MTB rides from train stations

Wife & I rode to & went west from local station to Hebdon Bridge & rode home via the canal on gravel bikes – 55mi downhill with a tail wind!!

Need to do more train & ride!

Achnashellach is hard to beat.

This and Dunkeld are arguably the best two in the UK, to my knowledge.

Unless Swindon station is close to the woods behind Nationwide?

Kemble Round https://thekembleround.uk/
From Kemble station unsurprisingly

Falkirk High station for Callendar Estate trails 😊

Any station on the Snowden Mountain Railway :-D

Another Hope Valley line fan. A nice summer day out is Dore->Chinely on the train and ride home again.

(to be fair there is a pretty sizeable hole in fun off road stuff between Bamford and Stanage/Burbage/Blacka)

I’ve ridden past Corrour station, so assume there must be riding to and/or from it.

And yes, Settle->Carlisle should have options!

@sharkattack

I wish I knew all these Sheffield routes, I’m a 5 minute ride from the train station so getting out there and riding back without using a car would be great.

Its not rocket science – get an OS map (or the OS app) and literally join the dots!

Couple of nice upland XC loops out of Sanquhar (using the Southern Upland Way)

I wish I knew all these Sheffield routes, I’m a 5 minute ride from the train station so getting out there and riding back without using a car would be great.

I don’t know the Sheffield end that well but as above, there are a host of possible routes along / near that line.

1:50,000 OS will show you all the bridleways and paths plus Strava heatmap for the most popular trails.

Just make sure you know which way is climb and which is descent! 😂

Train to Westbury Wiltshire, do Imber Range Path, then back to station. Scenery not as good as Scotland or Lakes, but a bit of wildlife, and lot of tanks.

Yo, starter of the thread linked by the op here.

I’ve never been called inspirational before so thanks for that 🍆.

As a few have said above one of the best things about going by train is it enables linear routes that wouldn’t otherwise be doable (or not without a load of 2x car leaving one at each end faffing)

Also you are *officially* awarded bonus points (By me, given I am clearly the authority on this) for including some perilous edge of do-able must-make connections in your plans. (E.g. no subsequent train for many hours, resulting in a long wait or an expensive taxi).

Best hope you don’t have a mechanical, get lost, bonk etc! Always spices it up to have a small element of stress.

This is very helpful for planning:
Maps and that

Also to add, first train based ride I ever did (and my personal point of realisation about what train based adventures could offer) was riding from home in Roundhay in Leeds, out over meanwood valley trail, Otley chevin and Ilkley moor. Drop down into Ilkley, beers from the co op, train back to Leeds).

Best done on a balmy summer Thursday or Friday evening, for the juxtaposition of being out on the moors increasingly far from the city then landing directly back in the city with all the vibrant nightlife kicking off.

I’ve only used the train with the bike once, and that was from Newcastle to Whitehaven to ride coast to coast.

Am I correct in thinking you have to book your bike onto a specific train, even though it’s free?

Am I correct in thinking you have to book your bike onto a specific train, even though it’s free?

It varies, the information is shite and often wrong, and many times you can just get away with it, but not always.

Not MTB, but from Cambridge you can ride to the cafe at Old Hunstanton, then ride back from there about ten miles to King’s Lynn to get the train back to Cambridge. Or do it in reverse if the wind is from the north.

@jeffl depends on the train operator. Where I am, I the services I use most are Northern (who don’t require a booking at all) and trans pennine (who do).
Easiest way I’ve found to book is on Thetrainline WEBSITE. You still need to pick the bike tickets up though – can’t do bike ticket qr codes on an app/email.
Thetrainline app will tell you which services need a booking, but won’t let you actually book.

Not having a booking on Northern is a double edged sword, as on many trains it is technically 2 bikes max first come first served. So it’s flexible, but you could lose out.
However I’ve still been allowed on Northern even if >2 bikes on already. Depends how accommodating the guard is! (They are usually sound)

The Trainline app can book bikes now. However you still need to go and get your tickets printed out which is a PITA.

However the Trainline also has a tendency to tell you that services that don’t need bookings don’t allow bikes.

Thanks didn’t know the app had been updated… Will check that out

Once rode from Windermere station to Grizedale and rode the trail centre there.

It was freezing cold and everything was covered by hoar frost. Spotted a wee church in a field – it was all very picturesque. The boat ride was a novelty too.

Dont remember much about Grizedale except falling off an ice covered wooden log.

On the way back was joined by a group of other riders out for a longer day.

I’d do more rides by train if it was cheaper. If only we had a better subsidised railway that was reliable.

Poole or Wareham for easy spinning to the Purbecks.

@hardtailonly I’d be keen to get some details of that route if you still have it

Lots of nice places if you’re on the right line to get there in reasonable time for a day ride, say 2 hours. Unfortunately I’m not!

@snownrock … PMd you.

Knighton and Dyfi Junction stations are at opposite ends of the Trans Cambrian Way. I’ve been  reliably informed that the route was specifically designed to be accessed by train.

I’ve done Hebden by train a few times. No need to book bike on (is northern trains and his direct from my local station) but worth noting that if you’re leaving Hebden around tea time on a weekday, the train can be super busy and getting on with a filthy bike with wide bars can be a right ball ache.

Lots of people mentioned settle/Carlisle line. Bit running this year but keep an eye on Dales rail

Primarily aimed at walkers, there’s lots of grips doing guided walks on it usually. Runs on a Sunday, heads all the way up stopping at all the stations early morning then returns late afternoon. Done a few point to point rides on that.

Ride from Bristol up through Stroud to Cheltenham

It’s a lovely part of the Cotswolds and it would be rude not too stop for lunch at the Woolpack

Direct train back to BTM

For gravel Harpenden is a surprisingly good starting point. I’ve done quite a few rides getting the train there from Flitwick.

There must be loads of options for the Southern Edge of Dartmoor.

May bank holiday next year I’m planning on doing 2 nights on the Isle of White

Brockenhurst in the New Forest is convenient for road riding around there. There’s not much worthwhile MTB in the area and various factions of the locals are quite anti-cycling at the best of times but away from the really touristy areas, there’s some lovely little lanes to ride on.

We’ve done a couple of train journeys out there then ride back to South London. 200km, usually with a tailwind (prevailing wind).

Best one was train to New Milton (2 stops past Brockenhurst), dropped down to the coast then rode up right up through the forest.

Kemble Round 

Thanks @rak Saved for next summer! (And donation donated).

Silverdale – explore Farleton Knott and Barbondale. 

Clapham – Ingleborough and environs. 

Staveley – Kentmere et al.

Windermere – Gummers Howe, Claife and Grizedale.

Kendal – Borrowdale (t’other one).

Foxfield – Dunnerdale et al. 

Ravenglass – Eskdale and Scafell.

Any station from Dunkeld onwards for Cairngorms etc stuff.

Rannoch and Corrour for boggy nonsense.

Fort Bill for Nevis Range.

Inverness to Kyle of Lochlash for anything from Affric to Torridon and what not. 

I’m sure there’s interesting stuff down south too. 

Accidentally drove to a ride today that was 25 minutes’ ride from a train station I didn’t realise was there!

As much as I like the idea, anyway for this particular ride it would be an hour extra each way plus to and from the stations each end, totalling 3.5 hours extra! I expect there would have been problems with the amount of mud on me and the bike too.

Please please please do not use the Trainline. They charge a booking fee.
If possible, go to your local station and use the ticket office, or if you must then use any train operating company’s website. GWR offer free 1st class postage, and Chiltern let you gain nectar points on your purchases. LNER give 2% cashback and a free treat (usually greggs though) every month.

The Caledonian sleeper is great to experience for cycling – leave London, say, late evening and wake up in Aviemore with your mountain bike? Nothing like it in the UK.

You’d need to be pretty well-off to make a habit of it, as it is costly if you want a bed in a room. If you’re an accomplished chair-sleeper, though, it’s more like £150 return. There used to be good discounts on some services, but IDK if they still offer that.

The Caledonian sleeper is great to experience for cycling

It is a great way of travelling.

The “sleeper” bit I found to be something I found to be lacking.

But a fabulous way of covering miles. This post brought to you at 120mph somewhere near York….

Thirsk. Then you’re 15/20mins roll up Sutton Bank/White Horse

15/20 mins on a bike from Thirsk station to the top of Sutton Bank/White Horse seems slightly optimistic.

Anywhere on the Calder Valley line is an obvious one, even out as far as Mirfield for all the stuff up in the woods near the golf course and then BWs over towards Flockton, Middlestown etc – remember doing some great rides out that way. Brighouse you’ve got Elland & Rastrick Woods, over towards Halifax and the Shibden Valley and further towards Norland etc. Halifax & Sowerby Bridge give you the same, possibly extending it towards the Ryburn Valley and out toward Scammonden. Mytholmroyd/Hebden/Tod gives you access to all the obvious stuff around Hebden etc but can easily do a Hebden > Gorple > Whirlaw Stones loop and drop back to Tod if you’re knackered for a train back etc.

Dont remember much about Grizedale

Yeh, thats a pretty good review of the trail centre there.

Train to Ribblehead or Dent and road or gravel back to Leeds direction is good. Very fond memories of Fort William down to Bridge of Orchy, then ride back up the West Highland way, a cracking day out on the mtb.

The Caledonian sleeper is great to experience for cycling – leave London, say, late evening and wake up in Aviemore with your mountain bike? Nothing like it in the UK.

I used to love this back when it was run by Scotrail and I did several bike trips from London to Aviemore, Fort William and even to Torridon.

After moving to Serco they killed off the “Bargain Berths” deals so I think I only managed it once after that. They billed booking up to a year in advance as a benefit, when really it meant there was no longer an opportunity to set a reminder exactly 12 weeks in advance and snap up a something reasonably priced.

Now that they’ve revamped the carriages the prices look to have gone up even further – cheapest I can find for April onwards is £500 return to Aviemore!

I can’t see myself ever using it again sadly.