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Like the title says which trail centres are best served by the rail network connecting to the south east.
Fed up of driving round the country.
I use the train to get to Thetford, get off at Brandon and you're 10 minutes away.
Cwmcarn you can ride from Newport station, not too far.
Afan you could get off at Port Talbot and ride in or Cardiff to Aberdare and up over Rhigos to top end of Skyline.
or Cardiff again and pick up Brecon bus with the bike rack on and get up into the Beacons 😉
Rugeley Trent Valley is on the West Coast Mainline. Will put you an easy 2 miles from Cannock Chase. Should be well under 2hrs from Euston. Ok, so its not exactly Wales, but its good enough.
If you ride from Newport station to Cwmcarn, you'll probably go past Crosskeys station which is about 5mins ride from the centre.
cross keys station doesnt go to newport only cardiff
Peak District, about 8 stations to choose from, take your pick.
ClimachX trail and Dyfi forest - 20 minute poodle up from Mach train station along the cycle route, jobs a good's 🙂
Golspie Fort William (ish)
Can't think of other trail centres catered for by train. Lots of natural stuff all up the Inverness line though.
Port Talbot - Afan circa 5 miles
Its stretching the notion of being accessible from the South East of England.... but I'd nominate Drumlanrig as the trail centre thats nicest to arrive at by train - lovely winding trafficless country back roads from Sanquhar - pretty much from station platform to the trail. By approaching this way you join the trail in the middle - so what would be the start/end of the route for most people is the middle of the ride for you - so its coffee and cake then back of the trails to head towards the station. Totally civilised.
llanwrust has a station so you could get to the marin trail, and if you felt keen penmachno
Nevis Range- OK so it's a bit far but the train ride up to fort william's been named the best in europe, it's almost worth doing just for the journey
betws y coed
Has a station and is next to the Marin Trail and close to Penmachno
Whinlatter isn't that far from Keswick Grizedale isn't that far from Ambleside
But I wou;d have thought a train to the Lakes or Peak for a non Trail Centre ride was a good bet, that way you can plan a loop from the station. Both Edale and Ambleside are well placed
Grizedale isn't that far from Ambleside
There's no station in Ambleside, but Grizedale is doable via Windermere and the ferry
Doh
yes Ambleside not Windermere for the station...
Ae and Mabie are both roughly 7mls from Dumfries and I am sure if you posted up early enough someone might be around to give you a lift to either/both in the same day and/or Dalbeattie 😆
Beaten to it re Drumlanrigg. You could add on a detour via Auchentaggart Moor to get there or back. Heading back that way would give you a cracking descent back down to the station 😆
Balblair and Carbisdale Castle trails have a wee 'one or two trains a day' station nestled in between them. An awesome nights accomadation at the finest youth hostel ever at Carbisdale; and there's a footbridge under the railway bridge that'll take you to the Balblair side of the firth and Invershin Inn for B&B.
The original design for the trails was to start and finish at the pub/bridge so that both sides could be used as a figure of 8 instead of two seperate trails. This is also why there is so much fire road from the Bonar bridge end of the Balblair trails, ah well, cheers FE.
Am i right in thinking you could get to Laggan Wolftrax via Tulloch Station?
Met a guy at cwmcarn the. Other day from London who got the train to cardiff then changed to cross keys then got a taxi to cwmcarn , now that's what I. Call dedicated , was a really nice guy as well .
Maesteg's probably the closest to afan and glyncorrwg. It is over a bloody annoying hill but isn't far at all. And a taxi from crosskeys to cwmcarn is ridiculous.
Am i right in thinking you could get to Laggan Wolftrax via Tulloch Station?
dalwhinnie is alot closer. 7 miles on the road, very easy to get there, coming back would be more uphill..
from what i know about centres.
Ae 10miles - dumfries
mabie - 4 miles - dumfries
drumlanrig - 10 miles - sanqhar
fort william dh/xc - 5/6 miles 0 fort william.
kirroughtree - 20 miles - barhill.
To be fair tommm he was riding a dirt jump bike and carrying all his gear.