What stops to make from Heathrow to Southampton?

I will be hiring a private driver to take us from Heathrow to the pier. Originally I was going to do Windsor and Stonehendge together going and Bath coming back but since it is a holiday weekend that may be to aggressive timewise. I am now thinking of just doing Windsor going down and Stonehendge coming back. What else can I combine with Stonehendge? I am going to save Bath for a day trip.Thanks

Southampton has the Titanic Musuem; that is where she launched from on her maiden voyage.

I will be hiring a private driver to take us from Heathrow to the pier. Originally I was going to do Windsor and Stonehendge together going and Bath coming back but since it is a holiday weekend that may be to aggressive timewise. I am now thinking of just doing Windsor going down and Stonehendge coming back. What else can I combine with Stonehendge? I am going to save Bath for a day trip.Thanks

Windsor is quite near Heathrow; good choice

Stonehenge is about 20 miles NW of Southampton, not that far out of the way.

Bath on the other hand; is 65 miles NW of Southampton whereas Heathrow is 65 miles NE. You're talking about a fair bit of driving.

We stopped at Salisbury after Stonehenge on our way to the port. Our driver picked us up from 3 separate London hotels starting at 0830, we then dropped my son off at Heathrow and from there drove to Stonehenge and Salisbury. Salisbury was quite rushed and we arrived at the port at about 3pm. I would think if you do Windsor and Stonehenge, you may have your time filled.

You could actually spend quite a while at Windsor if you want to take your time and see it all.

If you go to Stonehenge (something you should do once, but once is enough), you can go through Salisbury to Southampton. North of Salisbury there is a site called Old Sarum. It's a rather interesting place to visit, and takes less than an hour to tour.

Something to remember is that Windsor and other historic sites don't necessarily open first thing in the morning. Make sure you check the times that you can visit. We thought we could get ahead of the game by making an early start from London, only to find out that we had to kill some time over coffee in Windsor waiting for the castle to open for visitors.

Stonehenge is very close (20 minutes) to Salisbury. Salisbury has one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England, and it is well worth visiting. Also there is a rather nice "Buttery" - snack bar - at the cathedral and this is a good place for a quick and inexpensive bite to eat.

If you visit the cathedral do not miss the Chapter House. it is just lovely.

There is a useful basic map of travelling times between the main places of interest on a Heathrow - Southampton transfer/tour togeher with links to detailed popular itineraries for these customised trips.

Heathrow - Southampton Tour Transfer Map

Salisbury is the usual city to combine with Stonehenge, it has a superb cathedral (tallest spire in the UK) and is quite charming & olde-England, not the homogenous type of city that one sees throughout the UK and the world, and its on your route to Stonehenge.

Incidentally, the prices quoted on the website suggested by HandfordR seem rather high.

But there are other places which may be more suited to individual interests, eg Roman or Norman history, antique autos, Navy, flying, literature etc etc. - if you give me a few clues I can come up with suggestions

One other matter to consider - if you are returning to Heathrow at the end of a bank holiday (sometimes even a regular summer sunday if its late in the day), both the A303 and the M3 can be very very slow due to Londoners returning. Heathrow from Southampton involves the M3, from Stonehenge it involves both. It might be worth reversing your plans, as long as your flight time gives you enough time to do justice to Windsor. That way you'll be ahead of the congestion, with only a short drive from Windsor to Heathrow - and any driver worth his salt knows his way from Windsor to Heathrow without mixing it with the motorway traffic.

John Bull

There is a useful basic map of travelling times between the main places of interest on a Heathrow - Southampton transfer/tour togeher with links to detailed popular itineraries for these customised trips.

 

Heathrow - Southampton Tour Transfer Map

Thank you so much for posting this link! It provides access to the exact information that we were looking for as we wanted transportation between London and Southampton that included a stop at Stonehenge. Now if we could only find hotels for our first and last night stay....