Planning our first trip to England in April 2012. Plan on 5 days in London then want to see the following: Stourhead , Blenheim and Stowe Gardens. Can these gardens be reached using public transportation? We prefer not to rent a car. Can we hire a car and driver in Bath to take us to Stourhead? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33821 posts
Claudia I don't know how much walking you do in Lawrenceville (finally a town in Jersey I don't recognize) or what level of fitness you have, so don't know if the answers will help you. Most National Trust properties are pretty far from train stations, sometimes buses run near the entrance which is, in turn, pretty far from the actual entrance. For specifics, using my personal knowledge but using the wonderful interweb for backup: Blenheim Palace is set in vast grounds in the town of Woodstock near Oxford. While buses go to Woodstock from Oxford (train from London to Oxford) it is more easily done on your own wheels. From the website: "By Bus
The number S3 to Woodstock runs from Oxford Train station and Gloucester Green to the gates of Blenheim Palace on Hensington Road in Woodstock. Please ask the bus driver to identify the appropriate stop. The bus runs every 30 minutes. For the timetable and more information on the route visit http://www.stagecoachbus.com/S3.aspx Stourhead is in the middle of nowhere. According to that page it is 1 1/4 miles from the bus stop and 6.5 or 7 miles to the nearest station. Stowe Gardens is a 1.5 mile walk from the bus stop in Buckingham. That would be the X5 bus from Cambridge to Oxford which is more of a coach style bus with free wifi and leather seats. From the train from Bicester North 9 miles; Milton Keynes Central 14 miles. Sorry.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33821 posts
I ran out of space. The X5 for Buckingham (Stowe) is best caught at Milton Keynes. It may well also stop at one of the Bicester stations, but certainly also stops at Bedford. Milton Keynes is a train from London Euston. Bicester North is a train from London Marylebone. The other Bicester station is train from London Paddington.
Bedford is a train from St Pancras (East Midlands Trains) or Kings Cross Thameslink (First Capital Connect).