The Fridays Tour

[Flying Dodo]

I got an email at 10.58 this morning. It's a literary masterpiece.

 

[dellzeqq]

up to 14 for the entire trip now....

 

[GrumpyGregry]

It's that 12 weeks in advance bit that holds up the planning. June will almost certainly be more expensive than the April tickets showing right now.

Last June, to Glasgow on sleeper, thirsty odd quid, back with Virgin for forty odd, plus on train first class upgrades to be had. We only booked about 8 weeks before the event we were travelling to.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I got an email at 10.58 this morning. It's a literary masterpiece.

I got an email thereabouts. It broke my inbox.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Can I declare that I don't much care, within reason, how much the train costs me. I don't voluntarily fly anywhere if I can avoid it. It's a CO2 thing. As in I have to spend waste hours of my life calculating the CO2 footprint of my organisations air travel.

TMI probably.

 

[mistral]

I'm in for the trip and would be keen to book rooms soon, can we get a list of those who have confirmed?

 

[rb58]

I'm also in for the full trip. As I don't really camp (steady....) I shall be booking a proper bed in a proper room, hopefully followed by a proper breakfast.

Anyone want to buddy up on twin rooms? No interview or references required. I'm told I snore, though I've yet to be provided with the evidence.

Oh, and I'm still planning to ride up from Lands End the week before if anyone is interested. I've decided to do the CTC 'fast' route to Exeter, then work my way up to London from there (tips on Exeter to London routing will be welcome). Thinking about an early start from Lands End on Monday morning, arriving in London on Thursday evening - giving me a night at home and a rest day for laundry etc. before the start of LonJoG.

Cheers
Ross

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm getting stuff back from people as follows

Saturday night - people have booked at East Bridgford Hill and one person has booked at Yeung Sing. Camping at Car Colston has no faciliies.
Sunday - people are intending to go to the Naburn campsite, and booked at Crook Lodge and Abbey whatnot. I reckon the YHA looks good, but Susie had other ideas
Monday - people are booking the small b+bs in Castleside. I've not heard of anybody booking the bunkhouse. One person has booked at the Derweant Manor Hotel
Tuesday - people have booked in to Glen Bank. The chap running it has a great attitude
Wednesday - people have booked in to the Kirkland at Kinross.
Thursday - people have booked guest houses, but I can't remember where - to be honest we'll be close to filling the places on the list, so get in there quick
Friday - a couple of bookings in b+bs in Tain, and one at the Dornoch Castle, which isn't on the list, but is just down the road
Saturday - in the next couple of days I'll circulate people who are coming on the entire trip and ask whether it's Wick or J o'G

 

[dellzeqq]

so that's sixteen for the entire trip, which has surpassed my expectations. There will now be a short interval before blind panic sets in.

 

[StuAff]

If the sixteen does't include me, that's seventeen- I got the week off sorted out today

Will now get on with booking stuff....

Edit: Yeung Sing booking made (hopefully); York I'll hang fire on as hopefully I'll be able to stay with best mate in Tollerton (ten miles north)- if not YHA. Enquiries made with b&bs in Castleside. Enquiry made with the hotel in Jedburgh. Newtonmore b&b (Glenavon House) booked- they're full.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

better pull my finger out and get booking I guess.

 

[Flying Dodo]

You just need to get the timing right and there should be some decent prices available. I recommend the Adrian Alert service...

Re the trains, they release them in tranches. Sometimes they'll pop up a £49 price, and when you check a few hours later, they release a £19 seat for the same day you've been looking at. Other times, they seem to start with the £19 prices first. Some days will only have a £29 or £39 price, so it might be best to get a ticket once anything appears. The direct link for the cheap sleeper prices is:-

www.travelpass.buytickets.scotrail.co.uk/BargainBerths/Default.aspx

Once you get to within about 14 weeks of the date, you should start checking regularly. They can release a week in 1 go or just several days, so you'll also have to ensure you check several times during the day once the available dates get close to Sunday 24th June. Or whatever date you might decide to leave Inverness, as it's so stunning up there, some of you might decide to stay a while.

If you can't get the sleeper train, then as TimO says, it's 8 hours on the normal train but if you check regularly on the East Coast web site, they often have very cheap tickets. Last June I went from London to Inverness for £26, buying the ticket 8 weeks in advance.

 

[mcshroom]

Hmm, I'll have to broach the leave with my boss tomorrow. There's a voice in my head trying to persuade me to turn west after JoG and head round the top of Scotland to Mallaig over a few days.

When you say the campsite on day 1 has no facilities - is that no space to put a tent, or just no mod cons?

 

[dellzeqq]

no mod cons. And there's not much by way of camping elsewhere....sorry

 

[ceepeebee]

the only other camping in the area looks like Shelford Nurseries, it may have better facilities, but doesn't have a pub attached...