Coming to Pedal on Parliament? This link is to help you find the start point and help you to get yourself and your bike there – although remember you can always come without your bike.
There are a number of options in general:
There are also plans afoot if you’re coming from:
- Aberdeen – Richard Pelling (rxpell on twitter) will be riding down from Fyvie over two days via Dundee but for the less committed, the Aberdeen Cycle Forum are apparently planning to take a group down.
- Biggar – watch this space, feeder ride planned
- Dumfries – Cycling Dumfries will be organising a group to drive up to South Edinburgh and ride from there.
- Dunfermline – see under Inverness
- Glasgow – there will be engineering works on the trains into Glasgow on the morning of the 19th May – see below for details. There will also be two separate feeder rides (see below) – 46 miles, but at a reasonable pace. For those who like to ride for charity, you can also take part in the Central Belt Challenge
- Inverness – a group from the City of Inverness Cycling Club are planning on driving down to Dunfermline and then riding in from there to join the Fife feeder ride
- Kirkcaldy and Inverkeithing – see the Fife feeder ride
- Points within Edinburgh (which might also be useful for those coming from further afield looking to park and ride) – see the Portobello, Musselburgh and Braidburn Valley Park feeder rides.
- South Queensferry – feeder ride will be joining the Fife feeder ride (see below)
- Stirling – someone from the Stirling Cycle Hub will be heading to Linlithgow station at 11:45 to join the Glasgow feeder ride – more info on facebook
For those coming from places not listed here – there’s no shame in driving in and parking somewhere and ride on into the city centre - this map link may help you to plan your ride from where you park). Cycling Edinburgh also suggests some safe routes in and out of the city. If you are plan to come from a place not listed and could offer others a lift or would like to organise a feeder ride, then let us know via email (hello {at} pedalonparliament {dot} org), or our Facebook event page or group page or twitter (@popscotland) and we can spread the word.
Feeder rides
We’ll be adding more information on feeder rides in from outside the city centre as they come in.
- From Braidburn Valley Park (South Edinburgh). Meet at 1:30 for a 1:45 start. See the event on Facebook
- From Harrison Park (South West Edinburgh). Gather at 2pm – see the event on Facebook
- From Haymarket – Grease Monkey Cycles will be leaving their workshop on the Russell Road estate between 1:30 and 2 pm and riding down together possibly via Harrison Park. They will have some basic maintenance tools and might be able to help with any mechanicals…
- From Kirkcaldy: (#popfife) JimmyD (@JDKDY on Twitter) is organising a Fife feeder ride departing 11 am. More details, including route
- From Musselburgh/ East Edinburgh: Organised by Cris Thacker (@cristhacker on Twitter). Meeting at Luca’s for ice cream at 1pm (we like their style), setting off at 1:30. See the event on Facebook.
- From Portobello: Organised by Barnaby Dellar (@branaby on Twitter) meeting at the swimming baths on the Prom at 1 pm, setting off at 1:30, off road most of the way. See the event on Facebook
- From Leith: organised by Greener Leith. Departs from Leith Links at 1:30, using a mostly traffic-free route. More details
- From Glasgow: there are 4 feeder rides, leaving at different times to allow for a variety of paces:
- Leaving at 7am from Alexandra Park, for those who prefer a gentle pace, the Belles on Bikes ride will be about 50 fairly hilly miles – see the meetup page for more details
- Leaving at 9am from Alexandra Park and going via Coatbridge, Linlithgow, Kirkliston and Cramond Brig: Organised by Rasmus Pedersen (@rhaugstrup on Twitter). Route will be about 75km/46 miles, following a similar route to Pedal for Scotland and hoping to pick up others on the way. Assuming a 15kph pace, they should reach Coatbridge Sunnyside railway station at 9:50, Bowhouse Roundabout at 11:35, Linlithgow railway station at 12:05, Kirkliston at 12:55, and Cramond Brig at 13:20, with an arrival time of about 14:00 at the Meadows. More details on Cyclechat
- Also leaving at 9am from Glasgow Green, will be the Central Belt Challenge, a 47 mile ride for charity. Arrive at 8:30 and you can register on the day if you haven’t already done so
- Leaving at 10 am from George Square, a slightly faster-paced ride organised by Glasgow Road Cycling meetup and Freewheel North. Meeting up at George Square at 9:30. More details on Glasgow Road Cycling Meetup
- From North Edinburgh (Fiveways Junction): organised by Innertube Map. Meet at 1pm for a 1:30 start, and possibly combining with the Grease Monkey Haymarket ride. More details on the Innertube Facebook page
- From South Edinburgh: organised by Lizzie Rynne. Meet at Belhaven Place at 1:30 for a gentle paced ride suitable for all. More details on MyHood EH10
- From South Queensferry: organised by Christine Helliwell. Meeting at the Burger King at Ferrymuir at 12:30 and then joining with the Kirkcaldy ride.
Feeder rides – kit
It would be excellent if the more experienced riders in each feeder ride had some basic kit for repairing any problems that arise. Remember – not everyone will have as well maintained bikes as you will. Some suggestions:
- tyre levers
- puncture repair kit
- pump
- a few inner tubes – 26″ and 700c
- allen keys
- basic tool kit / mini tool
- electrical tape
- cable ties (electrical tape and cable ties can solve lots of problems!)
- pocket first aid kit – some ideas here
- wet wipes
- chain lube – not everyone will have such examples of smooth-running perfection as yourself!
Hopefully no one will need it but it’s useful to be prepared and the kit can be spread over a few experienced people. And the good thing is – the presence of that kit means you probably won’t need it 
By Public Transport
If you are planning on travelling by public transport and have a folding bike such as a Brompton or can borrow one – or borrow or rent a bike in Edinburgh (Cycling Edinburgh has some information here) - then please do so as spaces for bike will be extremely limited. Use the #POPbikespaces hashtag on twitter to advise which services you’re using, which are full or if you’re taking a car up on the day and have space for another bike.
By train
Please note that there are engineering works affecting trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Shotts on the 19th. Buses will replace trains between West Calder and Edinburgh and cannot take bikes (folders should be okay if they are small). See below for the services that will be running and can still accommodate bikes (but remember spaces will be limited)
ScotRail provided some advice for those bringing their bikes on the train for the last Pedal on Parliament – we’ll update it if there’s any change. There is also some more general guidance here. Be aware that they can’t guarantee you’ll be able to get your bike on the train and they can’t carry huge numbers of bikes so please leave plenty of time. They also cannot carry tandems, or other ‘non standard’ bikes. Coming back should be easier as long as everyone doesn’t rush for the trains at once – take your time and make a day of it and it will be easier for everyone to get home! Use the hash tag #popbikespace to coordinate plans for travel. And don’t forget that folders don’t count as bikes but as luggage, so if you have a Brompton or similar folding bike, please bring it if you can.
In general, please act as an ambassador for cyclists. Be ready to board when a train arrives & know where to find the space on the train. Do not block any disabled or wheelchair spaces with your bike. Take off any panniers or luggage to make the bike more compact and stack bikes ‘herringbone’ fashion (top to tail) and secure them with bungees or webbing straps. People who climb might also bring a couple of slings and carabiners - they can secure bikes very nicely. If you’re going to the terminus, you may find taking the front wheel off and turning the handlebars helps make bikes flatter.
On some trains Scotrail permits bikes in door vestibules because there is no bike space. If the guard permits this, stay with the bike and keep it out of the way of other passengers.
If you’re travelling on Virgin, East Coast Mainline, or Transpennine Express services (from Lockerbie and Carlisle) you can – indeed you must for Virgin and EastCoast – reserve a space for your bike as well as yourself, although these trains tend to have very few spaces. Book via the EastCoast website (regardless of which train operating company you’re travelling on) and it will allow you to reserve a space for your bike online.
A final word of advice: avoid Haymarket, due to the ongoing chaos of the tram works.
From Glasgow
Unfortunately, due to engineering works, the only services to and from Glasgow that will take bikes will be from Queen Street. Although there will be no extra services on these lines, Scotrail will try and add extra carriages. However, if you are coming from Glasgow we strongly recommend that you either bring a folding bike, join a feeder ride, or arrange to carpool and join the feeder rides from the outskirts of Edinburgh.
- From Queen Street Low Level, going via Airdrie and Bathgate. Although there is no dedicated storage area on these trains, bikes can be placed in the vestibule on the right hand side of the train (facing the engine). These trains stop at Edinburgh Park and Livingston North if you wanted to ride in from the west. There are two trains an hour on Sundays
- From Queen Street via Falkirk High and Linlithgow. Each 3 coach unit has space in front and rear for 2 bikes but if you work co-operatively 3 or 4 can stack tightly in the same space. Most trains run with 6 units coaches, hence 4 bike spaces or 8 bikes, but beware the SPT colour trains which only have 1 bike space. There are two trains an hour on Sundays
- Remember also you can also go via Stirling although it might be best to leave these to the Stirling and Alloa people.
From Fife
Mostly 3 coach class 170 as Edinburgh-Glasgow
Possibly some HST’s for Aberdeen – but may be limited to certain stops.
From North Berwick
Hourly service on Sundays.
Class 380 trains 1 train in morning 1 in early evening to/from Glasgow Central, generally not busy – a secret service.
From Stirling
There are two trains an hour on Sundays. If you are lucky a ‘Highland’ version with 2 sets of bike spaces – officially 5 bikes – using centre doors on 2 coach trains. Plus some Inverness services
From the South West
The fastest service to Edinburgh is from Lockerbie or via Carlisle – the TransPennine express offers two spaces per three-car train which it’s possible to book in advance – use the EastCoast website to do this online. There are also a couple of Virgin services from Carlisle and Lockerbie – you must book in advance if you want to take your bike on these trains.
For train times use the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner or call 08457 48 49 50
Coaches
Bikes are carried on many express coach services – officially you should have something to wrap up the bike (groundsheet) and some bungees or straps to secure it to the chassis framing in the luggage hold. As with the train if you can make the bike ‘flat’ it works better. Stagecoach Express services tend to have less luggage, and there are reports of up to 10 bikes on some services used by BMX and MTB riders in Moray/Aberdeen, who arrange to board/alight at the same places – usually a main bus station. Checking this one with operators (mainly First (Dunbar), Citylink and Stagecoach). Useful to check locally in advance as well if this may suit you.
Some smaller bus operators also carry bikes on low floor buses – informally in most cases – handy if you break down/get stuck and can negotiate with driver – not advisable in town and Lothian/First will refuse you.
Taxis
A useful reserve option if you do have a problem with your bike or the ‘engine’. Most accessible taxis will carry a bike, provided it is clean and you hold or secure it to avoid damaging the cab. Bikes may be charged for as an additional item of luggage.
Car/van Sharing
If you are taking a car and a load of bikes through you can make sure that your car is getting the most use – be prepared to give a lift to other cyclists to help them get there/ get home. Remember this is a co-operative enterprise where there are a lot of people working together to change things – try to share your ride in that spirit! Parking regulations on the roads surrounding the Meadows can be difficult, so it maybe best to park out of the central area and plan to ride in using this cycle journey planner.
We’ll update more as we find details.
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