London to Southampton

[charlielinda]

We are flying into Heathrow on Saturday, November 2 and our cruise leaves Southampton on November 3. We plan to make our way to Southampton on Saturday morning when our plane arrives. We are trying to decide if we (1) should head straight to Southampton (we are planning on hiring a van service of some kind) or (2) arranging for a tour along the way to Southampton and if so what would you suggest to do? Many tours I’ve seen stop at Stonehenge and we did that years ago.

We would love to see a castle or stop in a small village and have lunch is possible. Does this sound like something that could be done?

Any advice would be welcome.

[Sauer-kraut]

Dover has a castle....

Canterbury has a cathedral and is not far from Dover so you might want to research that town and the villages around there.

[TeaBag]

Where are you flying from? That might make a difference to how ambitious you want your plans to be. I think we are on the same cruise as you but coming in a few days early.

[Twickenham]

Both Dover and Canterbury are the opposite direction to Southampton.

I agree, how long a flight/how many time zones are you crossing? I personally barely know my name when I first arrive in Europe after a TA flight.

[John Bull]

Dover has a castle....

Canterbury has a cathedral and is not far from Dover so you might want to research that town and the villages around there.

 

Errr .............. OP is sailing out of Southampton, not Dover ;)

 

Problem, as always, is luggage.

 

Because of the difficulty of stashing luggage, these suggestions all need a private transfer:

 

Close to Heathrow are Windsor (with castle) or Henry V111's Hampton Court Palace, or for something different Brooklands Museum (former airfield & Britain's first motor-racing circuit c1907) & the adjacent Mercedes-Benz World.

Close to Southampton & on your route is the historic city of Winchester, or a little off your route the more laid-back historic city of Salisbury (though you may have been there when you visited nearby Stonehenge).

Winchester has a magnificent & ancient cathedral, but Winchester's "castle" is long-gone, all that's left is one hall of the castle. So if you want to see a castle, Winchester isn't the place for you.

 

The direct route Heathrow to Southampton is all motorway (freeway), you'd need to go off-route and down a slow country lane or two to find a pub in the countryside or in a "picture postcard" village like Stockbridge or Alresford/Cheriton or around Odiham or the Meon Valley or one of the New Forest villages.

 

You have no time constraints, but of course you'll be paying for the extra mileage & more importantly the waiting time for your transport.

 

If it were me, I'd choose Windsor near the start of the transfer or Winchester near the end, and a pub lunch at somewhere like the Fisher's Pond near Winchester.

 

http://www.windsor.gov.uk/

 

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/427279-hampton-court-palace

 

http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/index.php?

 

http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/site/things-to-do

 

http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/explore/salisbury-and-surroundings/top-10-reasons-to-visit-salisbury

 

http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/thefisherspondeastleigh/

 

For your transfer, consider these two operators, both well-respected on Cruise Critic:

www.smithsforairports.com

www.westquaycars.com

 

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/ is an arm of West Quay Cars, they put their most experienced & knowledgeable drivers on Discover the South jobs, though they're not qualified guides.

If you've decided where you want to go, Smiths or West Quay will be cheaper. If you want to make it up as you go along, a Discover the South driver is likely to be more useful.

For comparison, a simple direct private transfer with Smiths or West Quay is likely to be around £80 - £90 for a standard-size sedan.

 

JB :)

[aquilegia]

You don't want to go anywhere near Dover or Canterbury, they are both miles in the opposite direction from the Heathrow to Southampton route. The most convenient castle to Heathrow is Windsor, which is a great place to visit, but if you have just got off a long haul flight you may not feel up to trailing round tourist sites. In your place, I'd probably go straight to Southampton.

[charlielinda]

Thank you! Thank you Mr. Bull. At set :)

[Sauer-kraut]

Errr .............. OP is sailing out of Southampton, not Dover ;)

 

:)

 

Some days I should just never reply....I must have been really out of it!:eek:

My most humble apologies to the OP, pay no attention to the madwoman behind the reply.

[CJcruzer]

I arranged a ride with 2 other couples for our transfer from hotel to Southampton port. We asked for a 2 hour stop in Winchester, where we toured the Cathedral (free offered by staff) and walked through the town and to the old Great Hall. Was a wonderful break and a charming town/city. The .cathedral is amazing.

 

This is the second time I used this particular car service - Woodford Chauffeur. I also arranged transfer for 6 at end of cruise from Southampton to Heathrow.

 

As we were six people, we had them use a luggage trailer (locked) .