Southampton Cruise Transfer on route for Heathrow to include Cotswolds 1 or 2 day tour

[2Gypsea]

Hello fellow cruisers. I need guidance on possible tour operators who offer Southampton Port pick up  with a one or two day Cotswolds tour with drop off at Heathrow?

Thank you ahead of time for your input.

 

[gumshoe958]

International Friends are frequently recommended here.

 

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/Cotswold-Villages-Downton-Abbey-Locations-Country-Pub-Lunch-to-London-Heathrow.html
 

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/post-cruise-london-cotswolds.html

 

Edited February 10 by gumshoe958

[2Gypsea]

1 hour ago, gumshoe958 said:

International Friends are frequently recommended here.

 

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/Cotswold-Villages-Downton-Abbey-Locations-Country-Pub-Lunch-to-London-Heathrow.html
 

https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/post-cruise-london-cotswolds.html

 

Thank you for your prompt reply and resources. Will check this out.

 

[John Bull]

International Friends coach tour-transfer is effectively a transfer from your cruise terminal to Heathrow (or central London) hotels via an interesting day out in the Cotswolds. It's not in-depth, you'll have a little over 5 hrs in the Cotswolds but it will certainly give you a flavour.

It's by far the simplest and most cost-effective option.

 

If you want to add post-cruise days in central London the cost of that tour-transfer is the same.

If you want to add post-cruise time based in Southampton, there are lots of day-trip options to a selection of destinations by train or ferry or private tour or by rented car, possibly a local operator's excursion coach. You can book with International Friends as if from another ship arriving a day or two later, provided that there's a ship served by International Friends arriving on a suitable date and you make your own way to that ship's cruise terminal  

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

......................................................................

A private 2 - 3 day tour from Southampton would be seriously expensive, would include overnight accommodation for the driver, and would need a Southampton driver who knows enough about the Cotswolds to provide interesting routes and give you some background..

If you want to spend a few days in the Cotswolds probably the sensible way to go about it is to take a train from Southampton to a location in or on the borders of the Cotswolds, with one or two days booked with a local driver, then train to LHR.

Simplest would be a direct train from Southampton Central to Bath Spa, about 90 minutes, from £13 pp advance ticket. Bath is an attractive destination in its own right, with Roman baths, Jane Austen connections & Georgian architecture, and it's on the fringe of the Cotswolds. It attracts visitors from all over the world so you should find day-trip coach excursions from there to the Cotswolds or private transfer operators who can tailor-make day-trips. Then fast direct trains from Bath to London and an easy change to LHR.

Other bases in the Cotswolds like Stow-on-the-Wold or Moreton-in-Marsh, or just north of the Cotswolds in Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon would be better-located than Bath, but involve tedious changes of trains.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

If you want to push the boat out, you could make one or both of those train journeys by private transfer.

Or if you're happy driving England's roads rent a car in Southampton, go wherever you want, and drop the car at LHR. 

 

Helpful ? ............ or confusing ? 🙄

You decide 😏

 

JB 🙂

Edited February 10 by John Bull

[2Gypsea]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

International Friends coach tour-transfer is effectively a transfer from your cruise terminal to Heathrow (or central London) hotels via an interesting day out in the Cotswolds. It's not in-depth, you'll have a little over 5 hrs in the Cotswolds but it will certainly give you a flavour.

It's by far the simplest and most cost-effective option.

 

If you want to add post-cruise days in central London the cost of that tour-transfer is the same.

If you want to add post-cruise time based in Southampton, there are lots of day-trip options to a selection of destinations by train or ferry or private tour or by rented car, possibly a local operator's excursion coach. You can book with International Friends as if from another ship arriving a day or two later, provided that there's a ship served by International Friends arriving on a suitable date and you make your own way to that ship's cruise terminal  

https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/

......................................................................

A private 2 - 3 day tour from Southampton would be seriously expensive, would include overnight accommodation for the driver, and would need a Southampton driver who knows enough about the Cotswolds to provide interesting routes and give you some background..

If you want to spend a few days in the Cotswolds probably the sensible way to go about it is to take a train from Southampton to a location in or on the borders of the Cotswolds, with one or two days booked with a local driver, then train to LHR.

Simplest would be a direct train from Southampton Central to Bath Spa, about 90 minutes, from £13 pp advance ticket. Bath is an attractive destination in its own right, with Roman baths, Jane Austen connections & Georgian architecture, and it's on the fringe of the Cotswolds. It attracts visitors from all over the world so you should find day-trip coach excursions from there to the Cotswolds or private transfer operators who can tailor-make day-trips. Then fast direct trains from Bath to London and an easy change to LHR.

Other bases in the Cotswolds like Stow-on-the-Wold or Moreton-in-Marsh, or just north of the Cotswolds in Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon would be better-located than Bath, but involve tedious changes of trains.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

If you want to push the boat out, you could make one or both of those train journeys by private transfer.

Or if you're happy driving England's roads rent a car in Southampton, go wherever you want, and drop the car at LHR. 

 

Helpful ? ............ or confusing ? 🙄

You decide 😏

 

JB 🙂

This is most helpful and we would like to extend our stay to cover the Cotswolds. I am looking at the rail link and maybe taking from SOU central with connection at Reading to Morton-in Marsh, using this area as our base? I see that there are tour options offered from M.I.M. We would probably hire a private transfer to LHR. Driving would not be an option for us. I will check the other tour options from arriving ships at SOU too. I love your "thinking outside the box".!

[John Bull]

28 minutes ago, 2Gypsea said:

This is most helpful and we would like to extend our stay to cover the Cotswolds. I am looking at the rail link and maybe taking from SOU central with connection at Reading to Morton-in Marsh, using this area as our base? I see that there are tour options offered from M.I.M. We would probably hire a private transfer to LHR. Driving would not be an option for us. I will check the other tour options from arriving ships at SOU too. I love your "thinking outside the box".!

 

Yes, M-in-M is in the heart of the Cotswolds 🙂.

 Certainly a choice of hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops etc mainly strung out along the straight main street - originally part of the longest Roman road in England, the Fosse Way.

I don't know about local buses & tours, but Cruise Critic has a resident eagle in the Cotswolds, @Cotswold Eagle

 

Instead of a private transfer there's an approximately hourly train direct from M-in-Mto London Paddington, and a short hop from there to LHR by Heathrow Express or the Elizabeth tube line. Or get off the train at Reading for the RailAir bus link to LHR.

 

JB 🙂

[2Gypsea]

Thank you. I will review the return to LHR via train and coach. It appears this would be a significant savings and knowing there is a train direct. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

On 2/10/2024 at 2:25 PM, John Bull said:

but Cruise Critic has a resident eagle in the Cotswolds,

You called, sir? 😀

Yes, for a short stay MiM (NB it’s Moreton, not Morton) makes a good base - access to the rail network and some local bus services (run by at least two different operators) which would require a degree of careful planning, but can be used for days out. 
 

There are a number of local taxi operators, but these are all driver-owners, there are no taxi firms as such. So best to book in advance, even for short point-to-point journeys, and they will also do tours and airport runs. 
 

There are various more specialist tour operators, using cars or small vans, some of who double up as taxis. Also at least a couple of regular van tours who pick up from trains at MiM, so also convenient if you are staying in MiM. 

[2Gypsea]

Big thank you. I have already booked my place to stay in M.I.M. I am researching the special tour operators now.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Excellent! My nest is about 3 miles away, so do ask if you need any local knowledge (although per CC rules I cannot recommend toiur operators). 

[Harters]

9 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

per CC rules I cannot recommend toiur operators). 

Isnt it just travel agents that are banned from mention? I'm sure I've often seen the likes of tour operators, taxi firms and the like mentioned without problem. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

11 minutes ago, Harters said:

Isnt it just travel agents that are banned from mention? I'm sure I've often seen the likes of tour operators, taxi firms and the like mentioned without problem. 

From the Rules for Posting sticky:

 

Participation of Local Experts in Ports of Call

Locals living in ports of call are encouraged to contribute, as long as their recommendations are general in nature. Those living in ports of call who recommend individual businesses or tour operators/guides will find that their posts have been removed and their posting privileges may be suspended.

 

There is also a more general rule that one can’t recommend a tour you haven’t been on. 

Edited February 16 by Cotswold Eagle

[Harters]

Gosh. Thanks for yet another correction. What a weird policy to have. Folk are robbed of your local knowledge, so probably won't get any knowledge. I reckon I'm going to give contributing to this forum a swerve in future as I really don't see how I can make any valid and/or useful post.  I'll just stick to reading the Oceania and Foodies forums. 😀

[Globaliser]

5 minutes ago, Harters said:

Thanks for yet another correction. What a weird policy to have. Folk are robbed of your local knowledge, so probably won't get any knowledge. I reckon I'm going to give contributing to this forum a swerve in future as I really don't see how I can make any valid and/or useful post.

 

Add me to the list of people who didn't know about that specific policy.

 

Clearly, I'm going to have to be very careful in future about recommending that people use the services of London Underground Limited or Docklands Light Railway Limited.

[Harters]

This reminds me of a now defunct food forum that I used to play on where the contributions of local folk were often discounted so it became a matter of Americans making the same recommendations to other Americans, who would then in due course continue making the same recommendation. One of the benefits of Tripadvisor, which is CC's parent company, is that it has no problems about naming names. 

[John Bull]

I've frequently suggested  businesses and never had a problem.

Usually I'll mention several options (hotels or private transfer operators for instance) but often there's only the one possibility (Red Funnel ferries to the Isle of Wight or International Friends' coach tour-transfers for instance).  

 

I don't think the ruling is as draconian as it sounds,

I suspect it's to avoid spam from those who come across Cruise Critic and think "here's an opportunity to push my / my friend's business".

I recall reporting one person who'd posted just half a dozen times (in the Asian board IIRC), each time promoting just the one business without revealing any connection to that business, and sometimes out of context with the question. The posts disappeared & I've not see any more since

 

Those of us who post on a variety of subjects and with a variety of suggestions (and sometimes pointing out the pitfalls as well as the advantages) aren't the ones who Cruise Critic want to silence.

If we are, they're not doing a very good job of it 😏.

 

JB 🙂

[Cotswold Eagle]

We are way off topic (and I apologise to the OP), but I also take the sort of balanced approach that JB describes. Mentioning operators and commenting on the options I think is fine. Plenty of places for folk to get reviews and opinions on t'internet. The key word in that rule is 'recommendations'. 

 

But in this specific case, which crops up from time to time, I know several of the small number of local guides personally. I know who I would suggest to family and friends, but can understand that CC would not want me to take such a personal view, particularly if I haven't been on their tours, and in a way it would be unfair to those I don't know, who may well be better...

 

It's not impossible that sooner or later I may fall foul of a further draconian rule too, and have to leave the forum - I'm assuming my volunteer role as a room guide at a local National Trust property doesn't count!

"the participation of Tour Operators, Guides, Drivers, Businesses, Transportation or Taxi Drivers is NOT ALLOWED."