London to Bleinheim

See the "Planning your journey" page in this brochure from the official Blenheim site.

I had read the brochure from cover to cover before posting. I don't know the difference between a coach and a bus in England.

I also thought someone might have had some personal experience with the trip which would give me more insight than a brochure would.

But thanks anyway.

"Coach" is British for bus. I have visited lots of places in England, but not Blenheim. However, I'm sure you will get some specific answers from others soon. Sometimes it takes a few days...

Angie, now that I know you need more details than you found in the brochure, I'll attempt to supply them.

Your first leg is London-Oxford. You can take a National Rail train. See the Journey Planner at www.nationalrail.co.uk for timetables and fares. Or you can take a coach (highway bus). Both National Express (www.nationalexpress.com) and the Oxford tube (www.oxfordtube.com) provide coach service.

Your second leg is the #20 bus from Oxford train station which stops at the palace gate enroute to Woodstock. See www.stagecoachbus.co.uk.

There's no real clear distinction between coach and bus in British English. Coach tends to imply longer distances and limited number of pickups - like the Greyhound in the US.

We tend to use bus for what I believe you call a "City bus" in the US. They tend to operate in with towns and stop every few streets

Peter: That is helpful, I hadn't quite appreciated the distinction between the two words, in the UK, until now. Who said of UK/USA/Canada: "One people divided by a common language"?

It is not a difficult trip. Tim has the basics
down right. I prefer the Oxford Tube to rail then
take the #20 bus from the center of oxford to Woodstock. You are deposited at the gates of
Blenheim Palace, but it is still a decent walk in.

I can't answer the transportation but..even from the car park it is about a 5-8 minute walk down a long walkway. It depends on fast you walk. I don't know where the bus/coach would drop you off. There is a shuttle from one of the entrances. I think the website shows you where the shuttle is.
Be sure to plan several hours at Blenheim. It is a wonderful place. There is a new exhibit that opened last year on the top floor of Blenheim showing the beginning of the Palace. AND, if you want to walk out to the memorial it will take you about 15 minutes or so just to get to it. I waited for my husband while he was gone. Be sure to stop and have tea and scones while overlooking the gardens. If you are in England for a longer period of time, purchase the Heritage Pass. Blehneim Palace is included as well as many other sites and National Trust sites. Wish I was going with you. Happy travels and memories.

IF you have time, and if you're a history buff, you may want to visit Winston Churchill's grave in the village of Bladon, a walk of about 1 1/2 miles "behind" Blenheim Palace (south?). He was a descendant of the Duke of Marlborough's and was born in the palace.

Norm, I'm sorry we didn't know about this when we were at Blenheim Palace in June. We had a car and could have driven. We will just have to go back to see more of the sights we didn't see. We will never see them all but it's good excuse of why we need to go back to England and Wales.
This is why I like the helpline. Even though we do a lot of reading and preparations before we go on a trip, it's the "little" things that people have experienced that adds to our itinerary and enjoyment. Thanks to everyone that has helped me in the past.

Here's my deal...
Last year we (my traveling friends) went to England and Scotland with a tour group. But my roommate was scheduled to go and at the last minute had to cancel because her husband had lung cancer. He died exactly one week after we returned.

We are now planning a trip to Ireland for next year and she is going. We are hoping that she and I will be able to go to London instead of flying home with the group so she will get to see some of what she missed and for me to see new things.

I really appreciate the information. All the reading and research can't make up for the information that you get from those who have been there...done that.

Tim, I appreciate the information about the timetables, that is what I was looking for. I have been to England twice and one of the things I enjoy is deciphering the differences between our two languages.

To all who have taken the time to reply, I thank you. Your information is invaluable.

As for the walking, she and I walk 5 miles every morning so I am not worrying about being deposited at the front gate. We should be able to handle the walking part just fine.

Thanks again!

Angie

Hi Angie,
We took the bus from Oxford to Blenheim last May and had no problems, just pay as you get on. We bought a return ticket, so if you do that just make sure you hang on to it for the ride back. We also walked into Woodstock, maybe a 15 minute walk, after visiting Blenheim and had lunch at the pub, the Woodstock Arms, along with a pitcher of Pimms- which I highly recommend :). The bus picked us up at a location up the street in Woodstock- they were very helpful at the pub in pointing us in the right direction, just make sure you are on the correct side of the street so that you get on the bus going in the proper direction, and we were on our way back to Oxford. We had a wonderful day. Here are some pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/62286911@N00/4XBJXg
Have a great trip!