Help with British Travel

Hello,

I am hoping to get some advice/opinions regarding a trip we are investigating. We have been to Great Britain several times, but not this itinerary.

We will be in Liverpool for a week and are trying to figure out if we can get to Southampton the same day for a cruise. We can leave Liverpool very early in the day and we know that we would need to be at the port by mid afternoon. It would be a Sunday, if it makes a difference. Train, car, or ??

Thanks,

Chesterbid

Hi Chesterbid,

Yes, it is certainly doable - whether you want to put yourself through the potential stress of same-day travel is up to you!

Trains start form about 5am and are approx 1 per hour. Average journey time is just under 5.5 hours - similar to driving time. You could also consider flying between the 2 cities.

You can’t fly from Liverpool to Southampton. You’d have to get to Manchester airport.

I wouldn’t travel on the same day as your sailing. Roads going south are very busy on a Sunday. Trains may be affected by engineering work on the tracks.:)

 

 

 

Trains start form about 5am....

Not on a Sunday, surely? National Rail planner current timetable shows the first Sunday train to be at 8-18 am, arriving Southampton 12-42 pm, so a lot less wriggle room. But doable in theory....

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I certainly wouldn't risk a train on a Sunday. Reduced number of trains, plus the dreaded 'engineering' works. My choice would be hire-car. Total journey time is around 4 to 5 hours, so say 6 hours with a comfort stop. If you leave fairly early on a Sunday morning, traffic shouldn't be too bad. You need to make sure, obviously, that the hire car company you use, have offices that open in Southampton on a Sunday.

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Which cruise line are you using for your cruise? There may be an option of picking up a cruise-specific coach direct from Liverpool, the advantage being that the ship will not depart until that coach arrives.

Although there is a non-specific National Express coach service which has a (very)early morning departure from Liverpool direct to Southampton, I would not risk that but using the Saturday service and staying overnight in Southampton would be worth considering as the single journey cost is only £34 and luggage is easier on the coach than on the train.

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If I lived in Liverpool I would be happy to drive down on a Sunday morning. If I had no access to a car, I would not want to take a chance on public transport and would travel down on Saturday and stay overnight in Southampton.

Even hiring a car would be problematic and costly. They tend to open late and close early on Sundays if they open at all, and it is a five-hour slog down some pretty boring highways so you need an early start.