• There is a booklet usually available at railway stations with a snappy title like "Taking your bike by train" or some such. This highlights the restrictions and seems to make the whole process quite daunting, which it needn't be - lots of people do it.

As you say, with the closure of Red Star there is no longer a way of sending parcels etc by train, so you will have to accompany your tandem (or more accurately it will have to accompany you).

I suggest the way to do it is to seek out the trains with good, old-fashioned guards' vans. This shouldn't be too difficult - you should find them on at least one of the Virgin trains that run direct direct from Oxford to Portsmouth and probably all of the same company's trains from Oxford to Southampton. If using the latter change onto a Connex or SWT electric train at Eastleigh or Southampton.

You should avoid the two-car Sprinters used by Alphaline etc on the west of England/south Wales to Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton services. These have little or no facility for bikes and a refusal may offend.

Finally, I will join the chorus - why not cycle? It could be a pleasant two-day jaunt with an overnight stop.

Adrian Norman