Edinburgh to Portsmouth: End of the Cycling Road in the UK
11 - 15 July 2019
With our personal business in Edinburgh complete, we’re setting ourselves up to return to France, and resume our eastward journey to the Black Sea. This leg of our train odyssey will get us to the southern edge of England, in Portsmouth. We need to stay in the UK just a bit longer, to ensure that we’ve been out of the Schengen Visa Zone for at least 90 days. That way, when we return to the France on July 16, we will have the full 90 days available to us to bike all the way across France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary on EuroVelo 6. We want to have as much time as possible for the trip, so that we don’t have to rush through it, and can enjoy the sights along the way.
Edinburgh to Portsmouth (11 July 2019, 765 km by train, 6 km by bike)
Getting to Portsmouth required riding on two separate trains, run by two distinct companies, and a bike ride across London from one train station to another. Here’s how we did it.
The first leg was from Edinburg’s main train station (Waverly) to London Kings Cross Station, on a London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) train. We wanted to have plenty of time for the transfer between train stations in London, so we made reservations for ourselves and our bikes on an 8:30am train out of Edinburgh. We learned from our successful, previous train trip to Edinburgh that we wouldn’t need to arrive at the train station too early. Thus a morning departure wouldn’t be a problem.
On the other hand, the day before our trip, the LNER line between Edinburgh and London had experienced a major meltdown. Damage to an overhead line completely shut down the train service, and all trains between Edinburgh and London were cancelled. Most of the passengers who were stranded on July 10 were going to be trying to rebook for today, possibly creating a second day of travel chaos. So, once again we decided to get to the station a bit early, just to avoid any trouble.
We arrived at the station about an hour before departure, which gave us plenty of time to pick up our tickets at the counter, get our bearings, and prepare to board the train. What we hadn’t counted on was a glitch in the LNER process for listing the departure platform for our train. Half an hour before our scheduled departure, the platform for our train was not posted on the station screens, while other trains with similar departure times had their platforms listed. Not good. At 20 minutes to departure, when we should have been boarding, there was still no platform listed. So, we started asking LNER staff what we should do. They all said, “Well, it usually leaves from Platform 8, but you should wait for a platform to be posted.” Okay.
But when it got down under 15 minutes to departure, we took matters into our own hands. There was still no platform listed. So I stayed with the loaded bikes, while PedalingGuy ran over to Platform 8 (which required taking an elevator and crossing over to a different section of the station), to see what was up. Sure enough, our train was there and people were milling about wondering if they should be boarding. PedalingGuy rushed back to get me, and we hustled to the platform.
On this train, the bikes were loaded in a separate compartment in the train, hanging from hooks. Moving as fast as we could, we removed our panniers and loaded the bikes onto the train. Then we grabbed the panniers and quickly (but carefully) arranged them around the hanging bikes to help minimize swaying of the bikes during travel, which might damage our spokes or otherwise harm the bikes. All of our stuff was finally loaded on the train just minutes before departure. It was a little bit more of a close call than we would have liked.
After that we settled in to our reserved seats for the ride. The train was packed with passengers, many of whom were rebooked from yesterday. They didn’t have assigned seats, so the train conductor made ongoing announcements giving people tips on how to find an open seat they could use. Many of them ended up standing in the aisles or gathering in the spaces between train cars. We were definitely glad to have our own seats for the 4.5 hour trip.
Train from Edinburgh to London. England, UK. The train was overbooked the day we traveled, because of major cancellations on the Edinburgh-to-London route the day before. Some people without seat reservations had to stand wherever they could find space. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Then LNER had some more problems. A train broke down along the line we were on, causing our train to be delayed. We arrived at London Kings Cross Station a little over an hour late. Fortunately, we had left plenty of time to make it across London to our next station, so we weren’t at risk of missing our train to Portsmouth. But delays can have a significant impact on travelers, and LNER’s policy is to refund the full fare for passengers delayed by more than an hour. So after we arrived in Portsmouth, we applied for our refund, and it appeared on our credit card about a week later. The process was pretty straightforward, and it was well worth the effort given the cost of the tickets. Thanks, LNER!
Once we arrived at London Kings Cross Station, we loaded the panniers back on the bikes for our ride across town. The next leg of our trip would be on a South Western Railway train, leaving from London’s Waterloo Station - a 5.2 km bike ride that included crossing the River Thames. PedalingGuy did a great job with the navigation, with no wrong turns on the busy London streets. We arrived at the Waterloo Station in record time.
In fact, we got to the station so promptly that we were able to get onto an earlier train to Portsmouth than we had originally planned. Nice.
We’re now starting to appreciate the fact that every, single train line has a different system for carrying bicycles. On the South West Railway line, seats are not reserved, and bikes spaces can’t be reserved in advance, either. The bike spaces are first-come-first-served. That means if someone else takes the few bike spots on the train before you arrive, you have to wait for the next train. Needless to say, we hurried to our train platform as soon as it was posted on the announcement board, so we could be among the first people to board the train.
Our bikes traveled in upright racks in same train car that we rode in. We didn’t exactly use the racks, which looked like they might put damaging pressure on the wheel rims and spokes if the bikes swayed during travel. Instead we just used our tripod kickstands, and secured the bikes to nearby hand rails with bungee cords. We also piled most of our panniers in the same space where the bikes were loaded.
Out bikes on the train from London to Portsmouth. We secured our bikes with our tripod kickstands and some bungee cords, rather than using the floor racks provided by the train. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Storing the panniers next to the bikes made it relatively easy to put them back onto the bikes while we were still on the moving train, before arriving at our disembarking station. That was important because we wanted to be able to make a quick exit from the train. On this leg of the trip, we had to get off the train before the end of the line - and you generally don’t have much time to disembark at the intermediate train stations. We were happy that everything went without a hitch. We arrived at Portsmouth & Southsea Station at 5:15pm. Not bad at all.
In Portsmouth, our hotel was right next door to the train station. It could hardly have been more convenient. We were able to settle in and unwind in the evening.
Portsmouth (12-15 July 2019)
In order to ensure that we had been out of the Schengen Visa Zone for at least 90 days, we chose to spend four days in Portsmouth before returning to France. Here are some of the highlights of our stay in the city by the sea.
Southsea Castle was built by Henry VIII to guard the entrance to Portsmouth’s harbor. He had reason to be concerned: the French naval fleet was threatening his shores. A big naval battle was fought just outside of the port’s entrance, but the expected French invasion didn’t ever happen. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Not far along the coast from Southsea Castle, we stopped at the Clarence Pier for an ice cream. You will see in later photos that we’re actually wearing short sleeves! We haven’t been this warm since the start of our trip. Portsmouth, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
View of Portsmouth Harbour through a window in the Round Tower, built in the 1400s to guard the port. The tower held a chain that could be pulled across the harbor entrance, to block the passage of ships. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Portsmouth Harbour is extremely busy. We were impressed by the number of boats constantly streaming in and out. There were hoards of sailboats, a constant flow of ferries, dozens of motor boats, and the occasional harbor patrol boat. Most entertaining of all was the hovercraft ferry to the Isle of Wight. Every time we saw it whooshing across the water in the channel, we stopped to watch it go by. In all our travels, we couldn’t remember ever seeing a busier harbor.
Walking along the ramparts of the port’s medieval defenses. Portsmouth, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Passage through the old harbor wall. Portsmouth, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Near the fortress walls that guarded the harbor is the Royal Garrison Church. It served soldiers for more than seven centuries, until it was bombed during WWII. Some of the walls remain standing, but the roof is gone, giving the church an airy, but melancholy atmosphere. The chancel roof is still in place, creating an intimate space around the altar. In the chancel, unique stained glass windows from the 20th century depict soldiers from different eras.
Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard has been converted into a major tourist attraction. Wandering along the old docks, we visited a boat restoration warehouse, and saw several famous, old ships. Nearby, the 170 m tall Spinnaker Tower dominated the skyline with its sail-shaped design.
Kids wait with anticipation as a traditional rope maker twists a new rope for them at the Boatbuilding Skills Training Centre. The giant warehouse includes hands-on activities for kids, and an area where you can view ongoing boat restoration projects. Portsmouth, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
As our time in the UK drew to a close, we knew there were some things we would definitely miss. In the UK, stores and restaurants have long hours, they don’t close for lunch, and there are lots of them (even in very small towns), ensuring that a source of food is always nearby. As a result, we never had to worry about being able to find something to eat. Stores also are well-stocked with a variety of products, and carried some of our favorite items, like chocolate milk and plenty of cold, diet soda pop. Hotel rooms almost always came with little cookies (to go with your tea), and a kettle to make hot water (we used it for oatmeal breakfasts). Most folks, especially the Scots, have been very warm and friendly. And, of course, they use English, which made everything easier. Pretty soon we’re going to be using a lot more hand gestures to communicate.
But there are also plenty of things we’re looking forward to in France. Fresh daily baguettes are wonderful and crepes are a meal we always enjoy. Hotels are a bit more reasonably priced, and campgrounds will be more plentiful along the route. Restaurant food (when you can get it), is nearly always fresh and delicious. We’re definitely excited about our return to the journey across Europe.
