Etiquette
Getting Around
For getting around England your first big decision is whether to travel by car or public transport.
Having your own car makes the best use of time, and helps reach remote places, but rental and fuel costs can be expensive for budget travellers (while traffic jams in major cities hit everyone) – public transport is often the better choice. As long as you have time, using a mix of train, bus, taxi, walking and occasionally hiring a bike, you can get almost anywhere in England without having to drive.
The main public transport options are train and long-distance bus (called coach in England). Services between major towns and cities are generally good, although at peak times you must book in advance to be sure of getting a ticket. If you book early or travel at off-peak periods – ideally both – train and coach tickets can be very cheap.
Air
England’s domestic airline companies include British Airways, FlyBe/Loganair, easyJet and Ryanair. If you’re really pushed for time, flights on longer routes across England (eg Exeter or Southampton to Newcastle) are handy, and often very competitive in price – although on shorter routes (eg London to Newcastle, or Manchester to Newquay) trains compare favourably with planes on time, once airport downtime is factored in.
Bicycle
England is a compact country, and hiring a bike – for an afternoon, a day, or a week or longer – is a great way to really see the country if you’ve got time to spare.
London
London is famous for its Santander Cycles, known as ‘Boris bikes’ after Boris Johnson, the then-mayor who introduced them to the city. Bikes can be hired on the spot from automatic docking stations. For more information visit the website. Other rental options in the capital are listed at www.lcc.org.uk (under Advice/Bike Shops).
Around the Country
The nextbike (www.nextbike.co.uk) bike-sharing scheme has stations in Bath, Exeter, Oxford and Coventry, while York and Cambridge also have plentiful bike-rental options. Bikes can also be hired in national parks or forestry sites now primarily used for leisure activities, such as Kielder Water in Northumberland and Grizedale Forest in the Lake District. In some areas, disused railway lines are now bike routes, notably the Peak District in Derbyshire. Rental rates start at about £12 per day, or £20 and up for a quality machine.
Bikes on Trains
Bicycles can be taken free of charge on most local urban trains (although they may not be allowed at peak times when the trains are crowded with commuters), and on shorter trips in rural areas on a first-come, first-served basis – there may be space limits.
Bikes can be carried on long-distance train journeys free of charge, but advance booking is required for most conventional bikes. (Folding bikes can be carried on pretty much any train at any time.) In theory, this shouldn’t be too much trouble as most long-distance rail trips are best bought in advance anyway, but you have to go a long way down the path of booking your seat before you start booking your bike – only to find space isn’t available. A better course of action is to buy in advance at a major rail station, where the booking clerk can help you through the options.
A final warning: when railways are undergoing repair work, cancelled trains are replaced by buses – and they won’t take bikes.
The PlusBike scheme provides all the information you need for travelling by train with a bike. Leaflets are available at major stations, or downloadable from www.nationalrail.co.uk/118390.aspx.
