FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Cardiff to Swansea 20th May 2011

[Aperitif]

We have the train tickets, so please add Marilyn and me. And we're ready to obey Claudine...

Don't start giving her ideas, Clive.

 

[Aperitif]

No, not Marilyn, I mean.. oh never mind, I'm a lost cause.

 

[Taffcycles]

Arriva Trains coming out of Sawnsea to Cardiff are booked full for bike spaces, (6 bikes per train)

the latest train which had a ? against it was National Rail to London at 20:30

 

[theclaud]

Arriva Trains coming out of Sawnsea to Cardiff are booked full for bike spaces, (6 bikes per train)

the latest train which had a ? against it was National Rail to London at 20:30

Hi Taff. If people coming from Swansea can't book their bikes on a train, I'll take a van to Cardiff to carry bikes. I also intend to ask if they'll open the guard's van on the 20:28 to increase bike capacity.

 

[StuAff]

I'd like to come on this ride, but the travel from and to Sussex seems a bit daunting. I'd have to get the train to Somewhere in London, then cycle to Paddington to get the train to Cardiff, and it's a long journey on yer todd! Would anyone else be travelling on the train from Paddington that gets to Cardiff at about half past ten? And would they be able to meet me and escort me through the scary London traffic in the dark to get to Paddington (I know, like fotherington-thomas I am uterly wet and a weed).

The journey back might involve waiting to get a much later train from Cardiff (about 2pm), otherwise the fares are expensive. Would anyone else be travelling back in the afternoon? I dunno, I'm confused (easily done), maybe it's a journey too far ...?

Depending where you are in Sussex, have you tried going via the Portsmouth area? Might work out cheaper for you, particularly with ticket splits etc. I got a ticket on the 1923 from Portsmouth Harbour, gets into Cardiff 2248, for £8 advance fare. That fare is still available. Trains back are pricier now unfortunately, but you don't have to go back the same way of course

 

[Flying Dodo]

On the National Rail web site, make sure you tick the "Include slower trains" option.

Alternatively, use Southern Railways web site, as that lets you specify a "via" option, as well as reserving a bike space.

 

[StuAff]

On the National Rail web site, make sure you tick the "Include slower trains" option.

Alternatively, use Southern Railways web site, as that lets you specify a "via" option, as well as reserving a bike space.

Advanced options on the National Rail site also let you specify intermediate stations. For splitting tickets, it'll still be trial and error to find the best fares & times, no automated system for that (wonder why?

)

 

[StuAff]

Thanks to all your good advice I've just bought my rail tickets for this one, so it looks as if I'm doing it after all
Please can I be added to the list?


And while I was at it, I managed to get a ticket to Victoria for the Brighton ride for the princely sum of £3.70!!

Splendid! Glad we could help.

 

[theclaud]

Thanks to all your good advice I've just bought my rail tickets for this one, so it looks as if I'm doing it after all
Please can I be added to the list?

Good work, tmn!

 

[Speicher]

Depending where you are in Sussex, have you tried going via the Portsmouth area? Might work out cheaper for you, particularly with ticket splits etc. I got a ticket on the 1923 from Portsmouth Harbour, gets into Cardiff 2248, for £8 advance fare. That fare is still available. Trains back are pricier now unfortunately, but you don't have to go back the same way of course

It is that a direct train Stuaff? I thought he might be able to do the journey via Southampton or Basingstoke, then change at Reading, for Cardiff. (Yes, I know Basingstoke is not in Sussex.)

 

[StuAff]

It is that a direct train Stuaff? I thought he might be able to do the journey via Southampton or Basingstoke, then change at Reading, for Cardiff. (Yes, I know Basingstoke is not in Sussex.)

Yup, it's direct from Portsmouth. TMN is a lady, btw

 

[mcshroom]

Right back to my split ticket search. Currently £77 down from £133. Hopefully will be able to make it if I can get that down a little more

 

[Speicher]

My apologies to User13710. She did describe herself as Fotherington-Thomas, though, in my defence.

Stuaff, it is strange all these direct routes that are kept highly secret by the train timetable companies. For instance there is one direct from Worcester to Brighton. Slightly longer journey than via Paddington, and across London, but not excessively so. Iirc a direct train from Marlylebone to Wrexham, has been discontinued. Who knew it existed in the first place, (except me with my specific interest in timetables)?

 

[Aperitif]

My apologies to User13710. She did describe herself as Fotherington-Thomas, though, in my defence.

Stuaff, it is strange all these direct routes that are kept highly secret by the train timetable companies. For instance there is one direct from Worcester to Brighton. Slightly longer journey than via Paddington, and across London, but not excessively so. Iirc a direct train from Marlylebone to Wrexham, has been discontinued. Who knew it existed in the first place, (except me with my specific interest in timetables)?

Apology accepted, Speicher, although I'm not sure about being "a laydee" ... much too Little Britain.

To be fair, I only said I was LIKE fotherington-thomas, who as I'm sure you know could often be seen "skipping like a girlie", but unlike me he had a face like a tomato.

You two are like tomatoes in a pod. You would be able to take the peas out of each other in a playful way and, being two ladies, will have far too much to talk about...

I'll leave you to it now. Bye bye.

 

[frank9755]

I've just booked my train.

I've been looking forward to this one. My plan is to make a long weekend of this and thought I'd post in case anyone wanted to join me, before booking train tickets, etc. The second part of my plan is probably more likely to appeal than the first.

The first bit is to take the day off on Friday and ride out to Cardiff. It's about 145 miles from my house (+ 10 more from central London) so, adding in the night ride it would be 200+ in a day. I appreciate it is not likely to appeal to many people however I love riding out to cycling events and there is, at least, plenty of time to get there by midnight.

The second bit, which would be a bit easier, is to do a tour of the Gower peninsula and head west on the Sunday. Depending on how the Saturday pans out, I might have a little nap then go round the Gower in the evening, or else it might be early Sunday morning. Then I'll head west towards Tenby and Pembroke - which is about 60 cycling miles from Swansea.

Partly my motivation is that we lived in Pembroke when I was young, but moved away when I was six, and I've only been back there a couple of times since. Swansea was the big city that my parents would go to for an annual shopping trip and we once set off to go to the Gower, but I got carsick so we only got as far as Tenby!

Would be great if anyone fancies joining me (as long as you don't mind a very short detour to see if my old house and my first school are still there!) I've booked (£15 with bike) on the 16:53 from Pembroke on the Sunday evening (which is also the 17:59 from Swansea in case plans change). Gets back to London about 11:30pm.