Southampton

Ok I am early but like to plan ahead

we will be in Southampton post cruise next June for a few days

1) want to go to Portsmouth should we pre book the bus or do you think we could just get ticket on the day?

2) should we pre book our ticket to Heathrow on NE bus before we leave home or would booking 3-4 day in advance work out? Would be travelling on a Sat afternoon (hopefully)

3) we will have 3.5-4days any suggestions on where to do a short day trip?

We have Portsmouth waterfront museums & the Spitfire museum so far on our list ...

visit relatives ...maybe ;) (DH has not committed to that yet)

Thanks

Lyn

Hi Lyn,

My computer currently belly- up, this on my IPad, scuse the typos and absence of links.

To Portsmouth.

Any coach is worth booking cos seats are limited, one large group can screw availability, and frequency is limited.

But for Portsmouth take the train instead. No prepurchase or reservation required, buy your day-return at ghe station. Service I think is half hourly and direct and a day-return ticket is only about 12 pounds. Take it to the end of the line, Portsmouth Harbour. Its the same place as the coach goes, right by the historic ships n dockyard and the spinnaker tower. Multiple entry ticket to dockyard so you can break up your day - mebbe bus or taxi hop to Southsea Seafront - little free Southsea castle, D- day museum, hovercraft, loads of other attractions and views across to Isle of Wight.

Heathrow bus

Definitely book ahead, for the reasons above

Places to visit from Southampton.

Can,t detail on my IPad, but search this Britain form and elsewhere using key words

Salisbury

Stonehenge

Bath

Winchester

Oxford

Portsmouth and Southsea of course

Chichester

Arundel

Weymouth

All using direct train routes inexpensive on day-return tickets and with good frequency. Salisbury to Stonehenge by hoho, a bit of a walk from Arundel station to town, shorter walk from Winchester station to town (local bus to Winchester is an option, the bus station is right by the cathedral), all the others are easy to explore on foot once you've arrived.

Or New Forest hoho but needs a local bus to Lyndhurst to meet its routes.

or Queen Victorias Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight. Needs Red Funnel ferry Southampton to East Cowes (or fast ferry to Cowes then interesting walk and free chain ferry to East Cowes) then 10 minute local bus ride to Osborne House.

More options if you have a car.

JB :)

Thanks John

I was thinking of Weymouth as last time we did not spend much time in the town & it did look charming

Will look at some of the other options you have given

We will not be driving DH is adamant on that ;)

Thanks again

Lyn

Lyn,

If you are thinking about Weymouth, then why not try Poole.

Good train service from Southampton and journey one hour shorter than to Weymouth.

Pleasant stroll down the High street from the Station to the town quay, from where there are boats trips around the harbour, including trips to Brownsea Island (a pretty nature reserve island, owned by the National Trust and where the very first Scouting camp took place).

Google Brownsea Island and Poole for more information.

You would also have the opportunity to break your journey at Brockenhurst on the way back to Southampton.

One point, if you decide to use the train to get around.

If in your googling you come across a reference to a railway station named Lyndhurst Road, don't for one minute think that the railway station is anywhere near to Lyndhurst. It is not and, although you will still come across references to it, was actually renamed as Ashurst some years to avoid this confusion. Lyndhurst is not on the rail network.

Similarly with Beaulieu Road station which is also in the middle of nowhere and around equidistant from both Lyndhurst and Beaulieu.

Duplicate: DELETED

Lyn,

 

If you are thinking about Weymouth, then why not try Poole.

 

Good train service from Southampton and journey one hour shorter than to Weymouth.

 

Pleasant stroll down the High street from the Station to the town quay, from where there are boats trips around the harbour, including trips to Brownsea Island (a pretty nature reserve island, owned by the National Trust and where the very first Scouting camp took place).

 

Thanks will add those to the list

One day will pin DH down & see what he would like to do

cannot overload him with too much info;)

Lyn

But for Portsmouth take the train instead. No prepurchase or reservation required, buy your day-return at ghe station. Service I think is half hourly and direct and a day-return ticket is only about 12 pounds. Take it to the end of the line, Portsmouth Harbour.

 

JB :)

John

I noticed when searching there are 2 train companies listed

National Rail & South west

Does it matter what one to use??

Thanks again

Lyn

John

I noticed when searching there are 2 train companies listed

National Rail & South west

Does it matter what one to use??

 

Thanks again

Lyn

National Rail simply brings together timetables etc for all the train operators in the UK. SW Trains are the operators of most of your potential routes, but some are operated by Southern Trains.

Theoretically no difference whose website you use, the details and prices should be the same, but KISS by using the National Rail website for all.

There are other websites, The Train Line, and Megatrain, offering cut-price tickets, but not for the ldestinations i've quoted, they're for longer and more expensive journeys.

BTW, yes I forgot Poole (around the Quay). And Bournemouth, though it has nothing like the variety of Weymouth. Both by direct train. And Lymington, with one change of train.

JB :)

Thanks JB

WE will probably just go to the station on the day we are travelling & get sorted out there :D

Lyn

Thanks JB

WE will probably just go to the station on the day we are travelling & get sorted out there :D

 

Lyn

Yep. Simplest bet for those day-trips.;)

Use the ticket office rather than machines, and ask for day-return tickets. You can use GBP or cards.

Check times on the web and give yourselves fifteen mins or more to buy tickets and get to the right platform.

When you check times, do it for a same- day return and see if there are price differences for early outbound trains. On some routes the cheap day-returns, usually about the same price as a one-way ticket, are only available for trains after commuter time. But no restriction on which trains for the return journey as long as its same day.

You can buy various Rail Cards - Seniors, Two Together, etc. which give you discounted fares. But they cost about 40 pounds, and you won't save that by using them for a few fairly local day trips.

JB :)

Lyn,

Excellent advice from Corfe Mixture and from John Bull, as always. If I may just add my two cents'/ tuppence worth:

For all the destinations previously listed--with two important exceptions--off-peak return (round-trip) tickets purchased on the day at Southampton Central will be your least expensive option, and should be fine for all or almost all journeys you will make, as JB says.

The two major exceptions to this general rule are Oxford and Bath. There are an almost bewildering variety of tickets & fares between Southampton and Oxford /Bath (aka Bath Spa). If you are planning to visit either of these towns, you will save a considerable amount of £££ by purchasing your tickets up to 12 weeks in advance, online. (You collect the actual physical tickets at Southampton Central, or any station, at any time before you travel to Bath/Oxford.)

The only drawback to the Advance tickets is that you have to designate the specific trains (both going and returning) when you purchase the tickets; those tickets are only good for those specific trains.

As for which particular towns to visit, aside from Portsmouth--well, I'll let you and DH work that out between yourselves!:D

Thanks Post Captain

We will probably be in line with the off peak times ..I am not an early morning person;)

We probably will not be going to Oxford or Bath but I am sure others will benefit from the information

We are past the "have to see everything" stage ;)

Lyn

Thanks Post Captain

 

You're welcome!

We will probably be in line with the off peak times ..I am not an early morning person;)

 

Ah, you sound like me.:D

We probably will not be going to Oxford or Bath but I am sure others will benefit from the information

 

We are past the "have to see everything" stage ;)

Me too.;) (For what it's worth, I've been to every place mentioned in this thread so far, except Weymouth and Brownsea Island. Oxford more often than I can count; ditto, Bath.)

 

FWIW... Just to be contrary, in nearly 50 years of travelling throughout the UK I've never been to Stonehenge!:cool:

 

Lyn

Cheers, and bon voyage!

SW Trains are the operators of most of your potential routes, but some are operated by Southern Trains.

First Great Western are the best ones to use for Southampton to Portsmouth. FGW services go to Portsmouth Harbour and only stop at Fareham, Cosham, Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea on the way. Very few South West Trains services from Southampton Central go beyond Portsmouth & Southsea station and they stop everywhere taking around 20mins more.

First Great Western are the best ones to use for Southampton to Portsmouth. FGW services go to Portsmouth Harbour and only stop at Fareham, Cosham, Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea on the way. Very few South West Trains services from Southampton Central go beyond Portsmouth & Southsea station and they stop everywhere taking around 20mins more.

good information thanks

Are all these different train companies out of the same station??

so many to choose from

good information thanks

 

 

 

Are all these different train companies out of the same station??

 

so many to choose from

Yes from Southampton Central.

good information thanks

 

Are all these different train companies out of the same station??

so many to choose from

Hence using the National Rail website is simplest, just the one website layout to figure and it details the services of all operators.

The infrastructure - the track, the stations etc - are effectively run by the Govt and the operators just run the trains.

So, for example, Southampton central station for all your trains.

London is a little different because it has a ring of stations and, for instance, SW trains from Southampton run to London Waterloo and Southern trains run to London Victoria. But the actual London station names are quoted on the websites

JB :)

Thanks everyone

We have 1 train company here VIA .... simple :D

last year we spent 5 wonderful nights at premier inn west quay

each morning after scrumptious breakfast we took a taxi to each town -

took the local bus back each afternoon - except in salisbury where

our driver took the friday off and waited for us to return -

winchester, portsmouth, salisbury, one day we just stayed locally

& enjoyed the titanic museum & the oldest house

both cathedrals in winchester & salisbury are magnificent

after the harbor cruise in portsmouth, toured the mary rose museum

which had just opened in may 2013 -

has to be the most fascinating/awesome one we've ever seen !!!

you can easily take the train to these places

my review of all these places and why we took taxi is under princess cruises forum

Thanks everyone

 

 

 

We have 1 train company here VIA .... simple :D

Not true at all. I can think of at least three that run from Vancouver (via, amtrak, rocky mountaineer)

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Hence using the National Rail website is simplest, just the one website layout to figure and it details the services of all operators.

 

 

 

The infrastructure - the track, the stations etc - are effectively run by the Govt and the operators just run the trains.

 

So, for example, Southampton central station for all your trains.

 

London is a little different because it has a ring of stations and, for instance, SW trains from Southampton run to London Waterloo and Southern trains run to London Victoria. But the actual London station names are quoted on the websites

 

 

 

JB :)

Actually some stations are run by the rail operating company and not Railtrack/govt. In London, Marylebone jumps to mind as its operated by Chiltern... But closer to home Southamtpon central and Bournemouth are run by south west.

Not true at all. I can think of at least three that run from Vancouver (via, amtrak, rocky mountaineer)

 

 

True I was not counting private tourist trains ..in that case there are several more

I did not know Amtrak ran in Canada ...from Toronto to N.F. it is VIA then they switch engines to Amtrak at the border

Actually some stations are run by the rail operating company and not Railtrack/govt. In London, Marylebone jumps to mind as its operated by Chiltern... But closer to home Southamtpon central and Bournemouth are run by south west.

Err, yep.

I was trying to outine in simplest terms a complex privatisation of the railways, which in those simplest terms created a govt-owned organisation called Network Rail to provide the infrastructure and sold franchises to private organisations to run the trains.

But strictly- speaking you're correct. Stations are generally managed on behalf of Network Rail by the franchised operator which mainly uses that station. In Southampton that's SW Trains, though First Gt Western and Southern also use the station.

Makes no odds to the passengers, it's a train station with trains.

No need to know the train operators, you just look up the trains to wherever you want to go and choose the one which best suits your timing and depth of pocket.

Some franchisees are better than others in terms of efficiency, time-keeping and standard of rolling-stock.

Life used to be much simpler when the railways were nationalised, same as electricity, household gas, telephones, water, the post office, and countless other bits of infrastructure.

Then the Maggie and others decided that the services would be better-run by the private sector, and be less of a drain on the taxpayer. Selling off the family silver also helped swell the Govt coffers, and selling it cheaply created a few millionaires, but that has more to do with politics than trains.

The old old dilemma of public service or private enterprise.

Which is better depends on ones own experience. Certainly its more up-to-date, mebbe because more has been invested or mebbe just because of the passage of time.

Which is more economical depends on whose figures you believe. :rolleyes:

One thing's for sure. Like those other services, It's way more complicated than it used to be, especially for those of us who use the trains infrequently.

Hence for those local journeys, stick to the national Rail website and don't worry about the name on the side of the train.

JB :)

We have 1 train company here VIA .... simple :D

Au contraire, my brother/sister. We have many railway companies and lines in Canada. We narrow minded in Ontario, think only of Via, Go, Ontario Northland, but there are many more across this great country:D

True I was not counting private tourist trains ..in that case there are several more

I did not know Amtrak ran in Canada ...from Toronto to N.F. it is VIA then they switch engines to Amtrak at the border

It's an Amtrak train from Vancouver-Seattle-Portland-Eugene. As for 'not counting private tourist trains'; that's the whole point JB was making. In the UK the track, and major station infrastructure is run by a govt agency; but the actual trains are run privately. Not really much different model from airports which are predominantly run by governments; whereas private companies run the actual flights. The UK tried (and failed in spectacular fashion) to outsource the running of the track infrastructure, but it's back to being govt.