Cotswold Eagle

Not sure I agree with that, and I would bet Whitbread don’t think so. I’d bracket Travellodge with Ibis and Days Inn as genuine budget chains and they’d have to be at a significant discount to a nearby Premier Inn for me to even consider them. As Harters says, there is a much wider inconsistency across their locations. The new design looks good, but I haven’t experienced it. Some of the older ones are not great at all!

You are quite right to say “may”! In practice, in London I often see the Hubs priced more or less in the same range as nearby Premmier Inns. More generally, I feel that Premier Inn’s dynamic pricing model has got considerably more dynamic since the pandemic. You can still find rooms in London or at the airports priced at around £70 (which to me represents remarkable value) , but on other dates the same rooms willl cost you over £200, including Hubs. Certainly the average room rate is up significantly, but Whitbread have pulled off a neat trick of still positioning Premier Inn as a budget hotel brand in the public perception. That’s not a complaint, I admire them for their success. Of course, value can only be judged against their competitors in the same area on the same dates, but I struggle to imagine paying £248 for a Premier Inn 😀

Without wanting to be rude, three nights in Rotterdam pre-cruise and a stay in Amsterdam post-cruise seems like a lot of time in a fairly small part of Europe, particularly when (as it seems) you don't really have a pressing reason to stay in Rotterdam? But if so, Hotel New York, Nhow Hotel or Inntel Rotterdam Centre have previously been mentioned on this board. 'What to do' is so subjective to your own likes and dislikes that it is hardly worth trying to guess! Rotterdam is a very strikingly modern city, but nonetheless quite easy to walk. But personally, I'd be visiting other towns in the Netherlands, at least, or staying in another great European city.

Although often repeated on this board, this is not strictly true. Portland hasn't been a Royal Naval base since 1996 - it is a commercial port, managed by a Port Authority, that is visited by Royal Navy vessels. It is true that they maintain very high maritime security standards, implemented through the Portland Port Police.

That’s just one of the many options you have. As mentioned it’s a really easy day trip from London, which would be a more economical way of doing it! Just to say, HRW is not widely used as an abbreviation for Heathrow. More common is its airport code, LHR.

I found your long post a little hard to follow, but yes, the town is called Windsor and Windsor Castle is pretty much right in it. It's not too far out of the way to call at on a London -Southampton transfer - you are heading generally west anyway. If taking a private transfer, this is surely as simple as asking for a quote to include a stop in Windsor?

I feared it would be something like that. As you say, a real shame they haven't put a proper path in. On reflection, there may be a better supply of taxis in Cambridge, so I'd suggest getting some quotes. It will be quite expensive either way, I fear, maybe around £40-50 each way? It is possible to fly in to Duxford on non-airshow days, but chartering a plane or helicopter probably more expensive than train/taxi 😀

There are much quicker trains from London St Pancras and London Kings Cross to Royston, which is at least in a town (Parkway stations tend to be a bit remote!) and has a taxi rank. That may be the better bet, but I always drive to Duxford.

That's the nearest station to Duxford, which has a bus service, but literally one bus mid-morning that would work, it seems. I think you can walk it in about 30 minutes, but I have no idea how easy that is.

I think the other one you may have seen is Cascais (code CAT), which is a regional airport to the west of Lisbon. I think the only scheduled services are to other Portuguese destinations.

I had to look up the Crestfield, as I’d never come across it. As expected, it’s a two star, budget hotel in a townhouse, of which there are hundreds in London. I’d say it’s reasonably reviewed, not stellar, and I trust you understand what it will be: - very small rooms, with little storage and nowhere to sit - no air conditioning - no lift, steep stairs - no dining, no breakfast, probably very little communal space such as a lounge. I suspect the “non-alcoholic bar” is little more than a fridge at reception The reviews do suggest it’s clean, comfortable and there’s decent hot water, which is not always given with this sort of hotel! These hotels are fine to flop for a night, and as you say close for a train from St Pancras (but I don’t imagine you’ll be leaving very early), but I just encourage you to have reasonable expectations of the hotel.

Some actual data here from the Netherlands central bank. Interesting regional and sector variations, and I’m sure there would be similar in the U.K. The extent to which retailers still accept cash as a means of payment varies widely by retail sector. While on average 4% of retailers put up PIN-only notices to indicate they do not accept cash, this is significantly higher in a number of specific retail sectors, such as cinemas (22%), car parks (16%) and pharmacies (12%), our survey shows. This means the cash acceptance rate in these retail sectors is too low.

Wow, that's harsh! I could understand not being able to change (e.g.) from Victoria to Heathrow, but from one terminal to another at Heathrow seems a bit different. Particularly if it's actually the same bus calling at the different terminals. But I guess "the computer says no"...

Let’s not get carried away…. 🤣🤣 There’s a value in certainty when making plans from afar, and easier for us to say “It will probably be like this” (and deal with it if it isn’t!), so you were probably right too 😀

Yes, although a local private hire might not be much cheaper. People get a bit confused because its well understood that black cabs on the rank at Heathrow HAVE to accept a fare up to 20 miles or one hour, but that only applies if the destination is in Greater London - and lots of places that are really quite close to Heathrow are not!

Some airport hotels are also out of the zone, so they may have been within their rights to refuse or negotiate (offer!) a fare, which is what seems to have happened.

A decent rail link to Heathrow from the West is one of the great missing links. I pass through Reading when I'm heading to Heathrow from the Cotswolds on the train and I stay on a fast service through to Paddington and take the Heathrow Express out to Heathrow - most comfortable and about the same timings. Starting at Reading, personally I'd do the same but that has a cost disadvantage over the Railair coach, which is the simplest thing to do, and the TfL fare on the Elizabeth Line.

The old mole is well inside the modern harbour and there is only a short section left, including the lighthouse at the end. It has been surrounded by landfill for the port, where the container terminal is. This thread in the Great War Forum illustrates where the action took place.

Thank you for your review. Overlord have been mentioned many times on this board, but good to have recent experience. However, as per this sticky, Cruise Critic has decreed that Le Havre,and indeed the whole of the French Atlantic seaboard, should be considered part of the Mediterranean…. No doubt your post will be moved over there, so no need for you to cross post.

On the Schipol Airport website.

OP, if your motivation for staying at the airport is easy access for your early flight, I would say Amsterdam is one of the cities where this should be the least of your worries. Easy transport from the centre to the airport, even early morning. Of course, you may get a better deal near the airport - hotels in Amsterdam are eye wateringly expensive these days - but don't forget to factor in the transport costs there, back and there again, as well as the time it takes out of your day.

Are you suggesting it's possible to see Orkney in the half day the OP has in Scrabster? Even if the ferry times worked, which I doubt, the return journey would take a half day in itself.

That certainly changes the character of your cruise, unfortunately. I’d certainly think hard about changing itineraries, if the islands were something that interested you. Did you find Scrabster harbour’s cruise directory of attractions and things to do? A half day is pretty limiting, though. Another page on that site states there are courtesy buses to Thurso - you could walk one (or both) ways along the coast.

It’s not a big deal 🤣 Seriously, could you carry it up two flights of stairs at home? Then you’re fine. The stairs at St James’s are easy - wide and shallow - and I’ve seen people drag and bump big wheelie cases up them.

I think you are describing Advance fares, valid only on a particular service. In that case, if the train doesn't run, the ticket can be used on another service, you can get a refund, or in some circumstances travel another day. See the FAQs on National Rail's Industrial Action Page.