Canterbury to Portsmouth - without driving our own car

Try the English bus small group tour

https://theenglishbus.com/tour/canterbury-dover-rochester-amp-kent-villages

or take the train from Canterbury to Dover then Dover to Portsmouth

We've visited Battle via train and car. We drove to Eastbourne from Portsmouth because there were engineering works and I couldn't be bothered with a bus and because it was the 1000 year anniversary of the battle so parking was going to be a nightmare (it was) so the train from Eastbourne was the better option which we took to Battle. The sight of the Battle is a short walk from the train station.

Coming from the other direction you can take the train from Dover to Battle and then onto Eastbourne where you can take the bus to Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters (much more impressive than the Dover Cliffs which you won't see from land), the National Trust site has details on how to get there using public transport. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birling-gap-and-the-seven-sisters#How%20to%20get%20here

After returning back to Eastbourne you can continue by train to Portsmouth with Brighton and Chichester two of the main stops on the route that may be of interest.

I hope you have several days for this trip.

Canterbury East to Dover - a straightforward rail journey of about 20 minutes. In addition to the Castle, the National Trust property there is worth a visit and see the Deep Shelter, climb the lighthouse and have a drink in the vintage cafe overlooking the Channel.

The battle of Hastings was in Battle, not Hastings. There are no direct trains from Dover to Battle - it’s about 2 hours with either one change in Tonbridge or two changes at Ashford and Hastings. Battle is fairly compact and a couple of hours will cover the essentials.

Battle to Beachy Head (there’s not much there and it will be miserable on a cold, wet day) is about an hour by train to Eastbourne, with one change at St Leonard’s. Take the 20 minute bus ride from Eastbourne to Beachy Head.

Beachy Head to Portsmouth - 2.25 to 2.5 hours by train from Eastbourne. One or two train changes in Brighton or Brighton and Barnham. Brighton is worth half a day of anyone’s time.

Thank you so much! This is a great help. Taking public transportation was our initial plan, but my husband pointed out we would each have our carry-on. What to do with carry-ons and personal bags while touring these sites?

If you're going to stay overnight in a town, then plan to drop your bags at the hotel first, since these small train stations don't have storage facilities. A few new websites help you find other options, such as Stasher.com, BagBnB.com, NannyBag.com, and LuggageHero.com.