1. No, but it's a hike from Dover Priory to the ferryport and I don't remember how the bus works.

2. Yes, but the car places are either in the heart of town or down at the station, both of which are a hike, and I don't know how to do that by public transportation either. It's a four-hour drive from Calais to Caen/Bayeux - - maybe a bit less.

3. No knowledge without going back into London.

BIG CAVEAT: Make darn sure the ferry will take foot pax - - there seems to be more and more exclusions all the time.

Edit: missed the part about spending the night in Dover - - have no idea how to get around except by driving or walking.

3. If you are able to return your rental car in any of these locations: LeHavre, Caen, Cherbourg, St. Malo, you can take the ferry to Portsmouth, England from any of those locations. From Portsmouth, there is bus (coach) service directly to Heathrow Airport Central Bus Station. See www.nationalexpress.com for bus (coach) schedule and fares.

Why is my previous post in huge letters???

Here is a link for the ferries: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/

And as Ed said, read the details at the website and make sure they still take (walk-on) passengers traveling without a car. Some ferries do, some do not.

Big mouth broad?

1) No, plenty of trains. High speed ones from St Pancras International on the Javelin service provided by Southeastern Trains. Traditional ones from Charing Cross provided by Southeastern.

1a) I hope that you like Dover better than I did, and that your hotel is better than I have been able to find.

1b) As Ed says, it is a fur piece down to the harbour and I think that P&O are the only company that still take foot passengers - at least they did last year

2) Maybe. It is certainly the slowest. Also, the car places are a fur piece from the docks. And not much pedestrian infrastructure.

3) Very few Eurostars call at Calais.

Unsolicited 4) Unless there are good reasons to drive from Calais and spend a night in Dover, by far the fastest and easiest way from London to Normandy would be to take a Eurostar from St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord, easy connection across Paris to the train up to Caen where you could easily get a car across from the station, and you are in Normandy with wheels.

Ed, "Big mouth broad?" Ha! I guess so!

Another alternative, rather than go by train or ferry via Dover, is to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen or Poole to Cherbourg.

Yet another alternative. Read Nigel's No.4. Do as he suggests, then return to Paris on the train; fly Paris to Heathrow.

Thank you for taking the time to help with our trip plans. If I am reading correctly, Dover does not earn high grades as a tourist stop. We are going to investigate ferry options from Portsmouth to Caen, and visit Dover Castle on another trip. We really appreciate your help!

Portsmouth however is well worth at least an overnight stop, especially for anything naval (HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, the Mary Rose Museum, plus other museums at the dock and nearby) They have a D-Day museum in Portsmouth as well, we did not get there in the time we had, but I have seen it mentioned.