Trains and bikes go together like fish and chips, rhythm and blues, or Morecambe and Wise. Anyone who’s struggled to get their bike on a hook in those pesky bike cupboards on express services will know that the train is the joker of the two. But when they work together, it can make for a memorable experience. I get everywhere by train and bike, and particularly love the linear trips this enables – no tedious shuffling of cars.
I’ve chosen 10 of my favourite bike-then-relax-on-the-train-back experiences. Each is not only a special railway journey in its own right, but a super day ride too. You can play at being train-traveloguer Michael Portillo, but in lycra, rather than a pastel jacket. On second thoughts, maybe don’t.
Most of these services are frequent (but not heritage lines in winter) and bike-friendly. Heritage trains typically have cavernous old-fashioned guard’s vans for bikes (small fee), while national services take bikes free (walk-on spaces on local trains; booking usually needed on inter-city). Precise rules vary by company, so check online before setting off.
I’ve avoided suggesting trains likely to be booked out of cycle spaces, such as anything down
