I’m currently without a car, so I’m looking for train stations that provide immediate access to some great riding in the UK’s hillier parts.

Some of the areas I’m looking to ride are:

Lake District
Peak District
Snowdonia
Brecon Beacons

I’ll be travelling from London.

Edale for the Peaks is an obvious one

If you consider the sleeper service from London you can get directly into the Highlands and an abundance of riding straight from the train.

You could add The Yorkshire Dales to that list – stations at Skipton then all the way up the Settle-Carlisle line as far as Kirkby Stephen.

North York Moors – trains to Thirsk or Scarborough

Penrith – over the M6 and onto high street/Ulswater. Windermere, pedal up to Ambleside and away you go, Kendal/Staveley or if one the west coast an extra half hour pedalling from oxenholme to avoid pissing about with local trains. Don’t bother going on the west coast, get off at Windermere and over Wrynose/hardknott 😉

Risca for Cwmcarn?

London to Halifax on Grand Central. Roll out of the station, pick a hill and head for it! Alternatively, roll down the canal to Hebden Bridge and fill yer boots on some of Calderdale’s finest.

If you fancy White Peak…

London > Derby > Matlock

or London > Stockport > Buxton

Antur Stiniog for some downhill fun, then ride over the back to Penmachno.

Cwmcarn is accessible by train – and all the nearby natural riding too of course.

You can get the train to Merthyr, and the Beacons aren’t far from there. BPW is right next door to.

For epic natural riding, you could check out the Heart of Wales line – Builth Wells is a pretty good base for riding and Llanwrtyd even better.

Machynlleth has a train station – loads of riding potential along that line too. Then so do Bangor and Conwy, and Betws y Coed for Snowdonia.

Looks like most of the Welsh TCs and major riding areas have nearby train stations… Depends if your luggage is portable enough to ride with.

If you want a less hilly option, London to Stafford takes 1hour 15 minutes and then you’re a 6 mile bike ride from one corner of Cannock Chase, all of which can be done on bike paths or canal side.

paulb2 – Member
If you want a less hilly option, London to Stafford takes 1hour 15 minutes and then you’re a 6 mile bike ride from one corner of Cannock Chase, all of which can be done on bike paths or canal side.

Or london – Birmingham New St – Hednesford and you’re on the chase a couple of miles from the halfway point on Follow the Dog.

The second west coast I was referring to the Costa Del Marra, or west Cumbria btw

Train to Edinburgh, then on to Galashiels & shortish road hike to Innerleithen?

Overnight sleeper on the Eurostar straight to Bourg St Maurice in the French Alps.
Pedal out the station, right on to the Funicular at Les Arcs.
Ride all day, roll back to Bourg.
Return Eurostar sleeper back to London.

Day’s riding in the alps, with just 1 day off work.

Bonus….
(which is what you’d need to pay for it)

Malvern Hills? Great Malvern train station is about 1/2 mile from the off-road stuff

Hmm Seat61 seems to think you need to take three days off

If EPS had taken off, though it would’ve been awesome.

as nice as cannock is, not sure anyone would class it as a mtbing hub!

Off the list but Taunton station is a mainline one on the london-penzance line and due north it’s 7 miles from the Quantocks. not really a hub though? 🙂

coolbeanz, if you want some company, id be happy to join. London based and mtb arrives in a week.

I’ll add London-Sheffield and then ride out to the peaks. There are park/ woodland routes from the city centre out to the edge of the peak. Could even ride Sheffield to Manchester (best to stop over for a night somewhere in the middle) and take a train back to London.

I’ll add London-Sheffield and then ride out to the peaks. There are park/ woodland routes from the city centre out to the edge of the peak. Could even ride Sheffield to Manchester (best to stop over for a night somewhere in the middle) and take a train back to London.

Sheffield to new mills or marple (35-40 miles) train to M’cr, train to London. Good day out that..!

Todmorden or Hebden Bridge for Calderdale Calderfornia?

coolbeanz, if you want some company, id be happy to join.

HansRey, I don’t have a specific date in mind at the moment, but I’ll let you know when I do. Good company is always welcome.

In the meantime, you should come along to a Nirvana Cycles ride in Wescott (Surrey Hills). Rides set off from the shop every Sat at 10AM and every Sun at 11AM. I usually catch a train from Waterloo to Dorking (about 45 mins) and then it’s a 10-15 min cycle down to Wescott. I’m there most weekends.

Llandudno junction, then coney valley line, off at betws y coed then ride the Marin trail. Jump back on the train to Blaenau ffestiniog stay the night and a day at antur stiniog.
Next day early train back to betws then ride up to penmachno and do loop 1&2. Freewheel (mostly) back down to betws.
You can get to Llandudno junction in about 4 hrs from Euston

Church Stretton for the long mynd. Out the station and up cardingmill valley

@hot_fiat

We went over to Bourg, leaving St Pancras at 7.30pm, arriving Paris at 10.30 ish. Quick cross over to Gar De Austerlitz then on to Bourg on the midnight train.

We arrived Bourg at 7.30 am, after a good(ish) 6 hours sleep, right in the center of Bourg.
We got the train back a week later, after a nice 6 day @ the White Room, but caught an evening train out of Bourg, arriving in Paris very early morning, with a quick scoot back to Gar Du Nord, we were back in London at 10am.

All researched and booked through seat61 actually. Might have changed now tho’. It was 2 years back.

Staveley for nan bield loop

BPW is a 5 min ride from Pentrebach station.

That sounds lush Lardman (ponders possibilities of night trains to Innsbruck.)

Dunked

Or Dunkeld

Renting a car is generaliy cheaper than a train ticket 🙁

Not if you book in advance, and trains leave open the possibility of linear rather than circular routes.

With the South Wales trail centres, you can get to some of them via traffic-free paths, e.g. the Brecon Canal path from Newport to Cwmcarn, the Taff Trail from Merthyr to BPW (although Pentrebach station across the valley is even closer), and this one from Port Talbot to Afan and Glyncorrwg.

I’m with woody et al,
grand central kingsx > Halifax or mirfield / Elland (tickets from £22 return)
And then a short train to sowerby or hebden bridge. Or todmordn or Rochdale

Consider the Mary townewly loop
http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/pb_mary_towneley_loop_map.pdf

Ps. Only two bikes allowed per train, and they didn’t say anything to me a few weeks ago with a muddy bike

Worth saying that for some train operators (Virgin definitely) you have to book your bike on in advance. Your bike gets it’s own ticket and it’s free.

Definitely enjoy using trains when bike packing as you get to do linear routes