Expert: Alun Hill MCIJ - 8/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: My husband, adult son and I have 10 days in London at the end of August. I have Britrail (standard class) and British Heritage Passes for 7 days for the three of us. From our London base we plan on making day trips to visit Dover Castle and Tunnels, Bath, Warwick Castle, Arundel Castle, Portsmouth, Hampton Court Palace and Leeds Castle. Since these are relatively short trips, do we need seat reservations? Also, once we arrive at the destination train station, are there regular (and clearly marked) busses to sites that are not in walking distance? How much should I budget for that sort of thing? Last question--I would love to also go to Bodiam Castle but can't figure out to get there without a car. Is there a relatively easy way using rail w/ bus? This is a very short trip, and I am trying to plan well in order not to waste too much time. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

ANSWER: Adrienne - eek - you're cramming a lot in - I'm impressed!

Couple of quick points - the last weekend in August (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) is a Bank Holiday - a public holiday - and there are less trains and more people visiting our sites - do bear that in mind. The UK will be very busy that weekend!

You'll also be spending a lot of time travelling - our trains are busier now than at any time in the last 60 years, but you'll generally be travelling away from London, when the commuters are travelling in, so there's no need to reserve a seat (indeed on most trains you'll be taking, reservations are not possible).

Do visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk for train times - or ask me to help, please.

Where I've given train details, these are during the week - weekend trains are less frequent and there may be engineering work, so do check, please.

Also, all the trains mentioned should have a buffet or trolley service, serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and chocolate, but it might be a good idea to carry some water, just in case the service is not available.

Let's start with Dover Castle.

Firstly, there are 2 train routes, one from Victoria station and the other from Charing Cross. Each takes about 100 minutes. The station you want is Dover Priory. The Castle is on your left as arrive by train and you can see it within a few minutes of arrival - you can walk directly there (it's a mile and a half) or catch bus 593 - station staff will point out the stop for you, as its a few minutes away from the station forecourt. There are also timetables on the front of the station. A taxi will be less than £10 for all of you and might save you 30 minutes, waiting for a bus!

The Secret Wartime Tunnels are relatively recently opened to the public and will be busy in August.

They say "please be aware that access to the Secret Wartime Tunnels is by guided tour only.  Tours are limited to 1000 people a day and are allocated to visitors when purchasing their admission tickets on a first come, first serve basis.  Please arrive early to avoid disappointment."

Fabulous though - and not many British people have been yet (including me!).


Ahh, now Warwick Castle - one of my favourites!
http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/events/the_great_mediaeval_summer.asp has details of a wonderful "great medieval summer" which will be great fun.
Their press release earlier in the year told me they will have:

# Jousting tournaments twice daily fighting knights and themed entertainment
# Soaring Flight of the Eagles Birds of Prey Show
# AND the deadly Warwick Bowman, the awesome Warwick trebuchet and an entire castle full of adventure to explore

One of the original “Royal Approved” sites of British jousting, Warwick Castle provides a mesmerising setting for its spectacular twice daily joust. Warwick’s brave knights pit their wits and strength against each other in a contest of courage, colourful horsemanship and military precision, with plenty to dazzle and delight guests of all ages.      

Meanwhile, foot soliders will show off their crack combat skills and jesters will juggle, joke and generally play the fool.  The ruthless accuracy and fatal precision of the deadly Warwick bowman is guaranteed to wow guests, as is the one and only mighty Warwick trebuchet - the World’s biggest siege machine, a gargantuan 18metre catapult -  shoots in a jaw dropping spectacle twice daily. PLUS an ALL NEW for 2008 Birds of Prey show – Flight of the Eagles – brings together some of the largest birds in the country, including two stunning Stellar Sea Eagles. AND little knights and princesses can let off steam and capture their very own castle in a themed play zone. A huge timber land, with towers to scale, rope bridges to swing across and mini quintain and jousting fields to conquer, there’s also a toddler area for tiny squires and diddy damsels.

Add in rolling ramparts and turrets, a dingey dungeon, “live action” ghost tower, themed indoor experiences and acres of stunning grounds Warwick Castle adds up to a full Summer’s day of action packed excitement!


To get there, take the train from one of London's lesser known stations, Marylebone (journey time 1hr 45 minutes) direct to Warwick (no change of train required).(The Beatles filmed at Marylebone, many years ago, for their movies!). I can't find a local bus route, but there'll be taxis at the station and it will be less than £5 for you each way as it;'s only 1 mile - ask for a card and you can ring the taxi firm when you want to leave.
Trains during the week are every 30 minutes, at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour.

For Arundel Castle, sit on the right hand side of the train as you approach Arundel - you'll see the castle on a hill above the station - a wonderful view! You can walk there in a few minutes. Incidentally, Arundel Castle is usually closed on Mondays, but is open all through August this year, so don't worry if any guide book tells you otherwise - I checked!

You'll take the train from Victoria - sit on the left as you leave Victoria and cross the River Thames - great views of London! Trains are usually every 30 minutes, at 2 and 32 minutes past the hour. It's a lovely 90 minute ride (once all the people get off at Gatwick Airport - the train will be much quieter then!).

I'm unclear as to what you want to see in Portsmouth, so I'm going to assume the Naval Port - do take a ride on a boat around the battleships - great fun and very cheap - a few pounds each. Take the train to Portsmouth Harbour (not Portsmouth and Southsea) - it's the end of the line, so you can't go wrong. The naval docks and HMS Victory are right by the station. You'll see them on the right as your train arrives.

The fast trains take 90 minutes and leave Waterloo on the hour and half hour. There are slower trains inbetween, but these take 2 hours, so do catch a fast one!

Now, where are we off to next - aah, yes, Henry VIII's Hampton Court!
Trains run from Waterloo and the journey takes 30 minutes - there are 5 trains each hour, so no need to worry about timetables. The Palace is a 250 yard walk from the station - follow the signs - or follow the crowds!
As the Palace is on the Thames, you might want to consider going by river - it's a long, but wonderful journey. I can't give exact times, as it depends on the tides, but if you're near Big Ben / Parliament you'll see the boats here and the timetables - ask if I can help more, please.

Leeds Castle - well, I've spent some happy hours here - it's on its own lake and is still so secure that Governments often hold meetings here (but there are none in August!) The Bank Holiday weekend will be very busy, though, as there are 2 major events there.
There is a shuttle bus service from Bearsted station at 1030, 1130 and 1230. Aim for the 1030 by taking the 0919 from Victoria, which meets the shuttle bus. The bus fare is £5 each, return (round trip).

And so to Bodiam Castle - not easy - but could be fun! There is an "historical re-enacment" on the 30th and 31st of August. You need to take the train from Cannon Street to Robertsbridge at 0845 or 0917 Mon - Fri, (different station and times on a weekend) and then take the steam train "Kent and East Sussex Railway" from Robertsbridge  (http://www.kesr.org.uk/).
This railway is privately owned - the ticket for "all day travel" is £12 each. If you fancy a real treat, call them on  44(0)1580 765155 to book one of their terrific picnic hampers!

Also central London will be very busy on Sunday 24th of August as we're having a big party (40,000 tickets - all gone, sorry!) to celebrate the handing over of the Olympic torch to London from Beijing!

Important to me, please: if anything is not clear, you must come back to me and I'll be very happy to help further - I presume you have a hotel booked, but if not, I'm happy to help there and would suggest you get Oyster cards on arrival at Heathrow or London, as these will save you a lot of money when travelling around London.

Does this help, please?

Alun Hill MCIJ,
Editor, http://www.IsLondonExpensive.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Wow! Thank you for taking the time to give me so much information! I really appreciate your help! I do have a couple (okay, maybe more that a couple) of questions more....

Are Oyster cards better than the Travelcards I used on a visit several years ago? I know that we do tend to hop on and off the tube and busses several times a day.

Also, the train to see Bodiam--where is Cannon Street?

I did book a hotel which unfortunately is an American chain hotel, but it was only about $100 a night for bed and breakfast, and we are on a tight budget. Thank you though for your kind offer to help. This place is fairly near Waterloo, and I am not familiar with that area at all. Are there any pubs or not too expensive cafes in the area (or any area) that you recommend? I expect we'll try to find a grocery store in the area as well.

If we have British Heritage Passes that include the Wartime Tunnels in Dover, perhaps we still need to get tickets for certain times once we arrive?

Do you have any suggestions that you think would be better than the places I have chosen? I went to most of those places 30 years ago and recently (2003) only got back to London for a week. I am trying to pick places that would appeal to a 22 yr old male so I'm going for castles and historical sites rather than art galleries. (But I'll be back!)

And just a bit more background: Our plans were sudden as my son is in the military and they took quite a long time to approve leave for him. We had to make the trip in August (probably my last choice!) because he leaves for desert training in early September before deploying to Iraq (or Afghanistan) again. When the army extended his last deployment from 12 to 15 months, it meant he missed his 21st birthday and 2 Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons in a row. When he was able to call home, I spoke of Great Britain and how much I love it, and I promised him I would take him there when he returned from Iraq. I wanted to cheer him up and give him something special to look forward to.

I am an anti-war mom fulfilling a promise to a soldier son. This trip is it.

I have printed your previous message and will take it with me for reference. Your information and extra tips are wonderful. You have been a huge help. Thank you so much.

Adrienne

Answer
Happy to help - apologies for the delay in coming back to you - I was filming at the Tower of London, appropriately enough!

Cannon Street is on the Circle and District Lines and quite close to Waterloo.

If you want to say more about where you're staying, I can help with the area - what hotels describe as "Waterloo" could cover quite an area ... and there's good and, err, not-so-good parts.

Yes, you'll still need tickets for the tunnels tour, so do make sure you do that first (and let me know what you think!).

The Oyster Cards are much better value - you pay a £3 deposit on each card, than add some cash, say £20 each. As you use the card, it deducts the correct fare automatically (a single tube ride is now £4 minimum - with the Oyster it's as little as £1.50 - this saves staff at ticket offices, cash handling and more people can get through the ticket barriers quickly - you just "touch" the special yellow reader as you enter and leave through the ticket barriers.

More to the point, with a Travelcard, you have to use it several times each day to be worthwhile, and you will be largely out of London for several days, and only making a short journey - so single tickets woulod be very expensive. Buses cost £2 cash per journey - but Oyster cards are deducted with only 80p!

Two more "bonuses" - the Oyster has a maximum cost per day of approx £5 - so if you travel more than 3 or 4 times, subsequent journeys are free -and when you leave the UK, you can "cash it in" getting your deposit and any "left over" money back! (Or you can keep it for use next time / give it to friends!).

Do grab a copy of Time Out magazine when you arrive at the airport - it really does tell you everything going on in the next week - great for your son!

Do let me know where I can help further, please - we have so many castles, so much history, it's very difficult to recommend one above the others!

Alun