What to do pre-cruise in Southampton

[capriccio]

We are on a British Isles cruise in August 2013 and plan to arrive in GB at least 2 days early. We have visited London many, many times and will spend at least one night post cruise. What recommendations do locals/past cruisers have for sightseeing in/around Southampton? We don't have a problem with renting a car and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Should we arrive even earlier? Thanks for your advice!

[scottbee]

Originally Posted by capriccio

We are on a British Isles cruise in August 2013 and plan to arrive in GB at least 2 days early. We have visited London many, many times and will spend at least one night post cruise. What recommendations do locals/past cruisers have for sightseeing in/around Southampton? We don't have a problem with renting a car and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Should we arrive even earlier? Thanks for your advice!

Stonehenge (about 20 miles NW of Southampton)
National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (10 miles SW of Southampton)
Maritime Museum in Portsmouth (15 miles SE of Southampton)


are popular choices

[John Bull]

Originally Posted by capriccio

We are on a British Isles cruise in August 2013 and plan to arrive in GB at least 2 days early. We have visited London many, many times and will spend at least one night post cruise. What recommendations do locals/past cruisers have for sightseeing in/around Southampton? We don't have a problem with renting a car and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Should we arrive even earlier? Thanks for your advice!

Check out these places on Google, clockwise west to east:

A corner of the New Forest & Beaulieu by ferry & taxi.
Easy day

The New Forest by train or bus then ho-ho
Full but easy day

The New Forest by car
Very easy day or half-day, or add Beaulieu

Corfe Castle / Lulworth Cove / Durdle Door / Weymouth & Portland / Jurassic coast / Bridport / Dorchester / Sherborne / Shaftesbury / a corner of the New Forest
A very full day of touring by car, you'll need to prune this list a little.

A corner of the New Forest / Shaftesbury / Glastonbury / Chedddar Gorge / Wells / Salisbury
A very full day touring by car.

Salisbury / Stonehenge by train & ho-ho
Easy day

Salisbury / Bath by train
Fairly easy day

Salisbury / Stonehenge / Bath
Full day by car.

Salisbury by train
Very easy day or half-day

Bath by train
Easy day

Windsor by car.
Easy day, or add Winchester or other places

Winchester by train
Very easy day or half-day

Portsmouth & Southsea by train
Very full but easy day

Chichester / Arundel by train
Easy day.
Or add Weald & Downland Museum (Singleton), all by car.
Full but easy day

Isle of Wight by car ferry / car

And don't forget Southampton itself. Not a tourist city, but certainly enough sights for a half-day or leisurely full day. Very compact, all on foot.

Best give yourself a fortnight

More detail on anything you shortlist, or other suggestions if you have any special interests - castles, ancient history, military, motoring, etc.
(but I'm away tomorrow & off-line for a week)

JB

[FritzG]

We spent a day in the area of Hythe. We took the ferry to Hythe, walked around the town a bit, and then took a public bus to Beaulieu where we had a very good lunch. Then we visited Beaulieu Castle which has a lovely manor home and a car/motorcycle museum.
We had a great dinner at a wonderful pub in the town of Hythe and returned to Southampton by ferry. It was one of the best days of our tour of southern England.
However, if you've never been to Stonehenge, I'd put that at the top of the list. It had been on my bucket list, and I finally got there in 2010; it was all I hoped it would be.

[capriccio]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I had forgotten that we had visited Stonehenge and Salisbury on our first trip (2 weeks in London) to England in 1976 (old age setting in)! Now the challenge will be to determine how many days off we can get before the cruise -- it looks like we won't be bored.

[Travelgrrl]

If you enjoy Jane Austen, there are many sites near Southampton. Steventon, where she wrote most of her books; Winchester, where she died and is buried in the aisle of the cathedral; and Bath, where she lived and is the setting for many scenes in her books.

Bath also offers an impressive abbey and the Roman Baths.