Lon Las Cymru Route 8

zaynan

Me and 5 friends are riding the Welsh National Route from Holyhead to Cardiff in June. Does anyone know of a bike transport company that will take us and our bikes to and from the start/finish (like Stanley Bike Bus does on the C2C route)?

All but one of us live in the North West and catching trains together would be difficult becasue of the draconian rules on number of bikes carried on trains. Catching seperate trains would just be asking for trouble in my opinion.....

Stanley Taxis will take us but because they are based in the north east the charge is high (over £1k!). Is there a Stanley equivalent in Wales?

Any help would be most appreciated!

alfablue

What about hiring a van, the big operators often do one-way trips. Cost for a days hire could be £60, maybe plus a bit more for the one-way thing. That could work well for the return journey from Cardiff to the North East, maybe for the outward you could go on two seperate trains. (though even hiring 2 vans would be way cheaper than the £1k taxi quote).

Although bike carriage rules on trains are cr*p, often the reality is far better, depending on the size and type of train, for instance on my way back from a tour in Wales, I put my bike in the normal luggage area at the end of the carriage and there was no problem. Only when I got off did I see the dedicated bike bit, so the train would have been fine for more than the standard 2 or 4 bikes. The big problem is it is entirely unpredictable!

zaynan

Thanks Alfablue. After much research I've reached the conclusion that one Transit-sized van is the way to go. All of the people who can't fit themselves in to it legally can take the train.

We were spoiled on the C2C by Stanley Taxis - they really do offer a 1st class service - I can't recommend them enough. However, this time because of the distances the cost is just too high.

It's really crap that travelling by rail with a bike is so uncertain and unpredictable. Bring back guards vans!

PHcp

zaynan wrote:

Catching seperate trains would just be asking for trouble in my opinion.....

I think you've given up on the trains too easily. Both Holyhead and Cardiff are well served. 6 of you in two parties should be able to arrive within half an hour of each other and the same after the ride.
Enjoy your ride, it's a good un.

tarpaullynn

Enterprise Van Rentals do one way rentals so long as there is a branch at both ends of the journey.