Arriving in Southampton on Royal Wedding Day

[rotaryscotty]

I'm going from the Southampton pier to the Southampton airport to pick up my car.

Would I be better off taking a taxi all the way, or taking a taxi to the Southampton Central Train Station, then taking a train to the airport?

thanks....

[Post Captain]

JB and PC-

Too bad Nebr cruiser and I can't spend an evening with the two of you in a good pub with real pumped ale, not our "woosey" lagers.:(

 

I think the, "Two peoples divided by a common language" is way overrated.;)

 

Great chatting with all of you!:)

 

Ahoy, rotaryscotty ~

 

That's very kind of you indeed. Glad I could be of help.

 

I chuckled at your comment about "two peoples divided by a common language"--not because I've not had plenty experience of that myself, but because it seems you've mistaken me for a Brit when in fact I'm a Yank by birth & citizenship & current residence. But I've spent extended and significant periods of my life in England (postgraduate work in Yorkshire; rustication in Cornwall; considerable time in London and in Bath and in Shropshire as a resident rather than as a tourist. In fact, now that I think of it, I once even spent a Bank Holiday weekend on JB's home court, Romsey, courting a Hampshire lass.)

 

(BTW, JB is the real expert here. I'm just slumming.)

 

Oddly enough, however, though I've been to every county in England--including the ones that officially don't exist anymore--and every cathedral city, I have never been to what, from the frequency with which it is mentioned on Cruise Critic, is the most famous spot in the British Isles: Stonehenge. Whenever anyone asks, "Can I stop at Stonehenge on my way to Southampton" (which on these boards is every day), I roll my eyes:rolleyes: and recall all the places far, far off the beaten track that I've be fortunate to have visited.

 

Finally.... As it happens, I used to be something of a connoisseur of real ales--the extremely hoppy, cask-conditioned kind. So I gladly accept your invitation to spend an evening in a virtual pub, and I salute you with the traditional toast:

 

Cheers!

 

Wishing you calm seas & a prosperous voyage,

 

Post Captain

 

ps. I enjoyed browsing through your blog. Well done!

[Post Captain]

I'm going from the Southampton pier to the Southampton airport to pick up my car.

Would I be better off taking a taxi all the way, or taking a taxi to the Southampton Central Train Station, then taking a train to the airport?

thanks....

 

Rotary Scotty ~

 

Just saw your question after I posted my previous message.

 

JB will know which option is best in practical terms; but for what it's worth, if you haven't checked the So'ton Airport website, this might be helpful:

 

http://www.southamptonairport.com/portal/page/Southampton%5EGeneral%5ETo+and+from+the+airport%5ETrains/e6bfac1ee203a110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/

Cheers,

 

PC

[John Bull]

 

.......I'm a Yank ... but I've spent extended and significant periods of my life in England.......

 

To repeat 1944's frequent lament - "over paid, over sexed, and over here" ;):D

 

Scotty - I believe that taxi rates on a bank holiday are standard daytime rate plus a £1 supplement.

So for two people a taxi from ship to station (Commercial Road entrance, to avoid the footbridge over the tracks), then the train to the airport (London-bound trains, 2 or 3 per hour) would cost mebbe £5 less than taxi all the way. But you'd have to cross the footbridge at the airport station, no fun with luggage.

The airport is just 1/4mile from the motorway network.:)

JB

[rotaryscotty]

Ahoy, rotaryscotty ~

As it happens, I used to be something of a connoisseur of real ales--the extremely hoppy, cask-conditioned kind. So I gladly accept your invitation to spend an evening in a virtual pub, and I salute you with the traditional toast:

 

Cheers!

 

Well, you fooled me. Good show, and all that, eh what?? Now I get the "Thames AND Hudson".

I also think of myself as somewhat knowledgeable about ales. When I had my liquor business I carried 200 different beers. I've given scores of tasting classes, not only beers, but wines, scotches, bourbons, gins, vodkas, cognacs, tequilas, and about everything else. I'm past president of the Kansas Assoc of Beverage Retailers and was on the board of the National Liquor Association for many years.

Sadly we're in the middle of liqht beer country. I used to tell customers that if you want to save money, buy your budweiser, open the can, take a big drink, and then fill the can to the top with water. You NOW have a full can of Bud Light.

 

Thanks for your comments about our blog site. It's my wife Martha's project. She even does the photography (even though she knows who the real photographer is in the family.)

 

John Bull...thanks for the info...it's what I needed to confirm what I thought.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Hi. I'm the OP and I'm happy to say that we just booked this cruise after much procrastination as the price kept getting better and better.

 

We're not at home right now, but heading there and I will use all the wonderful information you have given us to plan our three days in Britain--while staying out of London.

 

Thanks again! Let the planning begin!

[rotaryscotty]

Hi. I'm the OP and I'm happy to say that we just booked this cruise after much procrastination as the price kept getting better and better.

 

We're not at home right now, but heading there and I will use all the wonderful information you have given us to plan our three days in Britain--while staying out of London.

 

Thanks again! Let the planning begin!

 

Glad to see you coming along. I'll go to our Eclipse, April 16 thread and look for your postings. I'm sure you'll be given many further suggestions as we cross the Atlantic. You will need to do a lot of reading to catch up on the other site. We have almost 1000 postings for your perusal. Anyway, welcome aboard!!

[Nebr.cruiser]

Thanks! This is our 3rd TA in 3 years, so you can tell we're hooked. And our 3rd cruise since December!

[pondhopper]

One can NEVER go wrong listening to the advice of JB, I consider him pretty much the authority here on timing, costs, and suggestions! Two points I need to make though (you just knew the above had to be qualified;)) The Southampton Airport Parkway station has had extensive renovations and the luggage/walkway issue is no longer such a hassle due to the new elevator and enclosed walkway (I haven't used it personally but saw it in use and went to the station update site and it says it is now in 24 hour operation http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/soa/details.html). In Winchester, I can't imagine not taking the walk (approx. 1 mile or a short cab ride) along the river or through the Cathedral grounds and down Kingsgate Street to the Hospital of St. Cross and asking for (not about) the wayfarer's dole, a tradition for hundreds of years for travellers. The Porter pretends (?) to hate having to do it but is always a good egg about it but she insist that if she is going to provide it you MUST ask for it properly. If you ask about it she will give a lecture and that is it. If you ask, May I please have the Wayfarer's Dole, she must by ancient order, provide you with bread and beer, granted small portions but fun anyway. Then there is the grounds and church to view and the graffiti from several hundred years ago by naughty students. A favorite watering hole along the way is the Wykeham Arms on Kingsgate Street.

[John Bull]

If you ask, May I please have the Wayfarer's Dole, .

 

Thanks for the tip, P/h.

That's my lunch taken care of next time I'm in Winchester :D

JB

ps - was at So'ton airport Saturday - Spitfire 75th anniversary flypast.

But didn't go by train.

Or by Spitfire

[pondhopper]

Sorry I missed it but I saw the previous one, pretty cool, I was training for the Boston Marathon and they flew through the valley I was running in keeping below the hill tops to make a surprise appearance, there was a flight of 3. The Wayfarer's dole is more of a snack than a meal, but enjoy!:p

[DorneyBoy]

I get the impression there that there is a lot of needless panic about April 29th and visiting London that day.

 

There is plenty of hotel availability still in London that weekend, prices are 'normal' too.

Everyone I speak too in England are making plans to do other things than take up a holiday day with a Royal Wedding.

Maybe there is more interest in the Wedding in the US than there is in the UK?

 

Perhaps stay in Kensington on the Southampton side of London so you don't get caught up with road closures around Westminster. Harrods, South Kensington Museums, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court, Windsor are all visitable in the afternoon or if you are into the wedding catch the tube to Westminster.

 

Places like the Premier Inn's, Ibis and mid range B&B's in Earls Court/Gloucester Road all seem to have prices of 300-400 GBP for 3 nights over the weekend. These prices have actually gone down since the anouncement of the Wedding for stays over that weekend.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Once again, thanks to everyone for the great ideas. We are now trying to finalize our plans for touring on April 29 & 30 and May 1.

 

I think we've decided to rent a car since it seems much easier than schlepping luggage around to various train/buses and hotels. Also I am having a lot of trouble finding easy/reasonable bus and train fares.

 

It looks like we can rent a car from Avis at the Southampton airport location for a reasonable rate. We are trying to decide if to return it there or at Heathrow, where we have a hotel booked for the night of May 1st for our flight at noon on May 2nd.

 

It looks as if it is actually going to be cheaper, or at least no more expensive, to drop the car at Heathrow and pay the extra drop off fee than take the train/bus from Southampton into Heathrow.

 

Maybe I am doing something wrong with my research, but costs for using the National Express bus are around 24 pounds pp and the train 60 pounds pp, which is more than the approximately $65 drop off fee.

 

If we rent a car our plans are to drive to Salisbury, touring points along the way and in the area, stay in Salisbury overnight, drive to Bath area on Saturday, tour in that area, stay overnight, spend Sunday touring in the Cotswalds/Stratford-on-Avon area and head to Heathrow late in the day. Would it be better to stay in Bath both nights?

 

Does this all sound reasonable/doable? Any other ideas? Do we need special driver's licenses, or do our US licenses work? Would you rent the GPS unit from Avis? Would it work ok if you want to take small/alternative routes? Here in the US it can be an annoyance if you want to take smaller roads off the main routes.

 

Thanks in advance!

[John Bull]

Once again, thanks to everyone for the great ideas. We are now trying to finalize our plans for touring on April 29 & 30 and May 1.

 

I think we've decided to rent a car since it seems much easier than schlepping luggage around to various train/buses and hotels. Also I am having a lot of trouble finding easy/reasonable bus and train fares.

 

It looks like we can rent a car from Avis at the Southampton airport location for a reasonable rate. We are trying to decide if to return it there or at Heathrow, where we have a hotel booked for the night of May 1st for our flight at noon on May 2nd.

 

It looks as if it is actually going to be cheaper, or at least no more expensive, to drop the car at Heathrow and pay the extra drop off fee than take the train/bus from Southampton into Heathrow.

 

Maybe I am doing something wrong with my research, but costs for using the National Express bus are around 24 pounds pp and the train 60 pounds pp, which is more than the approximately $65 drop off fee.

 

If we rent a car our plans are to drive to Salisbury, touring points along the way and in the area, stay in Salisbury overnight, drive to Bath area on Saturday, tour in that area, stay overnight, spend Sunday touring in the Cotswalds/Stratford-on-Avon area and head to Heathrow late in the day. Would it be better to stay in Bath both nights?

 

Does this all sound reasonable/doable? Any other ideas? Do we need special driver's licenses, or do our US licenses work? Would you rent the GPS unit from Avis? Would it work ok if you want to take small/alternative routes? Here in the US it can be an annoyance if you want to take smaller roads off the main routes.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi again Nebr cruiser,

Two nights in Bath would be much easier & more flexible.

Bath is under 2 hrs from Southampton, even the convoluted route below - which takes in some of the New Forest, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Marlborough, Silbury Hill, & Avebury Ring - would take little over 3 hours, so even with collecting your car from Southampton airport and 4 hours for stops, you'd be in Bath by about 5pm.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Southampton&daddr=50.94775,-1.3657+to:50.96729,-1.6221+to:50.9274713,-1.775635+to:51.00715,-1.75704+to:51.065007,-1.7937591+to:51.16855,-1.7759+to:51.1785591,-1.8222069+to:51.41451,-1.73238+to:51.39484,-2.3453+to:N+Parade+Rd&geocode=FYa_CAMdnpbq_ykJKRW-V4lzSDHwcdpMalqMpw%3BFaZmCQMdPCnr_ynXsTUjunN0SDGQN-RPQfQQEw%3BFfqyCQMdrD_n_ymbaTMa8oxzSDHwqJlQQfQQEw%3BFW8XCQMd7efk_ym3Ghu48JNzSDGIjcmCJu6EwQ%3BFa5OCgMdkDDl_ylj0iskyuxzSDHRsSFQQfQQEw%3BFa8wCwMdIaHk_yn1-GuF8-tzSDExCFhQQfQQEw%3BFSbFDAMd5Obk_ylVShLU9eVzSDEwGNStLa4OEw%3BFT_sDAMdAjLk_ymVNReJO-ZzSDFxidNPQfQQEw%3BFe6FEAMd5JDl_ykder9-9FlxSDFK-PolLH6nJQ%3BFRg5EAMdrDbc_ynp4ozXd4FxSDFgnhzMI4sNEw%3BFXICEAMdFBDc_w&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrsp=9&sz=12&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9&sll=51.373281,-2.27932&sspn=0.088299,0.212173&ie=UTF8&ll=51.382281,-2.27005&spn=0.088281,0.212173&z=12

 

I reckon your second day would be taken up in Bath itself. The route below, which takes in Cheddar Gorge, Wells (cathedral) & Glastonbury (Abbey ruins, Glastonbury Tor, occult & ETs - strange folk in Glastonbury!) could be done in 1/2 day but I doubt you'd find the time - google these places & see what you think.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=North+Rd%2FA3062&daddr=51.21592,-2.53126+to:51.1421037,-2.7264928+to:51.21181,-2.64646+to:51.27962,-2.77351+to:Bath&geocode=FXC5DwMdjDPc_w%3BFTB-DQMdRGDZ_ynPO0p0NiRySDEg2mKyLa4OEw%3BFdddDAMdpGXW_yl7Fw-ifBdySDHghmGyLa4OEw%3BFSJuDQMdRJ7X_ynt5dUAQCJySDHwa2KyLa4OEw%3BFQR3DgMd-q3V_ym5d8H6eB5ySDExGWSyLa4OEw%3BFbQEEAMdMgfc_ykt4T50pnhxSDEJmm3W0CeLEw&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1,2,3,4&sll=51.28597,-2.429352&sspn=0.353868,0.848694&ie=UTF8&z=10

 

Your third day, Bath to Heathrow.

There are quicker routes Bath/Stratford-upon-Avon/Heathrow, but the 4 hour route below takes in Lechlade Bridge, Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water & Stow-in-the-Wold on the way to Stratford-upon-Avon, then to Heathrow via Chipping Norton, Woodstock (Blenheim Palace) and Oxford.

Again, google these places & see what you think.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Heathrow&daddr=51.94166,-1.51118+to:52.1680145,-1.6603431+to:52.19161,-1.70041+to:51.89014,-1.75715+to:51.86517,-1.662913+to:51.67053,-1.70649+to:Bath&geocode=FQqJEQMdkIn5_yl7J75RVnJ2SDFoU9qXzpDI-w%3BFRyRGAMd9PDo_ylpYUIihtR2SDHQUZTMI4sNEw%3BFU4FHAMdSarm_ynTI7ALHdJwSDFBGUXNI4sNEw%3BFXphHAMdxg3m_ynzOk9vMM5wSDGRVRHNI4sNEw%3BFdzHFwMdIjDl_ymtR0j0miVxSDEhHS7MI4sNEw%3BFVJmFwMdP6Dm_ylnE1LVay5xSDEx5U_MI4sNEw%3BFQJuFAMdBvbl_yklGRtn4DdxSDFw51jMI4sNEw%3BFbQEEAMdMgfc_ykt4T50pnhxSDEJmm3W0CeLEw&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrsp=2&sz=11&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&sll=52.206344,-1.632156&sspn=0.173365,0.424347&ie=UTF8&ll=51.812011,-1.595764&spn=0.699602,1.697388&z=9

 

£24 for the coach Southampton/Heathrow is the norm, there's no "fun-fares" on airport routes. And you'd have to taxi to Southampton or Winchester, the Nat Express to Heathrow doesn't call at Southampton airport.

£60 for the train sounds all wrong, but I doubt it'll cost less than $65 for two.

In any case, back-tracking to Southampton doesn't make sense. Well worth the drop-off fee.

BTW, I'd heard Avis were moving out from Southampton docks area (very strange), but Hertz or National are very convenient for your ship.

 

My suggested routes kinda answer your question about straying from the main highways. :)

You won't see much of England from the motorways, much more fun to get lost along the by-ways :D

 

Your US licence will be fine.

Do be sure to ask for an automatic, unless specified you'll be allocated a shift-stick.

 

Most GPS can be set to quickest or shortest etc but you'll need to put in a lot of "via" or keep re-setting if you want to take scenic routes such as I've posted. And some in-car GPS systems take me a week to figure.

A paper map has its advantages.

I'd suggest belt and braces. ;)

 

Have fun researching

 

JB

[Nebr.cruiser]

Hi again Nebr cruiser,

Two nights in Bath would be much easier & more flexible.

Bath is under 2 hrs from Southampton, even the convoluted route below - which takes in some of the New Forest, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Marlborough, Silbury Hill, & Avebury Ring - would take little over 3 hours, so even with collecting your car from Southampton airport and 4 hours for stops, you'd be in Bath by about 5pm.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Southampton&daddr=50.94775,-1.3657+to:50.96729,-1.6221+to:50.9274713,-1.775635+to:51.00715,-1.75704+to:51.065007,-1.7937591+to:51.16855,-1.7759+to:51.1785591,-1.8222069+to:51.41451,-1.73238+to:51.39484,-2.3453+to:N+Parade+Rd&geocode=FYa_CAMdnpbq_ykJKRW-V4lzSDHwcdpMalqMpw%3BFaZmCQMdPCnr_ynXsTUjunN0SDGQN-RPQfQQEw%3BFfqyCQMdrD_n_ymbaTMa8oxzSDHwqJlQQfQQEw%3BFW8XCQMd7efk_ym3Ghu48JNzSDGIjcmCJu6EwQ%3BFa5OCgMdkDDl_ylj0iskyuxzSDHRsSFQQfQQEw%3BFa8wCwMdIaHk_yn1-GuF8-tzSDExCFhQQfQQEw%3BFSbFDAMd5Obk_ylVShLU9eVzSDEwGNStLa4OEw%3BFT_sDAMdAjLk_ymVNReJO-ZzSDFxidNPQfQQEw%3BFe6FEAMd5JDl_ykder9-9FlxSDFK-PolLH6nJQ%3BFRg5EAMdrDbc_ynp4ozXd4FxSDFgnhzMI4sNEw%3BFXICEAMdFBDc_w&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrsp=9&sz=12&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9&sll=51.373281,-2.27932&sspn=0.088299,0.212173&ie=UTF8&ll=51.382281,-2.27005&spn=0.088281,0.212173&z=12

 

I reckon your second day would be taken up in Bath itself. The route below, which takes in Cheddar Gorge, Wells (cathedral) & Glastonbury (Abbey ruins, Glastonbury Tor, occult & ETs - strange folk in Glastonbury!) could be done in 1/2 day but I doubt you'd find the time - google these places & see what you think.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=North+Rd%2FA3062&daddr=51.21592,-2.53126+to:51.1421037,-2.7264928+to:51.21181,-2.64646+to:51.27962,-2.77351+to:Bath&geocode=FXC5DwMdjDPc_w%3BFTB-DQMdRGDZ_ynPO0p0NiRySDEg2mKyLa4OEw%3BFdddDAMdpGXW_yl7Fw-ifBdySDHghmGyLa4OEw%3BFSJuDQMdRJ7X_ynt5dUAQCJySDHwa2KyLa4OEw%3BFQR3DgMd-q3V_ym5d8H6eB5ySDExGWSyLa4OEw%3BFbQEEAMdMgfc_ykt4T50pnhxSDEJmm3W0CeLEw&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1,2,3,4&sll=51.28597,-2.429352&sspn=0.353868,0.848694&ie=UTF8&z=10

 

Your third day, Bath to Heathrow.

There are quicker routes Bath/Stratford-upon-Avon/Heathrow, but the 4 hour route below takes in Lechlade Bridge, Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water & Stow-in-the-Wold on the way to Stratford-upon-Avon, then to Heathrow via Chipping Norton, Woodstock (Blenheim Palace) and Oxford.

Again, google these places & see what you think.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Heathrow&daddr=51.94166,-1.51118+to:52.1680145,-1.6603431+to:52.19161,-1.70041+to:51.89014,-1.75715+to:51.86517,-1.662913+to:51.67053,-1.70649+to:Bath&geocode=FQqJEQMdkIn5_yl7J75RVnJ2SDFoU9qXzpDI-w%3BFRyRGAMd9PDo_ylpYUIihtR2SDHQUZTMI4sNEw%3BFU4FHAMdSarm_ynTI7ALHdJwSDFBGUXNI4sNEw%3BFXphHAMdxg3m_ynzOk9vMM5wSDGRVRHNI4sNEw%3BFdzHFwMdIjDl_ymtR0j0miVxSDEhHS7MI4sNEw%3BFVJmFwMdP6Dm_ylnE1LVay5xSDEx5U_MI4sNEw%3BFQJuFAMdBvbl_yklGRtn4DdxSDFw51jMI4sNEw%3BFbQEEAMdMgfc_ykt4T50pnhxSDEJmm3W0CeLEw&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrsp=2&sz=11&via=1,2,3,4,5,6&sll=52.206344,-1.632156&sspn=0.173365,0.424347&ie=UTF8&ll=51.812011,-1.595764&spn=0.699602,1.697388&z=9

 

£24 for the coach Southampton/Heathrow is the norm, there's no "fun-fares" on airport routes. And you'd have to taxi to Southampton or Winchester, the Nat Express to Heathrow doesn't call at Southampton airport.

£60 for the train sounds all wrong, but I doubt it'll cost less than $65 for two.

In any case, back-tracking to Southampton doesn't make sense. Well worth the drop-off fee.

BTW, I'd heard Avis were moving out from Southampton docks area (very strange), but Hertz or National are very convenient for your ship.

 

My suggested routes kinda answer your question about straying from the main highways. :)

You won't see much of England from the motorways, much more fun to get lost along the by-ways :D

 

Your US licence will be fine.

Do be sure to ask for an automatic, unless specified you'll be allocated a shift-stick.

 

Most GPS can be set to quickest or shortest etc but you'll need to put in a lot of "via" or keep re-setting if you want to take scenic routes such as I've posted. And some in-car GPS systems take me a week to figure.

A paper map has its advantages.

I'd suggest belt and braces. ;)

 

Have fun researching

 

JB

 

Thank you so much! You have no idea how helpful this all is. The routes you are suggesting look so interesting and doable.

 

Automatic transmission seems to be running a lot 9lot!)higher than the manual, which hubby insists is fine with him, so we'll see. Right now we have a manual transmission car on reserve, but it is easily cancellable if we find something better.

 

As I understand it no car rentals are available at or near the dock on April 29th, because of the Bank Holiday/Royal wedding day.

 

Is it worth it to do an 'afterhours' tour of Stonehenge where you can actually walk among the stones?

 

I am having fun with the researching--I'm the planner, Kerry is the 'go along with what you planned guy'.

[gosport11]

If i was you i would pay the extra for an automatic,i do when hiring a car in Spain etc

On a different tac we will be catching the bus to Southampton,looking foreward to a nice quick journey :):)

[John Bull]

As I understand it no car rentals are available at or near the dock on April 29th, because of the Bank Holiday/Royal wedding day.

 

ahhh, yes, that figures

 

Is it worth it to do an 'afterhours' tour of Stonehenge where you can actually walk among the stones?

 

I didn't know there was an after-hours visit on offer.

I know that you can pre-book early-morning pre-opening. More importantly, I know that the facilities aren't open - not even a cup of tea - and audio-guides are not available, outside public hours. So you'd certainly need a guide, and mebbe a thermos of coffee. I've driven groups to Stonehenge at daft o'clock, with a guide & a coachload of food & drink - they're hardy folk, these enthusiasts.;)

But for regular visitors its not really neccessary, it'd be expensive, and it'd take a bit of re-vamping your itinerary to fit it in late in the day.

But then I've got no soul - to me it's just a few stones that I drive past quite often & that hold no interest to me at all. :rolleyes:

.

 

John Bull

[Nebr.cruiser]

Hmmm, you sound like my husband--he has a limit as far as historical sites go. I'm not even sure it would be worth it for me the "I shoulda been an archaeologist' moaner.

 

And, after all, we do have 'Carhenge' here in Nebraska.

[John Bull]

Hmmm, you sound like my husband--he has a limit as far as historical sites go. I'm not even sure it would be worth it for me the "I shoulda been an archaeologist' moaner.

 

And, after all, we do have 'Carhenge' here in Nebraska.

 

 

No problem.

Once you've cancelled the car rental & fixed up two single-seat Harleys, I'll provide you with two entirely separate itineraries :D:D:D

 

JB

I think I've seen a photo of Carhenge. Very tasteful :)

[DorneyBoy]

Thank you so much!

Is it worth it to do an 'afterhours' tour of Stonehenge where you can actually walk among the stones?

 

If you are really into Stonehenge and things ancient then yes very much so. But ...

 

These tours are called Special Access tours and take place outside normal public hours. In the summer between 5:30 am and 8 am and 7 pm and 9.30 pm.

They are not tours as such as there is no guide, no gift shop, nothing. Just a maximum of 25 people and a security guard with free access to Stonehenge. The tours are very popular and you need to book a few months in advance to be reasonably sure of being offered a ticket.

 

Failing this, go to Avebury a larger henge than Stonehenge just 20 miles north. This has completely free access at all times to the stones.

Many people prefer Avebury to Stonehenge, but feel they must visit Stonehenge if only to respond to the inevitable 'And did you visit Stonehenge?' when you get back home.

Oh, the power of marketing.

[Nebr.cruiser]

No problem.

Once you've cancelled the car rental & fixed up two single-seat Harleys, I'll provide you with two entirely separate itineraries :D:D:D

 

JB

I think I've seen a photo of Carhenge. Very tasteful :)

Hmm, Harleys--um, a big no from me!

 

Oh yes, Carhenge is indeed classy! Kind of in the "If you build it they will come..." genre. As is probably normal for natives of any certain area, we've never been. In our own defense, Nebraska is BIG and Carhenge is hours and hours away in a quite remote (ok, most of Nebr. is remote) area.

 

People do go out of their way to go there though...?

 

Dorneyboy: I'm planning on going to Avebury as well, dragging hubby along, reading him things out of a guidebook he never knew he wanted to know.

 

I did realize that the early/late acccess to Stonehenge needed reservations ahead of time. Not sure about those hours at that time of the year--pretty cool?

[DorneyBoy]

Dorneyboy: I'm planning on going to Avebury as well, dragging hubby along, reading him things out of a guidebook he never knew he wanted to know.

 

I did realize that the early/late acccess to Stonehenge needed reservations ahead of time. Not sure about those hours at that time of the year--pretty cool?

 

If you're into Stonehenge, try for Special Access, if not give it a miss.

This particular area is very rewarding once you get off the tourist track of Salisbury and Stonehenge.

At Avebury do go into the 'Henge Shop' its got all the mystic stuff you can't get at the rubbish gift shop at Stonehenge. Also go inside the burial chamber at West Kennett Long Barrow. The people at the tourist office are quite knowledgable and will probably advise where the local crop circles are.

By Avebury is Devizes and your hubby I think would enjoy the Kennet Canal and the locks at Caen Hill Locks with the narrow boats taking 3 hours to climb the flights of locks there. Your hubby no doubt would even like more if you treated him to a tour of the brewery at Devizes and took a few samples.

Also within 10 miles of both Avebury and Devizes is Lacock, a great liitle village. The big tourist attraction is the Abbey (used in Harry Potter films) but its the village thats the reall nice bit. All the buildings are 13/14th Century and its still a living/breathing village with real people living there, the houses are kept from the exterior at least just like all that time ago.

Its also the local village of Camilla (The Horse), her daughter got married there a couple of summers ago in the village Church which is open at all times. The curator of the church worked on the oil rigs off Texas and come back to UK on retirement, he is very friendly.

Also do eat in the George Inn there, England's oldest licenced pub/inn (13th Century). Great experience and they serve up proper English food such as ******s (yes we eat them in the Uk - good icebreaker when you go home and say you like ******s, very tasty) . The guy who runs the pub likes Americans especially and will often give you a tour or let you 'pull a pint', I think he's trying to visit every state in the US so he probably knows yours.

15 minutes north of Lacock is Castle Coombe. Really nice Cotwold village and much less touristy and uncommercialised than the more famous places further north. No coach crowds go here and saves you a long trek north to Bourton etc.

 

No doubt you can Google all the above to find out more.

[DorneyBoy]

What's all this ***** stuff.

Just described a traditional English dish, you can even buy it in supermarkets in the UK - I'll spell it backwards stoggaf so you know what to look for on the special board in pubs.

[Nebr.cruiser]

More and more great ideas! I'm getting so excited about this trip.

 

I'm kind of ashamed to tell you that neither of us are drinkers, even including beer/ale. We're not teetotalers, just neither one of us has learned to like more than an occasional (very occasional, like weddings!) glass of wine or champagne.

 

Roaming around these small villages sounds like exactly the kind of sightseeing we like.

 

Also, I'm being unfair to my husband, who does enjoy seeing ancient sites, up to a point. We have been to Egypt, Israel, Rome, etc. and he enjoyed them all.

 

He did insist that we do the Egyptian Museum on our own rather than with our tour guide, which led to us almost missing the entire King Tut exhibit. And, we spent only two hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC once as we had to get to a Yankees game!

[DorneyBoy]

If you're staying in Bath I would recommend the Mayor's walking tour. Its taken by local volunteers and its far superior and the guides more enthusiastic than any commercial alternative. Its also FREE.

Starts outside the Roman Baths every morning and I think is supposed to take 2 hours but often takes much longer. After taking the tour you'll understand 'Georgian' Bath much better than any guide book can tell you.

 

I think it also runs in the afternoons and some evenings in the summer.

Its not well publicised because its free, but its a much better experience than all the commercial things in Bath that do receive all the marketing.

 

Also within striking distance of Bath is Glastonbury, which complements Stonehenge/Avebury superbly. The commercial Abbey is the tourist trail draw, but its the mystic shops, hippy like locals and Glastonbury Tor, Chailice Well and thorn bushes that will captivate you.