We arrive LHR at 1:30pm on 23 August and board ship afternoon of 25 August. Would like to do a day tour of Cotswolds on 24 August. Trying to figure out best way to do this. Should we transfer to Southampton on arrival at LHR and spend two nights there with tour of Cotswolds on Aug 24? Conversely, would it be better to transfer to Oxford for 2 nights and do Cotswold tour from there with transfer to Southampton pier on 25th? Is there another way to do it? We are in our 80s so long walks are out of question. Appreciate suggestions.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2588 posts
Too rushed for me but you could do this:
From LHR take a train (via London) to Moreton in Marsh (MiM), plan trains here https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Stay in MiM.
On the 24th, do a tour from MiM such as https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/ Stay in MiM
On the 25th, early train from MiM to Southampton https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
Posted by
Preston UK
1115 posts
I would stay in central London and take a Cotswolds day tour by taking a train from Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh and picking up a tour from the station. Then train from Waterloo to Southampton for the cruise the day after. Southampton is in the wrong direction for the Cotswolds.
Actually I would probably choose a visit to another nice rural area in the south east which would mean much less travel. the Cotswolds are nice enough but no more interesting than many other areas.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7546 posts
Go down to Southampton on the night of the 24th to stay there the night before the cruise, after your tour.
25 August is a Sunday, and a Public Holiday weekend- so getting from Moreton (or Oxford) to Southampton that day could be less than easy- due to a late Sunday start of trains, and the potential for engineering work.
The public holiday also means you may be very late to the party to find somewhere to stay, for one night, in the Cotswolds or Oxford on 23 August.
Much neglected on this forum, and way closer to Southampton, is the New Forest. Stay 2 nights in Southampton and a day trip to the New Forest on 24 August.
Posted by
London, UK
402 posts
To be honest, and I don’t want to offend you, but that sounds like a very bad plan for 2 80-year olds after a long plane flight. It may look like a short distance on the map, but the Cotswolds are not near Southampton and the combination doesn’t work well. What about visiting places close to Southampton, such as Salisbury or Winchester? Both are lovely towns with enough to see for a day and you could get to and from Southampton easily by minicab or private driver. If you went straight to Salisbury or Winchester from the airport you could rest and recover from the flight while enjoying the town, and easily get to Southampton port the next day.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7546 posts
If you do decide to go to the Cotswolds then stay in Oxford.
I have just remembered that on Sunday morning Scottish Citylink (oddly) run a Megabus code share service from Oxford direct to Southampton.
The bus starts at Glasgow on Saturday night and calls at Oxford Water Eaton Park and Ride (take a taxi there) at 0740 on Sunday morning, arriving at Southampton at 0930