Cotswold Eagle

From the Rules for Posting sticky: Participation of Local Experts in Ports of Call Locals living in ports of call are encouraged to contribute, as long as their recommendations are general in nature. Those living in ports of call who recommend individual businesses or tour operators/guides will find that their posts have been removed and their posting privileges may be suspended. There is also a more general rule that one can’t recommend a tour you haven’t been on.

Excellent! My nest is about 3 miles away, so do ask if you need any local knowledge (although per CC rules I cannot recommend toiur operators).

You called, sir? 😀 Yes, for a short stay MiM (NB it’s Moreton, not Morton) makes a good base - access to the rail network and some local bus services (run by at least two different operators) which would require a degree of careful planning, but can be used for days out. There are a number of local taxi operators, but these are all driver-owners, there are no taxi firms as such. So best to book in advance, even for short point-to-point journeys, and they will also do tours and airport runs. There are various more specialist tour operators, using cars or small vans, some of who double up as taxis. Also at least a couple of regular van tours who pick up from trains at MiM, so also convenient if you are staying in MiM.

Have you done this connection before? As I said upthread, it can be a scramble and once when I did it a lot of people were getting very anxious and stressed on a delayed arrival from the Netherlands. You have to check-in, which nominally has to be done at least 30 minutes before departure, clear two passport controls (Schengen outbound, UK inbound) and a luggage scan security check. It’s fine, and probably hundreds of people do it every day, but it’s sometimes not quite as straightforward as you made it sound 😀

Yes, I’m sure this is correct - the critical path was the opening of the (small) Eurostar terminal at Amsterdam, which is what is being replaced later in the year.

That's not what the previous poster said at all, as far as I can see. Taxis take credits cards, Uber needs a valid payment card (Discover is very uncommon in UK). Two separate issues, I think. 😀 I share you attitude to Uber, but they are gradually being forced to address the issues and in some areas are now effectively just a way of getting hold of a licensed taxi.

I wonder if this thread, particularly the videos previous cruisers posted, might be of some use?

I think you are going to have to work with us a little on this one 😀 What makes a port of call unmissable for some may leave others unmoved. What would YOU enjoy or look for? Walking around cities/villages/countryside, historic sites, castles, museums, art galleries, shopping, pubs, restaurants, music, coach tours, HOHO tours, steam railways, lake cruises, etc etc.?

This pops up if you try to book a return to the station

Well, that’s where Funchal is listed, along with other Portuguese ports. So now you have prompted it to be moved away from where other threads on the same port reside…. It’s the same CC logic that puts Le Havre (and ‘Paris’) in the French board, even though that too is a sub of the Mediterranean category. The list of named ports takes precedence over the actual geography.

The other Channel Islands might have something to say about that! But I agree, for those interested it is a fascinating (and sometimes troublesome) story.

There’s a roof over the platforms at Hammersmith 😀

Absolutely agree that you want to be on the Jubilee at Waterloo for this one. OP - as you will find when you get there, Waterloo is a large station, with a complicated Underground element. Different lines have different exits and, as Globaliser says, the Jubilee exit is right on the road for your hotel. Other exits are up a level and across the concourse. Not so bad when you are out and about sightseeing, but not when you first arrive with luggage. But being a maverick, I’d do the Heathrow Express, and then Bakerloo tube from Paddington and try to remember to do an Baker Street shuffle (an almost cross-platform change - it’s a short passageway) on to the Jubilee! But since the £5-50 advance tickets on the HEX went away, this is a more expensive option. This game is endless for those of us who spend a lot of time travelling around London, I’m afraid. I worked at LHR for a few months a million years ago and spent literally weeks of my life on the Piccadilly line, so will happily pay a small premium not to use it now…. But at least you see you have many public transport options 😀

The only rail service with actual luggage racks serving Heathrow is the Heathrow Express. The Elizabeth Line trains are 'metro style', but perhaps more comfortable than the stock on the Piccadilly tube line (they are air conditioned, as you say). The picture half way down this page will give you an idea of a moderately busy Elizabeth line train. The Elizabeth Line is not the panacea to travel into central London from Heathrow that some folk would have you believe (for a start that is not its primary purpose). It makes most sense if you are heading right across London or somewhere close to an Elizabeth Line station in town. Changing at Bond Street suggests to me this might not be an optional routing... 😀

There is a direct service twice an hour from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside. [There are two 'Windsor & Eton' stations close by each other - Central, which is the one you are referring to, and Riverside]

And every Train Operating Company that I use has a banner across their website with details of forthcoming industrial action, so it's really very simple to check in advance, just as you would for flights.

Good shout, I didn't think of that.... The Queen's Arms has a full breakfast on its menu for £16, which isn't too bad by airport prices, I suppose 😀

Indeed it does 😀

Once landslide, pop up to T2 Departures and there's a large pub, The Queen's Arms, which serves breakfast from early morning. https://www.queensarmsheathrow.co.uk I don't know when you last flew in, but I'm pretty sure the Giraffe landslide at T3 is no more. The only Giraffe listed at LHR is the one airside T5.

A more useful local link might be this from Dutch Customs. They list an office in Amsterdam for those leaving by sea, but it's nowhere near the PTA as far as I can see. Maybe contact them for more info, unless someone with direct experience in Amsterdam pops up! https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontenten/belastingdienst/individuals/abroad_and_customs/luggage/leaving_the_netherlands/contact-customs-offices

As always on this board, there'll be as many opinions as posters, but you'll see a few 'favourites' emerge at various price points and some factors to take into account 😀

Wow, what an adventure you'll have! Definitely no value in using up days on the short and cheap journey to/from Southampton, then 😀

No sticky, but plenty of previous threads....

What is your definition of this? It’s a phrase that causes some difficulty. 😀 There’s plenty of information to get you started in this thread from a year ago, though!

As I said in an earlier post, it’s in the Eurail journey planner…..the map can’t possibly show every station in Europe 😀