Jump to content

King Arthur and Stonehenge


Recommended Posts

We are staying 2 nights at Heathrow, which gives us one full day to visit King Arthur (Glastonbury) and Stonehenge. Is it doable to see both? Or just focus only on King Arthur?

 

As Americans (who drives on the wrong side of the road :-)), will it be difficult to drive from Heathrow to Glastonbury and Stonehenge? Or best to find a tour?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Jen

 

Google has the total journey at 5 hours, so allow six.

You'll need 90 minutes at Stonehenge, mebbe 2 to 3 hours in and around Glastonbury, which puts the time up to about 10 hours.

So yes, since you have no time constraints it can be done, though it will be a long day.

 

Because it'll be a very full day, best to stick to the main roads. That means most of the driving will be on divided highways and very simple routing, and there'll be plenty of other traffic which will automatically keep you on the correct side of the road. Most of which is irrelevant because your car will be right-hand drive so it's fairly natural.

Folk tend to go wrong when they set off with no traffic around, or when they make a turn, and you'll be doing very little of that. You're more likely to try to use the door handle to change gear :D

Which reminds me, rental cars tend to be shift-stick, if you need automatic be sure to specify.

 

You do also need to be aware of different rules of the road.

For instance

On multi-lane roads you drive in the nearside lanes and only overtake on the offside. Similar to recommendations on many rural inter-states in the US, but in the UK it's the law & not just a recommendation. And lane discipline is important in the UK.

A red light means stop. No turn-out on red.

Lots of roundabouts (traffic islands) in the UK - you'll cross quite a few between Stonehenge & Glastonbury. Unless signed otherwise, priority is given to traffic already on the roundabout - so you yield to traffic as you approach & once you're on the roundabout traffic wanting to join gives way to you.

Google "tips for Americans driving in the UK" & you'll come up with hints like http://www.rotorbrain.com/foote/follies/ukdriving.htm

(nb that one's quite old - gas is now about £1.15 per litre)

 

Stonehenge now operates pre-booked timed admission (half-hour windows). If you don't arrive during that time window, or you pay admission on-the-day, you may be delayed if the site is fully-subscribed - that kinda depends on your date / day-of-the-week.

For that reason, head to Stonehenge first (M3, A303). It's about 90 minutes from Heathrow. Because it's less-busy early in the day you should have no problem with immediate access if you arrive ahead of time. There are audio-guides at Stonehenge.

The road from Stonehenge to near Glastonbury is a main road, most but not all divided highway (still A303). The last 10 miles (A372 and B3151) are on minor roads, but not a problem. Journey time something over an hour.

 

Long before you reach Glastonbury you'll see Glastonbury Tor.

This is reputedly Arthur's Isle of Avalon. That kinda makes sense, because until the medieval monks of Glastonbury, Wells & other abbeys drained it the area around Glastonbury was marshland which stretched all the way to the Bristol Channel. But be warned - other towns in England also lay claim, including Chester (near Liverpool) and Tintagel in Cornwall.

Glastonbury Abbey was the second-richest abbey in the country (after Westminster Abbey) and it's claimed that when the abbey was sacked by Henry V111 (dissolution of the monasteries) its treasure was buried in the Tor.

Pretty stupid idea, because the Tor is also reputed to be the entrance to the underworld. :rolleyes:

It's also on a leyline to Stonehenge if you believe in such things.

 

 

http://www.palden.co.uk/leymap/historical-overview.html

 

Glastonbury Abbey is in the town centre, it's a ruin due to that Henry V111 "dissolution of the monasteries". The claimed tombs of Arthur and Guinevere at the Abbey are a con. Not a modern-day con perpetrated by local traders to attract American tourists, but a 13th century con by the monks to attract pilgrims :D

Glastonbury is the spiritual home of the occult - witches and such. Always a sprinkling of locals and visitors in outlandish garb, lots of shops to cater for them.

 

All that, plus the local farmyard cider, and it's no surprise that Glastonbury has by far the UK's highest number of UFO sightings LOL.

 

To return to Heathrow you have 3 main choices.

Option 1. Re-trace your outbound route. About 2hrs 30.

Option 2. Take the A39 toward Bridgwater for about 23 miles to the M5 and then the M4 back to Heathrow. This is a bit of a loop but other than that first 23 miles it's all motorway and very very simple. And about the same journey time.

Option 3. A variation of option 2 if you have the time (add 15 to 45 minutes) & the inclination. Take the A39 in the opposite direction, to Wells (mebbe into town for a drive-by or short stop at the cathedral) then the A371 past Wookey Hole, mebbe a drive up Cheddar Gorge & back down again, and join the M5 near Weston-Super-Mare, then M4. This is the option shown on this route

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Heathrow+Airport+Terminal+3,+Heathrow+Airport+(LHR),+Longford,+Hounslow+TW6+1AT/Stonehenge,+Amesbury/Glastonbury/51.5269912,-1.6907852/Heathrow+Airport+Terminal+3,+Longford/@51.1661065,-2.3850735,9z/data=!4m37!4m36!1m5!1m1!1s0x487673cd3278a04b:0x7745cf10b0211870!2m2!1d-0.456729!2d51.471893!1m10!1m1!1s0x4873e63b850af611:0x979170e2bcd3d2dd!2m2!1d-1.826215!2d51.178882!3m4!1m2!1d-2.6914954!2d51.0270775!3s0x487215a8bf35fafb:0xeb4aa087ad143729!1m10!1m1!1s0x4872162ed610f935:0xe0aaa17b465769db!2m2!1d-2.718454!2d51.147427!3m4!1m2!1d-2.7244616!2d51.2390197!3s0x48721ed621aa51b3:0x4dbf5d98c5fef5fc!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x487673cd3278a04b:0x7745cf10b0211870!2m2!1d-0.456729!2d51.471893!3e0

 

The route from Heathrow past Stonehenge & on past the Glastonbury turn-off is pretty evil on a summer Saturday morning, it's a main route to the beaches of the south-west.

If it's a Saturday you need to make a super-early start (depart Heathrow area by 8am) at the latest. By the time you leave Stonehenge the traffic will have built up so the A303 will be pretty slow in places. Reversing your route would help a little, but the M5 will be similarly slow in that direction.

 

Is this pre-cruise? Heading for a ship at Southampton?

Consider a hotel for the second night at Glastonbury or somewhere en-route Glastonbury - Southampton or in Southampton. Then return the car to Southampton.

 

JB :)

Edited by John Bull
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Jen

 

Google has the total journey at 5 hours, so allow six.

You'll need 90 minutes at Stonehenge, mebbe 2 to 3 hours in and around Glastonbury, which puts the time up to about 10 hours.

So yes, since you have no time constraints it can be done, though it will be a long day.

 

Because it'll be a very full day, best to stick to the main roads. That means most of the driving will be on divided highways and very simple routing, and there'll be plenty of other traffic which will automatically keep you on the correct side of the road. Most of which is irrelevant because your car will be right-hand drive so it's fairly natural.

Folk tend to go wrong when they set off with no traffic around, or when they make a turn, and you'll be doing very little of that. You're more likely to try to use the door handle to change gear :D

Which reminds me, rental cars tend to be shift-stick, if you need automatic be sure to specify.

 

You do also need to be aware of different rules of the road.

For instance

On multi-lane roads you drive in the nearside lanes and only overtake on the offside. Similar to recommendations on many rural inter-states in the US, but in the UK it's the law & not just a recommendation. And lane discipline is important in the UK.

A red light means stop. No turn-out on red.

Lots of roundabouts (traffic islands) in the UK - you'll cross quite a few between Stonehenge & Glastonbury. Unless signed otherwise, priority is given to traffic already on the roundabout - so you yield to traffic as you approach & once you're on the roundabout traffic wanting to join gives way to you.

Google "tips for Americans driving in the UK" & you'll come up with hints like http://www.rotorbrain.com/foote/follies/ukdriving.htm

(nb that one's quite old - gas is now about £1.15 per litre)

 

Stonehenge now operates pre-booked timed admission (half-hour windows). If you don't arrive during that time window, or you pay admission on-the-day, you may be delayed if the site is fully-subscribed - that kinda depends on your date / day-of-the-week.

For that reason, head to Stonehenge first (M3, A303). It's about 90 minutes from Heathrow. Because it's less-busy early in the day you should have no problem with immediate access if you arrive ahead of time. There are audio-guides at Stonehenge.

The road from Stonehenge to near Glastonbury is a main road, most but not all divided highway (still A303). The last 10 miles (A372 and B3151) are on minor roads, but not a problem. Journey time something over an hour.

 

Long before you reach Glastonbury you'll see Glastonbury Tor.

This is reputedly Arthur's Isle of Avalon. That kinda makes sense, because until the medieval monks of Glastonbury, Wells & other abbeys drained it the area around Glastonbury was marshland which stretched all the way to the Bristol Channel. But be warned - other towns in England also lay claim, including Chester (near Liverpool) and Tintagel in Cornwall.

Glastonbury Abbey was the second-richest abbey in the country (after Westminster Abbey) and it's claimed that when the abbey was sacked by Henry V111 (dissolution of the monasteries) its treasure was buried in the Tor.

Pretty stupid idea, because the Tor is also reputed to be the entrance to the underworld. :rolleyes:

It's also on a leyline to Stonehenge if you believe in such things.

 

 

http://www.palden.co.uk/leymap/historical-overview.html

 

Glastonbury Abbey is in the town centre, it's a ruin due to that Henry V111 "dissolution of the monasteries". The claimed tombs of Arthur and Guinevere at the Abbey are a con. Not a modern-day con perpetrated by local traders to attract American tourists, but a 13th century con by the monks to attract pilgrims :D

Glastonbury is the spiritual home of the occult - witches and such. Always a sprinkling of locals and visitors in outlandish garb, lots of shops to cater for them.

 

All that, plus the local farmyard cider, and it's no surprise that Glastonbury has by far the UK's highest number of UFO sightings LOL.

 

To return to Heathrow you have 3 main choices.

Option 1. Re-trace your outbound route. About 2hrs 30.

Option 2. Take the A39 toward Bridgwater for about 23 miles to the M5 and then the M4 back to Heathrow. This is a bit of a loop but other than that first 23 miles it's all motorway and very very simple. And about the same journey time.

Option 3. A variation of option 2 if you have the time (add 15 to 45 minutes) & the inclination. Take the A39 in the opposite direction, to Wells (mebbe into town for a drive-by or short stop at the cathedral) then the A371 past Wookey Hole, mebbe a drive up Cheddar Gorge & back down again, and join the M5 near Weston-Super-Mare, then M4. This is the option shown on this route

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Heathrow+Airport+Terminal+3,+Heathrow+Airport+(LHR),+Longford,+Hounslow+TW6+1AT/Stonehenge,+Amesbury/Glastonbury/51.5269912,-1.6907852/Heathrow+Airport+Terminal+3,+Longford/@51.1661065,-2.3850735,9z/data=!4m37!4m36!1m5!1m1!1s0x487673cd3278a04b:0x7745cf10b0211870!2m2!1d-0.456729!2d51.471893!1m10!1m1!1s0x4873e63b850af611:0x979170e2bcd3d2dd!2m2!1d-1.826215!2d51.178882!3m4!1m2!1d-2.6914954!2d51.0270775!3s0x487215a8bf35fafb:0xeb4aa087ad143729!1m10!1m1!1s0x4872162ed610f935:0xe0aaa17b465769db!2m2!1d-2.718454!2d51.147427!3m4!1m2!1d-2.7244616!2d51.2390197!3s0x48721ed621aa51b3:0x4dbf5d98c5fef5fc!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x487673cd3278a04b:0x7745cf10b0211870!2m2!1d-0.456729!2d51.471893!3e0

 

The route from Heathrow past Stonehenge & on past the Glastonbury turn-off is pretty evil on a summer Saturday morning, it's a main route to the beaches of the south-west.

If it's a Saturday you need to make a super-early start (depart Heathrow area by 8am) at the latest. By the time you leave Stonehenge the traffic will have built up so the A303 will be pretty slow in places. Reversing your route would help a little, but the M5 will be similarly slow in that direction.

 

Is this pre-cruise? Heading for a ship at Southampton?

Consider a hotel for the second night at Glastonbury or somewhere en-route Glastonbury - Southampton or in Southampton. Then return the car to Southampton.

 

JB :)

 

JB - Awesome advice! Thank you so VERY much!!! This is better info than the 4 hours I spent on google yesterday.

 

This will be the tail end of our 3 weeks European trip. We will arrive into Heathrow from Rome (after a week cruise) on Tuesday late afternoon and fly to NYC mid-morning Thursday. So that essentially gives us Wednesday to do something.

 

I will do more research on rental cars in England. I wasn't sure how expensive it would be (rental, insurance and gas) vs hire a driver (or Uber or Lyft).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with hiring a driver is that you have to pay for all the waiting time. I suppose it depend on how you feel about driving here.

 

Depending on how late on Tuesday, you could pick up a car and head off towards Stonehenge. I see that there is a Holiday Inn nearby which should be fine for you. https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/wiltshire/xsrsp/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=mdpr-_-GoogleMaps-_-HI-_-XSRSP

 

On Wednesday you could even apply for one of the early morning slots to get a real close-up view (Plebs are kept well away by a fence during the day). http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/stone-circle-access-visits/#

 

You would then have plenty of time to see Glastonbury (The climb to the Tor is quite steep) and The Cathedral at Bath before heading back to drop off the car and a night at a hotel near LHR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of my thinking is along the same lines as Bob's.

 

There's no harm in comparing the costs of a car with driver, and a rental car.

To the cost of a rental car add for CDW excess waiver (cheaper on the internet than from the rental agency) and about £30 for gas, but I still think you'll see a big difference.

The route/s I've suggested are pretty easy driving.

A wednesday isn't a bad day for the trip.

 

The first night near Stonehenge (mebbe Salisbury?) will save a total of mebbe 2hrs 30 next morning collecting the car & driving to Stonehenge.

But that will take you over the 24 hours rental period.

And do check sunset time on your dates, I always try to avoid driving in the dark straight from arrival in unknown territory, in an unknown vehicle, and on the "wrong" side of the road.

 

I'll mebbe disagree with Bob about early-morning Inner Circle slots at Stonehenge, They are really for serious enthusiasts. I don't know if things have changed with the new visitor centre, but I drove an early-morning group a few years back. They had a guide (and audio-guides weren't available at that time of day), & all the facilities were closed - my coach had a bathroom & coffee machine.

 

JB :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We already pre-booked the hotel at the airport (non-refundable). The idea behind that was to drop our bags immediately and be done with it. The flight is not bad - we are coming from Rome to London that afternoon - few hours flight I believe.

 

I read more online about driving (in addition to JB's post) about driving in England. Car rental prices are not bad at all. However, what concerns me are some of the post about rental car "damages" in the UK. Not sure if there is any validity to them.

 

We live in a community that is based on King Arthur. All street names and public buildings are King Arthur-related. Although interesting enough, we do not have a Camelot street. Anyway, we thought this would be a cool learning experience for our daughter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flight time from Rome is about 2.5 hours, though it's well under 2 hours between departure time & arrival time because UK time is an hour behind mainland Europe.

Sounds like you'll have a pretty easy day on the tuesday, so no problem making an early start on wednesday.

 

 

As elsewhere, car rentals usually include CDW, but with a big excess, typically over $1000 /

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no idea what happened with my post, only few lines transmitted & couldn't edit..

Try again ............

 

Flight time from Rome is about 2.5 hours, though it's well under 2 hours between departure time & arrival time because UK time is an hour behind mainland Europe.

Sounds like you'll have a pretty easy day on the tuesday, so no problem making an early start on wednesday.

 

 

As elsewhere, car rentals usually include CDW, but with a big excess, typically over $1000 /

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's see if the whole of this post appears.....

 

It'll cost you $1000 if you wreck the car because CDW covers you for damage, but not the first $1000 of damage. So for instance if you just damage a wheel & tyre that's within the excess so its at your cost. Same in US and Europe. You can buy extra insurance against that $1000 excess (so you have nil liability) but rental agencies charge mebbe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

£40 for that extra insurance.

 

I buy insurance to cover that excess from one of many insurers on the internet for just a couple of £ (buy in advance, no need to quote the licence plate). I've never had to claim, but the way it works is the rental agency takes the cost of damage out of your deposit, and you claim a refund from that internet insurer.

 

So in the unlikely event that the rental agency want to claim from you for pre-existing damage you get your money back & let the insurer and rental agency argue it between them.

 

 

 

 

I've heard stories about rental agencies claiming for pre-existing damage - in the UK, in Europe, in the States, and especially in Banana Republics - it's rare and I don't think it's any more prevalent in the UK than elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

JB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In essence, if you go online in the USA and look for CDW insurance you will find several reputable companies offering it for a modest price. If you buy it at the car rental desk, and be sure that they will try to persuade you, it is a lot more expensive.

 

It pays to examine a rental car carefully when collecting it; taking pictures as well. The big name rental companies are pretty good, but some of the cheaper one have been known to charge users for some minor bit of damage that was already on the car.

 

Normally you get a car with a full fuel tank and they will charge you for re-filling it after you return it. They always charge a lot more than the general pump price, so filling it up just before you hand it back is a good plan - time permitting of course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for the tips! After some thought we are going to have to wait for this on another trip. It would be too much for one day's travel. I checked for private driver and it's a lot!

 

Any suggestion on anything around Heathrow? DH and our daughter do not want to do Windsor Castle.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

The Heathrow Airport was amazing to me. It's a tourist attraction all on its own. I was there for the first time last week. I could have easily spent 3-4 hours window shopping. There is a Gucci store and a Chanel store, among other high-end stores, exquisite restaurants. It's truly an enjoyable place to visit in London. When I go back, I'll allot more time at the airport.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for the tips! After some thought we are going to have to wait for this on another trip. It would be too much for one day's travel. I checked for private driver and it's a lot!

 

Any suggestion on anything around Heathrow? DH and our daughter do not want to do Windsor Castle.

 

Thanks!

We stayed overnight in a Heathrow hotel, took a taxi back to LHR that the hotel booked for us, and went into the city via underground to visit the British Museum and a variety of other places. It worked really well.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/great-britain/travel-tips-and-articles/king-arthur-in-britain-where-to-find-the-truth-behind-the-legend

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We stayed overnight in a Heathrow hotel, took a taxi back to LHR that the hotel booked for us, and went into the city via underground to visit the British Museum and a variety of other places. It worked really well.

 

 

I'd love to know what hotel you booked and other details. DH and I will be in England for a week after our TA from Tampa to Southampton. TIA

 

 

Cruising NCL [emoji925] with Raleigh Traveler

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd love to know what hotel you booked and other details. DH and I will be in England for a week after our TA from Tampa to Southampton. TIA

 

 

Cruising NCL [emoji925] with Raleigh Traveler

We stayed here for two nights after our Norway cruise. http://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-heathrow-airport-m4j4.html

I'm a little fuzzy on the details but think we took a ships transfer to Heathrow then the little Hoppa bus to the hotel where we met my brother. We spoke with the front desk about a taxi and they ordered it for the next morning. The driver took us to the the terminal closest to the underground access and we took it into the city. http://www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/getting_here.aspx

I could have spent days in there!

From there we walked to Covent Garden to meet family for a very special lunch http://rules.co.uk/

After that we aimed for the river and walked along the embankment for a while and the returned by underground to the hotel and taxi. The next day we headed back to the US via Iceland.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread has gone a long way from King Arthur and Stonehenge!

 

Lots of people stay at Heathrow as described and have a good experience, but do consider staying in London itself. Staying st the airport incurs extra expense (e.g. the horrible Hoppa or taxis to/from the airport) and wasted time (the long tube journey to central London). You also lose the convenience of being able to pop back to your hotel during the day for a rest or wash-up before dinner.

 

I wouldn't even think of the airport hotels for more than 1 or 2 nights.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...