Anyone do this? I’ve been contacted by an agency who have what sounds like the right kind of role for me, near Manchester Piccadilly train station, so I could ride to Dore and get the train from there easily enough.

What I don’t know is whether the commute is bearable, and how likely it is to be affected by bad weather – has anyone got any experience of this?

I (TR’s Missus!) did the Dore to Man Piccadilly commute for about 6 months. It was about 3hrs traveling a day (inc the drive to Dore station and back).

Good points:
Gorgeous scenery
Train was really reliable (even when it snowed and my Manchester-based colleagues couldn’t get to work)
About an hr each way to read/work/snooze etc
Lots of regular trains (beware there’s a slow train and a fast one!)
There was a group on the train (who I didn’t quite manage to infiltrate) that got pissed on wine every friday and got picked up from the station. Massively funny listening to them giggle once a week!

Bad points:
The price! I commuted about 8 years ago and cost £15 per day then.
Time – 3hrs a day adds up!
Peak times – sometimes there wasn’t enough seats
Parking over the road from the station was sometimes quite full

Hope this helps!