UKH

East midlands railway says you can only take 2 bikes per train. Given you can get specific train time tickets, how can you be sure there's space and how does a family of 4 get bikes on board. Looking at bike packing Nottingham to Boston via Newark, using EMR to get to Nottingham and then back via Nottingham from Boston. Might just have to drive to start instead. Bonkers.

The train to Nottingham is tiny(2 carriages) and I think only 1 has bike storage, although I bet it'd fit more than 2.

You may need to travel on 2 subsequent trains, if you call them up the customer service staff are quite helpful. 

Unfortunately the accommodation for bikes on UK rail services is incredibly poor and it isn't up to the guard to accommodate it on most services as allowing additional bikes often eats into accessible seating for wheelchair users and luggage, or the driver's escape route depending on the type of train. Northern are more flexible, they will get you onboard.

It is a mess. Looking at other options form routes that combine bike and train, Wales seem more open, and in Scotland there's even special train carriages for 20 bikes on Glasgow to Oban. EMR seem to be one of the worst.

On the nottingham to matlock line which is the same tiny train with 2 carriages I often see people take bikes on and I'm pretty sure they haven't booked or paid extra. I've never seen anyone have any problems with the guard despite living right by a station for the last 10yrs. I've never done it myself, I might have pre booked once or twice. It's not great if you need to guarantee making a certain train though. I do often plan my bike rides along that line though in case of a major mechanical or need to bail, just in case. 

I'm not sure Wales is actually any better. The 4 times I've travelled taking my bike recently I've booked on and got a ticket for my bike. The 2 bike racks were taken by people who hadn't booked and I had to sit holding onto my bike.

To be honest it was one Arreva Wales route and I think it just said bikes can be reserved. Whereas EMR make it sound like 2 max and you're out of luck if someone else has one on there.

Might just make the trip a loop and drive to the start. There was something exciting about leaving home just by bike.

The guard should in theory just boot the unticketed bike off the train, ScotRail are particularly eager in this regard I have found.

I've had couple of negative experiences with TFW trains. I used to get the train to Penrith for work every week and always pre-booked the bike, but sometimes I was refused a place on the train because it was too busy, not necessarily too many bikes but just too crowded. I stopped taking my bike in the end

Disregard if irrelevant now but you can definitely fit more than two bikes in the bike area the Class 170s that run that route, bear in mind this is also the wheelchair space who always get priority, however the guard won't mind standing with your bike in the vestibule if you're sensible and polite. Also most of them run as 3 cars now.

One thing to bear in mind is the route is very busy Fridays to Monday in summer due to weekend trippers to Skeg so I'd avoid these days (especially Friday and Monday), they may run as a 4 or 5 car to mitigate this but it's not guaranteed.

Source: I work for EMR and commute on this line.