Best way to get from London to Southampton...

[stowaway2k]

Did you get something with a bar code on it? I just have an email with a reservation number. Do I need to go back to megatrain and print something else?

 

Kathy

 

No, not in my experience, the printed email was sufficient.

[calikak]

I don't think there are any rental drop-off places on the pier.

 

This is correct, or was in 2005. We rented a car in Southampton because we were spending a few days in and around Bath after our cruise, and had to pick up the car at a rental place about a 5-minute cab ride from the pier. I can't recall what company it was but I think I chose the one that was closest to the pier (rather than one with an airport location).

[3rdGenCunarder]

This is correct, or was in 2005. We rented a car in Southampton because we were spending a few days in and around Bath after our cruise, and had to pick up the car at a rental place about a 5-minute cab ride from the pier. I can't recall what company it was but I think I chose the one that was closest to the pier (rather than one with an airport location).

 

What did you see in Bath and environs?

 

We got into Soton on QE2 on a Sunday morning, and had to to to the airport to get a car because all the in-town places were closed on a Sunday. We did the self-help in order to be at the airport when the car rental places opened. The only other people at Soton airport at that hour were passengers off QE2 with the same idea. We spent a very boring hour waiting for the rental staff to arrive.

 

We went to Bath (saw the Jane Austen Centre) and stayed in Laycock Village (not because of Hogworts, but because of the 1995 Pride & Prejudice). Then drove to Yorkshire and dropped the car there, taking the tain to London, then to Soton and home on QE2. On the trip home, I chatted with an English woman at tea one day. She asked about my trip, and laughed when I mentioned Laycock. She guessed where we stayed because she lives there. Small world, etc.

 

Kathy

[southwestie]

No, not in my experience, the printed email was sufficient.

 

megatrain?

you need anything other than a res number whuch you have sent as a text, the conductor has your details on a sheet when he comes round, its quick, simple easy

 

the best price is 45 days before you travel

 

rob

[3rdGenCunarder]

megatrain?

you need anything other than a res number whuch you have sent as a text, the conductor has your details on a sheet when he comes round, its quick, simple easy

 

the best price is 45 days before you travel

 

rob

 

I have the email, so I should be fine. I watched the website, and as soon as my date became available, I asked an English relative to buy the tix online. He got them for 1 pound each last week. Today, they're up to 4 pounds each. I can't figure out how they manage to stay in business with such low prices, when South West Trains get over 25 pounds for the same journey.

 

I would have liked a slightly earlier train (we're arriving in Soton around 1:15), but the money we're saving will buy a lot of Pol Acker on QE2! :eek:

 

Kathy

[calikak]

What did you see in Bath and environs?

 

We got into Soton on QE2 on a Sunday morning, and had to to to the airport to get a car because all the in-town places were closed on a Sunday. We did the self-help in order to be at the airport when the car rental places opened. The only other people at Soton airport at that hour were passengers off QE2 with the same idea. We spent a very boring hour waiting for the rental staff to arrive.

 

We went to Bath (saw the Jane Austen Centre) and stayed in Laycock Village (not because of Hogworts, but because of the 1995 Pride & Prejudice). Then drove to Yorkshire and dropped the car there, taking the tain to London, then to Soton and home on QE2. On the trip home, I chatted with an English woman at tea one day. She asked about my trip, and laughed when I mentioned Laycock. She guessed where we stayed because she lives there. Small world, etc.

 

Kathy

 

We had a similar experience with our car rental pick-up in town in Southampton, we waited there with other cruisers for about a half-hour for the place to open.

 

We stayed in Bath for three nights in a fantastic B&B that was between the train station and the Roman baths (which we toured and I thought were fascinating). The city has free walking tours, so we did that as well, which I also enjoyed. I thought the guide was really outstanding, especially considering it was a free tour. We also visited Bath Abbey, which was right next door to the Roman baths. I couldn't talk DH into doing the Jane Austin museum...there is also a fashion museum I wanted to see that he had no interest in. Someday we'll go back to Bath, though...

 

We also used Bath as a base for exploring. Our cruise had missed our stop in Wales because of the weather, so our fabulous hosts at the B&B loaned us their road map and told us about some castles we could go see in south Wales--Raglan was one of them, can't recall the name of the other one we saw--and we also visited Tintern Abbey. We also visited Stonehenge, Avebury, and the abbey where King Arthur is supposedly buried, is that Glastonbury? I can't remember for sure and am too lazy to look it up this morning. :D I found Bath to be a great home base, because there were lots of great restaurants to dine in at the end of a long day of sight-seeing.

 

DH was nervous about the whole driving-on-the-left thing (I leave the driving to him) but he did fine. The only time he was really concerned was when I got him on a one-lane road (and I do mean one lane, not one in each direction) in Wales, and we came across a very large lorry coming the other direction. But we just pulled into a driveway and the lorry went by, and all was well again. We brought a GPS with us, and that proved invaluable--it would tell us exactly which exit off the round-abouts and if we missed a turn, it redirected us. Between the GPS and the map our hosts loaned us, we had little trouble finding our way around. The GPS was also helpful in London when we'd come out of a Tube station and have no idea which direction we were facing or what street we were on(i.e., when we took the tube to the British Museum).

[southwestie]

I have the email, so I should be fine. I watched the website, and as soon as my date became available, I asked an English relative to buy the tix online. He got them for 1 pound each last week. Today, they're up to 4 pounds each. I can't figure out how they manage to stay in business with such low prices, when South West Trains get over 25 pounds for the same journey.

 

I would have liked a slightly earlier train (we're arriving in Soton around 1:15), but the money we're saving will buy a lot of Pol Acker on QE2! :eek:

 

Kathy

 

we have had a lot of £1 tickets, even £4 is good, they only sell a few for £1 then they go up in stages to £20 + so they make money plus they just put on an extra car so whats the cost to them, you can sit anywhere BTW the 45 day thing is the main thing to note, I go on the midnight on the day and get them then as they sell 4 tickets they go up and up so buy early, show your email on the train or your cell phone text there is never a problem, at soton get a taxi outside the station and it 10 to 15 mins have a wonderful time

 

ps we go to london a lot to show etc and with this company it means we dont have to drive a 300 mile round trip

 

 

long live megatrain,

 

rob