What we thought of it
What a wonderful ride, and we planned it just right too, never arriving anywhere too early or too late. Our equipment stood up to the demands of the route, the bikes being sufficiently robust for the tracks and fine for tarmac roads too. The Carradice panniers are not waterproof so we needed plastic inner liners to keep our clothes dry. And...no punctures! So if you're thinking of cycling the route, do it! Don't be discouraged by the problems mentioned above, they were minor compared to the pleasures of the ride and described in full only to help other cyclists.

Bikes on trains
Having read our exploits in getting our bikes to the starting point you may be tempted to do what lots of others do - arrange a one-way van hire or persuade your spouse/partner to drive you to the start and/or finish. I feel this is very negative and instead of an ecologically-sound holiday you'd be generating another long car trip. I don't have much sympathy for cyclists who carry their bikes long distances by road then complain about the traffic when they start cycling! So transport your cycle by rail, show the train operating companies there's a demand and badger them to improve their cycle capacity.

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