PTW

In the spirit of the invite from Titus to relate stories of a non club-related variety, I thought members may be interested to hear of our recent adventures in Guernsey. The wife and I headed off there for four nights on the tandem, travelling solely by train and ferry. Yep, public transport the whole way. Were we mad? Or just young (ish) and foolish?

Leg 1 - Swansea to Bristol Parkway - 2nd October

Putting the tandem on the FGW in Swansea couldn't be easier. The Paddington train has a guard's van, and since the train starts in Swansea you can put the bike in there well in advance of it leaving. Luxury. Just remember not to lock it in place - they don't like that. We use a bungee to stop it falling over, that's it.

Leg 2 - Bristol Parkway to Weymouth

We had thought naïvely that since this train was also run by FGW that it would also have a guard's van. Oops! When a two carriage shunter trundled into view we realised that things were about to go wrong. Four cyclists got off, and another three waiting to get on fixed us with baleful expressions. At that point the platform manager said we would have to "take the tandem apart" and so we never got on that train.

Leg 2 version 2 - Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads

Instead the FGW attendant advised us to get on the next train, which was heading to Temple Meads, and would get there ahead of the train we had just missed. At Temple Meads the FGW shunter was now standing room only, it being 16:50. Not a hope. We went off to a local cafe to kill an hour until the next train to Weymouth.

Leg 2 version 3 - Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth



The 17:50 to Weymouth had 3 carriages and fewer passengers. Hurray! It was also a different design, so we got the tandem on no trouble. There was a bit of bike shuffling required with commuters getting on and off, but we lost the last of those at Westbury and by the time we got to Weymouth there were only four of us on the whole train, and one of those was a dog. Total journey time: 6:30. Frustration level: pretty relaxed.

At Weymouth we spent the night in B&B, with the tandem in their back garden.

Leg 3 - Condor fast ferry to Guernsey - 3rd October

The ferry leaves at 9:30, hence the reason everyone has to stay in B&B the night before. They tie our tandem to some bins and off we go. Couldn't be easier. During the crossing the boat nearly runs out of sick bags!

Two and a half hours later we are in St Peter Port. Total travel time: 9 hours. Frustration level: chilled.



Lessons learned:

- try to book trains with a guards van
- travel outside of peak hours
- be flexible. If a train is full, get the next one
- get there first. Tandemists have to beat the other cyclists on board!

Nice one Bill!, I'm quite envious, but reading about the logistic problems with one tandem leads me to think it would be almost impossible with two.Great to hear you made it to Guernsey.Did the terrain on the island lend itself to cycling?

well done Bill. Of all the stories I have read (and Alfie can write a goodun) this comes pretty close to Alfs.

Guernsey terrain is quite up and down. I think most islands are, since they are in fact submerged hills. However, the tandem has 21 gears and all the hills are short. We also had a map that showed us the 'Ruettes tranquilles' (Quiet Lanes) where non-motorised traffic is actually afforded the right of way, and tried to make maximum use of these.

It does make a difference because all the 'main roads' are just chocka. Smart cars and Micras are popular choices, and many's the lorry we saw driving along at 25mph with 2 wheels on the pavement! However, once you get away from St Peter Port the roads can be very quiet indeed, so it's a case of staying off the main roads and making sure you don't hit town at the wrong time of day.


Typical Guernsey lane

COMING HOME

Coming home from Weymouth on the train we expected to be hassle-free. The train started in Weymouth, it was 11am in the morning. It was only after the train was moving that the ticket inspector, otherwise a very friendly and jolly sort, told us that "tandems are not permitted on trains" and that if he had seen us getting on with it, he would have prevented us doing so. We said nothing, and he went on his way.

This was annoying since we've carried the tandem on at least half a dozen trains, and he's the first person to say that. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a grey area, since I don't imagine for a second that the First Great Western Conditions of Carriage are going to say "you can bring your tandem", and it was obvious that he had read them. However, for the pedantic, here they are:

Quote

48. Cycles
Except for a few routes, the Train Companies allow cycles to be conveyed by train. However, restrictions may apply at particular times of day and/or days of the week. Any restrictions will be set out in the notices and publications of each Train Company. A charge may be made for conveying a cycle and a reservation may be required.

No mention of tandems at all. You could argue that a tandem is a cycle, but you don't really have a strong case when your front wheel is partly blocking the door!

Therefore the advice is: take your chances, and use a guards van where possible. I think you could fit two tandems in the guards van no problem. What they don't like are delays on the platform, especially in rush hour, so you have to be swift to get on and off.

In fact on one occasion in Bristol Parkway they wouldn't have let me on at all without an official printed cycle reservation, which you can only get if you book your tickets by phone! However, for this recent trip we didn't bother with reservations, and I doubt you can get a reservation on a 2 carriage shunter.

Heart of Wales might also be okay, but the fact is that any trains designed to take bikes are only designed to take regular sized bikes, not tandems. I mean, why would they be?

good pictures aswell mate