Will I get on the train?

[SwiftyDoesIt]

Ask staff before the train arrives which carriage has the bike space. Get on the train. If the bike rack is blocked by luggage then block the aisle with your bike. The staff will soon get the luggage moved. If it was me my bike would be in the bike rack and the luggage moved out the way but if you don't want to do that the staff are there to sort out issues like this.

What staff? We usually stand from Swindon to Bristol because our bike spaces are full of luggage amd surfboards.

If you are getting on at the starting station, you might be able to get something done. At an intermediate station, no chance.

The other issue is that two normal bikes don't fit in the GWR "cupboard" anyway.

I don't know your route but have you asked for passenger assistance in advance, particularly if there are never any train staff on your station? Have you tried contacting customer services to ensure that the lockers are not left open and train staff open them.
Aye, the lockers are tight, I don't know what you mean by 'normal' bikes, but I've a tourer and indeed with the garbage situation you have to take bags off to hook the bike, but I've had mine next to another. Is it ideal, nope, not remotely, and hanging a bike by the wheel, if indeed one is capable of such, is rubbish.

Have a go at connecting to the railways, if no joy, take it further through these people http://www.railpassengers.org.uk/making-a-complaint/

[mjr]

I ONLY 45 MILES, I used to ride it in 3 hours when I was a student at Plymouth Poly.

Well, it was easier to keep moving when motorists had to have a man walk ahead with a red flag!

Can this please not become a urinary contest?

[PH]

What time is the ferry and what times the trains?
In hundreds, possibly even a thousand (I haven't been counting), train journeys with bike, I've failed to get to the destination within an hour of the expected time probably three, maybe four times. It can happen, just like a car break down, or a closed road or a cycle incident, but it's so rare I treat it in the same way as any other transport option. I wouldn't get the last train to make the ferry, just like I wouldn't drive to the ferry with only an hour to spare.
That isn't to say every train trip goes perfect, far from it, the cycle space is often inadequate and frequently misused, but that has always been an inconvenience rather than a disaster. On those trips I've also met two really unhelpful rail staff, a larger number who couldn't be bothered, but the majority, by a huge margin, have made the journey as pleasant and straightforward as it could be.

[irc]

Have booked a bike space on the train Exeter to Plymouth on a Friday morning in early May to catch the ferry to Roscoff. Now I’m worried that the bike rack will be full of general luggage and I won’t get on despite having booked. Is this a realistic possibilty or am I being overly pessimistic?

Ask staff before the train arrives which carriage has the bike space. Get on the train. If the bike rack is blocked by luggage then block the aisle with your bike. The staff will soon get the luggage moved. If it was me my bike would be in the bike rack and the luggage moved out the way but if you don't want to do that the staff are there to sort out issues like this.

What staff? We usually stand from Swindon to Bristol because our bike spaces are full of luggage amd surfboards.

If you are getting on at the starting station, you might be able to get something done. At an intermediate station, no chance.

The other issue is that two normal bikes don't fit in the GWR "cupboard" anyway.

There was plenty staff available last time I got the Oban train to stop a local getting on for one stop with his bike because he didn't have a booking.

[horizon]

but generally they'd need to unlock the bike locker,

They won't, it will be open, though there may be luggage in it.

IME the train staff unlock the bike locker, that might not occur all the time as I alluded to with the one incident.

AFAIR the IET bike/luggage compartments (aka cupboards!) do have lockable doors. But I have never in dozens and dozens of times seen one drawn across or locked. I suppose that could happen overnight and originating in Paddington or the train staff were using it but it seems very unlikely. Are you sure it was an IET (Inter City Express, the new trains run by GWR)? By the way, there is a catering trolley compartment that is always locked and can easily be mistaken for a bike compartment (or indeed a toilet, as many people, sometimes three or four at a time in a queue, have found out to their cost! )

[francovendee]

I can't speak for the UK but here I'd much rather pay for a ticket for the bike that ensures a place for the bike. I've always managed to get on even though all the bike spaces were full. Other passengers seem pretty tolerant of obstructed doors.
You pay for the bike on some routes but it doesn't guarantee a place!

I saw a video of a row between a cyclist who'd paid and the conductor who told him to get off the train because all spaces were full and his was obstructing the aisle. He argued he'd paid and were the other bikes travelling with a paid for bike space?
She kept repeating it wasn't her problem and to speak to SNCF.
It's the one thing that stresses me if we avoid using the car and take the bikes on the train.

[Mick F]

Mick F recommends Gunnislake station car park when using Plymouth ferries.

Absolutely!

There's a camper van parked there and it's been there for a couple of weeks. A friend of ours used to park his Transit van there.

The carpark is quite big and never ever anywhere near full.

I came back on the train from Plymouth to Gunnislake only a couple of days ago. 14:28 from Plymouth.
My Mercian was the third bike with supposedly only four places available. Two more came on before we left.

No charge, no problems.

During the commuter times there's often seven or eight bikes or more onboard.

Any road up, if you want to take your bikes and luggage to Plymouth, drive to Gunnislake, park up, and let the train take the strain.

Ferry port isn't far from the station.

[richardfm]

I have a specific seat and bike reservation in coach B

Your seat may be in coach B but is that where the cycle storage is?

[Lazybird]

Yes seat B2 bike reservation B97 on a GWR train

[brianleach]

Lazybird These comments including mine may seem rather depressing. Please don't be put off and try not to get too stressed. Yes there may be issues or maybe not yes there may be aggro or maybe not but just accept it as part of the adventure.

It will seem daunting the first time, I can remember 2007 very clearly still but it didn't put me off.

With experience you will learn what you need to do from your location and with your train operators and that will in all probability make things easier in the future.

I hope it is the start of many adventures which you will enjoy as much as I have. In my view nothing compares with the freedom of cycle travelling and France is a very good place to start I think.

[Lazybird]

Thanks for the encouragement Brian. I’ve booked a ticket for this Friday on the same train so I can give it a trial run.

[SwiftyDoesIt]

AFAIR the IET bike/luggage compartments (aka cupboards!) do have lockable doors. But I have never in dozens and dozens of times seen one drawn across or locked. I suppose that could happen overnight and originating in Paddington or the train staff were using it but it seems very unlikely. Are you sure it was an IET (Inter City Express, the new trains run by GWR)? By the way, there is a catering trolley compartment that is always locked and can easily be mistaken for a bike compartment (or indeed a toilet, as many people, sometimes three or four at a time in a queue, have found out to their cost! )

I don't use GWR but it sounds like the lockers on your trains aren't the same as I'm talking about, I thought these were main line trains not regional trains.
These are the lockers on trains now on LNER (so only 4 spaces per train), they're supposed to be locked until one boards with the bike you've reserved a sport in there. On one occasion it wasn't and I ended up standing with bike on its end for a couple of hours.
That said, train staff should still be making sure there is space for a bike if a reservation has been made whatever the designated space is

[rjb]

I came back on the train from Plymouth to Gunnislake only a couple of days ago. 14:28 from Plymouth.

We know why you went to Plymouth.

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-ne ... XDoZ_vt6UY

[horizon]

These are the lockers on trains now on LNER (so only 4 spaces per train), they're supposed to be locked until one boards with the bike you've reserved a sport in there.

Thanks for that. This does make sense but is never practised (AFAIK) on GWR. I'm wondering how you know though that they are supposed to be locked (on LNER).

That said, train staff should still be making sure there is space for a bike if a reservation has been made whatever the designated space is

That is true, in an ideal world of course. OTOH, the chaotic system does allow for some flexibility. If train staff had the time to get the space ready, they also have the time to make sure that cyclists without a reservation are barred from boarding. It's one reason I bought a folding bike when the IETs were introduced as GWR gave every indication that bookings would be handled very strictly.

[Cowsham]

You'd think in this age of information technology it would be a simple matter that if your space is reserved between stop B and C it'll not be possible for another bike to fill that at any point after stop B either from overlap from stop A or D or maybe the corridor between the bike carriage and next should be used as overlap. If a non booked cyclist wants to travel from A to C and there's room for 1 bike he'd only be allowed to take the bike to Stop B where you get your booked space. The conductor should be able to register the non booked cyclist if space is available.