Can you sleep with your bike on a ferry?

[Andrew_Culture]

This Thursday I'm taking the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. I'm not massively keen on leaving our bikes below decks with the cars (or wherever). My bike is worthless but my peddling companion will have a Ti bike that he only finished building a few days ago.

Ideally we would want to have our bikes in the cabin we're kipping in.

Does anyone have any experience of trying to get their bike into a cabin? Is that even allowed?

 

[MossCommuter]

Why not take the wheels off, put it in a bag and carry it on as luggage?

 

[mjr]

I would be surprised, just for practical reasons. It's a long climb up the stairs and the lifts aren't that big and get pretty crowded, especially for disembarking. If a bike even fits, you'll probably have a long wait for enough space. Probably best to bag it, so people aren't so nervous about getting oiled or scratched if it gets crowded in the lift.

The ferries on that route usually (3 trips, 2016 and 2017, and a more experienced traveller tells me it's usual) have banks of fences lashed to the deck in parts of the lorry deck where I think lorries/coaches don't easily fit. The idea seems to be that you lean your bikes on and strap/bungee them to a fence. The best compromise may be to box or bag the bike and lash and lock that to the fence, then lash yours outside it to the fence, blocking it in.

 

[ianrauk]

As what Rocky says. They lock the car loading deck so no one can get down there once the ship is under sail.
So worry not.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

I wouldn't bother.

I found that a ferry cabin was no more romantic than sleeping with my bike at home.

Graham

 

[classic33]

Car decks have to be secured, by law, just before departure until just before arrival. As pointed out by @ianrauk.

Legacy of the Herald of Free Enterprise.

 

[Glow worm]

Yes you've no need to worry- it's quite a good set up on the car deck with plenty of room at the bike racks there. You can just lock to the rack if worried, as you normally would and go for a beer. I locked mine really more to secure it in the event of rough seas. I don't think you'd get bikes in the lift easily anyway and you wouldn't be popular in the scrum to get the lifts back down at the end of the sailing.

 

[snorri]

No need to worry about leaving your bikes on the car deck, but it will help avoid anxiety in the morning if you have noted where about on which deck you have parked bikes and which stairs and doors to use to get back there. There is a Colour Coding system in place to help with this.

 

[toffee]

If you are worried lock it to the barriers, most people don't, they just use the ropes supplied. You won't get the bikes in the lift on the way down due to the number of people who just can't wait to get back to their cars. We'll be doing the same trip in 4 weeks time.

 

[byegad]

I saw the title and had to read. Thankfully it's about where you park your bike on a ferry!

 

[Racing roadkill]

Just drag it up to the cabin, if anyone complains, tell everyone they're a nazi sympathiser.

 

[slowmotion]

I've been on that overnight ferry six times and I've had no worries at all about leaving my bike on the car/lorry decks. The first time I locked it, but I didn't bother on the other trips. You'll be fine.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Like here.....

I left the Rourke with all the kit on too without issue -just took bar bag with valuables up with me.

 

[Crackle]

There isn't that much room in the cabins anyway so two bikes would really be in the way and I can't imagine they'd let you take them up as you'd be a serious pain in the arse during loading and unloading not to mention an obstruction in an emergency. As said by others, never had a problem leaving my bike on the car deck, there's even a nice litespeed in FF's photo.

 

[Tin Pot]

This Thursday I'm taking the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. I'm not massively keen on leaving our bikes below decks with the cars (or wherever). My bike is worthless but my peddling companion will have a Ti bike that he only finished building a few days ago.

Ideally we would want to have our bikes in the cabin we're kipping in.

Does anyone have any experience of trying to get their bike into a cabin? Is that even allowed?

No, it's illegal anywhere.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7095134.stm