-- "fast, direct & free courtesy shuttle direct to Adastral Park reception"
Did that really say "free"? You better believe it. Point of departure is Ipswich station, and it's aimed squarely at folk who'd otherwise catch a Billy No-Mates taxi out to Martlesham (and probably another one back at the end of the day). Simply flash your rail ticket at the driver ... oh, hang on. To make this a legit journey, I needs to get me a choo-choo ticket, valid for today. No problem. Time to make the train take the strain.
Out-in-the-wilds Westerfield is the answer, being an unmanned station on the Ipswich to Felixstowe/Lowestoft lines, and not too badly placed a couple of miles from my place. Thus into the saddle at 7:50am, some five minutes later than planned, pedal like Billy Ocean up Valley Road and left along Westerfield Road. A-ha, there's the Railway pub and here's the crossing.
Impressively, a gate indicates cycle parking this way. Through I go, up and on to the platform, and behold, a solitary uncovered Sheffield stand. Oh well, that'll do. It's now 8am and I'm standing, like a Dylan lyric, on the wrong side of the tracks.
Quickly out again, over the line and up the other side to join two other commuters. Matter of moments later, here comes our Ipswich-bound loco. Surprisingly, a handful of people are getting off here, at least two of which have their bikes and pedal off towards town. In we go and it's not worth grabbing a seat as we pootle back over the Norwich Road / Bramford Lane / Bramford Road bridges, slowing as we come alongside Gippeswick Park. At the last minute, practically in the station, a guard appears and sells me a £2.10 return to Ipswich. Hoorah, I have a "valid rail ticket for today"!
There follows a restrained dash across the station concourse -- now 8:12am -- and over to stand C, where sits the awaiting bus, doing its best to sync with the London train. Quite a few people already on board, none of whom I saw on the Westerfield train, but who'd be daft enough to take that route? Quarter-past and we're off.
Along Burrell Road and up to the lights, then a nifty shimmy as our driver goes (a) right into Stoke Street and (b) left into Austin Street, emerging on Wherstead Road and avoiding the busy-busy Novotel dock roundabouts. Today's route is brought to you by the letter "A" and the number 137 as we motor up past the ski slope to join the A14 at the Orwell Bridge.
This particular omnibus, which could fit comfortably inside the Route 66, offers a 240V socket to charge your phone, and there's some loose talk of WiFi. Mind you, given the speed of the journey, you'd be approaching Martlesham as your Outlook was still sorting itself out. And it parks right outside reception, some 100m closer than the 66.
Later that day, I did the whole thing in reverse: 4:40pm shuttle bus, 5:02pm Lowestoft-bound train (thankfully a few minutes late) to Westerfield, and much relief to find my bike still there in its exclusive parking slot. Phew.
Cost - free between Ipswich Station and Adastral Park (though I got the £2.10 Westerfield return)
Duration - 20 mins (8:15 - 8:35)
Pros - quick, hourly, greener than a cab
Cons - may need to wait a while if you arrive between buses, and last bus from Adastral is 6:40pm
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