Trains and bike from JoG

[PH]

I wouldn't use this route without a reservation, we tried a few years ago (Not an E2E) and the first available bike spaces were in three days. We rode down to Lairg instead, where there's a couple extra trains a day.
One of the issues is selfish cyclists booking more spaces than they need. It shouldn't be possible to book reservations without a ticket. It also ought to be easier to cancel a bike reservation if it turns out not to be required, though I suspect the sort of person who makes multiple bookings won't care enough to do so.
If I do this again, I'll add a day and take the Orkney > Aberdeen ferry option, though the JoG > Orkney ferry isn't currently running so it'd mean a short ride back to one of the others.

[ratherbeintobago]

Also, that obfuscating word salad from the Scotrail spokesperson is so annoying.
Just answer the question f£s. If it's the rolling stock, station infrastructure, cost or cba - just be clear about what it is and let us be the judge of your commitment to sustainable transport infrastructure.

Anyone in Scotland fancy writing to their MSP about this, or anyone from CUK Scotland doing so with the Transport Minister?

It would be really useful to know how successful the WHL carriages have been, mind you.

[Pendodave]

Also, that obfuscating word salad from the Scotrail spokesperson is so annoying.
Just answer the question f£s. If it's the rolling stock, station infrastructure, cost or cba - just be clear about what it is and let us be the judge of your commitment to sustainable transport infrastructure.

Anyone in Scotland fancy writing to their MSP about this, or anyone from CUK Scotland doing so with the Transport Minister?

It would be really useful to know how successful the WHL carriages have been, mind you.

I travelled on the WHL about 18 months ago. There was no carriage. I asked the staff about i they said that there weren't enough to run them on all services (this may have changed since), but the ones they had were used on the services that needed them the least...

Regarding CUK: a couple of years ago i wrote to the campaigns officer about Citylink being a bit useless with making bike bookings available on their services. I notice that this now seems to be in place, but I've no idea if this was to do with CUK or not. There were other activists involved as well iirc.

[ratherbeintobago]

the ones they had were used on the services that needed them the least

I thought the whole point of Scotrail being an integrated railway was to avoid nonsense like that?

[Paulatic]

Information already out there a FOI request revealed ; low utilisation of the fleet https://www.transportxtra.com/publicati ... ng-trains/
It also points out re The Far North Line

ScotRail recently re-examined using a Class 153 on the FNL, but again found that there were major constraints, including the practical difficulties of periodically moving Inverness- based Class 153 units to and from Glasgow for maintenance.

Last year they dropped the £10 charge to sit in the carriage and as rail buffs discuss you can’t pull those carriages for no cost. https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/sc ... 934/page-2

[ratherbeintobago]

All fair comments, also there is an issue with 153s being a bit crap.

I suppose the answer to this is to make sure that when the 156/158s are replaced, they’re replaced with 3 car trains with decent provision?

Useful point made that the natural place for these is the FNL, I’d have thought there was more potential cyclist traffic south from there than beyond FW on the WHL?

[Freeweel]

I'm heading up there a couple of weeks after the OP. Heading back south from JOG in late June. In the end, I opted for ferry to Orkney/ Aberdeen, and then one-way car hire, as a far more reliable option.

All my accommodation was booked months out, but cycle spots on the train couldn't be reserved until a secret date 12 weeks or so beforehand. Plus, they were doing engineering work the weekend before, and couldn't guarantee that the line wouldn't have a replacement bus - which doesn't guarantee bike carriage, apparently. Honestly, the rail thing just felt far too unreliable. I'm looking forward to extending the northern adventure with a boat trip instead.

[cycleruk]

I'm heading up there a couple of weeks after the OP. Heading back south from JOG in late June. In the end, I opted for ferry to Orkney/ Aberdeen, and then one-way car hire, as a far more reliable option.
.

Have you found/booked a car hire firm ?
I have looked and finding it difficult to see a company who will accommodate the JOG area.
Or is Aberdeen the closest ?
Thanks.

[PH]

I'm heading up there a couple of weeks after the OP. Heading back south from JOG in late June. In the end, I opted for ferry to Orkney/ Aberdeen, and then one-way car hire, as a far more reliable option.

I understand the issues on the route from Wick/Thurso > Inverness, particulaly if there's engineering work due, though if it's scheduled that'll be known before they issue a bike reservation. From Aberdeen there's 25+ trains a day to choose from. Even today, on a Bank Holiday, I can buy tickets with a bike reservation for a train within an hour, though a train three hours later is half the price.

[Freeweel]

Have you found/booked a car hire firm ?
I have looked and finding it difficult to see a company who will accommodate the JOG area.
Or is Aberdeen the closest ?
Thanks.
[/quote]

I had the same issue. No one way hire from JOG so plan a was to get to Inverness, by train, where there's an Enterprise: plan b is now Aberdeen by ferry, also for Enterprise. £109 for small van hire, unlimited mileage, to get me back home to Devon in 24 hours.

Appreciate that there's probably loads of availability for trains further south but honestly, at Wick, it feels like a lottery. They don't know about engineering overrun, and no one's even mentioned the ongoing strikes yet...

[JerseyJoe]

WHL is very much a hit and miss affair. We tried to get on a Fort William on a busy Saturday and were turned away with the bikes because they were already full. We had to spend an overnight in the town, never again!