Trials and tribulations of birding by public transport (1 Viewer)

I used to have a car which allowed me to travel all over Scotland to see birds. However I had to sell in for financial reasons and have been using public transport since then. It can be very difficult to rely on.

For my nearest reserves like Lochwinnoch or Baron's Haugh, it's pretty easy most of the time, although the latter involves a 10-15 minute walk from station to get to the reserve.

This morning I had hoped to go to Lochwinnoch using the 9.42 train to Largs. Got up early, went out hoping to get a bus into the city centre. This bus was 10 minutes late, and the one that comes after it doesn't get me into town in time to catch the train.

I only just made it to Central Station to get my train, bought my ticket from one of the machines and then went up the escalator to the platforms. Had a look at the board to see what platform it was leaving from only to see, shock horror: "Paisley Gilmour Street only"!

So the train that I thought I was going to miss because of the late bus wasn't even running at all! Asked around and none of the staff had any idea if the replacement bus would stop at Lochwinnoch (after all, it was departing 20 minutes later than the train and its ultimate destination was Ayr, not Largs that the 9.42 train was due to arrive at).

Ended up just getting my money back - the guy saying that I should always check their website timetables on a Sunday because that's when engineering works take place. That's a bit cheap I think, if they publish a timetable then that's when the trains should run, except for flooding, trees on the track etc that are unforeseeable. The 9.42 train is the earliest train I can get on a Sunday, can't they have all engineering work done before this train runs? Or can't they provide better information about replacement/alternative services?

But this just sums up what it can be like to use public transport. When it works well it's really good, you can relax and read a book and chill out until you arrive at your destination. But when it doesn't work it can completely ruin your plans. Having to carefully plan your day so that you're back at the station for return trains means you can't really make the most of your visits because you're reliant on public transport to get home. The trains to Lochwinnoch are every hour, although I've discovered they're changing to every 30 minutes which will make a big difference.

Some of the best birding sites are almost impossible to get to by public transport simply due to their remoteness and this means the quality of birding can be extremely restricted.

I think all the people using cars should use public transport for a month and realise how difficult it can be.

Very thought provoking and no obvious answer

As another birder without a car, I feel your pain. I've had some amazing trips around the country were the public transport all works out and others were it just falls apart and the day is ruined. Going by bike is my only other option but this has its obvious limitations.

I'm another public transport only birder, and frankly I'm bloody lucky that I have a midweek day to potter about. However, it odes make places like the Hebrides and north west Scotland slightly out of reach unless it's a multi day stay.

However, considering financially a car would be a nightmare, I'm happier travelling light and enjoying the places I can get, which is actually a rather large catchment area.

I do almost all my birding on foot or by public transport, and the only problem I have with it is that it doesn't start early enough in the morning. Otherwise, fine ... except days like Wednesday, when the bus was ten minutes late, and I missed the Dawlish Warren Bonaparte's Gull by five minutes. C'est la vie.

I don't have a car myself but often borrow one for the weekend to go birding. I have three experiences of trying to use public transport to go birding.
2 twitches which actually worked out well, one from Bradford to Wakefield for pectoral sandpiper and one from Huddersfield to Bingley for American robin.

The only other time I attempted it was a day trip to Fairburn. 40 minutes by car, 3 hours by public transport assuming it all works out ok with connections. It just isn't something I could do anything more than very occasionally but I have great respect for those who manage it.

My first fall in San Diego almost all of my birding was done by public transit, with the occasional help from a friend. Public Transit was great for some spots. Getting to the Point Cabrillo birding hotspots was easy, since there were bus stops at Famosa Slough, Fort Rosecrans NC, and Cabrillo NM. However anywhere else was difficult, and because of the number of buses and distance, plus there schedule, it was all but impossible to get any birding done before 9.

JTweedie said:

I only just made it to Central Station to get my train, bought my ticket from one of the machines and then went up the escalator to the platforms. Had a look at the board to see what platform it was leaving from only to see, shock horror: "Paisley Gilmour Street only"!

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I wouldn't try Lochwinnoch for the next 3 Sundays either:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/10919_amend_WCC_-_Oct_12.pdf

According to the National Rail Journey Planner, buses are calling at Lochwinnoch next Sunday. As an example, leave GLC at 0920, arrive Lochwinnoch at 1028, changing at Paisley for a bus.

As annoying as engineering work is, it causes least disruption by doing it on a Sunday.

I went to twitch the Pallid Harrier at Garnock Floods about a year ago on a half day from work and the wife had the car so I went by train from Glasgow Central to Kilwinning. I had intended to walk from there, but to max my chances of connecting with the harrier, I got a taxi to a very remote place. Fortunately, on the way home another birder kindly dropped me off at Irvine station.

JTweedie said:

... I think all the people using cars should use public transport for a month and realise how difficult it can be.

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Sorry to hear you had a disappointing day. OH uses trains to do a 2 hour commute to and from London each day. The service and punctuality leaves a great deal to be desired - and he pays almost £5,000 a year for the pleasure.

Public transport here is poor. We have three towns of about 10, 12 and 15 miles away. The one which is 10 miles away can be reached by bus three times a day; the one which is 12 miles away has a bus every half hour; the one which is 15 miles away no longer has a bus service - it was stopped two years ago. :-C

Until a few years ago, I did most my birding by public transport. In the Netherlands, I tended to take the train, often taking my bike along (expensive!) or rent one if I had a chance. I also used buses quite a bit. Getting to places early is of course impossible, so if I had a chance I would borrow a car.
In the UK I lived without a car for two years, but the need to travel through London to quite a few interesting areas, the never-ending engineering works and the impossibility to take my bike on most (Stansted Express) trains was far from helpful. Eventually I bought a car which really cheered me up.
I now live in an area where public transport is rather ineffective to get to anywhere... so I am either cycling (to work/local patches) or driving (to the Netherlands, a bit too often).

bongofury said:

I wouldn't try Lochwinnoch for the next 3 Sundays either:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/10919_amend_WCC_-_Oct_12.pdf

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Cheers. Looks like I'll need to switch to Saturday birding for a few weeks, or visit somewhere else.

I don't know how many other birders there are in your neck of the woods, but I suggest networking will get you more birds than network rail. Isn't there a lifts offered/wanted bit on here?

John