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Cycling in Wales

Cycling in the Welsh Borders of England

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Photos of the Welsh Borders

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Pubs & cafes in Welsh Borders

Travel Info

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Welsh Place Names

Cycling Tips

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Travel Information

Travel by train...

• Seat 61 - The best place to start. Lots of good info about trains, buses, ferries etc. Avoid the plane, travel by train – and The Man in Seat Sixty-One will help you on your way! Seat61.com is not a company or a travel agency, but a personal site originally started as a hobby.
• The Trainline - Train times, buy tickets and reserve seats for any train operator in mainland UK (may not give the best or cheapest route). Service provided by Virgin Trains. If you need to reserve a ticket for your bike, you may have to go direct to the train operator's website.
• National Rail - The gateway to Britain's rail network. Lots of info about all the train operators.
• Thames Trains - Train operator between London (Paddington) to Hereford via Oxford. Apparently, you don't need to reserve bike space between Oxford and Hereford (check this).
• First Great Western - Train operator on the line between London and South Wales. They have now introduced a special reservable bicycle fare of only £1 (£2 return). It enables you to guarantee a place for your bike on the new on-train racks, situated in the guard's van adjacent to coach 'A'. There are 6 spaces on each First Great Western service. Reservations must be made at least 2 hours before departure - space is subject to availability, so you are advised to book as far in advance as possible. See their bicycle page for more info. This is 2002 info, so please check for yourself.
• First North Western - Train operator for North Wales line and the NW of England. Useful for trains between Manchester airport and North Wales.
• Arriva Trains Wales - Train operator for all local trains in Wales. Arriva also operate trains in the Welsh Borders.
• Railways in Wales - Contains some interesting info about routes, train operators, and tourist attractions along the line.
• UK Railways on the Net - Useful general site, with train news and links to all UK train operators.
• The Bike/Rail Page - A to B Magazine's UK bikes on trains info page. Regularly updated with bike restriction details for all the train, ferry, and rail-link bus operators.
• Off-line Rail Info - If you don't want to buy train tickets on-line, phone (UK only) national train enquiries on 0845 7 48 49 50.
• Eurostar - Operate trains through the tunnel linking the UK with mainland Europe. Is it true you still can't take an un-boxed bike on this train? I seem to remember they made a pledge to carry 2 bikes on every train.

Travel by bus...

• Traveline Cymru - Travel by Bike or on Foot - Which bus and train services can carry bikes in Wales (Cymru, in Welsh).

Travel by boat...

• Stenaline Ferries - For ferries between the UK and mainland Europe, plus ferries between Wales (Fishguard or Holyhead) and Ireland (Rosslare or Dun Laoghaire).

Travel by air...

Best international airports for North Wales and the northern Welsh Borders are Manchester (nearest), Birmingham, and London Heathrow.

Best international airports for South Wales and the southern Welsh Borders are Birmingham, and London Heathrow.

All three airports have good rail links to Wales and the Welsh Borders. There is also a small airport at Cardiff, but with limited international flights.

• Airlines on the Web - Links to most airlines.
• British Airports Authority - Info on UK airports.
• A2B Airports - Guides to all UK airports (local accommodation, maps, transport etc).

Useful travel sites...

• Cycling In Britain - Information for visitors to Britain, about maps and categorization of our roads etc.
• Travel to the Horizon - The starting point for information about travelling by bicycle.
• Travel with Bicycles - Travelling by plane with your bicycle. Other people's experiences of bike boxes etc. Plus UK travel info. A really useful site.
• Traveline Cymru - Travel With A Bike - Page about which bus and train services can carry bikes in Wales.
• Tips for Travellers - Packing a bicycle and flying etc.
• Pronouncing Welsh Place Names - Our page about the Welsh language.

Interactive map...

• Map Quest - Interactive map currently set on Wales and Welsh Borders (if our settings do not work, go to mapquest.com and start again).

Travel Tip...

Bikes that move around when you travel by train or ferry can get damaged. Recycle your old inner tubes into useful elastic bands which will keep your bike immobile by holding the brake levers on.

Cut across the inner tube every 1cm with a pair of scissors, to produce really strong elastic bands. Slip one of these on each end of your handlebars. When you need to leave your bike with the brakes on, you simply stretch the bands over the brake levers too [void leaving the brake levers held on for longer than necessary].