Transfer: Southampton—London (incl. LHR/LGW) train, car, other?

[sddsddean]

Used NE many times over the last 40 years (even when they weren’t so good!) and never had a problem. 

 

Simon

[phoenix_dream]

I confess I am in sticker shock after seeing the quote we got from Smiths - $238 each way for 3 passengers.  Whew!  Checking out train and bus options but those could be difficult as we are staying at Kingston Upon Thames.  Not sure if the train from there stops anywhere near Southampton without having to make connections (which I just don't want to do with all that luggage!).  Any further advice would be appreciated.

 

[Triptkr]

I would like to say that we just got back from a British Isles cruise RT Southampton.  I booked our transportation from LHR to Southampton via Blackberry Cars based off of recommendations here.  Also used them to transport us from the ship to our hotel at LHR then to Windsor.  I am happy to report that I would GLADLY book through them again!  Very good experience!  I really liked how they communicated with me.  When the driver was about 10 minutes out I received an email giving me a count down on when the driver would arrive.  This email also gave written notice on where we were going and a map that one can follow along with.  In addition it gave the license plate of the vehicle, name of the driver and a picture of the driver--which made me feel secure.  For us it was well worth the money.  I did do a cost comparison--having the cruise line transport us and this was more cost effective.    

 

[sddsddean]

44 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I confess I am in sticker shock after seeing the quote we got from Smiths - $238 each way for 3 passengers.  Whew!  Checking out train and bus options but those could be difficult as we are staying at Kingston Upon Thames.  Not sure if the train from there stops anywhere near Southampton without having to make connections (which I just don't want to do with all that luggage!).  Any further advice would be appreciated.

 

If you don't use a car service (and you can get quotes from other companies recommended on here) you basically have 2 choices.

1) Get the train from Kingston station toward London and change at Clapham Junction to pick up the Southampton train. Train will be about £30 each single or about £40 return. Trains every 30mins or so, but can be a pig to change platforms using the bridges at Clapham.  https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

2) Get a cab to Heathrow (T4 is probably nearest) and get a National Express coach. Around £15 each way on the coach (though can be cheaper) plus cab fare to LHR...probably £20-£25.  https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

 

Try getting quotes from Blackberry and https://westquaycars.com/  then work out the prices to see which is most viable.

 

Simon

[phoenix_dream]

Thanks for the info everyone

[windango]

I hope I'm posting this correctly as I've read all the threads and done a search on the rest of the forum and not found the answer I was looking for.  We are staying for 3 nights in London in a flat at Saint George Wharf Anchor House, which I believe is very close to the Vauxhall underground station (right across the street in fact, according to the description).  We'd like an easy option for transfer from our flat to Southampton that won't break the bank, yet is simple for folks who are new to the city and public transport in general.  We don't mind a bus or train, just don't want a lot of changes within the journey.  We're travelling with my 80 year old mother and while we can certainly maneuver our suitcases to some extent, less schlepping of luggage is better. We've gotten a quote from Smiths for Airports of £150 and that would clearly be the easiest transport option, but is there any chance there's a bus or train option that is equally easy from our flat?  Any chance a bus or train leaves from Vauxhall station and goes direct (no switching or buses or trains)?  I've looked on both the train station website (quite hard to decipher) and the National Express site and if the answer is there, I'm missing it.

[John Bull]

On 7/15/2019 at 8:58 PM, phoenix_dream said:

I confess I am in sticker shock after seeing the quote we got from Smiths - $238 each way for 3 passengers.  Whew!  Checking out train and bus options but those could be difficult as we are staying at Kingston Upon Thames.  Not sure if the train from there stops anywhere near Southampton without having to make connections (which I just don't want to do with all that luggage!).  Any further advice would be appreciated.

 

 

 

That doesn't sound like Smith's usual price.

Should be somewhere between the approx £80 from London Heathrow & approx £140 from central London.

Have you double-checked the currency conversion rate that you used?  It's currently well under $1.30 to the £ - have you inverted those figures??

And did you clearly seek a quote from Richmond-on-Thames? There are a number of places in England called "Richmond", the most well-known "Richmond" is in the north of England !!

If that's truly Smith's quote, I suggest you seek quotes from 

https://www.blackberrycars.com/

https://westquaycars.com/

http://www.aquacars.co.uk/

 

By train to Southampton there's just the one change, at Clapham Junction.

https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

On this website type in your start point as Richmond & choose the option Richmond London RMD, not Richmond Yks Bus RMK   

Your destination is Southampton central.

The standard fare is about £37 per person, but if you book 4 to 6 weeks out there are a number of trains which would suit cruising from Southampton at just £10 (about $13). (If your trip isn't in the next couple of months, select a random date about a month out - same day-of-the-week as your travel - to see those advance fares.)

Be aware that those advance tickets are only good for the train time that you select - if you miss that train, your ticket is trash & you'll have to pay the full walk-up fare for the next train.

Yes, it involves one change of train.  But $200 less than you've been quoted for a car. 

 

JB 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2019 by John Bull

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

 

That doesn't sound like Smith's usual price.

Should be somewhere between the approx £80 from London Heathrow & approx £140 from central London.

Have you double-checked the currency conversion rate that you used?  It's currently well under $1.30 to the £ - have you inverted those figures??

And did you clearly seek a quote from Richmond-on-Thames? There are a number of places in England called "Richmond", the most well-known "Richmond" is in the north of England !!

If that's truly Smith's quote, I suggest you seek quotes from 

https://www.blackberrycars.com/

https://westquaycars.com/

http://www.aquacars.co.uk/

 

By train to Southampton there's just the one change, at Clapham Junction.

https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

On this website type in your start point as Richmond & choose the option Richmond London RMD, not Richmond Yks Bus RMK   

Your destination is Southampton central.

The standard fare is about £37 per person, but if you book 4 to 6 weeks out there are a number of trains which would suit cruising from Southampton at just £10 (about $13). (If your trip isn't in the next couple of months, select a random date about a month out - same day-of-the-week as your travel - to see those advance fares.)

Be aware that those advance tickets are only good for the train time that you select - if you miss that train, your ticket is trash & you'll have to pay the full walk-up fare for the next train.

Yes, it involves one change of train.  But $200 less than you've been quoted for a car. 

 

JB 

 

 

Thanks for all the good info.  I sincerely appreciate all the time you have spent getting this information to me (and anyone else on the hunt for transportation).  I wrote down the wrong # for Smith's.  It was $384 round trip, converted to USD.  West Quay and Blackberry were more reasonable, but both still over $200 USD (round trip).  That's not too bad.  We do have 3 people with accompanying luggage so I think that bumps us up to a bigger sized vehicle.  And since most of them apparently charge by the vehicle that could be why we are encountering prices higher than a couple traveling alone would expect.   Next time leave my son at home 😄 (although at least we get to split the fare 3 ways as he is an adult)  I have not tried aquacars.  All together I have quotes from 11 different companies, ranging from $220 USD all the way up to $1020 USD.  I've been using an exchange rate of 1.25, knowing it varies a bit day by day.  

 

It's probably time for me to stop analyzing and just pick an option and stick with it.  Don't want to keep clogging up this thread with my own boring adventures😊

[Twickenham]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:36 PM, windango said:

I hope I'm posting this correctly as I've read all the threads and done a search on the rest of the forum and not found the answer I was looking for.  We are staying for 3 nights in London in a flat at Saint George Wharf Anchor House, which I believe is very close to the Vauxhall underground station (right across the street in fact, according to the description).  We'd like an easy option for transfer from our flat to Southampton that won't break the bank, yet is simple for folks who are new to the city and public transport in general.  We don't mind a bus or train, just don't want a lot of changes within the journey.  We're travelling with my 80 year old mother and while we can certainly maneuver our suitcases to some extent, less schlepping of luggage is better. We've gotten a quote from Smiths for Airports of £150 and that would clearly be the easiest transport option, but is there any chance there's a bus or train option that is equally easy from our flat?  Any chance a bus or train leaves from Vauxhall station and goes direct (no switching or buses or trains)?  I've looked on both the train station website (quite hard to decipher) and the National Express site and if the answer is there, I'm missing it.

 

Well, the train from Waterloo to Southampton passes through Vauxhall, but unfortunately doesn't stop there, so you'll have to take a train up from Vauxhall to Waterloo first. The good news is that the transfer will be level, and pretty easy. And the savings certainly make it worth it: pricing out a random weekday in September, I'm seeing fares at £8/person (checking on the National Rail website).

[scottbee]

On 6/13/2019 at 7:44 AM, EllieinNJ said:

I am going to post this here and in the ask a question portion.

 

We were planning on taking the National Express bus from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton the morning of our cruise, either the 9am or 10am bus for 5GBP each.  Then I read about all the routes from London always congested with traffic and may take quite a bit more time than the 2h 20 min posted.

 

So now I saw that there is a non stop train leaving Victoria Station to Southampton at 9:36am, 2hr 26 min also for 5GBP pp.  Which would you choose and how far in advance to make reservations.  Our cruise is the end of August 2019.

 

It really depends on where in London you're staying.  If you're on the South Bank, the trains from Waterloo are a lot (1hr) faster.

 

Not mentioned here is that you can reach Southampton from all sorts of other stations in London if you're willing to change, or happen to not be staying near the city core.

 

Wimbledon - A lot of the trains from Waterloo call here as well on the way to Southampton

Paddington - train to Reading, change to train to Southampton

Blackfriars or London Bridge - train to Gatwick airport, change to train to Southampton

 

The disadvantage of changing trains is that most of the time you can't get cheap tickets because it's on trains run by two different operators.  However, the additional cost in the ticket may be offset by avoiding a taxi.

 

 

 

[wendyp247]

We will plan to take National  Express from London Victoria at 9 am on a Sunday, is that adequate time to get to Southampton , and then take a taxi to pier?  I’m reading about congested roads and that 2 1/2 is not realistic  for travel time. For those from the area,  do you think 9 am coach allow enough time to get to ship or should we take the 8 am coach  ? Thanks for your advice. I live in Orlando and understand congested roads and highways . 

[John Bull]

4 minutes ago, wendyp247 said:

We will plan to take National  Express from London Victoria at 9 am on a Sunday, is that adequate time to get to Southampton , and then take a taxi to pier?  I’m reading about congested roads and that 2 1/2 is not realistic  for travel time. For those from the area,  do you think 9 am coach allow enough time to get to ship or should we take the 8 am coach  ? Thanks for your advice. I live in Orlando and understand congested roads and highways . 

 

No worries 

Very little truck or business traffic.

And most Londoners heading for the coast will have travelled friday pm or Saturday morning - classic log-jam times.

Sunday is the ideal day. 

And you have a big margin (over 3 hrs) for any unforseeable delay.

 

JB 

 

[wendyp247]

Thanks JB, we will plan to take the 9 am coach as recommend by you.  The train that day is 44  GBP  compared to the coach fare of  5GBP. I appreciate your help.

 

[John Bull]

30 minutes ago, wendyp247 said:

Thanks JB, we will plan to take the 9 am coach as recommend by you.  The train that day is 44  GBP  compared to the coach fare of  5GBP. I appreciate your help.

 

 

£44 is the walk-up train fare.

Even on sundays there are cheap advance tickets on some trains from London Waterloo to Southampton central. 

As low as £9.

Advance tickets available from about 10 weeks out - if your date is later than 29th September you can see the cheap advance fares by choosing a random sunday in September.

Advance tickets are only valid for the train time that you choose, but that's the same with Nat Express coaches.

No cheap advance train fares on trains from Victoria rail station on sundays..

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Probably best to choose between train or coach depending on the location of your London hotel.

 

JB 

Edited July 19, 2019 by John Bull

[windango]

Thanks for the input!  I was pretty sure it couldn't be that simple, but it never hurts to ask!!

[Granny DI]

We wanted something more than just transportation from Heathrow to Southampton.

 

We arrived two days ahead of our cruise and stayed two days after our cruise. I discovered Nick Young of Southampton Chauffeur Hire and Southampton Cruise Tours on TripAdvisor.com.

 

Nick met us at arrivals in Heathrow. We stopped in Winchester on our way to our Southampton hotel. We enjoyed our time in Winchester......we visited there 40 years ago with 3 small children.

 

Nick met us at our ship after the cruise and we were off to Portsmouth for the day. Nick returned us to our hotel in Southampton.

 

Nick picked us up two days later at our hotel for our return to Heathrow. We stopped in Salisbury on the way back to our Heathrow hotel. We had never visited Salisbury and enjoyed our time there.

 

Nick was the ultimate professional. Everything was perfect down to the last detail.

 

You can visit his website or contact him @  enquiries@southamptoncruisetours.co.uk or enquiries@southamptonchauffeurhire.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chk-gnt]

I have decided to take the train from the Waterloo Station to Southampton. Will be going on September 15th at 8:25 getting into Southampton at 10:34. Everything was going good until the point of getting the ticket. I'd assumed that I would be able to just purchase the ticket with a credit card, but could not figure out how to do that. I got to a spot where it said you could pick up your  ticket at the station. Looked at the list of places to do that and did not find Waterloo listed. I need some help, please 😏

 

[Cotswold Eagle]

On 7/18/2019 at 6:00 AM, Twickenham said:

 

Well, the train from Waterloo to Southampton passes through Vauxhall, but unfortunately doesn't stop there, so you'll have to take a train up from Vauxhall to Waterloo first. The good news is that the transfer will be level, and pretty easy. And the savings certainly make it worth it: pricing out a random weekday in September, I'm seeing fares at £8/person (checking on the National Rail website).

 

As a former Vauxhall resident, I’d tend to agree with this advice. But be aware if you are pricing tickets from Vauxhall to Southampton, the permitted change is likely to be at Clapham Junction, not Waterloo. Clapham Junction is in the direction of travel to Southampton, only 4 or 5 minutes from Vauxhall by very frequent trains. 

 

The transfer at Waterloo is easier (and flat as you say), and as it is a terminus there will be more time to find the Southampton train and get settled. It may be best to buy a ticket to Waterloo from Vauxhall (which will be quite cheap) and a separate Advance ticket to Southampton. There are trains calling at Vauxhall every few minutes to Waterloo and again it’s only a 4 minute journey. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

2 hours ago, chk-gnt said:

I got to a spot where it said you could pick up your  ticket at the station. Looked at the list of places to do that and did not find Waterloo listed. I need some help, please 

 

It would help to know which website you are referring to! 

 

The most obvious error might be that you were looking for ‘Waterloo’, when the station you mean is ‘London Waterloo’ - some sites can be pretty sensitive to that. 

[chk-gnt]

Thanks for answering me, I should have added my question to my 1st post. I was on the National Rail Site and was leaving from the London Waterloo station.

[Cotswold Eagle]

1 hour ago, chk-gnt said:

Thanks for answering me, I should have added my question to my 1st post. I was on the National Rail Site and was leaving from the London Waterloo station.

 

You can't actually book tickets on the National Rail site - it redirects you to the appropriate Train Operating Company, in this case, South Western. I just went through for your exact date and London Waterloo defaulted in the pickup selection box - what are you seeing?

 

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

 

You can't actually book tickets on the National Rail site - it redirects you to the appropriate Train Operating Company, in this case, South Western. I just went through for your exact date and London Waterloo defaulted in the pickup selection box - what are you seeing?

 

I think the poster would like to have an actual ticket in hand, and not have to collect it at a station.

[Crown Vic]

Hot off the Press...

- Smith’s...Heathrow to Southampton £75 plus £8 parking at Heathrow (6 July)

- Aquacars...from Southampton QE2 Berth to Heathrow £85 (21 July)

- Tip extra!

Both services provided on time pick up and were very good!

Cheers...CV...

[chk-gnt]

9 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I think the poster would like to have an actual ticket in hand, and not have to collect it at a station.

Thank-you for the help. I finally got everything for my ticket figured out, booked and paid for. I'll be picking up my ticket at the London Waterloo station. Now to get a way from Heathrow  to my hotel 😉

[Turtles06]

On 7/21/2019 at 4:59 PM, chk-gnt said:

Thank-you for the help. I finally got everything for my ticket figured out, booked and paid for. I'll be picking up my ticket at the London Waterloo station. Now to get a way from Heathrow  to my hotel 😉

 

Are you looking for a car service? Blackberry Cars is one of the London-based car services that is recommended here. We’ve used them and I would use them again.