Trains back from Pennine Cycleway

rampax

Myself and a friend will be touring from Macclesfield to Berwick Upon Tweed via The Pennine Cycleway over 6 days, over the summer. Looking at logistics it all hinges on getting back from Berwick. This will involve 3 trains, all different operators: Virgin Trains East Coast, Trans Pennine Express and Cross Country. I am timing this return journey to be on a Sunday to reduce peak time pain and the various rules that go with that.
Having a quick look around I can't find any obvious way of doing an "all in one" joined up booking for this. Obviously I don't want to book one section to then find another section won't take the bikes. It's all or nothing.
Is it best to actually go into a station (during a quiet time) and get a member of staff to organise this?

durhamwasp

What date are you looking at, and how much is it coming to for the 2 of you?

Its a fair old trek like, so I guess a taxi or similar will be particularly expensive.

Seems a good route, and one I'd like to do myself. No chance you could do it over 2 days and then the 3rd day start cycling back towards home to a more direct train station?

andy9964

Have you considered Edinburgh. Yes, it's 50-60 mile from Berwick directly. but you could change your final day or two to reduce that, It may give you better train options

rampax

Thanks guys. In the end we decided to do a different "tour" that we could loop back to the start, just to avoid any potential unpleasantries.
Andy9964 that is a good idea regarding going on to Edinburgh. I can get a direct train from there to Stockport.
I think that is what I will do when I do eventually take on the Pennine Cycleway on sometime soon.
Cheers.

tim_wand

Its the old adage of Peak Times and Prime Routes. In general the Trans Penine rail routes are pretty good and bike friendly. I ve used the one out of Leeds to Morecambe to do the Way of The Roses c2c and despite horror stories about only 2 bikes booked in advance, there were at least six of us on a Saturday morning and it wasn't a problem.

However bigger operators like GNER and Virgin seem to stick rigidly to 2 bikes booked in advance rule , and on prime routes like the North East Coast Line and Routes through Manchester, Leeds, York , Newcastle and Edinburgh its difficult as they are only interested in getting paying bodies and not bikes onto trains.

Conversely whilst heading for a major Hub such as Edinburgh may give you a more direct train, it could also limit their flexibility for carrying bikes, but you would be able to do a one stop booking that should cover you, it would however remove your flexibility and put you under time constraints.