Getting to final planning stages but still looking for advice. We get off a cruise ship in Southampton on a Saturday morning. We need to get to Southampton airport to pick up a rental car that we will return 10 days later to LHR Alamo/Enterprise. We will be staying in Portsmouth for 4 nights. Thanks to help on here I have most of my sights picked out - The Docks and ships, Southwick, a day at Isle of Wight and possibly a trip Arundel - there is a lot to see. We will then be going to Lulworth via Stonehenge for two nights. We want to see the Tank Museum. Not sure what else we will do there, but it looks very nice. We will be leaving Lulworth on a Friday heading towards Bathampton. Not sure where we will be staying in the Bathampton area but will be there for two nights. We are going to spend the day Saturday on a narrow boat cruising from Dundas Aqueduct either east or west - undetermined which direction at this point. Plan to leave Bathampton area on a Sunday, with hopes of stopping at Caen Locks and Devizes. Possibly going on to Blenheim Castle. Not sure where to stay Sunday night. We leave the following day (Monday) from wherever we stay to Heathrow, turn in the car and catch a 5:30 pm flight back to Seattle. Any advice, recommendations, cautions etc will be most appreciated. We are the kind that would rather be three hours early at an airport instead of 5 minutes late.
Posted by
2691 posts
When going from Portsmouth to Lulworth (via Stonehenge), you may wish to drive into Salisbury to see the wonderful medieval cathedral.
When going N form Lulworth to Bathampton, your route should go via Blandford Forum to Shaftesbury. Be sure to see Gold Hill on the S side of Shaftesbury town.
After Shaftesbury, rather continue N on the direct A350 towards Warminster, you may like to divert north westward via Gillingham to visit:>https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/stourhead
Just a few miles N of Stourhead is Longleat House & safari park so also consider that as worth a visit.
Lovely beaches at Durdle Dor so be sure to walk over from Lulworth Cove - which is impressive. (You can also drive over).
Posted by
Buckinghamshire
263 posts
I wonder if you’d be better to delay getting the car for a few days. The historic dockyard at Portsmouth doesn’t need a car and a day return ferry to the isle is Wight seems quite expensive (rough online quote around GBP 90 to over 100 when you could go as a foot passenger.
Also you can get a train to Arundel (47 mins, 1 change) although you might want a taxi from the station to the castle which is about a mile away. The trains wth this journey time are approximately hourly and note it could take about 40 minutes to drive depending on where you’re staying.
Posted by
OP
17 posts
Thank you for the ideas on where to stop on our trip from Lulworth to Bathampton. They have all been entered into our possible itinerary. Other than the Tank Museum, Lulworth and Durdle Door and there any other sight/places I should see while in that area of Dorset?
It just seems easier to rent the car at the beginning of the trip. We do not plan on taking the car to Isle of Wight but do want to go to Southwick among other places in the area so the car should come in handy. We will include Salisbury on our drive from Portsmouth to Lulworth.
We are planning on staying two nights in the Bathampton area - the night before and the night after our day on the Narrowboat, which we will pick up near the Dundas Aqueduct. Any suggestions on where to stay in that area.
We have on more night to spend somewhere. We are thinking about driving to Devizes (to see the locks on the Kennet and Avon canal) and spending the night there. How long should we plan on the drive from there to Heathrow? Our flight is at 5:30 pm but will have to turn the car in at LHR Enterprise.
Posted by
2691 posts
If you want to see the Caen Hill locks, you get a good view from Foxhangers Bridge on the B3101 - which has limited parking in a lay-by just N of the bridge. See this Google Map and look at street view.
The heading back to Heathrow, you may like to see Avebury stone circle on the way east. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/
Plenty to see in Dorset. Read > https://www.visit-dorset.com and > https://www.visitengland.com/trip-ideas/places-visit-dorset