Southampton to Stonehenge to Bath? ALSO London Hotel

We end our cruise in late September in Southampton and are extending 4 nights in London. Although we have been to London before, it has been about 30 years since we were there.

We are considering either the bus trip that goes from Southampton to Stonehenge, Windsor and/or Bath, then on to our London hotel for 4 nights. Or--go directly from Southampton to Salisbury by some form of transportation- where we would leave our luggage at our overnight lodging. Then get a tour that same day to Stonehenge (since we get off the ship early in the morning), return to Salisbury overnight. Take a bus or train to Bath and tour Bath the second day before taking the train to London. I guess that means that we would have our luggage in Bath.

Was unsure of the distances involved and if all this was doable--seems like it is. I just wanted to make sure that we could find transportation get from place to place. Maybe a better question is--should we visit these places?

Should we stay in Salisbury or Bath? or just go on to London? Any suggestions of where to stay in either place?

Also- looking for a hotel that is well located in London for not more than $250 per night. Would also like a free cancellation rate if we book 3 months ahead. Appreciate your input.

Thanks again to all of you nice people taking the time to answer my questions.

It's all quite doable, either by train or, if you're feeling ambitious, by renting a car and driving. The distances involved really aren't that great (well, not for a North American they aren't). One thing is, unless you're set on visiting Salisbury, you could just take the train straight to Bath and take a Stonehenge tour from there. I really love Bath, and it's definitely worth 1-2 nights of your itinerary.

We are catching a train from Southampton to Bath Spa in September and tickets purchased in advance on-line are only GBP6 pp.

We'll stay 2 nights in Bath then hire a car, drive to Stonehenge then to Stratford-upon-Avon for a night before dropping the car outside London and catching a train into Victoria Station near our hotel :)

The cruise tourbus/transfer is good value and an economic use of your time if you want to visit these places on your way to London, though you'll not get a lot of free time - especially Salisbury which if included is no more than a photo-stop.

http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_london_via_stonehenge_bath_windsor_bus.html

(stax of London info on other pages of that website)

Since you've been to London before, and you already plan to spend some time there this time round, perhaps you should spend a little more time at the places you've mentioned.

Renting a car is a good option, it allows you to meander down the byeways. Places like the New Forest, the Dorset downs & villages west of Salisbury and places like Glastonbury, Wells & Cheddar between Dorset & Bath. Can be done in a single day, or overnite at one of those places.

Bath to London has some sights off-route (Lacock, Avebury, Marlborough, Highclere, Windsor - or Cotswolds, Blenheim Palace, Oxford, Henley-on-Thames, Windsor). Or you can beeline on the M4 motorway to Heathrow in under two hours.

Here's a typical two-day touring route:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Southampton&daddr=50.947867,-1.714526+to:51.0638308,-1.7848093+to:51.1758173,-1.8327181+to:51.0835555,-1.8547082+to:50.9496332,-1.9846494+to:51.0016751,-2.1810521+to:50.9537154,-2.5185753+to:51.1418002,-2.7287906+to:51.2720212,-2.7736608+to:51.3765361,-2.353235+to:51.4092112,-2.123568+to:51.4179538,-1.7239999+to:51.3639686,-1.3594523+to:51.4840936,-0.6235118+to:Walrus+Rd&hl=en&ll=51.292841,-1.29364&spn=1.17825,3.666687&sll=51.455932,-0.490265&sspn=0.073378,0.229168&geocode=FQTSCAMdQZLq_ykJKRW-V4lzSDHwcdpMalqMpw%3BFRtnCQMdotbl_ylHdhH8QpJzSDFDKxhEcZMIXA%3BFRYsCwMdF8Tk_yn_BxQNC-xzSDFyIzPGGEK5DQ%3BFYnhDAMd8gjk_ylRziXz0udzSDFHIjwLMTQAaQ%3BFSN5CwMdDLPj_ylBtuN6ielzSDG3hzcyNpk9ng%3BFQFuCQMdd7fh_ylPEZFgKLlzSDGfOo1Sx_nVhw%3BFUs5CgMdRLje_ylDjozoD8pzSDEleJHtTy-p7w%3BFfN9CQMd0ZHZ_yl5UkYPGkdySDH7wi6onMzkyg%3BFahcDAMdqlzW_ynXwLxsZBdySDELW8Fy70gWkA%3BFVVZDgMdZK3V_ykxDwJsgB5ySDEIQqUUABrfrQ%3BFZjxDwMdrRfc_ymr5WOaD4FxSDFWjOJPhbgb2w%3BFTtxEAMd0Jjf_ynPTHBPoHxxSDEc9sMikYDFDA%3BFWGTEAMdobHl_ymbcOUL-FlxSDEkrZmFTAXrnA%3BFYDADwMdpEHr_yl33CdBT6h2SDFP7WjPaiYF1g%3BFb2VEQMdaXz2_ynZvlheGnt2SDGKCgNmLXdaeA%3BFb5eEQMds4b4_w&oq=Windsor&mra=dme&mrsp=15&sz=13&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14&t=m&z=9

Driving in the UK isn't as daunting as it seems, though in cities (like Salisbury & Bath) you're best to park-up in the city & explore on foot. And you should avoid driving/parking in London, other than perhaps direct to the rental depot to return the car - Heathrow airport is ideally located, all the rental agencies are there, & it has good public transport into London.

Car rentals very convenient to Southampton cruise terminals include Hertz, National & Europcar, but Avis is much less convenient - about a £20 taxi ride away at So'ton airport.

Select a car which can accommodate all your luggage in the boot (trunk), since you'll be parked-up with luggage. Crime rates in these places are low, but best to play safe.

You could do much the same with a car & driver for all or part of this, but it would be much more expensive.

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

Alternatively all pretty cheap & easy by train, & the stations are pretty convenient.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

Your stations are Southampton central, Salisbury, Bath Spa, London (all stations)

Salisbury is only 30 minutes from Southampton, half-hourly service, under £10. Stonehenge is much much cheaper & easier to visit from Salisbury than from Bath - a ho-ho bus operates from both the rail station & the city centre, the round-trip including an hour at Stonehenge takes two hours (an hour at Stonehenge is fine for most folk, there's not a lot to see).

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/

You could overnite in Salisbury (limited choice of hotels), but you have plenty of time to train from So'ton to Salisbury, store your luggage at the pub by Salisbury rail station, take the ho-ho to Stonehenge, explore Salisbury centre & cathedral, collect your luggage and continue (same train route, hourly service) to Bath, about an hour away. You'd then have two overnites in the same hotel in Bath, saves the hassle of two hotels.

Bath is worth a full day, then direct train to London (about 2 hours) either that evening (usually cheaper) or next morning.

National Express coach is a good alternative for Bath to London.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/

Coach stations are Bath Spa & London (Victoria coach station)

Lots of options - google these places, check out costings, come back with any queries.

Way too many hotels in London to offer suggestions. But most convenient area is somewhere between Buckingham Palace to the west & The Tower of London to the east, Oxford Street to the north & the south bank of the Thames to the south. And convenient to a tube station & a ho-ho route.

My own preference is the County Hall/London Eye area south of Westminster Bridge - the greatest number of walkable sights & a good compromise between cost & convenience.

I find www.booking.com the easiest & most comprehensive website to use (photos, maps, reviews, etc) & they generally offer free cancellation with something like three days notice.

JB :)

Thanks for your detailed ideas John Bull.

You have now given us something extra to think about. I like the idea of getting off the train at Salisbury and visiting Stonehenge from there then continuing on to Bath.

Do you have to purchase 2 separate train tickets or are you able to get one that allows you to get off and back on?

 

Do you have to purchase 2 separate train tickets or are you able to get one that allows you to get off and back on?

No, I think that - unlike many mainland European countries - you'd need a ticket to Salisbury, then another for Salisbury to Bath.

But the difference is only about £4 (£13.50 vs £8.70 + £9.00).

Your £6 ticket to Bath is for a little later in the morning - so, as with many choices, there's a balance to be struck between time & cost.

Ditto for when you visit Stonehenge.

For driving from Bath to Stratford-upon-Avon, Stonehenge is back-tracking in the other direction & would add something over an hour to your journey time. And that, plus time at Stonehenge will eat into your time in Stratford.

Stopping off on your way to Bath is a little more complicated, but it allows you to also see Salisbury and you have plenty of time that day.

JB :)

Thanks for your help John.

Your fantastic advice means we are now doing as you suggested - Southampton to Salisbury, hoho bus to Stonehenge, then back on the train to Bath.

Perfect :D

Thanks for your help John.

 

Your fantastic advice means we are now doing as you suggested - Southampton to Salisbury, hoho bus to Stonehenge, then back on the train to Bath.

 

Perfect :D

I've just this minute phoned the Cat Tavern (at the end of Salisbury station forecourt) to confirm that their left-luggage service is still available. Yes, available daily 8am to 11pm, charge £3 per bag.

So you'd best make that purr-fect :D

JB :)

(after visiting Stonehenge, get off the ho-ho in Salisbury city centre to enjoy its sights & cathedral. Then ho-ho or regular bus or taxi or 10-15 min walk back to the station (for the distance involved it's not worth waiting for the ho-ho if one's not due for a while)

I've just this minute phoned the Cat Tavern (at the end of Salisbury station forecourt) to confirm that their left-luggage service is still available. Yes, available daily 8am to 11pm, charge £3 per bag.

 

So you'd best make that purr-fect :D

 

JB :)

 

(after visiting Stonehenge, get off the ho-ho in Salisbury city centre to enjoy its sights & cathedral. Then ho-ho or regular bus or taxi or 10-15 min walk back to the station (for the distance involved it's not worth waiting for the ho-ho if one's not due for a while)

JB - great tips; I wish I had thought to ask on CC sooner about leaving luggage somewhere on the way from Southampton to London while visiting Salisbury. I searched CC previously and thought there weren't good options so we decided to book Vic's Taxi to collect us at the pier, store our luggage, and sightsee at Salisbury and Stonehenge. They offered to take us to Bath but we couldn't give it the time it deserved so we are getting dropped off in London. More expensive than the train or bus but less expensive than other tour options I had explored.

I will definitely keep your instructions in mind for future. Thank you!

Fifa - lots of hotel options but I did find a 99 GBP room at St Giles Hotel - mediocre trip advisor reviews but location is prime.

Thank you all for suggestions--especially John Bull. Would like to spend only one night in Bath and then on to London. Have cousins to visit there along with sight seeing. Already booked a room at the Henrietta House B&B. Anyone familiar with it?

Is it too much back-tracking to take the train directly from Southampton to Bath and then get a tour to Stonehenge the same day? Husband would like to visit Stonehenge either dusk or dawn. Haven't located a tour for those specific times.

Either way, we would have part of one day and most of the next to wander around Bath and then get late afternoon or evening train into London.

I'm afraid you'll not be able to access Stonehenge at dawn. The Summer Solstice is the only day that the stones are available at dawn.

In September sunrise is around 6.30am, sunset around 7.00pm.

In September public opening hours are 9.30am to 6.00 pm.

You can book a private tour with access to the inner circle for somewhere around 90 minutes pre-opening or post-closing, a max. 26 visitors in total at any time.

You'll not find any seat-on-bus Stonehenge tours being advertised for these times, you make your own arrangements.

This is very much for the dedicated enthusiast/scholar. The visitor centre isn't open at these times so no audio-guides (folk normally book a guide), no refreshments & possibly no bathroom. A new Visitor Centre is currently under construction, though I doubt that'll make any difference.

I recall driving a private coach group for early-morning access, picking up the guide in Salisbury. After Stonehenge they tramped on foot from the nearest road to some barrows (burial mounds). While I stayed with the coach & drank coffee ;).

Opening hours here

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/prices-and-opening-times

For out of hours access click on Access.

IMHO (and I know I'm out-of-step with my American cousins ;)) Stonehenge is disappointing. And very much more disappointing if you've had to get out of bed at daft-o'clock & dig deep in your pocket.

In your circumstances, the vast vast majority of visitors would travel to Bath at a sensible time of day, breaking their journey at Salisbury/Stonehenge as per my last post.

JB :)

"IMHO (and I know I'm out-of-step with my American cousins ) Stonehenge is disappointing. And very much more disappointing if you've had to get out of bed at daft-o'clock & dig deep in your pocket.

In your circumstances, the vast vast majority of visitors would travel to Bath at a sensible time of day, breaking their journey at Salisbury/Stonehenge as per my last post."

Thanks--I enjoy your sense of humor. After looking at a map, the plan of stopping at Salisbury/Stonehenge on the way to Bath makes more sense. Will explore the left luggage options. Wish there was a bus trip that had just that itinerary--Southampton to Salisbury/Stonehenge (with a stop) and then on to Bath.

Wish there was a bus trip that had just that itinerary--Southampton to Salisbury/Stonehenge (with a stop) and then on to Bath.

Well, there is that cruise tour-transfer bus (via http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_london_via_stonehenge_bath_windsor_bus.html ) that you mentioned in your first post.

If it's operating that day, even for a different ship, you could book it & bale out at Bath (as long as you tell the driver before he piles everyone else's bags on top of yours). Means wasting the "free" transport from Bath to Windsor to hotel, and if it stops in Salisbury it'll only be for a photostop.

£69, but avoids the £5-£8 taxi hop to the station, train fares, luggage storage at £3 per bag, & Stonehenge ho-ho fares - I'll leave you to do the maths, but it's an option.

National Express scheduled coaches are no good for you. They don't go to Stonehenge, and the 8 - 10 miles from Salisbury to Stonehenge is a long walk, even without luggage ;)

BTW, http://www.booking.com/ usually offer free cancellation on many hotels with a few days notice.

JB :)

Thank you all for suggestions--especially John Bull. Would like to spend only one night in Bath and then on to London. Have cousins to visit there along with sight seeing. Already booked a room at the Henrietta House B&B. Anyone familiar with it?

 

Is it too much back-tracking to take the train directly from Southampton to Bath and then get a tour to Stonehenge the same day? Husband would like to visit Stonehenge either dusk or dawn. Haven't located a tour for those specific times.

 

Either way, we would have part of one day and most of the next to wander around Bath and then get late afternoon or evening train into London.

If memory serves, I stayed in a B&B on the same street--possibly Henrietta House--on my first overnight visit to Bath, in my youth, more than half a lifetime ago. In any case, in the more-than-half-a-lifetime since, I've walked past it many times. The location is excellent--a very quiet street, but just around the corner from Pulteney Bridge and the center of town. (A five-minutes' stroll.)

Also just around the corner (in the opposite direction) is Henrietta Park, one of Bath's hidden gems, all but unknown to tourists. Don't tell anyone I told you about it!;)

http://www.cityofbath.co.uk/Parks_rec/body_henriettapark.html

http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/attractions/henrietta-park-p25071

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186370-d213417-Reviews-Henrietta_Park-Bath_Somerset_England.html

By the way, I'm completely in step with my cousin John Bull when it comes to Stonehenge. Over the better part of a half century, I've travelled the length and breadth of Great Britain, from Land's End to (almost) John O'Groats, and spent considerable time in tiny out-of-the-way villages in Cornwall, Somerset, Shropshire, and Yorkshire (among other counties) that most Britons have never heard of. But for some strange reason, I've never been to Stonehenge--and have never had the desire to go there. As they say in certain parts of the States: "Go figure.";)

"Renting a car is a good option, it allows you to meander down the byeways. Driving in the UK isn't as daunting as it seems, though in cities (like Salisbury & Bath) you're best to park-up in the city & explore on foot.

Car rentals very convenient to Southampton cruise terminals include Hertz, National & Europcar, but Avis is much less convenient - about a £20 taxi ride away at So'ton airport.

Select a car which can accommodate all your luggage in the boot (trunk), since you'll be parked-up with luggage. Crime rates in these places are low, but best to play safe.

You could do much the same with a car & driver for all or part of this, but it would be much more expensive.

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/"

Thank you again for all of your suggestions! Looked briefly into car rental--one way-Southampton to Bath, but not sure we want to do that. My DH likes to meander and it would take us longer to drive ourselves, than be chauffeured!

For auto transmission with prepayment on Autoeurope.com, the cost was about $114 with insurance or about 75 GBP. Hertz didn't seem to have a one way drop off price unless I was doing something wrong. National with one way drop off charge would be $233. Has anyone used Autoeurope? I am a little hesitant to pre-pay. They have a 72 hr cancellation, but we will be on the ship 72 hrs before. Still have to get from our dock to the car rental place by taxi.

I also received a quote from 2 private car services--one for 140 GBP and the other 150 GBP to take us from the cruise ship terminal to Salisbury to Stonehenge and on to Bath. Do those quotes seem good? One was Vic's Taxi and the other was Taranis travel. Got both names off of this board. Any experience with these companies?

 

Thank you again for all of your suggestions! Looked briefly into car rental--one way-Southampton to Bath, but not sure we want to do that. My DH likes to meander and it would take us longer to drive ourselves, than be chauffeured!

 

For auto transmission with prepayment on Autoeurope.com, the cost was about $114 with insurance or about 75 GBP. Hertz didn't seem to have a one way drop off price unless I was doing something wrong. National with one way drop off charge would be $233. Has anyone used Autoeurope? I am a little hesitant to pre-pay. They have a 72 hr cancellation, but we will be on the ship 72 hrs before. Still have to get from our dock to the car rental place by taxi.

 

I also received a quote from 2 private car services--one for 140 GBP and the other 150 GBP to take us from the cruise ship terminal to Salisbury to Stonehenge and on to Bath. Do those quotes seem good? One was Vic's Taxi and the other was Taranis travel. Got both names off of this board. Any experience with these companies?

Autoeurope's depot is just behind City Cruise Terminal. You could walk there, collect the car, return to the terminal to collect your bags. But a taxi will only cost about £5. Or up to £7 from any other cruise terminal.

We've frequently hired from Autoeurope throughout Europe (though never locally) with no problems.

Both taxi companies are Salisbury-based, though I don't know either.

You could use a Southampton or Bath-based company, but since Salisbury is en-route the "empty" mileage will be the same for all three. The price sounds toward the top end, but certainly not a rip-off - and I don't know how long that includes at each stop.

You could get a quote from one more, www.smithsforairports.com who are frequently recommended on this forum by CC members cruising out of Southampton, and are generally very competitive on price. Don't worry about the "for airports" tag.

JB :)

Coincidentally, I just now received a reply from Smiths: "the cost would be £280 plus £5 parking, this include 1 hours at Salisbury and 1 hour at Stonehenge."

This is twice as much as the others! Just to be safe, I emailed one of the companies back to make sure their quote was for both of us and not per person.

I've just this minute phoned the Cat Tavern (at the end of Salisbury station forecourt) to confirm that their left-luggage service is still available. Yes, available daily 8am to 11pm, charge £3 per bag.

 

(after visiting Stonehenge, get off the ho-ho in Salisbury city centre to enjoy its sights & cathedral. Then ho-ho or regular bus or taxi or 10-15 min walk back to the station (for the distance involved it's not worth waiting for the ho-ho if one's not due for a while)

Thank you so much John. I really appreciate your help and advice.

Fifa - lots of hotel options but I did find a 99 GBP room at St Giles Hotel

I have already booked the Hilton Bath City at 75GBP per night. As a Hilton Diamond member I get free breakfast, upgrade and internet so I think it's great value.

We booked Taranis Travel for our transfer/tour at the end of September. We will go from Southampton to Salisbury, Avebury, Stonehenge and ending in Bath in the late afternoon.

We will report how everything went after the trip. Barry was very prompt in his emails and his price was not much more than taking the bus tour on London toolkit.

We booked Taranis Travel for our transfer/tour at the end of September. We will go from Southampton to Salisbury, Avebury, Stonehenge and ending in Bath in the late afternoon.

 

We will report how everything went after the trip. Barry was very prompt in his emails and his price was not much more than taking the bus tour on London toolkit.

That's a good selection of places, I live in Wiltshire and love all these sights, although I have to say Avebury has more to offer than Stonehenge... (In my opinion!)

September is a lovely time of year to visit, I hope you enjoy all of your holiday, it's a shame you don't have longer to explore England's treasures!

Have fun :)

My husband and I are home from our cruise and, as promised, I am reporting back about our experience with Taranis travel. Barry picked us up in Southampton, dropped us off in Salisbury for about 2 hours. We had time to tour the cathedral and also walk into town and have lunch. He then picked us up and took us to Stonehenge and waited for us while we took the audio tour. We then stopped in Avebury to see the stone circles there. We ended up in Bath, where Barry dropped us off at the door of our hotel.

I highly recommend Taranis Travel. Barry was very quick in answering our email and open to adjustments to our itinerary-- the price was right, too. The car was spotless and he was a very nice man and pleasant to talk to.

As an aside, we loved Stonehenge!! Avebury was older and probably had more of a history, but I really was trilled by seeing Stonehenge--for what that is worth:)

We end our cruise in late September in Southampton and are extending 4 nights in London. Although we have been to London before, it has been about 30 years since we were there.

 

We are considering either the bus trip that goes from Southampton to Stonehenge, Windsor and/or Bath, then on to our London hotel for 4 nights. Or--go directly from Southampton to Salisbury by some form of transportation- where we would leave our luggage at our overnight lodging. Then get a tour that same day to Stonehenge (since we get off the ship early in the morning), return to Salisbury overnight. Take a bus or train to Bath and tour Bath the second day before taking the train to London. I guess that means that we would have our luggage in Bath.

 

Was unsure of the distances involved and if all this was doable--seems like it is. I just wanted to make sure that we could find transportation get from place to place. Maybe a better question is--should we visit these places?

Should we stay in Salisbury or Bath? or just go on to London? Any suggestions of where to stay in either place?

 

Also- looking for a hotel that is well located in London for not more than $250 per night. Would also like a free cancellation rate if we book 3 months ahead. Appreciate your input.

 

Thanks again to all of you nice people taking the time to answer my questions.

We ended our cruise in Southampton last year in June and our friend in London recommended to hire private car with driver for the transfer , Southampton to London and we have requested to visit Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor. It was a day trip and the driver was nice (helped us with the bags), the car was comfortable and the fare was about 250 pounds and we were 2 couples. You can find them on http://www.london-transfers.co.uk