Tours from Salisbury?

[2pbears]

We will be sailing from Southampton in July and would like to spend a couple of days in Salisbury rather than staying in London. On one of the days we would like to do a day tour from Salisbury to see Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle. The only tours I have been able to locate leave from downtown London. Are there tour companies that could do a private tour for four people from Salisbury?

[John Bull]

Here are a few private hire operators based in the Salisbury area who can fix up a tour for you.

In no particular order, and I know nothing about any of them.

 

http://stonehengetravel.co.uk/approved-private-hire-tour-opertor-wiltshire.htm

https://moonrakertravel.com/salisbury-guided-tours/

http://j2luxurytransport.co.uk/private-tours-in-wiltshire/

http://www.bhalexander.co.uk/index.php/services

https://www.allthesevens.co.uk/services/tours

http://www.stonehengecars.com/tours.html

 

But Stonehenge + Bath + Windsor in one day, whilst possible as a whistle-stop, wouldn't be a fun day.

Total mileage somewhere over 200 miles, total travel time about 4.5 to 5 hours.

Add a bare 60 minutes at Stonehenge and a bare 2 hours in Bath & in Windsor and that's ten hours without scratching the surface at any of those places..

 

Stonehenge plus either Bath or Windsor would be OK in a day, because 90 minutes at Stonehenge is fine and it adds no more than ten minutes travel time en-route to either.

 

Or if you have a day to spare consider Stonehenge by ho-ho from Salisbury http://www.thestonehengetour.info/ and also enjoying Old Sarum & Salisbury city centre & cathedral.

 

Or take the train from Salisbury to Bath for the day. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Service hourly or better, journey time under an hour e/w, fare under £20 return.

 

Windsor is under 10 miles from Heathrow. If you're flying in or out of Heathrow, can you fit it in pre/post-flight?

 

All three venues are compact, no need for transportation once there. And all have audio-tours. Private guides aren't allowed into Windsor Castle.

 

JB :)

[Post Captain]

Perhaps others here can point you towards a particular driver-guide, but frankly I'd drop that idea. The Salisbury/ Stonehenge/ Bath/ Windsor/ Salisbury quasi-triangle would entail more than 200 miles of driving; you'd be spending more time in the car than you would at any of the destinations. Bath in itself deserves at least a full day, and Windsor requires at least a half day.

However, both Bath and Stonehenge are easily visited from Salisbury – Stonehenge by tour bus, and Bath by train. Frankly, I'd skip Windsor this time – getting there from Salisbury involves a quite convoluted journey.

For info on the Stonehenge tour, see:

 

 

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/

 

 

Bath is 55 minutes from Salisbury by train, through pleasant countryside. (Watch for the White Horse near Westbury!) Off-peak return (round-trip) tickets cost £18.60. Use the Journey Planner on the National Rail website to find train times:

 

 

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

Bath is a compact and walkable (albeit hilly) city, and easily explored on your own.

 

 

https://visitbath.co.uk/

 

 

I highly recommend this free walking tour for a wonderful overview of Bath's highlights and history:

 

 

https://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/explore-the-area/mayor-of-bath-honorary-guides-p43001

_____

 

PS. I might have known -- while I was drafting this, JB beat me to it! :-)

[John Bull]

 

PS. I might have known -- while I was drafting this, JB beat me to it! :-)

 

Oh the shame of it, Cap'n - to be beaten by a one-fingered typist :p

 

But hey, we're on the same wavelength with our responses :)

 

JB :)

[2pbears]

John Bull and Post Captain, thank you so much for the great information. This was exactly what we were looking for.