Dover to Southampton June 2023

[nybumpkin]

DH and I are doing a Norwegian Fjords cruise in early June 2023, returning to Dover 18 June. We then travel to Southampton to board the QM2 on 23 June to return to the US. I'm trying to plan the 5 days between sailings. While DH has driven in the UK before (with stick shift, no less!), I don't think he's inclined to do it this time - so I think it's going to be trains. My one "must" is Winchester - I wanted to visit when we cruised QM2 in 2019 but it didn't work out. Any thoughts/suggestions for an itinerary between Dover and Southampton?

[John Bull]

By coincidence, there's a current thread about transfer in the opposite direction.

It's a shame it's not the same date or you could have negotiated a two-way deal with a transfer operator.

But read the suggestions in that thread about private transfers, buses and trains and reverse them.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2913257-transfer-from-southampton-to-dover-cruise-ports/#comment-64779297

 

If you want to overnite in Winchester instead of Southampton, all trains from London Waterloo stop at Winchester as do about a third of the Nat Express buses - on each bus time click on the information icon, then "show calling points"

By train, Winchester to Southampton is only 10 - 15 mins .

 

JB 🙂

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

By coincidence, there's a current thread about transfer in the opposite direction.

It's a shame it's not the same date or you could have negotiated a two-way deal with a transfer operator.

But read the suggestions in that thread about private transfers, buses and trains and reverse them.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2913257-transfer-from-southampton-to-dover-cruise-ports/#comment-64779297

 

If you want to overnite in Winchester instead of Southampton, all trains from London Waterloo stop at Winchester as do about a third of the Nat Express buses - on each bus time click on the information icon, then "show calling points"

By train, Winchester to Southampton is only 10 - 15 mins .

 

JB 🙂

However, the other post was a same day transfer; this one has 5 days to plan.

[gumshoe958]

9 hours ago, nybumpkin said:

DH and I are doing a Norwegian Fjords cruise in early June 2023, returning to Dover 18 June. We then travel to Southampton to board the QM2 on 23 June to return to the US. I'm trying to plan the 5 days between sailings. While DH has driven in the UK before (with stick shift, no less!), I don't think he's inclined to do it this time - so I think it's going to be trains. My one "must" is Winchester - I wanted to visit when we cruised QM2 in 2019 but it didn't work out. Any thoughts/suggestions for an itinerary between Dover and Southampton?

Most UK car hire places will rent you an   automatic so if it’s only that that’s dissuading your husband from driving, it’s worth asking.

 

Otherwise, London is the obvious place to visit as all roads and railways between Dover and Southampton lead there.

 

Or there’s Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor and Salisbury/Stonehenge which are all easy day trips from London by train.

[John Bull]

If you want to do some exploring between Dover and Southampton you need a rented car. A rather circuitous route could include Canterbury, Chatham (or Portsmouth)  Historic Dockyard, Leeds Castle, Hever Castle, Brighton, Beachy Head & the Seven Sisters, Chichester and the Weald & Downland Living Museum, Portsmouth/Southsea, and Winchester.

Google those places to see what you think. Start your google search "visit xxxx"

https://goo.gl/maps/LK4LR8CLBR1LKvso9

 

Train routes (and inter-city buses) are quite fragmented in the south because, as per Gumshoe's post most routes lead to London - witness the advice on the Southampton-to-Dover question.

So yes, London is the easiest base for exploration by train or by tour bus, and for travel from Dover and to Southampton - but accommodation is super-expensive and roads are slow & busy.

 

Unless you want to visit London (I'm guessing you've been-there done-that), if you want to explore by train a Southampton base is very convenient because it's a railway junction, much less expensive and much less over-whelming that the big bad city. And of course you're on the doorstep for your cruise.

See my post at 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2913540-departing-from-southampton-uk-travel-advise-wanted/#comment-64783122

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by John Bull

[phabric]

15 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

If you want to overnite in Winchester instead of Southampton, all trains from London Waterloo stop at Winchester as do about a third of the Nat Express buses - on each bus time click on the information icon, then "show calling points"

By train, Winchester to Southampton is only 10 - 15 mins .

 

JB 🙂

When I took the National Express in 2018, LHR-London Victoria- Winchester, the bus dropped us off on the Main Street in Winchester.

 

This year, I took National Express, LHR- a passenger stop in Winchester- Southampton.  The stop in Winchester was in a car park so taxi waiting to take into the town.

 

One time, we rented a car in Southampton and stayed in Southampton.  We used Southampton as a base and each day drove to a difficult place.

[John Bull]

15 minutes ago, phabric said:

When I took the National Express in 2018, LHR-London Victoria- Winchester, the bus dropped us off on the Main Street in Winchester.

 

This year, I took National Express, LHR- a passenger stop in Winchester- Southampton.  The stop in Winchester was in a car park so taxi waiting to take into the town.

 

One time, we rented a car in Southampton and stayed in Southampton.  We used Southampton as a base and each day drove to a difficult place.

 

Yes, used to be by King Alfred's statue in the Broadway - very convenient.🙂

Disagreement with the city council couldn't be resolved so it's now at a park-and-ride carpark on the outskirts - not so convenient. 😟

 

JB 🙂

[nybumpkin]

13 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Unless you want to visit London (I'm guessing you've been-there done-that), if you want to explore by train a Southampton base is very convenient because it's a railway junction, much less expensive and much less over-whelming that the big bad city. And of course you're on the doorstep for your cruise.

See my post at 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2913540-departing-from-southampton-uk-travel-advise-wanted/#comment-64783122

 

JB 🙂

 

JB, thanks so much for your input. I'm thinking that a stay in either Southampton or Winchester and doing day travel likely will be our best option. Personally I'd love to visit Hever Castle, but that's not an option unless we rent a car or hire a driver. DH isn't averse to driving, but just isn't interested in dealing with a rental on this trip.

 

And for the record, we love London - much like NYC, no matter how many times we visited we'd always find new places to visit.💗

[phabric]

4 minutes ago, nybumpkin said:

JB, thanks so much for your input. I'm thinking that a stay in either Southampton or Winchester and doing day travel likely will be our best option. Personally I'd love to visit Hever Castle, but that's not an option unless we rent a car or hire a driver. DH isn't averse to driving, but just isn't interested in dealing with a rental on this trip.

 

And for the record, we love London - much like NYC, no matter how many times we visited we'd always find new places to visit.💗

I stayed at Mercure Winchester Wessex hotel (www.all.accor.com).  The hotel is in the heart of the city.  The hotel is on the grounds of the Winchester Cathedral.

 

When I stayed there in 2018 National Express Coach dropped us off very near the hotel.  They now drop you off in a car park.

 

We used West Quays car service to take us from the hotel to Southampton day of the cruise.

 

 

[John Bull]

12 minutes ago, nybumpkin said:

JB, thanks so much for your input. I'm thinking that a stay in either Southampton or Winchester and doing day travel likely will be our best option. Personally I'd love to visit Hever Castle, but that's not an option unless we rent a car or hire a driver. DH isn't averse to driving, but just isn't interested in dealing with a rental on this trip.

 

And for the record, we love London - much like NYC, no matter how many times we visited we'd always find new places to visit.💗

 

If you plan to travel daily without a car, Southampton is a far more convenient base than Winchester - most day-trips by train from Winchester would involve a change of train in Southampton, which has trains in six directions.

And ferries.

Suggested trips linked in my earlier post.

Also a much wider range of hotels, shops, restaurants, etc etc.

Winchester is just a 15 minute train ride, return fare £8, well worth a day-trip.

 

Brief details of Southampton city centre hotels on this website, including a useful thumbnail map  https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

To give you an idea of scale Southampton Central station (green A) is a 15-minute walk from Pig-in-the-Wall boutique hotel (blue 7)

 

JB 🙂

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