Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi,

I'm planning on taking my 6ft surfboard with me from Penzance to Paddington in a few weeks time (It likes to get around). Having spoken to GWR it appears that I can reserve it a space in the Hst's TGS for £5. Pretty reasonable I reckon, considering Nat Express will take it for £10 but I can't book it in advance; it's an 'if there's space on the day' policy and likewise Flybe will take it from Newquay for £30 'if there's space on the day' (golf clubs and skis can be booked on in advance but not surfboards). Presumably if there's no space on the day I'm a bit snookered.

As far as I know Cross Country appear to have a slightly erratic policy towards surfboards - they're ok on Hst's, although I guess you could book a cycle space on a Voyager and turn up with a surfboard instead (they both take up similar space).

I did take a 7 and a half foot Mini mal surfboard from Aberystwyth to Penzance (using Aber's left luggage office and changing at Wolverhampton on route) once but it was twenty years ago (and went without a hitch). I'm just a bit worried that the new trains on the Great Western intercity network will see less flexibility in terms of conveying items such as surfboards.

Incidentally hire car companies tend not to do roof racks (unless you're hiring in the ski resorts of mainland Europe), you can hire an estate car of course but, with some operators, you could end up with a saloon.

Anyway any constructive comments would be welcome.

Km

£5 sounds as good as it will get.
What is megabus policy, as they run twice daily Penzance to London.

As an aside I don't imagine the Thames being that good for surfing.  ;D

Could be, with a bit of inventive opening of that barrage at high tide!

I assume that is the fare I stumbled upon the other day. For those with Avantix you can put in London Paddington (other stations on the GWR network seem to work) to Penzance and there is a GWR SURFBOARD fare for £5; it's listed as a single, so it will be a fiver to get it back home again as well.

If possible when putting stuff in the TGS I try and reserve a seat in coach A just to make it easier when boarding (geddit? *groan*) and alighting as you've got to walk round. There is a door from coach A, but it's not offically for passenger use IIRC.

Coach A is the quite carriage.  Assuming you are content with that, you should be able to select "quiet carriage" when booking online. 

And if you don't want to be quiet select coach B

Megabus' policy is as follows:

"megabus.com does not check luggage or provide receipts for luggage transported on the bus by the passenger.

We don’t mind what your luggage is packed in, we only ask that it weighs no more than 20kg and be no bigger than a standard ‘large’ suitcase. The maximum size of a single bag is 200cm (width + height + depth).

Alternatively you may take two or three bags so long as they do not occupy more space than a single bag of these dimensions or exceed the maximum weight limit of 20kg once the luggage is combined.

You can also take a piece of small hand luggage on board with you and it must either fit on your lap or under the seat in front of you. Please be advised that passengers wishing to travel with more luggage than one standard sized suitcase and one small piece of luggage that can fit on your lap or under the seat in front of you, you may have items refused."

Personally I always like to try and get the train wherever realistically possible

I'll let you know on that one!

Km

How do you do that then?

I'm sure the telephone helpline or a station can do it?

I went into Penzance booking office today to book my surfboard from Penzance to Paddington on Wednesday (I already have a ticket for me). They didn't know how to book/sell a surfboard ticket so they told me to turn up with the board on the day, which is what I'm going to do.

KM

There's nothing to actually book, you just have to pay the £5, for which you get a ticket for your 'board.

That's what I attempted to do

Just out of interest........why are you taking a surfboard to London?

The short answer: I'm from Cornwall and I live in London and I like taking my stuff between the two!    :o  ;D

Km

..and they couldn't do that?  That's appalling

Couldn't you paint a picture of a 'boarder' collie on it, so they could then sell you a dog ticket ?? ::)

.............please don't tell me you play the double bass too?  :)

No but I could paint a couple of wheels on it and tell them it's a bike, might have made things easier! ;D

No, the guitar (and that's had a bit or rail mileage between London and Cornwall too)!

I'm intrigued by the fact that such a ticket exists. I can kind of see the logic of it, but it's interesting that it's so different to the process for taking a bike on a train when, as you say, they both take up a similar amount of space; the board being a bit longer and probably wider but also flatter and, I'd imagine, easier to stand vertically.

Exactly

The whole thing is an interesting area. Re bikes, for example at St Erth today, the four carriage Penzance to Manchester voyager has space for two reserved and one unreserved bike. The three car 150 working the branch has space for four bikes (in the bike area at the front of the unit) with additional space by the door vestibules for bikes/surfboards etc (the door vestibules seem to be used as much as the bike space for this).

Cross country has an interesting policy towards luggage, for a long distance operator, - please don't take too much of it and if you have got a lot of it they can recommend a road haulier - and if you're taking a surfboard to/from Newquay get an HST.

I've got an inflatable roof rack so if it comes to it I guess I can attach stuff to the roof!  ;D :o

On another note though I hope Great Western don't go the way of Cross Country regarding luggage when the new trains come into circulation.
 

The driver of a XC Voyager, waiting at Birmingham New St, once told me "The bike spaces are useless are there aren't enough of them." I didn't think to ask about surf board spaces!

And if you're taking a bike to/from Newquay then don't get a Cross Country HST because it'll be full of surfboards!

Ha ha! No but my surfboard ended up next to a double bass on the 17.39 PZ - Pad yesterday in the van of the TGS!
I haven't looked in the van for quite some time. There's room for six cycles with material to tie them (you can't use padlocks etc) and places for reservation labels above each space. My surfboard went for free in the end, It's about six and a half foot long but when layed down on its edge (or upright) doesn't take up too much room.
All in all a fairly easy operation, I got a few comments from a couple of drunk city boys on the Circle line but all in good humour, then it was on to the Northern line where someone asked me about good surfing spots!

I did notice that anyone boarding or alighting at Camborne would have been a bit snookered as the van end of the TGS tends to be off the platform there.

Km





Edit note: Quote marks fixed, for clarity. CfN.

I was about to make a glib comment about "and the best solution is to get a folding surfboard" but, apparently, they do exist! http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/10314-the-fantastic-world-of-collapsible-surfboards

Oh my! As the Beach Boys so (didn't) sang, "If everybody had a Brompton across the USA / Then everybody'd be surfing like Cornwall-eh"  :D

Wow interesting!