Driving in England

Chasity08

Hello ladies!

So I have my honeymoon pretty planned out, and now we're just working out the details! One thing that we are seriously considering doing is renting a car one day while we're in London and driving to see Stonehenge, Bath, maybe go see Oxford, something of the sort. The reason we were planning on renting a car is because 1) one of my family members is being stationed about 45 minutes outside London in a couple weeks here for 2 years, so I thought it would be fantastic to go visit her at her home (!!!) and 2) we're looking in to staying the night in a castle outside of London City, so I figured it would be easier to just have a rental car and do it all.

My question, however, is how awful is the driving going to be for us? FI used to live in California, and he's visited Philadelphia and such, which he said both had places that were awful to drive in, but I've heard Europe can be so much worse. Do you think this would be a bad idea? Should we just look in to taking public transportation to do these things? ARE there public transportation to these places (stonhenge, bath, oxford) that aren't "tour groups"?

Thank you in advance for any help! Sorry if these questions sound completely stupid as well! haha =]

packlite

Hi!  We live in Cambridge, England right now - my FI is stationed here in the UK.  I am not sure what base your family member is stationed at but I don't think there is one 45 mins outside of London, all are a bit further drive than that...

Re: Bath, Stonehenge - the driving is not easy - I mean we have been here a year, but when we first moved it took a while to get adjusted to their driving rules, the roundabouts, being on opposite side of the road, and the traffic in and around London.  I would not recommend it, especially on your honeymoon. 

Perhaps the train would be easier?  Here is a link  - to taking the train- it also stops in Oxford and Salisbury (town close to Stonehenge, then a taxi from the station).  There are tour companies that provide these day trips, but sounds liek you want to be a bit more independent which is cool!  RIding a chartered bus with other tourists is not my ideal way of traveling either

http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/bath_transport.htm

Stonehenge will literally take you 30 mins to an hour to see.  Most people get there and say, oh, this is it?  I think its great to see it, but plan to spend more time in Bath and possibly even overnight - it is LOVELY there!

Also, if you have any questions about London at all, just PM me!  We are there all the time, actually headed there in a few hours....

Chasity08

I may definitely be wrong about how far it is. I think my Mom said it isn't too terribly far, but maybe she said an hour and 45 mins or something like that.

Thank you so much for your response though! That's awesome info, and I think you've definitely convinced me that the car is not a good idea. haha. And thank you so much for that link! I will definitely be checking that out.

You're awesome!! =]

packlite

Aww thanks!  You guys will have a great time here!  If you have other questions as your trip approaches just PM me! 

I am really only familar with the Air Force bases and they are about 2 hours from central London, Cambridge is about a 45 minute train ride from London.  At any rate, train is usually the easiest way to get around here

Enjoy!

alithebride

i would check if there's a train station or bus station close to your hotel. you can probably transfer to another bus or train to where ever you want to go. i've driven in england a few times while visiting friends (london and midlands) and it wasn't hard at all really but i had the brit friends in the car with me-so i had a guide about rules etc...
i would email your hotel and ask about the local transportation and what they recommend.

emilyinchile

I would skip Stonhenge. I'm half British and have been to England a million times (used to live there) and only ever saw Stonhenge on a school trip. Like PP said, it's out in the middle of nowhere, and while it's impressive, I really didn't think it was worth it. Trains in the UK are really easy to use and reasonably cost-effective if you don't need to travel at peak commute times. I second the suggestion of taking the train rather than driving.

packlite

emilyinchile, yeah i would say skip stonehenge too, but i think its something that tourists are "supposed" to see, at least for the photo op, and then be on your way!  for people coming here with time to really SEE england, i don't think it should be a priority, so many other cool places to visit in this area! 

KappaUCF20

We vsiited Stonehenge on our backpacking trip and loved it (I got one of my best photos there).  I'm a history nut though so it was a must for me.  We went with a local tour company (it was just a day tour), but they drove us around in a nice Mercedes van and there were only about 8 of us total so it was a small group.  They took us to Avebury circle and Glastonbury as well (which I also enjoyed).  There are some pictures toward the end of my planning bio if you want to see them.  I don't think driving in England would be that complicated, but I don't think I'd want to worry about it on my HM.  

kaesha

I love Avebury & Glastonbury! They're a great time. I think London Walks might have a tour or something of Stonehenge, if it's something you're keen on doing. They'll meet you at the train station and accompany you up!

http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Home/Daytrips_from_London/default.aspx

Definitely use them for ghost tours around London; the company is really great.

I wouldn't bother with a rental car, and would definitely do the trains instead. When I visited my Dad in Oxford a few years back, I took a bus out, and it made things dead easy.

[Deleted User]

I've have been in London for almost 3 years and I don't drive here.  London scares the crap out of me driving wise.  Outside of the city I might try, but if you can avoid it I would.  I will eventually get a license when we have kids, but for now I'm fine with the tube.

People drive very differently then they do in the US, they stop short, pass when they can't really see, you need to pull over so traffic going in the other direction can get past.  

Oxford is easy to get to via train.

If you are here for a short time I would also skip Stonehenge.  I liked it, but I have way more time to burn then you.  

Chasity08

I've heard Stonehenge isn't all it's cracked up to be...but I just have to see it. haha. I've wanted to go the last 2 trips I've taken to London but never got to it. So I decided that Fi and I are DEFINITELY taking the trip out there =]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions ladies. I talked to FI over my lunch break today and told him that I'd rather do trains/buses/tours as opposed to driving and he was actually relieved (because he was going to be the one doing the driving, haha), so that's good!

I looked at some tours online briefly, but I'll definitely look more in depth and find one I want. I think I'd like to do something that went to Stonehenge, Oxford (I just have to see Christ's Church...Harry Potter freak right here, hehehe) and Windsor Castle. I found one at that link that packlite gave, so I emailed them asking if I'd have time to drop in to Christ's Church while in Oxford. If so...then that one is perfect!

Thanks again for all of the responses! I definitely appreciate it! =] =] =]

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I agree with PPs. I wouldn't drive there. I live in Los Angeles and London drivers scare the crap out of me. FI and I were in London for 5 days and took the train to Edinburgh for 6 days. Trains, buses, etc might take a while, but they are very easy. I know people who take trains to Oxford and Brighton all the time. I'd meet the relative somewhere near her that's easy for you to get to.

I also really recommend getting an Oyster card while in London in advance of your trip to use for the tube (and all public transit). Fi and I each got a card with L30 on it. It automatically deducts your fare and maxes out after a certain number of rides per day.

Chasity08

Yeah I've had a lot of people tell me to get the Oyster card. I found a step-by-step walkthrough to explain the oyster card to me (I'm a little slow at understanding things I guess because it just was not making sense to me! haha) and I think I understand it now. And it definitely saves a lot of money! 

Another question I had was I was considering getting the London Pass (the card that gets you in to a bunch of attractions for free) because it has a bunch of stuff on there that we'd like to do, and I was wondering if anyone had used it/seen it and thought it was worth it, or if it's a waste because I know most of the museums are free anyways? Also, is it still cheaper to do the oyster card or just add travel on to that card? Thanks ladies!!!

packlite

Regarding the London Pass - I have not needed one since we live here and have heard mixed reviews depending on the length of time you are here to use it.  I would recommend planning what it is you want to see and do in London and how many days you will spend here and then decide if the LP makes sense -  I am guessing it will - but also, like you mentioned a lot of London's best sites are FREE!  Also, read the reviews of the sites you want to see before coming over - many of the tourist attraction are also some times known as tourist traps (like the wax muesem, britain at war experience - churchill's war rooms is MUCH better and its REAL!)

Also, with the purchase of train tickets (not underground tickets but National Rail trains out of london) you are eligible for 2 for 1 entry in many of the attractions - this is also a great way to save money - here is more on that:  http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types/2for1london.aspx

London Pass still might be a better value but wanted to share as another options.

Enjoy!

packlite

We went to Stonehenge early one morning, then from their onto Bath - it can be done  - I do think once you get to Bath you will want to stay longer though, so as PP suggested maybe plan to spend a night in Bath to give you more time - but Stonehenge is an easy stop that most people who have seen it will tell you to pass, but its one of those things you kind of just HAVE to see - I understand!  Luckily there is nothing else around it, so its a quick stop and photo-op and you're on your way!

siljereed

I agree with the other PP's as well skip Stongehenge. I recommend going to Brighton if you like the ocean, shopping and great food!

sister2groom

Skip Stonehenge (or at least prepare to be underwhelmed). If you ever do end up getting a car, I STRONGLY suggest getting a GPS because I felt like there were roundabouts (and 4 lane ones at that) every 5 miles.

Also, you can buy an Oyster card at a ticket booth (during normal buisness hours) and can top it up at any station or just about any drug store.

If you're coming from London there's a pretty cheap bus running. Once you get to Oxford, Blenheim Palace is a short public transportation bus ride away and its fantastic, it's in the Cotswolds which are English adorable town of Christmas card appearance. And I only spent half a day in Bath which was not nearly enough.