter to give me a lift to Liverpool Street, so won't have to cross London from Paddington, but I'll still buy train ticket from Swindon to Hawich on GWR website as it's £13 cheaper than buying one from Liverpool St to Harwich!
Living in South West I've always used Brittany Ferries before, and amazed at how much less bike friendly using Stena seems to be.
And why oh why Stena force you into spending a small fortune buying a cabin for a night crossing? Brittany let you buy a reclining seat for a fiver, I always do that and then find a quiet corner with a padded bench to kip on.

[Cyril Haearn]

You bought a train ticket, but will not use part of it? Not sure if that is allowed (seems a bit perverse), I think there was a discussion about it on here before

I don't mind paying for a cabin so I can sleep properly, using a bench or reclining chair I would be scared of my stuff being nicked

[JakobW]

I suspect it's so they don't have people clogging up the bars/getting legless all night; there's only one deck of (indoor) public space on the Stena ferries, so it could all get a bit crowded if people were stretched out and trying to kip. Compared to the cost of a hotel room the cabins aren't exorbitant I suppose, and it means you can be up and off in the morning having had some decent sleep.