Stonehenge & Bath Tour

[twoatsea]

Me again! We (DH, adult DS, & I) will be in London arriving Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008 & departing early morning on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. DH & I have been to London twice, DS only part of one day for a quick look at the British Museum (awesome!).

 

DS very much wants to see Stonehenge & the Roman Baths in Bath, & we agree it would be great siteseeing.

 

I found London Walks, but it does not do the combo. I found Anderson Tours - pick up & drop off close to hotel, tour bus, only GBP45 pp. But since it is by bus & not train, takes 2 hours to get back & forth. Possibly that cannot be avoided; maybe no company gives tours with train transport.

 

Anyone have any other tour recommendations or ideas?

 

Thanks

[handfordr]

 

Anyone have any other tour recommendations or ideas?

 

Thanks

 

Stonehenge is quite remote, 30 minutes from the nearest rail station at Salisbury. Of the tours, the Andersons Tour is the only tour I know of that just does Bath and Stonehenge giving you the afternoon in Bath.

All the other tours cram in a 3rd destination, the most poular being Windsor which means you don't really get enough time in Bath to do it justice.

 

If rail is your preferred method of travel, you could take the train independently to Bath from London Paddington on a day return. Everything in Bath is very close together and the Roman Baths are only 10 minutes walk from the station.

You could then take an afternoon tour to Stonehenge using Mad Max Tours.

http://www.madmax.abel.co.uk/

 

Then have an early evening wander around Georgian Bath and something to eat before an evening train back to London

[Fblack]

This tour brings back memories. We took a tour of Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath a number of years ago. We stopped in Salisbury wherein my wife had a big ice cream cone.

 

We don't know what happened, but she never saw much of Bath. By the time we got there she had a terrible case of "turrista". She spent the whole time in a toilet at a local restaurant. To this day we laugh about it, but at the time it was not very funny.

[Nymue]

Try Golden Tours, we have been very happy with them!

[twoatsea]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I emailed Madmax. I found Golden Tours, but their website reads that they are not offering tours from 10/8 thru 11/8 & we will be there 11/2-11/6! I did email them & ask.

 

Any others suggestions are welcome. Anyone heard of Vic's Taxi? I found his website, but his email is not listed. Just click for contact. When I click, an email program that my pc will not accept comes up & I can't see his email! Anyone know it?

 

Fblack, she wasn't supposed to "drink the Bath water"! Sorry, couldn't pass it up! Glad you laugh at it now, because it sounds so awful!

[dfwguy62]

I used Viator tours for my bus-based day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. They picked up at central London hotels. I had no problems with them. I think I booked it thru Expedia's website, but it was arranged thru Viator.

 

http://www.viator.com/London/d737-ttd

[tally10]

We found Astral Tours on the internet prior to our transatlantic cruise in April 2007. They picked us up in a mini bus about a block from our hotel. The tour was Stonehenge, Bath, and the Cotswolds. There were only 11 of us plus the driver and guide (who was a professor of history). What a fantastic day for the money! In Bath, we went our own way and could tour, eat lunch, or whatever and just met back on the mini bus at the prearranged time. I got so much out of it-far more than the London HoHo bus that we had used several trips prior to this one. It was worth every penny!

[twoatsea]

Thanks, Tally10, but I've been advised that Astral Tours has gone out of business.

 

dfwguy62, thanks for the viator info.

[handfordr]

Thanks, Tally10, but I've been advised that Astral Tours has gone out of business.

 

dfwguy62, thanks for the viator info.

 

Astral Tours indeed went out of business last October. A company called International Friends does their most popular tours, but much less frequently than Astral using mainly ex Astral staff.

 

Viator are just an agent used by people like Expedia, so you're paying two lots of people commission. The Viator tours to Bath are actually performed by Evan Evans and Premium Tours tours that have their own web sites and you can purchase direct from.

 

Both International Friends and FCMBS will do a private bus charter with experienced driver/guide for the day (10 hours). International Friends charge 500 GBP for a 16 seater, FCMBS do an 8 seater for 425 GBP,. People like Harry Norman will do a private car for about 350 GBP, though Harry doesn't like 'long' days which you may not need.

[PINEY10]

We used Tours of the Realm with Denise--it was wonderful. We were picked up at Dover and two fabulous days touring southern England, including Stonehenge, Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral (incredible to say the least), Chartwell (Churchill's estate), Avebury (in some ways more impressive than Stonehenge), and Bath. Denise and her cohort on this tour, Jane Martin, were sensational and fun. I would recommend them highly.

 

I love the British Museum as well although my artifacts (the literary ones) were put into the British Library (quite a hop away from the Museum).

 

Enjoy!

[twoatsea]

Piney10, was all of that in 1 day? How long did it take. Do they structure tours to the buyer's request? How much?

 

TRAIN QUESTION - How difficult is it for us to take the train from London to Bath? Does it cost a lot & does the price go up if not purchased in advance? Are there seats if not purchased in advance?

 

I was thinking we could take about the 7am train to Bath, tour Bath & the sites there on our own (I think the Roman Baths open at 9am), lunch in Bath, & then join Scarper Tours (GBP14 pp) at 1pm for a 3 hour tour of Stonehenge & the surrounding areas. Back to Bath after the tour, & train back to London. How does that sound?

[PINEY10]

Could be a very long day. We did it in 2 days--it really covers a lot of territory. You probably could do it by train subject to the train schedules. I could have spent the whole day in Bath--one of the most charming towns. I was there many years ago (1974) and the baths have been even more excavated. It was great and the audio tour is the best. If you go to several of the places like stonehenge and the baths you may want to get the Heritage Pass (I think that' s it)--it got us into many of the sites (Chartwell, Hever Castle, Stonehenge, the Baths, Hampton COurt, and other places). You will need to price it to see if it is cheaper for where you want to go. It was a handy thing to get.

[helpthejuggler]

Piney10, was all of that in 1 day? How long did it take. Do they structure tours to the buyer's request? How much?

 

TRAIN QUESTION - How difficult is it for us to take the train from London to Bath? Does it cost a lot & does the price go up if not purchased in advance? Are there seats if not purchased in advance?

 

I was thinking we could take about the 7am train to Bath, tour Bath & the sites there on our own (I think the Roman Baths open at 9am), lunch in Bath, & then join Scarper Tours (GBP14 pp) at 1pm for a 3 hour tour of Stonehenge & the surrounding areas. Back to Bath after the tour, & train back to London. How does that sound?

 

The Journey from London Paddington to Bath Spa is direct and so easy.

Sadly leaving London around 7AM and leaving Bath early evening is 133GBP per adult - yikes since this includes some peak time travel.

 

Booking more than a few weeks ahead is worthwhile so you can get an advance fare - This can bring the prices down some.

 

an example could be

Outward 9:00AM > Bath 10:25AM for £20.50

Return 18:43 PM > London 20:15PM for £9.50.

 

As you would be off-peak, seats should not be a problem and travelling in the morning will give you daylight as you ride to Bath and still allow what you have planned.

 

Try www.thetrainline.com - have a look at the '2 singles could be cheaper' options to buy 2 Advance Singles.

[twoatsea]

Well, I obviously put the cart before the horse! I decided to take the train to & from Bath & use a tour company from there for Stonehenge. But.....I didn't check the cost of the train tickets first! I should have.

 

helpthejuggler, I did finally check the prices at the times we want, & found the price is 147 pounds! - yikes! for sure! Total that for 3 of us & wow, what we could do with over $750! And we do not want to return later in the day, because that indeed would be too long a day for us.

 

So, back to the drawing board! We have decided to do a guided bus tour with RT London - about 50 pounds pp. Not our favorite choice, & enough time in Bath & Stonehenge - no. But at least we will get to 'see' Bath & Stonehenge. Hopefully there will be another trip with more time for these sites.

 

OK, with help from all of you, I've figured out how to get from/to Gatwick to our hotel in South Kensington, & I've figured out the best way for us to see Stonehenge & Bath. NEXT ASSIGNMENT for me - find a hotel near Gatwick for our last nite - have been convinced that we leave too early in the morning to transport from London. So, I'm off & running again! Wish I wasn't such a tightwad - I'd hire a travel agent to do all of this for me!

 

Genuine thanks to everyone for all of your help.

[helpthejuggler]

Well, I obviously put the cart before the horse! I decided to take the train to & from Bath & use a tour company from there for Stonehenge. But.....I didn't check the cost of the train tickets first! I should have.

 

helpthejuggler, I did finally check the prices at the times we want, & found the price is 147 pounds! - yikes! for sure! Total that for 3 of us & wow, what we could do with over $750! And we do not want to return later in the day, because that indeed would be too long a day for us.

 

So, back to the drawing board! We have decided to do a guided bus tour with RT London - about 50 pounds pp. Not our favorite choice, & enough time in Bath & Stonehenge - no. But at least we will get to 'see' Bath & Stonehenge. Hopefully there will be another trip with more time for these sites.

.

 

Sorry, The UK rail network is ridiculously expensive for travel at the peak times, although it can be acceptable only if you are flexible.

 

Personally, I wouldn't try to pair Stonehenge and Bath in one day but some tours from London may include both. If you were to sacrifice one or the other, I drop Stonehenge (controversial, I know). Have you considered Avebury if you really want 5000 year old stone circles. On the whole it is a better choice IMHO.

 

I can recommend the Roman Baths tour.

In the past couple of years this has now also reopened as an authentic Thermal Spa - which may be worth a look if you fancy something unique

http://www.thermaebathspa.com/

[PINEY10]

Helpthejuggler, I agree on Stonehenge--it can kind of be anticlamactic. We liked Avebury so much better--you could touch the stones and also see the burial mounds and tombs. That is not to say that Stonehenge is not interesting but I was a little underwhelmed the first time when I saw the barriers to it. The audioguide is great, though.

 

It will be a full day with both. We were in the area so it was easier for us to do.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Why not rent a car and stay over in Bath? And I agree Stonehenge can be a letdown--I've always wanted to see Avebury. Winchester is also a nice town that's on the wayl Or Exeter. Plenty to see coming and going.

 

You might want to rent somewhere on the outskirts, perhaps the airport?

[helpthejuggler]

Piney - I haven't used the audioguide for Stonehenge but did in the Roman Baths (liked it).

 

Wendy - I'd back up your car-hire suggestion as once you leave London it is a straight road (M4) and you can get to Avebury from the M4 and see lots more.

 

Suggest Winchester/Salisbury/Portsmouth as good pairings with Stonehenge and all are interesting places.

 

Exeter would be a long drive though to do a return trip in one day and see anything worthwhile at the same time.

 

Staying in Bath would be good or if you just drive to Bath use the Park and Ride next to the racecourse as traffic is busy and parking costs are high.

[PINEY10]

We stayed at Thornbury Castle--not to far from you in Wiltshire--and that was probably one of the highlights of our trip. Pretty reasonably priced and what a glorious place to stay. It is a castle where reputedly Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII stayed but the castle is beautiful, lovely garden, great service, etc. Not far from Bath and Stonehenge/Salisbury areas.

[twoatsea]

I'm not that excited in going to Stonehenge either. But DH & adult DS want to go, so we are going! They also want to see the Roman Baths in Bath. Haven't found any guided bus tours RT London that do Avebury, Stonehenge, & the Roman Baths.

 

None of us want to mess with a car rental. DH & I plan to self tour England, Wales, & Scotland on some future trip & will rent a car then.

 

Thanks everyone; lots of good info on here.

[SF Cfan]

I wouldn't overlook Salisbury if you are going to Stonehenge. It's a pretty town, and Salisbury Cathedral is spectacular. One of the original copies of the Magna Carta is there as a bonus. The architecture in Salisbury is quite different from Bath. It's a nice contrast.

 

I'm in the minority of friends and family that have been to Stonehenge; once you get passed the fact that it looks smaller in person I think it's a neat attraction. Most are a little disappointed. But, you really don't need much more than 30-45 minutes there, not to mention there seems to be a permanent cold wind blowing across the Salisbury Plain.

 

By the way, a group of 6 of us did Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Bath in one day via train out of London Waterloo. We set out initially to do Salisbury and Bath for sure and if we could find an easy bus connection near the Salisbury train station we would do that too.

 

1. We bought off peak return tickets from Waterloo to Salisbury and separate return tickets from Salisbury to Bath. This was cheaper than purchasing a Waterloo - Bath - Padington ticket.

 

2. There was a Salisbury city bus that ran from the train station out to Stonehenge. It waited for about 45 minutes and then brought us back to Salisbury.

 

3. We had a look around Salisbury & the Cathedral before taking the train up to Bath for the late afternoon & early evening.

 

4. It was a long day, but very enjoyable. I think we got back to London after midnight.

 

The tour that you found at 50 GBP per person sounds like a good deal. But, I thought I would share my experience with you since it mirrored what you are setting out to do.

[twoatsea]

SF Cfan, thanks for that info. You have a lot more stamina than I do! Sounds like a interesting siteseeing tour though. I've prepared my 2 guys for what folks have said about Stonehenge not being that great. So, hopefully they will not be disappointed. We much prefer going inside the circle, but those tours are not given in November - maybe another trip!

[uk-ladies]

Given the choice of Bath or Stonehenge I'd opt for Bath anyday. Easy for me to say that though because as a child I went to Stonehenge many times on school trips but that was in the days when we were allowed to touch ALL the stones. I've been back once since being an adult and although I have good memories of the things we got up to there, quite frankly, it does no more for me now than it did when I was a child. Obviously the history of the stones is very interesting but if I were visiting another country and paid alot of money to get to a historic site I would be most disappointed if it were like Stonehenge but that's just my opinion. Bath on the other hand is beautiful and steeped in history, lots to do and see and really a very pretty English town.

[twoatsea]

Thanks, UK-Ladies. We will definitely get to Bath. That's why I wanted to take the train rather than a guided bus tour. On our own we have more time in Bath.

 

Now, I'm back to taking the train. I posted a thread on Fodors & was advised to price the trip one leg at a time. Got GBP 9 pp outbound & GBP 24 pp inbound! So the price is about the same as the bus tour. So, we are once again discussing doing this day trip on our own!

 

But we will definitely see Bath.

 

Thanks

[LKN-NC]

I know you have pretty much ruled this out, but the London Walks tour of Salisbury/Stonehenge with Richard was awesome. Salisbury is a very interesting town and the side trip to Stonehenge was nice. Agreed that its a tad underwhelming but we were glad to see it.

 

If things change, don't hesitate to consider the London Walks tour.