So ……. tickets came on sale today. Within an hour seems impossible to book a bike on

way website works you can’t search for journeys where bike spaces are available; you just have to keep on looking at routes, adding bikes, and hope spaces are available

tried phoning Virgin East Coast and I had to tell Indian woman which train I wanted; she’d then go through to somewhere else and they’d tell her bike places not available……

seems mad. no way to just say tell me which services bike spaces are available and choose from there

think I’ll fly or drive……….

I’d phone back and ask to speak to someone who’s British.

I had the same problem coming back from Inverness to London. In the end I went into Euston Station and they sorted in within a few minutes. Head to the station.

As above. Head to a station, doesn’t have to be Euston.

cycle there 😀

edit: 52 hours. set off 4 days in advance of when you want to be there, do it all in one hit and then sleep for a day. 😆
link

It’s a real issue (I don’t drive). Best compromise I’ve found is to get the train times/prices online, go to a railway station with this info, and get them to check which of those services have a bike space available – and buy it on the spot (cheap fares are not exclusively online, you also get them at the station). Any staffed station can do it, and it’s much easier now than it used to be. Note all the connections on any route you’re interested in, as the bike needs to be booked onto each leg individually.

In practice, I’ve only once been refused onto an unbooked train with my bike, even services that state you need a reservation, but I try and avoid peak services.

Note all the connections on any route you’re interested in, as the bike needs to be booked onto each leg individually

Not necessarily true, not all TOCs need you to book bikes. Southern, South West Trains, SouthEastern, Trans Pennine Express among others you can’t book a bike, you just turn up.

There are direct trains London – Inverness too.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/footer-pages/luggage.aspx

We may agree, subject to available room, to carry additional luggage such as: skis, surfboards, folding/dismantled bicycles, provided that they are in suitable protective packaging. Agreeing to carry particular luggage on any journey does not mean that we have agreed to carry it on your subsequent journeys.

tried phoning a Scottish station? Aberdeen Rail station who will be your likely last leg north on that journey might be a little more clued up. They might be able to do the whole thing for you.