Who can help a German cyclist through London?

PetraClaudia · July 2007

Dear forum community,

I thought this forum might be the most suitable place to ask my question. On next Wednesday afternoon I will arrive at Stansted, carrying my bicycle with me. As I will be heading to Scotland, I booked a sleeper from London Euston. The main problem I have now is that the Stansted Express will not transport my steed, so I have to go to London Stratford and then cross the town by bicycle to get to London Euston. I made many phone calls and had a lot of fun. Now my route is well prepared by using the Journey Planner http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/X ... nsActive=1
(see more about it in my blog: http://islandperrad.blog.de/2007/05/11/ ... on~2277592) but I thought this would be a nice occasion to meet some local cyclists. So - is there anybody who likes to join me?

Thanks for any other advice concerning bicycle on train and tube.
Best regards,
Petra

Eurostar · July 2007

Hi Petra!

The Stansted Express is not the only train from Stansted to Liverpool Street. There is another one run by a different company, First Capital Connect. They take bicycles. It's a little slower. http://tinyurl.com/3dl55b I found this information here - quite a useful site http://tinyurl.com/2bvr7c

I took my bike on the Stansted Express in 2004. Some of the officials said it wasn't permitted but others said it would be OK if I took the wheels off and put the bicycle near the toilet where there is more space. If you try this they will think that because you are a woman you won't be able to take the wheels off!

Good luck!

dangerousjules · July 2007

you do know how to take the whells off don't you!

ScumOfTheRoad · July 2007

Petra you CAN take your bike on certain parts of the London Tube network.

Those parts are the "sub-surface" lines - you can say these are similar to the Berlin S-Bahn.
So if yiu get a train to Liverpool Street you can take the bike on the Metropolitan or Hammersmith and City Lines to Euston Square.
Be warned though you have to carry the bike up and down steps, so you may prefer to ride.

Eurostar · July 2007

Here's a tube map for cyclists http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/ ... cles1b.pdf

ScumOfTheRoad · July 2007

Petra, have a great time in Scotland.
But remember to buy some insect repellent!
Word has it that Avon "Skin So Soft" works well against midges.
You can buy this in pharmacies in the UK (a bigh chain is called Boots)

Chriscommuter · July 2007

Petra,

Sorry can't help as i'm the other side of London but the suggested rout along the Canal is a good one. I have ridden that and the surface is hard and the path reasonably wide.

Have a nice time.

Chris

PetraClaudia · July 2007

Eurostar wrote:

Hi Petra!

The Stansted Express is not the only train from Stansted to Liverpool Street. There is another one run by a different company, First Capital Connect. They take bicycles. It's a little slower. http://tinyurl.com/3dl55b I found this information here - quite a useful site http://tinyurl.com/2bvr7c

I took my bike on the Stansted Express in 2004. Some of the officials said it wasn't permitted but others said it would be OK if I took the wheels off and put the bicycle near the toilet where there is more space. If you try this they will think that because you are a woman you won't be able to take the wheels off!

Good luck!

Before I even dare to try entering the Stansted Express I would like to know if there are any stations between London Stansted and Liverpool Street? This means: I would like to avoid that I suddenly stand in the middle of nowhere where I have no chance to reach my sleeper to Inverness.

But thanks for the other tip, I will check this out.

The information in London told me that I am not allowed to put my bicycle on board of the tube during rush hours, but my plane is scheduled for Stansted at about 14.00 pm so I might get into London just at that time. Anyhow, so far I have cycled through Paris, Vienna, Roma, Prague, Dublin, Ljubljana, Warszawa, Liechtenstein, Edinburgh and Berlin - so London cannot be worse. I once traveled with bicycle and tube and it was a big adventure and I regretted that I had not cycled directly. I will tell the story of this trip in English for you soon in my blog, maybe on Sunday.

Will be absent until Sunday, but I appreciate all kinds of comments.

And, yes, it is true: some people really think that women are not able to fix a bicycle - in England and in Germany too.

Post-Edit: I have read that the Stansted Express allows bicycle in airplane package. Well

, coming from Altenburg, Germany, I usually wrap a plastic folder around my pushbike and Ryanair staff at this little living-room airport is content. So I could put the folder over the bicycle and declare it as "airline travel package" - this would not be a lie. However, it might be considered as rather impudent. Wouldn't it??

ScumOfTheRoad · July 2007

Petra,
leave your bike in the airline packaging.
Put it on a luggage trolley and take it down the ramps to the train.
The Stansted Express trains are usually not full of people, and the doors are open at the platform. Simply put the bike aboard the train (I would look for a wheelchair symbol on the side of a carriage and use the larger space for a wheelchair. Obviously if a wheelchair user turns up you would move the bike).
If you are told to get off the train (unlikely as the bike is packaged) there is another one in 1/2 hour.
If that refuses you, just go up to the coach station and put your bike in the luggage hold of a coach.

There is one station on the Stansted Express route - Tottenham Hale.

Sorry - I am not around in London on Wednesday evening or I would offer to meet you at Liverpool Street.

If I were you, I would plan on spending a few hours riding to Euston via the City and London's West End. There are plenty of supermarkets - there is a Tesco directly opposite Liverpool Street. You could get some food to eat in a park or by the riverside.

Eurostar · July 2007

PetraClaudia wrote:

Before I even dare to try entering the Stansted Express I would like to know if there are any stations between London Stansted and Liverpool Street? This means: I would like to avoid that I suddenly stand in the middle of nowhere

I think you're worried that they might throw you off the train after it has left Stansted? This would never happen unless you did something very serious, for example starting a fight. In Britain we often break little rules - taking a bicycle on a 'forbidden' train is not a crime!

But of course you can use the First Capital Connect service with no problems at all. I phoned them to check the situation. You can definitely take bicycles. Here is the timetable: http://tinyurl.com/2t374d On page 3 you will see there are trains at 15.00, 15.15, 15.30, 15.45 and so on. The journey takes 46 minutes so perhaps you will get to London before rush hour. But I would not take my bicycle on the tube - it will be quicker and easier to ride it.

The train is owned by First Capital Connect but it is operated by a company called One Railway. So maybe the train has the One Railway logo on it - I don't know. It goes from the same station as the Stansted Express.

When does your train to Scotland leave? Euston Station is not a nice place to wait. Watch your bike all the time. Even if you go to the toilet for 3 minutes somebody will steal it. Regents Park is nearby - that's nice. There is a great bike shop not far away - Condor Cycles, 51 Gray's Inn Road. It is one of London's best bike shops and has lots of women's clothing.

Nick

snorri · July 2007

Eurostar wrote:

When does your train to Scotland leave? Euston Station is not a nice place to wait. Watch your bike all the time. Even if you go to the toilet for 3 minutes somebody will steal it.

I have left my laden bike at the Left Luggage Office in Euston many times.
If you choose to use their service, make sure they accept your laden bike with panniers bags etc as one item. Sometimes they want to charge you for each piece! Left luggage closes at 23.00 I think, but you will probably be on the 21.15

njc97 · July 2007

Petra - I wouldn't worry about getting thrown off the stanstead express halfway - even if they chuck you off at tottenham hale, that's not far to euston. I would definitely NOT recommend taking your bike on the tube at any time. It may be allowed, but the other passengers wont appreciate it. Sorry I can't accompany you from stratford - coincidentally I'll be in Scotland on Wednesday, but alas for work so bike less.

PetraClaudia · July 2007

Thanks to all of you for your valuable answers! Very informative!

Eurostar wrote:

I think you're worried that they might throw you off the train after it has left Stansted? This would never happen unless you did something very serious, for example starting a fight. In Britain we often break little rules - taking a bicycle on a 'forbidden' train is not a crime!

yes, of course I am afraid of this.
In Britain, you (= everyone, esp. a German cyclist) have to be overpolite. If you are not polite, you are a social outcast. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find out how politeness is exactly defined. :?

Thank you very-very much for phoning the train company. Weeks ago I made many enquiries by email and phone too. Here are some of my experiences, most of them written in German, some in English, but maybe the links are of interest:
http://islandperrad.blog.de/?tag=bahnundrad

I have to catch the nighttrain to Inverness - and I will cycle directly to Euston, because I have to get the ticket from a ticket machine and this is a thing I like to do first. After this, I will see - and of course I will not leave my bicycle unattended. Thanks for the tip with the lost items office, so maybe I will leave it there for a while.

Ten years ago I had a very impressive experience by travelling on the tube with bicycle and a half-blind travelling companion during rush hour. It is too late now to write it down, but I intend to do this soon. "The other passengers won't appreciate it" - is a modest expression for my experience. This is what I meant with "you never know how to define politeness in England".

If they threw me off the train and I stood in Tottenham Hale, then the problem would be that I am not a local and would first need to orientate myself. So far, I have printed out a precise description of the way from Stratford to Euston provided by this link: http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/X ... nsActive=1

I will ask for directions from Liverpool Street to Euston too.
Thanks for your helpfulness and advice. If you intend to travel to Germany, ask me please!

I wish you luck and fun in commuting -
Petra

PetraClaudia · July 2007

Hello,

as a little thank-you for you, my British helpers, I have started to write down my funny experience in the tube on my blog. www.islandperrad.blog.de - enjoy!
Of course I am grateful for corrections of spelling mistakes and grammatical flaws.

Best wishes, good night,
Petra

Who can help a German cyclist through London?

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