I'm off to a conference this Thursday in Brussels. The train leaves at just before 6am and I wanted to take my fold up bike so I could bike to the conference venue. Cue this page on the Eurostar site.
I love the intro - all very welcoming.
BUT, then you get to the nitty gritty. If you can take your folding bike apart - wheels, handlebars - and put it in a bag then you can take it on the train. I don't have a bag for my bike and do not want to pay £40 to get one. No other train I travel on requires me to put my bike in a bag.
So, I could take my bike on the train for a fee of £20 each way. So that would be £40 on top of the £59 ticket. Now it's not looking so cheap to go on the train.
Or, I could get it shipped. Hmmm, I don't think so.
OK, I'll leave it at lost luggage - that's only £8 for 24 hours. But no, that opens at 6am - the train leaves just before then.
I can't lock it up at the station as it will get stolen - foldy bikes have too many removable bits.
And I need my bike when I get back to St Pancras so I can get over to Paddington.
Looks like I will have to take my bike up the night before and leave in lost luggage.
There is no secure bike storage at St Pancras.
How rubbish is that for a company that bangs on about being carbon neutral?