We will be flying into London and will have six days in the area. We are thinking about traveling to Salisbury, New Forest, Windsor, maybe looping back to London through the areas of Bath or Oxford. Would it be easier to travel by car or train (I have driven in England and Scotland before)? What is the parking situation in these area? Which ends up being cheaper car or train?
Posted by
New York, NY
3996 posts
You are going to have price car rental companies' prices and compare them with rail fares to see which is cheaper. If you buy rail tickets 90 days in advance, you stand a good chance of enjoying discounted advanced fares.
We rarely drive and that includes at home. Public transport is excellent in the UK thus it would never occur to us to rent a car especially for Bath, Oxford, Salibury and Windsor which you mentioned above. Last, if you choose to drive, hold off the 1st day. It is unsafe to drive after you've arrived from a transatlantic flight.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1446 posts
Since you have only 6 days I would vote for car regardless of cost. Getting around quickly; especially in the New Forest would not be as flexible and time saving without your own vehicle. Plus stopping wherever you want is a super plus advantage to me. However, getting to Windsor, Oxford, Salisbury and Bath from London is super easy by train. Maybe you can get a deal on a car rental. Train fares can add up if you don't get the specials. Windsor is close to Heathrow, so you could start there if you get a car at the airport.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6525 posts
The places you intend on visiting are probably well served by public transportation, so map out you trip, then check the train connections to see if they’d work for you. I always drive in the UK so I don’t need to work my schedule around a train’s schedule. We select places to stay that have parking. Haven’t been to Salisbury or Oxford in years, but we didn’t have trouble finding parking. In Bath and Windsor we parked at our B&B. I’ve never been to New Forest.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5257 posts
Whilst you can take the train to the New Forest you will be quite constrained with where you can go. A car provides much more freedom and choice.
Posted by
7661 posts
We did a great drive tour of Wales and England last October. We visited Bath and Oxford. Five years ago, we visited Windsor Castle, Salisbury, Stonehenge and Avebury, with a rental .
All the places you mentioned can be easily done from London on either tours or by train. However, you might save money renting a car. Just make sure you have a good GPS or NAV system in the vehicle.
Driving in areas like the Cotswolds, SE England is not too bad, except the South of England has way too many cars. Yorkshire and the Lake District in The North are far easier to handle, with fewer cats.
One thing to remember about driving in England, stay as far away from London, Manchester and Birmingham as you possibly can. The M25 Orbital around London is a huge parking lot, unless you drive it in the middle of the night.
Here is my review of our trip, with details on what we saw, were we stayed and dined for four weeks.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139