Southampton Cruise Terminal to Portsmouth Ferry Terminal

[sarafinadh]

Hi,

 

We will be disembarking in Southampton on the morning of September 4th at Berth 46, the Ocean Cruise Terminal.

 

We will be embarking from Portsmouth on the ferry to St Malo that evening at 20:15.

 

We need to make a stop along the way at a UPS drop off to ship a box home. I have found one near the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Once we drop off the box I want a loose plan for the day that will get us a good luncheon, somewhere interesting, and then on to boarding the ferry in time for the 20:15 departure. We will have a medium sized bag each to pull.

 

Suggestions?

 

Thanks ; -)

[LHT28]

I was looking to get to the HMS Victory in Portsmouth on the bus it is an 1 hr trip so maybe plan to get to Portsmouth for dinner time then you have some wiggle room

Someone in the area may have more info

[Crown Vic]

Hi,

 

We will be disembarking in Southampton on the morning of September 4th at Berth 46, the Ocean Cruise Terminal.We will be embarking from Portsmouth on the ferry to St Malo that evening at 20:15.We need to make a stop along the way at a UPS drop off to ship a box home. I have found one near the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Once we drop off the box I want a loose plan for the day that will get us a good luncheon, somewhere interesting, and then on to boarding the ferry in time for the 20:15 departure. We will have a medium sized bag each to pull.

Suggestions?Thanks ; -)

 

Give Aquacars.co.uk a look! Took them from The Hard in Portsmouth (right near HMS Victory) to the docks in Southampton. On time, courteous driver. If memory serves me correctly - which sometimes it doesn't - fare was GBP17 one way. Also taken them from Southampton Docks to Heathrow. Fare was GBP75. Driver met us as we exited with luggage. Can't hurt to look. If you are near The Hard in Portsmouth at lunch and like pub food, try the Lady Hamilton pub. Small pub with a great kitchen and good beer. Check them out on line. Bon voyage a tous...

[Corfe Mixture]

Hi,

 

We will be disembarking in Southampton on the morning of September 4th at Berth 46, the Ocean Cruise Terminal.

 

We will be embarking from Portsmouth on the ferry to St Malo that evening at 20:15.

 

We need to make a stop along the way at a UPS drop off to ship a box home. I have found one near the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Once we drop off the box I want a loose plan for the day that will get us a good luncheon, somewhere interesting, and then on to boarding the ferry in time for the 20:15 departure. We will have a medium sized bag each to pull.

 

Suggestions?

 

Thanks ; -)

 

 

Sorry late to this thread, but I live in Dorset and France and use the overnight service to St Malo on a regular basis, so let me try to deal with all your points.

 

1. Portsmouth ferry terminal is not near to the station. It is just off the motorway (interstate highway to you guys). It is about 20 miles from the Southampton to the Portsmouth ferry terminal. £75 seems expensive to me, but £17 seems very cheap. Whatever Aquacars have a good reputation and it is better than using the train as there are apparently left luggage facilities at the ferry terminal (not used them myself, but follow this link)

 

http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/guides/ports/portsmouth

 

Note do not try to use the 0871 telephone number as it is a premium rate number and will not work from abroad. Instead, if you want to verify the left luggage situation, phone the Brittany Ferries check-in desk at Portsmouth on 010 44 23 9289 2219, but remember the time difference.

 

You can use the train but you would need to get to Southampton station and then from Portsmouth Station to the Ferry Terminal with your bags. The cost would be £9.90 per person second class, or £16.30 per person first class, to which you would need to add the cost of your taxi to Southampton station and then to the ferry terminal. This link gives the details of the train times and I guess even £75 is beginning to look a little more attractive.

http://www.thetrainline.com

 

2. Once in Portsmouth and having dumped your bags, you should visit HMS Victory and the Millenium Tower, and possibly, if you have time HMS Warrior. There are plenty of nice places / pubs overlooking the harbour, where you could sample a 'real' English pub lunch.

 

3. The ferry you will be on will be named Bretagne and it arrives from St Malo at 18.30. It is by far the most civilised way of crossing as it is the longest route and you get a good night's sleep before arriving in St Malo at 08.30 (07.30 UK time).

 

4. There is a very good restaurant on Bretagne called Les Abers (at the rear on Deck 7). If you eat there do not order the full menu, just the buffet. The menus are the same except for the first course and with the full menu you get soup whereas with the buffet you get to raid the mass of seafood and cold meats in the buffet. The full menu is more expensive, and if you only have room for one starter, the buffet is far far better than the soup.

 

5. When on the ferry, use UK money instead of Euros. Brittany ferries price in both and, even after adjusting for exchange rates, the UK prices are roughly 10% cheaper than the Euro prices. If you want to use your credit card to pay onboard, you may need a card with a chip on it, but if you do get to use your card then elect to be billed in Sterling (pounds) and not Euros as this will appear as fewer dollars on your bill when you get back home.

 

6. If you can tell me what your plans are when you get to St Malo (train or Intra Muras, for example) I will give you some tips about that too as I know the town very well.

 

7. If you are taking the train in France and are over 60, you should ask for a Decouverte Senior (day-coo-vair see-knee-or) and you will get 25% off your ticket, except at peak periods on the TGV). Do not think about travelling second class on the French trains without first checking the price difference which will probably tempt you to travel first class. A single ticket is a Billet Simple (bee-yay, sarmpl) a return is an Aller Retour (a-lay, ray-tour)

 

8. Finally, if you wake up in the middle of the night and experience some sensation of slightly rougher seas. Check your watch. It will almost certainly tell you it is around 01.00 as this is the time you pass through the Alderney Race. The sensation will only last about 15 minutes.

 

Any more questions please ask.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Corfe Mixture

[Corfe Mixture]

Forgot to say. Don't go to Les Abers for breakfast.

Much better to go to the La Baule self-service in the centre of Deck 7.

 

Don't rush when they make the announcement asking you to vacate your cabin around 30 minutes prior to arrival.

I never do, though I normally have a car on Deck 5 (the last car deck to unload) which means I am happy to take my time over my breakfast, safe in the knowledge that my car stands no chance of moving until at least 15 minutes after arrival. Having said that the approach to St Malo is very interesting, paricularly if you arrive near to low water when you will see all the rocks and pass the 'Grand Jardin' lighthouse very close on your port side.

 

If you want to know more about your ferry, follow this link

http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/fleet/cruise-ferries/bretagne

Edited August 24, 2014 by Corfe Mixture

[Corfe Mixture]

West Quay cars, where you would be on the meter, estimate about £40 for the trip from Southampton to Portsmouth. Sounds about what I would have expected to pay.

 

http://westquaycars.com/get-a-quote

[John Bull]

Aquacars or http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars for private transfer.

I agree, Corfie, £17 is way too low - more like £30 to 40. But the £75 quoted by Vic was to Heathrow, & that's good value.

 

By public transport, http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx is a better bet than the train, because the coach calls at the cross-channel (International) ferry port & that's the only place in Portsmouth with a left-luggage facility.

So drop your bags there & take a shuttle-bus (if your timing coincides with a ferry) or taxi to Portsmouth harbour (aka The Hard / Travel Interchange).

Or with a private transfer get the driver to drop into the ferry port (it's on the way) to drop your bags & continue to the harbour.

 

The historic dockyard & ships, millennium tower, & Gunwharf shopping & leisure centre are at Portsmouth harbour.

Other sights (D-Day museum, Southsea Castle, Isle of Wight hovercraft, promenade, views across to the Isle of Wight, etc are along Southsea seafront, a short bus or taxi ride from the harbour.

Or Old Portsmouth, with its harbour entrance defensive towers & cathedral are between the two.

Plenty of eateries at all three, Gunwharf Quays has the biggest choice in a compact area, & a great waterfront location.

 

Then taxi back to the cross-channel ferry-port, collect your bags & board your ferry.

 

JB :)

Edited August 24, 2014 by John Bull

[sarafinadh]

Thank you all so much!

 

Sounds as if a car from the cruise terminal to UPS(drop off box to ship) to Ferry (drop off luggage for the day) to Southsea to the D Day museum and lunch may be the ticket.

 

Might it be worth renting a car for the day? Then we could just leave the luggage in the trunk until evening.

[Corfe Mixture]

Thank you all so much!

 

Sounds as if a car from the cruise terminal to UPS(drop off box to ship) to Ferry (drop off luggage for the day) to Southsea to the D Day museum and lunch may be the ticket.

 

Might it be worth renting a car for the day? Then we could just leave the luggage in the trunk until evening.

 

I wouldn't bother renting a car.

1. There are no rental places at the cruise terminal or the ferry terminal, so you woiuld have transport issues at both ends.

2. One way car hire is not cheap in the UK.

3. Most importantly, you would have to think about parking the car.

 

John Bull's idea of getting an 'airport' car to wait whilst you drop your bags at the ferry terminal and then take you into Portsmouth is definitely the one I would go for - EVERY TIME. Much less hassle and the day is your's to enjoy. Contact both westquaycars (Southampton based) and Aquacars (Portsmouth based) and get them to give you a fixed price quote. If you can give them the address of the UPS depot, they will probably throw taking you there into the deal.

 

Not sure of the name of the pub, but there is a possible pub for lunch which has a terraced lawn right on the harbour edge. It is a few hundred yards south of the Millenium tower, but I only know it from seeing it from the ferry.

 

Do you need any advice on St Malo?

 

BTW, your ferry will be very full, (I did a dummy booking a few minutes ago to check and, although it is still taking foot passengers and cars, there are no cabins left, only reclining seats).

Given this, I would go straight to Les Abers after boarding to get a good table.

 

There is free wifi onboard, the access code is on your boarding ticket, but with so many people onboard it will be very slow.

 

There will also probably be lots of excited French children returning with their families as they need to be back for school the following week and the Friday sailing is more expensive.

 

Bon voyage

[sarafinadh]

We have our cabin on the ferry booked already, and will be picking up a car in St Malo. We will staying near St Lo in a village called Lamberville.

 

We plan on heading up the coast to Mt St Michele, but other than that have no plans for the day. Once we are in Lamberville Himself has plans for viewing the DDay sites and visiting dead people. I will be riding and tagging along with him when I am not on horseback. We have three days in Normandy before we head east to Versailles and then Paris.

 

Any particular favorite don't miss spots we should make note of?

 

Here is what I found for car rental, $50.00;

 

Pick-up

Southampton

Southampton Downtown Office

West Quay Rd., Unit J

Sep 04, 2014

9:00 AM

 

Drop-off

Portsmouth

Portsmouth Downtown Office

Gunstore Rd, Limberline Ind Es

Sep 04, 2014

7:00 PM

 

These locations looked to be pretty near the debark and embark locations, but as I don't know the area I am not sure how difficult the pick up and drop off challenges will be.

 

Thanks again!

Edited August 24, 2014 by sarafinadh

[LHT28]

 

These locations looked to be pretty near the debark and embark locations, but as I don't know the area I am not sure how difficult the pick up and drop off challenges will be.

 

Thanks again!

 

One challenge would be how good are you at driving on the other side of the road

We are opting for the bus route :D

 

Something to consider in the UK

 

Lyn

[sarafinadh]

Bwwakkkk, Bwak bwak bbwaakkk!

 

Chicken.

 

; -D

[LHT28]

Bwwakkkk, Bwak bwak bbwaakkk!

 

Chicken.

 

; -D

 

LOL

After DH almost killing us in Bermuda the bus is a safer option for us :D

[Corfe Mixture]

We have our cabin on the ferry booked already, and will be picking up a car in St Malo. We will staying near St Lo in a village called Lamberville.

 

We plan on heading up the coast to Mt St Michele, but other than that have no plans for the day. Once we are in Lamberville Himself has plans for viewing the D-Day sites and visiting dead people. I will be riding and tagging along with him when I am not on horseback. We have three days in Normandy before we head east to Versailles and then Paris.

 

Any particular favorite don't miss spots we should make note of?

 

Here is what I found for car rental, $50.00;

 

Pick-up

Southampton

Southampton Downtown Office

West Quay Rd., Unit J

Sep 04, 2014

9:00 AM

 

Drop-off

Portsmouth

Portsmouth Downtown Office

Gunstore Rd, Limberline Ind Es

Sep 04, 2014

7:00 PM

 

These locations looked to be pretty near the debark and embark locations, but as I don't know the area I am not sure how difficult the pick up and drop off challenges will be.

 

Thanks again!

 

West Quay Road is very near to the Cruise terminal. Don't know about Limberline Industrial Estate. maybe John Bull can help, but I do go back to the point that you are not really using the car for touring just for transport and as you are only going to one place, which is a city, don't underestimate the parking issue.

 

If you do go for a car rental, then I would suggest that you do not follow your instinct and drive east away from the cruise terminal. Instead head west from West Quay road with the docks on your left.

After a number of traffic lights and one fly-over move over to the left to exit at the next flyover and go around the roundabout to join the M271 and head north. This is a short motorway which ends after a bit more than one mile.

At the end of the M271 go around the roundabout and join the M27 to head East. After passing the service station the motorway splits and you need to favour the right hand lanes to go in the direction of Southampton Airport / Portsmouth. This motorway passes just to the North of Portsmouth.

The signage at the Portsmouth exit can be a bit confusing as there are two exits close together. You need the second exit onto the M275 which is just after you pass beneath the fly-over.

The motorway ends just by the ferry terminal (you have to slip off to the left and go around the roundabout to get to the ferry terminal) but if you go straight on that will take you into the city centre.

Having said that, I forgot that you have to first go to the UPS depot.

 

Check it out on Google maps.

 

As I say, I would think twice about renting a car. it seems just too much hassle for what is a point to point journey. For me it is on a par with renting a car at MIA at 06.30 in the morning just to get you the Port Everglades for a 16.00 sailing on the same day.

 

Turning to France.

 

I'm not sure where you are collecting your car in St Malo, but you really should visit the walled town before you leave, if only for a couple of hours. Parking just outside the walls is around €1.20 per hour (I think) but you can park all day at the ferry terminal for €5.

 

When you drive away the ferry terminal, initially follow the sign for Rennes, and then in about 10 miles take the exit where the highway crosses.

 

Really difficult to give advice about where to go, but if you love Oysters, then Cancale is famous for its oysters, and there is a lovely coast road from St Malo, though visiting Cancale will take you a little out of your way and involves leaving St Malo along the coast road to the east (through Pareme).

 

Mont St Michel is a must see sight, but the last time I went they no longer allow you to take your car out to the 'Mont', and insisted you took a shuttle bus, though they may be more relaxed out of season. However, if you can take your car across do watch out - the higher car park is for residents and folks staying at hotels on the mont and THE LOWER CAR PARK FLOODS TO CONSIDERABLE DEPTH AT HIGH WATER!!!

 

That should take care of your day to Lamberville.

 

After St Lo /Lamberville, you should visit Ste Mere Eglise, made famous in the film 'The Longest Day' by the fact that an US paratrooper named John Steele, got his parachute caught on the church tower and hung there pretending to be dead for a very long time until the battle beneath him was over. As you drive up to Ste Mere Eglise, you will be driving along the 'Route de la Liberte' and will pass what appear to be cream fire hydrants. In fact they marker posts recording the progress of the liberating forces.

 

From Ste Mere Eglise you can work eastwards visiting the beaches. Don't miss Pointe Du Hoc. You can still see all the craters from the shells and you just have to visit the American Military cemetery at Colleville sur Mer which overlooks Omaha beach. It is a very emotional place to visit and if you do nothing else with himself, you must go there. It is a memory which will stay with you forever.

 

Also go to Arromanches where there is a small museum with a working model and film of the artificial 'Mulberry Harbours' parts of which can still be seen off the beach at Arromanches. You will be amazed when you see how they created a complete port in a matter of days, using pre-built units floated across the channel from England and assembled on site, and through which they kept the invading forces supplied for some months.

 

If you get as far a Caen, then, you should go to Pegasus bridge, at Benouville, (We stayed in a nice hotel in Benouville called La Glycine) which again featured in 'The Longest Day' and visit the cafe Gondree which was the first building to be liberated on D-Day, by Major John Howard and his British paratroopers, who landed by glider. There is also a museum by the current bridge which includes the original bridge and there are marker stones showing exactly where each of the gliders landed.

 

Don't bother about the Invasion Museum at Caen, it is too artificial and more like a history book than a museum, but you should consider going to Bayeux and seeing the Bayeux tapestry which records the events leading up to the Norman invasion in 1066.

 

We have stayed in a nice hotel in Benouville called La Glycine before taking the ferry from Caen to Portsmouth. I use federal hotels for my French hotel bookings and this is their link to that hotel http://fr.federal-hotel.com/hotel_la-glycine-benouville_12061.htm

 

As you can tell I love France and the French.

Remember the language is very important to them and is on a par with your love of your flag.

So, try to speak a little French, even if it is only a couple of words, and they will take you to their hearts.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Corfe Mixture

[John Bull]

To Portsmouth

$50 sounds very cheap for a one-way rental.

Sure it's not £50?

Does it include all the add-ons?

What's the latest return time for the car?

And make sure the fuel policy is full-to-full, cos any other arrangement will cost you disproportionately.

Add a £5-£6 taxi fare in Southampton & a £8 to £10 taxi fare in Portsmouth - Limberline is in the north of the city.

 

Renting a car makes sense if you want to explore a few villages, drive along the top of Portsdown Hill & such, but IMHO the direct route is boring motorway, navigating & parking in Portsmouth is a pain, & the palava of collecting & returning a car just not worth the grief.

Much easier & more economical to go Nat Express coach to the International ferry port, then city taxis. Or private transfer to Portsmouth harbour or Southsea seafront via the ferryport, then city taxis.

 

On the other side of "the ditch"

Mont-Saint-Michel (nb spelling for GPS) is only about 45 mins from St Malo, it's well worth a couple of hours, then it's about an hour to Lamberville. if you take the main roads.

Beware GPS, there are several villages of the same name in France - this one's in Manche, not Seine Maritime or Mobecq, & should show about 87km/52 miles from MSM.

Lamberville is a little inconvenient for the beaches & D-Day beaches & sights, they're about 45 minutes further. But it's in the heart of Bocage countryside, which has its own place in the battle for Normandy in the days after the landings & is little-known by those who flock to the D-Day beaches. - google Bocage.

I doubt it'd be worth exploring the beaches same-day, though you may have time to check out Bayeux that afternoon.

 

Here's a suggestion for two days of D-Day sights.

25 miles to the American Cemetery, which sits above Omaha beach at Colleville-sur-mer. The cemetery & beach are well worth at least a couple of hours. Very moving.

West along the coast road 8 miles to Pointe du Hoc, fortified & battle-scarred headland which dominated Omaha to the east & Utah to the west.

Next, Utah beach, 25 miles via Ste Marie du Mont. Excellent D-Day museum right where you arrive at the beach, at La Madeleine.

Then drive west about 5 miles along the beachfront road before turning inland to Ste Mere-Eglise, a D-Day objective for US airborne troops. One paratrooper got hung-up on the church roof - he survived. Google his story. Last time I was there the poor guy was still hanging - or mebbe it's a dummy ;)

Excellent airborne museum in the town centre.

If you have time, on the way back visit the German cemetery at La Cambe, just off the main A16. it's in stark contrast to the American cemetery, & similar to other German WW1 & WW2 cemeteries.

 

Day 2 head for Colleville again, but this time head east along the coast road. In 7 miles, the battery at Longues-sur-Mer. In a further 5 miles drop into Arromanches-les-Bains, part of the British Gold beach. Largest town on this part of the coast, seafront D-Day museum, the remains of the Mulberry harbour (google it), D-Day related shops (some genuine souvenirs in Bd Gilbert Longuet), plenty of bars & cafes.

Still heading east, at the top of the hill pull over for a panoramic view over Aromanches.

Continue east 7 miles to the Canadian forces' Juno beach. Excellent museum but it's a guided arrangement. Don't go in unless you can spare about 75 minutes.

Further east the British Sword beaches are mainly awkward to reach because there's no road along the beach, it's a series of cul-de-sacs.

Museum at Ouistreham, super little port at the mouth of the River Orme & the most easterly point of the invasion. 3 miles upstream is Pegasus Bridge, named after the Brit glider-borne troops who took it a few minutes after midnight on D-Day - the first objective achieved in the invasion. Excellent museum there.

There's no Brit & Commonwealth cemeteries like the American cemetery - the fallen are buried in lots of smaller cemeteries dotted around.

Something under 45 minutes back to Lamberville.

Get Himself to google these places & decide his priorities - it really does pay to know something about what you're visiting although museums etc have plenty of printed info & informative guides.

 

Unrelated to D-Day, consider Bayeux, with its Bayeux tapestry of the Battle of Hastings. And Falaise, with the castle of William the Conqueror. The "Falaise pocket" is where the German forces finally lost the battle for Normandy.

 

Sorry, can't follow-up any questions, I'm away for a month.:)

By coincidence to San Francisco.

Give us a wave tomorrow as we fly in - Virgin Atlantic, we're 5 rows from the back of the plane. :D

Heading up the map from SF into Canada, then Yellowstone & all points east to Boston.

 

JB :)

 

Edit: My post crossed with Corfie's.

Seems we're both singing from the same song-sheet.;)

And I agree, skip the Peace Museum at Caen - it's about wars in general, majors on the holocaust, & little relevance to D-Day. Super museum if you have a stack of time on your hands, but it could have been located anywhere in the world.

In fact, skip Caen entirely, other than using the ring road. It was destroyed during the Normandy campaign & it's rather modern & nondescript. And has its traffic problems in the centre.

Edited August 24, 2014 by John Bull

[scottbee]

We have our cabin on the ferry booked already, and will be picking up a car in St Malo. We will staying near St Lo in a village called Lamberville.

 

We plan on heading up the coast to Mt St Michele, but other than that have no plans for the day. Once we are in Lamberville Himself has plans for viewing the DDay sites and visiting dead people. I will be riding and tagging along with him when I am not on horseback. We have three days in Normandy before we head east to Versailles and then Paris.

 

Any particular favorite don't miss spots we should make note of?

 

Here is what I found for car rental, $50.00;

 

Pick-up

Southampton

Southampton Downtown Office

West Quay Rd., Unit J

Sep 04, 2014

9:00 AM

 

Drop-off

Portsmouth

Portsmouth Downtown Office

Gunstore Rd, Limberline Ind Es

Sep 04, 2014

7:00 PM

 

These locations looked to be pretty near the debark and embark locations, but as I don't know the area I am not sure how difficult the pick up and drop off challenges will be.

 

Thanks again!

 

Few things about UK car hire (I'm sure these are old hat to a lot, but worth reviewing);

• You'll get a standard transmission unless you pay more (score one for Europe in my opinion here - I wish I could get a standard in US/Canada)
  
• Your north american insurance/credit card car rental insurance generally doesn't cover rentals outside of North America
  
• Petrol is roughly double what it is in the USA
  
• The Brits drive on the left.
  

[krev]

I'm currently researching car rentals in Southampton as well, where did you get your quote from? I see a Hertz across from the terminal and there's Thrifty's on floating bridge road. They quoted me about $60 CND for a one day rental.

We have two days in Southampton prior to our cruise and thought it would be nice to toodle around, do a little geocaching and see Portsmouth. We have driven in the UK before and spent three weeks in South Africa last summer so use to the other side of the road and I drive a standard every day.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Corfe Mixture]

I'm currently researching car rentals in Southampton as well, where did you get your quote from? I see a Hertz across from the terminal and there's Thrifty's on floating bridge road. They quoted me about $60 CND for a one day rental.

We have two days in Southampton prior to our cruise and thought it would be nice to toodle around, do a little geocaching and see Portsmouth. We have driven in the UK before and spent three weeks in South Africa last summer so use to the other side of the road and I drive a standard every day.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Kelly,

 

If I had a couple of days prior to the cruise, and was renting a car, I would not use it to go to Portsmouth.

 

Instead I would go west along the M27, get off at junction 1 (by the Sir John Barleycorn pub) and then go though Lyndhurst to Lymington and generally explore the New Forest (actually it is neither New nor a Forest - we chopped the trees down ages ago to build ships - which reminds me Buckler's Hard is also nice and is where we built the ships - another good pub there called The Master Builder). After leaving Lymington head off in the direction of Burley which is very picturesque and, if you then continue, you will be brought back to the A35 at Picket Post from where you have a fast road back to your hotel.

 

Just google all the above names on google.co.uk and you will get lots of information to help you decide what to do.

 

On the other day you could make your own way to visit either Stonehenge, (IMHO - unless you want to actually get close to the stones, you get just as good a view from the car as you drive along the A303 road) or go up the A34 towards Newbury to visit Highclere Castle which is the place they film Downton Abbey.

 

If you go to Stonehenge, you should also find time to fit in Salisbury Cathedral - tallest spire in UK.

 

If you go to Highclere you might find time to fit in Winchester Cathedral.

[krev]

Kelly,

 

If I had a couple of days prior to the cruise, and was renting a car, I would not use it to go to Portsmouth.

 

Instead I would go west along the M27, get off at junction 1 (by the Sir John Barleycorn pub) and then go though Lyndhurst to Lymington and generally explore the New Forest (actually it is neither New nor a Forest - we chopped the trees down ages ago to build ships - which reminds me Buckler's Hard is also nice and is where we built the ships - another good pub there called The Master Builder). After leaving Lymington head off in the direction of Burley which is very picturesque and, if you then continue, you will be brought back to the A35 at Picket Post from where you have a fast road back to your hotel.

 

Just google all the above names on google.co.uk and you will get lots of information to help you decide what to do.

 

On the other day you could make your own way to visit either Stonehenge, (IMHO - unless you want to actually get close to the stones, you get just as good a view from the car as you drive along the A303 road) or go up the A34 towards Newbury to visit Highclere Castle which is the place they film Downton Abbey.

 

If you go to Stonehenge, you should also find time to fit in Salisbury Cathedral - tallest spire in UK.

 

If you go to Highclere you might find time to fit in Winchester Cathedral.

 

 

Thank you for the information that was very kind. I've been to Stonehenge as a teen and really don't need to see them again also been to Salisbury cathedral, I've even been to Portsmouth come to think of it! I was an army cadet (all 5' of me!) and was on the Canadian cadet Bisley team in 1981, we were toured around this area quite a bit. I will definitely look into these areas you've suggested.

 

 

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