Southern England and Wales - the Train Adventure Edition
February 8, 2018 7:54 PM Subscribe
Mr. Darling and I have managed to snag an opportunity to travel to the UK and meander our way from London to Pembroke. How should we plan our itinerary?
We will arrive in London on a Saturday and I will be leaving Pembroke for London the following Saturday as Mr. Darling will be starting a work meeting. In between then, we know we want to go to Windsor, Bath, Cardiff and then Pembroke. What is the best way to do this so that we can maximize our time in each place but also not be rushed?
I'm looking for advice on which towns or cities to use for spending the night, how to travel via the trains, and how much time we should realistically devote to a particular place. For example, it sounds like Stonehenge is a 1/2 day at most excursion.
We love meandering, walking around, and visiting museums.
We will arrive in London on a Saturday and I will be leaving Pembroke for London the following Saturday as Mr. Darling will be starting a work meeting. In between then, we know we want to go to Windsor, Bath, Cardiff and then Pembroke. What is the best way to do this so that we can maximize our time in each place but also not be rushed?
I'm looking for advice on which towns or cities to use for spending the night, how to travel via the trains, and how much time we should realistically devote to a particular place. For example, it sounds like Stonehenge is a 1/2 day at most excursion.
We love meandering, walking around, and visiting museums.
I hope you're good at changing trains because you will be doing a lot of it. The whole journey if done continously would only take about 6 hours, but I think all of the legs bertween your stopping places will involve at least 1 change. Don't take any more luggage than you can help--British trains are often not great at providing for it.
I agree with a stop in Oxford. Good place to meander if it's not in peak tourist season (it gets unbelievably crowded in summer). If you do stop in Oxford overnight, another place not to miss is the Ashmolean Museum.
I also agree with not bothering with Stonehenge. Salisbury might be a good visit if you like cathedrals, but you've missed the Pratchett exhibition at the museum there.
I'm not very familiar with Bath but it struck me as a good stopping place. Roman antiquities and stuff. Windsor is too close to London and too small (and trades too much on the royal connections for my taste) to be viable as an overnight stop IMO. So overnight in Oxford, possibly Bath, Cardiff and of course Pembroke. Most time to Oxford, next most to Bath.
The journey back again can be done with only 1 change (at Swansea), it appears. I've done Cardiff to London Paddington a few times and it's pleasant enough. Best suggestion I have for this bit is to reserve your seats. I've not done the journey on a Saturday but I suspect there could be problems getting seats.
posted by Logophiliac at 12:01 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I agree with a stop in Oxford. Good place to meander if it's not in peak tourist season (it gets unbelievably crowded in summer). If you do stop in Oxford overnight, another place not to miss is the Ashmolean Museum.
I also agree with not bothering with Stonehenge. Salisbury might be a good visit if you like cathedrals, but you've missed the Pratchett exhibition at the museum there.
I'm not very familiar with Bath but it struck me as a good stopping place. Roman antiquities and stuff. Windsor is too close to London and too small (and trades too much on the royal connections for my taste) to be viable as an overnight stop IMO. So overnight in Oxford, possibly Bath, Cardiff and of course Pembroke. Most time to Oxford, next most to Bath.
The journey back again can be done with only 1 change (at Swansea), it appears. I've done Cardiff to London Paddington a few times and it's pleasant enough. Best suggestion I have for this bit is to reserve your seats. I've not done the journey on a Saturday but I suspect there could be problems getting seats.
posted by Logophiliac at 12:01 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Be aware of closures of lines on Sundays. There are replacement bus services on many lines.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:59 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:59 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Eden Project is simply stunning. Think there is a bus there but you would have to check. link
posted by 92_elements at 1:14 AM on February 9, 2018
posted by 92_elements at 1:14 AM on February 9, 2018
I'm a fan of Tenby. It's a little coastal town with a fishing harbour not far from Pembroke with lots of B&Bs and some lovely scenery. Not heaps to do - a couple of good restaurants (I like the Plantagenet House), a possible trip to Caldey Island if the weather's nice. When I used to work in Pembroke I would often stay there. It's right on the train line.
posted by sagwalla at 1:24 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sagwalla at 1:24 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Tenby is lovely. Caldy Island definitely worth a trip. Nice sandy beaches. D. Fecci & Sons does extremely good fish & chips (takeout or eat in) - don't be put off by the big queue, there's a big queue for a reason.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:02 AM on February 9, 2018
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:02 AM on February 9, 2018
How committed are you to doing this by train? It's my default mode of transport for any journey that's too long to cycle, and in principle it ought to work, but for the trip you're taking it sounds like you could easily spend an unreasonable amount of time trying to get to places, rather than enjoying being there.
Hiring a car for the week might be your answer.
posted by rd45 at 2:54 AM on February 9, 2018
Hiring a car for the week might be your answer.
posted by rd45 at 2:54 AM on February 9, 2018
Best answer: There isn't a single east-west line that you'll be able to hop on, but most train changes in the UK are pretty painless so I wouldn't worry about any trip that requires a change. Two changes is also fine but can get a bit irritating.
Oxford is great and you could spend a long while here. If you do, drop me a line (I live in Oxford) and I can give you a lot of tourist advice :) Things to see are some of the colleges, the Ashmolean, go up the Sheldonian or Carfax tower for a view of the city, lunch at Vaults, cocktails at Raoul's, etc etc.
As a route, I suggest London to Oxford, breaking your journey in the middle to get off at Slough and taking the 6m shuttle train to Windsor if you want to go. (If you have a ticket that isn't an Advance ticket, you're allowed to get off halfway through the trip and get back on again as long as it's the same day.) Oxford to Bath is nearly a direct train; you change at Didcot which is right near Oxford, and Bath to Cardiff is direct. If you like walking you can stop off in the Cotswolds which are lovely.
Bristol would also be a great place to stop off; it has a reputation as being liberal and progressive, and it's full of little indie cafes and restaurants and creative shops.
posted by katrielalex at 3:09 AM on February 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
Oxford is great and you could spend a long while here. If you do, drop me a line (I live in Oxford) and I can give you a lot of tourist advice :) Things to see are some of the colleges, the Ashmolean, go up the Sheldonian or Carfax tower for a view of the city, lunch at Vaults, cocktails at Raoul's, etc etc.
As a route, I suggest London to Oxford, breaking your journey in the middle to get off at Slough and taking the 6m shuttle train to Windsor if you want to go. (If you have a ticket that isn't an Advance ticket, you're allowed to get off halfway through the trip and get back on again as long as it's the same day.) Oxford to Bath is nearly a direct train; you change at Didcot which is right near Oxford, and Bath to Cardiff is direct. If you like walking you can stop off in the Cotswolds which are lovely.
Bristol would also be a great place to stop off; it has a reputation as being liberal and progressive, and it's full of little indie cafes and restaurants and creative shops.
posted by katrielalex at 3:09 AM on February 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
So the train is easy for everything except your Windsor -> Bath leg.
From Windsor, you'd have to backtrack to Slough and then catch a train to Reading and THEN catch a train to Bath. No one will be offended if I say that there is absolutely no reason for a tourist to ever go to Slough or Reading.
The Wales part of your train journey will probably be super picturesque, but I would agree with rd45 that I would be tempted to hire a car for this trip. More driving, but you'll be able to meander through the Cotswolds and North Wessex Downs to your heart's content and won't be so restricted by train schedules.
Also, how are you planning on getting back from Pembroke to London? To get the train back from Pembroke to London is straightforward enough, but takes like 6.5hrs, vs 3.5hrs driving.
If I were driving, I would swing up to Oxford, down through the North Wessex Downs, across to Bath and then Bristol and then over to Cardiff and Pembroke.
Skip the Eden project (it is crazy far out of your way on this trip for IMHO not enough pay off) and Stonehenge (you can drive past it on the A303, coming down from Oxford and before hooking back north towards Bath, if you absolutely must - and you'll get as good a view from the permanent A303 traffic jam as you will if you pay for entry).
posted by citands at 3:38 AM on February 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
From Windsor, you'd have to backtrack to Slough and then catch a train to Reading and THEN catch a train to Bath. No one will be offended if I say that there is absolutely no reason for a tourist to ever go to Slough or Reading.
The Wales part of your train journey will probably be super picturesque, but I would agree with rd45 that I would be tempted to hire a car for this trip. More driving, but you'll be able to meander through the Cotswolds and North Wessex Downs to your heart's content and won't be so restricted by train schedules.
Also, how are you planning on getting back from Pembroke to London? To get the train back from Pembroke to London is straightforward enough, but takes like 6.5hrs, vs 3.5hrs driving.
If I were driving, I would swing up to Oxford, down through the North Wessex Downs, across to Bath and then Bristol and then over to Cardiff and Pembroke.
Skip the Eden project (it is crazy far out of your way on this trip for IMHO not enough pay off) and Stonehenge (you can drive past it on the A303, coming down from Oxford and before hooking back north towards Bath, if you absolutely must - and you'll get as good a view from the permanent A303 traffic jam as you will if you pay for entry).
posted by citands at 3:38 AM on February 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
You should certainly do both Oxford and Bath, and you should plan to spend all day at both. When I was in that part of the world, I used Cardiff as more of a jumping-off point for the surrounding countryside, but no doubt there's a lot I missed.
If you skip Stonehenge, consider going to Avebury instead.
If you have extra time, another wonderful village is Glastonbury, which combines ancient history and kitsch in the best way possible. It might not be to all tastes, but it was my favorite place that I visited in the UK.
My recollection is that both Avebury and Glastonbury are only accessible by bus. I found the local buses pretty easy to navigate, but if you don't feel you have time or patience for this kind of public transportation, you should either stick with train routes or rent a car.
posted by toastedcheese at 4:58 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you skip Stonehenge, consider going to Avebury instead.
If you have extra time, another wonderful village is Glastonbury, which combines ancient history and kitsch in the best way possible. It might not be to all tastes, but it was my favorite place that I visited in the UK.
My recollection is that both Avebury and Glastonbury are only accessible by bus. I found the local buses pretty easy to navigate, but if you don't feel you have time or patience for this kind of public transportation, you should either stick with train routes or rent a car.
posted by toastedcheese at 4:58 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Unless you're visiting Legoland, or really must see the castle, I'd skip Windsor. It's a tourist trap full of run-of-the-mill tourist stuff, without many of the redeeming features of places like Oxford or Bath. Having said that, I'm from the UK, so that stuff's not designed to appeal to me. Seconding/thirding/whatever the Tenby area, where I'll be heading with my family for a week around Easter. And yes, Avebury is a lot better than Stonehenge, which will inevitably underwhelm.
posted by pipeski at 6:57 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by pipeski at 6:57 AM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Citands is correct about Eden Project. For some reason I misread as Pembroke as Penzance. A very different route!
posted by 92_elements at 8:38 AM on February 9, 2018
posted by 92_elements at 8:38 AM on February 9, 2018
My short notes, having lived in London and the Cotswolds and spending a lot of time in Wales.
*Agree with everyone. Skip Stonehenge unless its on your life checklist or something.
*Trip up to Oxford is a great recommendation. The colleges and museums there are amazing.
*Bath is good for an overnight. The Roman Baths is one of my favorite places in the UK and the town itself is very pretty. If its the right time of the year, just start walking along the canal towards Bradford-on-Avon. It is great how quickly you can walk out to English countryside starting in Bath. It is the southern edge of the Cotswolds.
*Bristol is not a classically pretty town but it is extremely vibrant right now, fascinating in its own way and full of great food. If you do stop, make your way through Queens Square to Wapping Wharf (have lunch here!) and then walk along the old harbour.
*I would just zoom through southern Wales. Not because there isn't anything worth seeing but because it is impossible to see without a car. Place like the Wye Valley or the Brecon Beacons are not train places.
*The Pembrokeshore Coast is great for walking and nature. The Stackpole Estate, Skomer Island are wondrous places. You can also go up to St. Davids the cathedral town.
posted by vacapinta at 11:11 AM on February 9, 2018
*Agree with everyone. Skip Stonehenge unless its on your life checklist or something.
*Trip up to Oxford is a great recommendation. The colleges and museums there are amazing.
*Bath is good for an overnight. The Roman Baths is one of my favorite places in the UK and the town itself is very pretty. If its the right time of the year, just start walking along the canal towards Bradford-on-Avon. It is great how quickly you can walk out to English countryside starting in Bath. It is the southern edge of the Cotswolds.
*Bristol is not a classically pretty town but it is extremely vibrant right now, fascinating in its own way and full of great food. If you do stop, make your way through Queens Square to Wapping Wharf (have lunch here!) and then walk along the old harbour.
*I would just zoom through southern Wales. Not because there isn't anything worth seeing but because it is impossible to see without a car. Place like the Wye Valley or the Brecon Beacons are not train places.
*The Pembrokeshore Coast is great for walking and nature. The Stackpole Estate, Skomer Island are wondrous places. You can also go up to St. Davids the cathedral town.
posted by vacapinta at 11:11 AM on February 9, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
Stonehenge has become a tourist trap, IMHO, a sad and reflection of the experience it used to be: you can't even get close to the stones these days, and you'll pay for the privilege. Consider some of Britain's other great henges if you can. And if you're looking for history, look for castles along or close to your route: we've got castles coming out of our ears over here.
posted by avapoet at 9:29 PM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]