How to see Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath & Kew from London

[smm0218]

Sorry if this is confusing.

 

I had an excursion set up to go to Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor from Southampton after cruise. Now Windsor Castle is going to be closed that day (June 18th.)

 

I had planned, but not booked, a day trip to Bath and ? (hence the not yet booked) from London.

 

I can switch our excursion after the cruise for Windsor and Stonehenge, to Bath and lunch in the Cotswolds (both are with International Friends so no penalty for switching.)

 

We also plan on going to Windsor Racecourse for races on June 4th and had tentatively planned on going to KEW first. So I can go to Windsor Castle before going to Windsor Races and make a day of it in Windsor (even looks like reasonable walking distance.)

 

My problem is how do I work seeing Stonehenge into this plan. I don't necessarily want to explore Stonehenge, I really just want to get close enough to see it.

 

I'm beginning to think Stonehenge is just going to have to to be missed. I found one daytrip excursion for Windsor and Stonehenge but April 1st they change Stonehenge to Bath instead.

 

I know I am probably making this way more complicated that it has to be but before giving up I thought I would ask here first. $s (£s) are only going to go so far, especially with what the exchange rate is doing, so private excursions are most likely more than I'm willing to spend.

 

Thanks in advance for any help suggestions you might be able to give me.

[Bob++]

If this is before a Southampton cruise, you could book a car and ask them to swing past Stonehenge on the way. It would add about an hour and 40 miles to the drive.

[Globaliser]

I think the main thing to remember is that Windsor and Kew are in the London area, and Bath and Stonehenge are not. This is being reflected in the difficulties which you're experiencing in planning this.

 

Kew and Windsor can be done in a day, although whether it's worth it depends a bit on what you want to do in Kew. If you want to see Kew Gardens, they need time - you're walking around quite a big area, and it would seem a shame to go there, pay the entrance fee, and basically only graze the surface. So you'd need to work out how much time you can spare for that if you have a deadline for getting to Windsor.

 

For similar reasons, if you're going to the races at Windsor and you want to see Windsor itself as well, including the castle, then the amount of time you have probably means that making a day of it is a good idea rather than trying to load another destination on top of that.

 

If you only want to drive past Stonehenge, then how about doing a private transfer one way which does no more than take you from London to Southampton on a route that drives past Stonehenge but doesn't stop?

[smm0218]

It doing a private transfer one way which does no more than take you from London to Southampton on a route that drives past Stonehenge but doesn't stop?

 

We had planned on taking train from London to Southampton but maybe I can set up a private transfer that will go by Stonehenge. I hadn't thought of trying that, thank you.

 

I thought KEW and Windsor in the same day seemed a little much. Races are afternoon races but that would still be pushing it.

 

Now to decide if I want to see KEW or Hampton Court more. :) I'm lucky to have a DH that doesn't care one way or the other and lets me decide.

[jkgourmet]

We had planned on taking train from London to Southampton but maybe I can set up a private transfer that will go by Stonehenge. I hadn't thought of trying that, thank you.

 

I thought KEW and Windsor in the same day seemed a little much. Races are afternoon races but that would still be pushing it.

 

Now to decide if I want to see KEW or Hampton Court more. :) I'm lucky to have a DH that doesn't care one way or the other and lets me decide.

 

Kew gardens vs Hampton Court. Imho:

 

It depends on the time of year.

 

As a generalization, if you enjoy history and buildings, it's Hampton Court (which has lovely gardens as well). If you enjoy arboretums, it's Kew Gardens.

 

If the weather is bad it's Hampton Court.

 

(Watch a movie/TV show or read about Henry VIII 3rd wife, Jane Seymour and his 5th wife, Catherine Parr prior to your visit to HC.)

 

Personally, I'd suggest Hampton Court. Kew is absolutely lovely (depending on the season), but you can find lovely gardens and arboretums all over the world. There's only ONE Hampton Court.

 

Enjoy whatever you do.

 

PS I find Stonehenge to be overrated. What you see in person is virtually the same as what you see in photos. Just mho.

[smm0218]

"I find Stonehenge to be overrated. What you see in person is virtually the same as what you see in photos. Just mho."

 

Wait your whole life to go to England and you have to at least "see" Stonehenge but I don't feel a great need to "visit" Stonehenge.

 

 

And thank you for opinion on KEW vs Hampton Court. That one has been a tough one for me to decide. I would have loved to go to Blenheim but there was just no way to work it in without giving up another day in London.

[Baseball fan]

I took a tour of Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath via Viator. The tour company that runs it (cannot remember their name) was slightly more. Pickup was Victoria coach station. They dropped us off near our hotels.

 

Great tour, long day, and I would go back to Windsor again as it wasn’t enough time.

 

 

 

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[smm0218]

"I took a tour of Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath via Viator. The tour company that runs it (cannot remember their name) was slightly more. Pickup was Victoria coach station. They dropped us off near our hotels."

 

 

That's probably one of the ones I looked at but since we are going to bath from the cruise I didn't want to take up time to go there again when going to Windsor and Stonehenge.

[John Bull]

If this is before a Southampton cruise, you could book a car and ask them to swing past Stonehenge on the way. It would add about an hour and 40 miles to the drive.

 

 

If you only want to drive past Stonehenge, then how about doing a private transfer one way which does no more than take you from London to Southampton on a route that drives past Stonehenge but doesn't stop?

 

 

My thoughts too. :)

Either heading to Southampton pre-cruise or, subject to flight-times, heading to Heathrow or Gatwick post-cruise.

This is the view that you'll get from the road.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.1768231,-1.8256905,3a,75y,25.42h,76.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNwZhQrGiMNeN_8Sy3qyhDw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Not special, but allows you to tick the box.

 

JB :)

[smm0218]

You know John Bull, I think that might just be enough. Thanks for the picture.

 

Sandi

[Got2Cruise]

Stonehenge is definitely worth more than a “drive by” c’mon. If you go you will understand that it’s just not a bunch of rocks. Do you need to spend hours? No. But an hour to 90 minutes was very worth my time. Jmo

 

 

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[Airrace]

Sorry if this is confusing.

 

 

 

I had an excursion set up to go to Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor from Southampton after cruise. Now Windsor Castle is going to be closed that day (June 18th.)

 

 

 

I had planned, but not booked, a day trip to Bath and ? (hence the not yet booked) from London.

 

 

 

I can switch our excursion after the cruise for Windsor and Stonehenge, to Bath and lunch in the Cotswolds (both are with International Friends so no penalty for switching.)

 

 

 

We also plan on going to Windsor Racecourse for races on June 4th and had tentatively planned on going to KEW first. So I can go to Windsor Castle before going to Windsor Races and make a day of it in Windsor (even looks like reasonable walking distance.)

 

 

 

My problem is how do I work seeing Stonehenge into this plan. I don't necessarily want to explore Stonehenge, I really just want to get close enough to see it.

 

 

 

I'm beginning to think Stonehenge is just going to have to to be missed. I found one daytrip excursion for Windsor and Stonehenge but April 1st they change Stonehenge to Bath instead.

 

 

 

I know I am probably making this way more complicated that it has to be but before giving up I thought I would ask here first. $s (£s) are only going to go so far, especially with what the exchange rate is doing, so private excursions are most likely more than I'm willing to spend.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help suggestions you might be able to give me.

 

 

 

I was there in 2015.

 

I won’t waste my time in Bath, they have tours of the old baths, a restaurant to taste the water and that’s about all to see. A modern town with a lot of history, just not what I expected.

 

You can’t touch the stones st Stonehenge, but you can drive by it stop the car and look from a distance. I prefer to go to Avebury, it’s about 16 miles away from Stonehenge and is a place that has multiple stones in a field we’re you can go up and actually touch the stones. We had lunch at the Red Lion pub, a place we’re you can order England style food, sit outside on the bench and enjoy the grass hut roofs and of course the stones. I had bangers and mash while the wife had fish and chips. After lunch we walked out the field and enjoyed getting up close to the stones.

 

I was glad we seen both as Stonehenge has the larger rocks but Avebury you can get right up close to the stones and the best part no crowds.

 

 

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[John Bull]

I was there in 2015.

 

I won’t waste my time in Bath, they have tours of the old baths, a restaurant to taste the water and that’s about all to see. A modern town with a lot of history, just not what I expected.

 

 

I just don't recognise the Bath that you describe :confused:

 

The city centre is almost all classic Georgian terraces of the highest quality, faced in the local sandstone.

The Royal Crescent is iconic Georgian and was used as the yardstick for many other Georgian developments in all corners of England but the rest of the city centre too is much as Jane Austen would have remembered it.

Just pick a few random google street-views of the centre & you'll see few if any more-modern buildings.

 

Then there's the River Avon flowing thro the city with shop-lined Pulteney Bridge & the weir, Bath Abbey (at one time the richest outside London), Jane Austen connections & plenty more for a very full day.

 

Bath does get crowded with visitors in season - that wouldn't happen if it were a "modern town"

JB :)

[WatchHill]

We visited Kew in June 2017, another site we were able to tick off our bucket list. After breakfast at our hotel near Paddington, we called an Uber to take us to Kew; thankfully we caught a very good driver who shared his knowledge of sights along the drive. The three of us are interested in gardens and spent a good part of the day exploring the grounds. We did the tram ride around the property, Tree Tops, wandered along the many garden paths, stopped for lunch, spent too much at the shops, toured the palace and massive green house. In the afternoon, we meandered toward the Thames and caught a river boat [the Dunkirk] on its return from Hampton Court, ending our journey at Westminster Pier. From there we explored the immediate area and headed to a pub familiar to our travel companion. If you are not into flora and fauna, then Kew wouldn't be high on your must-do list, but for us it was a wonderful experience.

 

Darcy

[smm0218]

Thanks, Darcy, appreciate the input. I wish I could do both Hampton Court and KEW. But I think I'd have to give up another day in London to do both. I enjoy gardens, DH not so much. When we visit our son in NC, I spend at least one day wandering the gardens at Biltmore, son and DH do something else and I can spend as much time as I want there.

 

I had heard the riverboat on the Thames from Hampton was pretty slow, did you find that to be the case?

 

We are going to be in the Notting Hill area so a little farther away than you were, I think.

[WatchHill]

Thanks, Darcy, appreciate the input. I wish I could do both Hampton Court and KEW. But I think I'd have to give up another day in London to do both. I enjoy gardens, DH not so much. When we visit our son in NC, I spend at least one day wandering the gardens at Biltmore, son and DH do something else and I can spend as much time as I want there.

 

I had heard the riverboat on the Thames from Hampton was pretty slow, did you find that to be the case?

 

We are going to be in the Notting Hill area so a little farther away than you were, I think.

 

The Thames Riverboats are not in the same category as the ones affiliated with regular transport, they are historic boats. It was well worth the slower pace, and glad we experienced this. Besides the garden component, there's lots of history at Kew.

 

We did this as part of our pre-cruise plans, a full week taking in the history, etc. After renting a car in London, we drove directly to Blenheim - loved it! Both DH and I agree it's one of the most spectacular palaces we have seen. Our tour companion who has lived in England for 8 years, enjoyed it so much, she later did a 5K race there, and when her family came to visit, she took them to Blenheim.

 

If you can fit it in, do a walking tour of Oxford. University. Students offer free narrated tours, at 11:AM starting on Broad Street; our student guide was excellent, informative and great fun to share a few hours with. he was well compensated by all of us in his group.

 

We've been to Bath at least 4 times in the past decade, each time doing something different. First time, a torch light tour of the Roman baths, also visited the cathedral, pubs, dinner, walk along the River Avon, great fudge shops, boat trip on the river, too.

 

So much to see, never enough time. That's why we allocate a full week pre-cruise and have yet to scratch the surface. Returning in a few months.....

 

Darcy