Help with pre cruise Southampton and return to LHR

[Pearl64]

We need some help with logistics for our Oceania cruise next July round trip Southampton. We are flying to LHR arriving late evening on United. We plan on taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington and stay that night at the Hilton. I know it is pricey but we are using it for convenience. The next day we will take the train to Torquay to visit friends. Then the day before our cruise we will take the train to Southampton. Not sure where we will stay that night. I know taxis are bearable cost wise. We will need to stay someplace that either has an adjacent restaurant or one close by. Question: do either of these trains utilize Megatrain pricing. We used Megatrain five years ago from London and it was really reasonable. Or, would renting a car from LHR and driving be better. My husband is fine driving on the "other side" as long as it is automatic. If we do that, we would stay near LHR instead of going into London.

 

On our return after the cruise, we need suggestions on getting back to LHR. Our flight is the next day around noon. Suggestions on how to spend a half day and how to get from point A to point B. Is Windsor Castle a possibility? A service that will provide transportation and a stop?

 

Also, John Bull, you gave me a name of a grocery store to buy wine close to the train station in Southampton. I have forgotten the name. Could you please give it to me again?

 

Thanks for all suggestions.

 

Pearl

[John Bull]

Hi Pearl,

 

First of all, Torbay is a super part of the country. Known as the English Riviera because it's a vacation area & has the best climate in the UK, there's lots of lovely countryside & coast, plenty of interesting places nearby, and the natives are friendly & laid-back. :)

 

Since central London is 15 urban miles east of Heathrow and Torquay is out in the south-west corner of England, and you're clearly going to have no time to sight-see in London, it seems a bit pointless to overnite in central London unless you take the train to Torquay.

There are several Hilton & Doubletree hotels around Heathrow & they're also likely to be cheaper than in central London

 

All the info below is based on a randomly-chosen weekday. Expect frequency to be poorer, and journey times possibly longer, on a sunday. And double-check the info closer to the day.

 

No megatrain fares on London-Torquay or Torquay-Southampton, and no nearby stations/routes that you can use through Megatrain.:(

 

To Torquay

Megabus operates London (Victoria coach station) direct to Torquay for just £6, but by bus it's a 6 hr journey and only one bus (dep. 3pm & arr. 9pm) on a randomly-chosen weekday.

https://uk.megabus.com/

Or National Express offer 7 direct buses per day, journey time 5hrs 30 to 6hrs, for £9. I'd rate Nat Express more comfortable & worth the little extra - I know they're single-deckers, comfortable seats, with bathroom & free wifi. I've never travelled Megabus but I know they operate both single & double-deckers. The Nat Express to Torquay also picks up at Heathrow en-route, which could be useful if you chose to overnite there rather than central London.

http://coach.nationalexpress.com/

The train (from London Paddington) takes something over 3 hrs & costs £67. Good frequency with one train change at Newton Abbott, or one train (10am) direct to Torquay. Far more civilised than the bus, but quite a steep premium.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

Torquay to Southampton

There's no viable Megabus route.

Four National Express buses per day, all involve one change, all cost £9, journey times 7hrs 20 to 8hrs!!!.

Three of them keep to the motorway loop, quite a long way round.

The other (dep Torquay 9.35) is more direct, on slower but more scenic roads. This one involves a change at Exeter, with a one-hour wait for the connection. But if your friends could drive you to Exeter (23 miles, about 40 minutes), you'd avoid that long connection time and the bus from Exeter to Southampton is direct & takes about 5hrs 30 mins. (11.30am - 4.55 pm)

Alternatively by train, again there are a couple of routes involving one or two changes of train. Good frequency, fare about £45, journey time 3 to 4 hrs.

 

By car.

Hertz, Europcar, National, Alamo & several others have depots near the port in Southampton. The exception is Avis, whose depot is at Southampton airport, a £20 / 20 minute taxi ride away.

 

The route from Heathrow to Torquay is fairly simple, with a choice of the M4/M5 motorway loop or the more direct A303. Both are about 3 hrs 30 mins.

If you chose the motorway loop you could go slightly off-route to visit Bath (give Bath at least 3 hrs), or if you chose the A303 it goes right past Stonehenge (see it from the road as you pass or stop off for about 90 minutes). Both routes have their traffic problems & there are other places of interest close to both routes - post again if you choose to rent a car.

 

Lots of places around Torbay with a car, I'm sure your friends can come up with some great suggestions. If you want to give the car a day off, take the steam train/ferry round-trip Paignton/Dartmouth/Paignton for a good day out.

 

Torquay to Southampton, again you have a choice two alternative routes, both around 3 hours.

The A303 as far as Stonehenge, then down to Southampton via Salisbury. So options to stop off at Stonehenge or Salisbury or other places.

Or the slower but more direct A35, same route as that Nat Express bus. Close to the coast, though only glimpses of it - and lots of places of interest just off-route.

 

Back to Heathrow.

Best value for a simple transfer is National Express, who offer direct coaches from Southampton.

Yes, Windsor makes good sense for your transfer day - but it would be time-consuming to take the Nat Express coach to Heathrow, bus or taxi from there to hotel, stash your luggage at the hotel, & travel to Windsor.

The problem with a private transfer to Windsor is that there's no public luggage storage in Windsor. So your choices are

1. Private transfer 55 miles to Windsor, driver waits for you, then takes you 6 miles to your Heathrow hotel. Because of the waiting time this is likely to be the most expensive option, and also the least flexible.

Or 2. Private transfer to Windsor via your Heathrow hotel to drop your bags. Then local taxi the 6 miles from Windsor back to your Heathrow hotel. Might be the best compromise.

Or 3. Book a Windsor hotel, and private transfer from Southampton to that hotel. Local taxi next morning to Heathrow. Windsor hotels are more expensive.

 

Try

http://www.smithsforairports.com/index.html

or

http://westquaycars.com/

---------------------------------------------

 

All of the Southampton hotels on this list & map are pretty handy to pubs & restaurants & no more than a short taxi hop from rail & coach stations and any cruise terminal.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

Plenty of posts about most of them if you search "Southampton hotel" on this forum

 

The grocery store near the rail station is the Co-op Welcome, on the northern (Blechynden Terrace) side of the station, but......................

Majestic Wines, a specialist wine warehouse on Western Esplanade (directly opposite the southern (Western Esplanade) side of the station announced this week that they have done away with their 6-bottle minimum purchase. Wide range, wide price range, and knowledgeable staff.

And there are several other shops in the city centre selling a selection of wines - probably best to choose your transport & hotel first.

 

JB :)

Edited October 30, 2015 by John Bull

[John Bull]

Ooooops :o

Realised too late to edit...............

You DO have a megatrain option London to Torquay. :)

Book Megatrain from London Waterloo to Exeter for about £12 to £20, then take a local train Exeter to Torquay at £6.50.

Usual Megatrain restrictions. And check which Exeter station for both trains - depending on connection times, you might have to transfer between two Exeter stations.

 

JB :)

[Post Captain]

Pearl ~

 

Just a quick supplement to JB's excellent & comprehensive information:

 

First, a question: Will you be travelling to Southampton on a weekday or at the weekend? (That may make a difference in your travel plans, as weekend track work sometimes disrupts services.)

 

Just putting in a random weekday date for next month into the National Rail Travel Planner, I am seeing rail fares from Exeter St David's station to Southampton Central for as low as £14 (Advance purchase) per person. (No doubt the fares will be higher by next July, but this gives you a general idea.) The journey takes around two and a half hours, with a change of trains at Salisbury (in addition to the travel time from Torquay to Exeter, & the change of trains there, at the beginning to the journey).

 

If you want to spend the night before your cruise someplace other than Southampton, Salisbury would be an excellent choice. On the day of your cruise, it's a quick (half-hour) train ride from Salisbury to Southampton. (I know JB will encourage you to stay in Southampton, but Salisbury is well worth your time.;))

 

Hope this helps.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Post Captain

[John Bull]

Pearl ~

 

Just a quick supplement to JB's excellent & comprehensive information:

 

First, a question: Will you be travelling to Southampton on a weekday or at the weekend? (That may make a difference in your travel plans, as weekend track work sometimes disrupts services.)

 

Just putting in a random weekday date for next month into the National Rail Travel Planner, I am seeing rail fares from Exeter St David's station to Southampton Central for as low as £14 (Advance purchase) per person. (No doubt the fares will be higher by next July, but this gives you a general idea.) The journey takes around two and a half hours, with a change of trains at Salisbury (in addition to the travel time from Torquay to Exeter, & the change of trains there, at the beginning to the journey).

 

If you want to spend the night before your cruise someplace other than Southampton, Salisbury would be an excellent choice. On the day of your cruise, it's a quick (half-hour) train ride from Salisbury to Southampton. (I know JB will encourage you to stay in Southampton, but Salisbury is well worth your time.;))

 

Hope this helps.

 

Yes, agreed there's potential for weekend delays on the trains - unfortunately as I hinted there's also potential for delays by road at weekends!

The dates are the dates, & if it happens to be a weekend then so be it.

Post Captain & I can advise best options depending whether you choose car, bus or train, and what days of the week.

 

There's half-a-dozen or more different train routes Torquay to Southampton, all involving changes.

The £14 - £16 route includes a change at Westbury, not Salisbury - but only avoid that route if you want to follow Post Captain's suggestion & spend the last night in Salisbury.

And I wouldn't disagree with that suggestion. :)

Salisbury doesn't have as wide a choice of hotels, restaurants, pubs etc but it's a very pleasant, laid back & historic little city with a magnificent cathedral, whereas Southampton is very much a commercial port city. I live between the two.

Half-hourly trains from Salisbury to Southampton, journey time about 35 minutes, fare about £10. Or a 45 minute drive.

 

JB :)

[Post Captain]

There's half-a-dozen or more different train routes Torquay to Southampton, all involving changes.

The £14 - £16 route includes a change at Westbury, not Salisbury

 

Hmmm... Just to confuse matters even more: Looking at a random date (Saturday 14 November) for the rail journey from Exeter St David's to Southampton Central, the 11:25 train from Exeter requires a change at Salisbury, and costs £16.50 (Advance), whereas the 11:54 train requires a change at Westbury and costs 50p less (Advance). And by sheer coincidence, both journeys take exactly the same amount of time (according to the timetable). No wonder furriners get confused. Locals too, I reckon.:D

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servic...41115/1000/dep

[John Bull]

 

No wonder furriners get confused. Locals too, I reckon.:D

 

Yep - you have no idea how long it had taken me to compose what I thought was going to be a two-minute post :D

Also on a random November date.

Depending on departure time, trains from Torquay to So'ton may include a change :

 

- at Bristol

- at Newton Abbot & Reading

- at Exeter & Salisbury

- at Newton Abbot, Exeter & Westbury

- at Westbury

- at Reading

- at Exeter, Salisbury & So'ton airport

- at Newton Abbot, Reading & Basingstoke

- at Exeter, Yeovil & Salisbury

- at Newton Abbot, Exeter & Salisbury

- at Edinburgh, Berlin, Rome & Paris *

 

Suffice it to say that there's plenty of choice. :rolleyes:

 

JB :)

* OK, I made that one up. ;)

[Pearl64]

Thank you, John Bull and Post Captain! Much food for thought. I don't think we will take the bus. It will be between taking the train and renting a car. I just did a quick search on cars. Hertz and Europcar seem the most competitive. We need an automatic-- just too many years since my husband has driven a manual! We may ask for further ideas if we drive. We have been to Stonehenge much to the dismay of my husband and Bath. We have been to London before so have hit most but not all the sites. So, it is not a top priority. We like more rural areas or at least smaller cities. Salisbury might be a possibility.

 

Concerns about seeing Windsor Castle. How far and how long from LHR to Windsor Castle? Any other options on spending a half a day?

 

We are so appreciative of your suggestions.

 

Pearl

[Pearl64]

Dates: Fly in on July 11 and head to Torquay on July 12, a Tuesday. Head to Southampton on the 14th a Friday and board the ship on the 15th. We disembark August 4 and fly home on August 5.

 

I know it is too far out but just add to the mix.

 

Pearl

[John Bull]

Windsor really does make a lot of sense, Pearl.

The castle is worth an hour or two, the town another hour or more. And you can cross the river up to Eton School, where a huge proportion of Brit politicians & other luminaries were educated (pre-book if you want a tour)

Riverside restaurants, cheaper eateries, pubs.

 

With a direct private transfer leaving Southampton at 9am you can be there before 10.30am, in time for the Changing of the Guard at 11am.

Via dropping luggage at a Heathrow hotel & continuing in the car, add mebbe 30 - 45 minutes total (most hotels allow you to drop luggage ahead of check-in time).

 

The airport is about 6 - 7 miles / 20 minutes away by taxi (pre-booked taxis based in Windsor charge about £20-£25, those based at the airport tend to be more expensive).

By public transport it's more complicated (no I ain't gonna list the options :p). It's by bus or a combination of train & bus, depending on which hotel or terminal.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

No problem getting an automatic car, as long as you specify - if you don't specify you'll get a shift-stick.

 

By train, depending on the time & consequently the route of your train, you could spend your last night at Salisbury, or Winchester (historic cathedral city, many similarities to Salisbury though less laid-back / more refined), or Romsey (small market town, with an Abbey).

Easy, frequent direct trains from all three to So'ton.

Or Lymington (small town on the Solent coast) or Brockenhurst (village in the New Forest) or other little places on So'ton's local rail routes, though that might mean more train changes.

 

By car you have sight-seeing opportunities en-route. And a wider choice for an overnite stay, including Dorchester, Poole, New Forest, Meon Valley or Test Valley villages, all an hour or less from Southampton.

But I'd still put Salisbury at the top of the pile. ;)

 

JB :)

Edited October 31, 2015 by John Bull

[John Bull]

Dates: Fly in on July 11 and head to Torquay on July 12, a Tuesday. Head to Southampton on the 14th a Friday and board the ship on the 15th. We disembark August 4 and fly home on August 5.

 

I know it is too far out but just add to the mix.

 

Pearl

 

:confused: 14th June is a Thursday.

No worries, pick your days from ...........

 

Tuesdays. wednesdays & thursdays are good days.

Fridays & Saturdays are good days coming from the West Country (Torquay, Salisbury etc), but not so good from mid-morning Saturday from the London / Winchester direction (Londoners heading for the coast).

 

Cruise traffic mixes it with Southampton's shopping traffic on a Saturday, could be slow around the docks if there are 3 or more ships turning round. Not a big problem, just allow extra time if your sailing is on the saturday.

 

Heading to Heathrow / Windsor is OK on a Thursday, though heading that way any weekday morning is always a bit congested.

Ditto Windsor to Heathrow next morning if you overnite in Windsor.

 

Sundays are the bad days on trains, won't affect you.

 

Those are generalities, of course some unexpected problem can always screw things up.

 

JB :)

[Pearl64]

Thanks, JB. We are coming in July and not June just for clarification.

 

More options to consider. Thanks again.

 

Pearl

[diane.in.ny]

Totally off topic but since there are such knowledgeable British posters here .....

 

I need suggestions for transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick. I know there is a bus but handling luggage and a lot of walking is not an option for us so looking for a private transfer.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Post Captain]

Totally off topic but since there are such knowledgeable British posters here .....

 

I need suggestions for transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick. I know there is a bus but handling luggage and a lot of walking is not an option for us so looking for a private transfer.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

Sorry, I don't have any personal experience with Heathrow-Gatwick transfers. But you might start a new thread on this topic, so that other CC users will see your specific question.

 

I do know that this question comes up on TripAdvisor fairly often. A search on TripAdvisor's United Kingdom forum, and/or the London sub-forum, should bring up several recent threads on this topic. If you post your question there, you will probably get more responses than here on Cruise Critic.

Edited November 1, 2015 by Post Captain

[diane.in.ny]

Sorry, I don't have any personal experience with Heathrow-Gatwick transfers. But you might start a new thread on this topic, so that other CC users will see your specific question.

 

I do know that this question comes up on TripAdvisor fairly often. A search on TripAdvisor's United Kingdom forum, and/or the London sub-forum, should bring up several recent threads on this topic. If you post your question there, you will probably get more responses than here on Cruise Critic.

 

Super idea. Thanks! Will do