Читать книгу Cycling in the Lake District. Week-long tours and day rides онлайн

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By rail

A train crossing the 50 spans of the Kent Viaduct

The West Coast mainline operated by Virgin Trains runs to the east of the Lake District, connecting Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle with London and Glasgow. They provide special bike storage areas with space for up to four bikes or two tandems, but you will need to book a reservation for your bike before you travel. The service is free and can be made at any booking office or by calling Tel 0344 556 5650. On the day of travel, you will need to collect your bike reservation coupons at a FastTicket machine at the station, by keying in your FastTicket reference number and the number of the bank card you used to make the booking. Then give yourself a minimum of 10 minutes to contact a member of the Virgin platform staff who will help you load your bicycle. Once aboard, inform the Train Manager that you have a bicycle and he or she will help you disembark at your destination station. Sounds complicated, but it seems to work even though local staff may not be entirely familiar with the process.