Best plan for London, Stonehenge to ferry from Portsmouth
Replies: 13 - Last Post: Sep 14, 2012 2:29 PM Last Post By: battybilly
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Best plan for London, Stonehenge to ferry from Portsmouth
I want to take the train from London to Salisbury to see Stonehenge, where I want to do either the morning or evening access tour (next July). Is either the morning or evening recommended? We do enjoy photography.I then want to catch the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to someplace close to mont st Michel, rent a car, spend one night on MSM then travel northward through Normandy. My difficulty is figuring out the Stonehenge to overnight ferry piece. If I spend one night in Salisbury, could I see Stonehenge in the morning and make it onto the overnight ferry the same day? Or if I do the evening access is there still time to make it onto the ferry as well? Or do I need to spend a night in Portsmouth? I think I would nor prefer this, wanting to spend the extra night in Normandy. Thanks in advance for any help.
Edited by: fiamma11
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Here is the current train timetable for Salisbury - Portsmouth - hourly service journey about 1 hour 20 minutes. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/May12/timetables/Table%20123.pdfThere are not likely to be any significant changes to the train times between now and next July.
Do you have departure time for the ferry. You are likely to be required to be on board 30 minutes before departure, and will have security etc to go through before you board, so give yourself time. Personally would guess morning tour and then make your way to Portsmouth - if you've time to kill in Portsmouth, plenty to do there, particularly if you're interested in maritime history
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Hi....You could do the 'Tour' on your own and cut out the middle'uns.
That way you could do both day and night pics.
You might be able to join a guided tour and get picked up on the later coach.
Go to their wesbsite(s) and ask through the 'Contact us' links.
No need to go to Portsmouth to get a ferry to be close-by Mont St. Michel.
There is a ferry from Poole to St. Malo. It is 4 hours quicker than from Portsmouth....
http://www.directferries.co.uk/ferry_to_st_malo.htm
From St. Malo to Pontorson Mont San. Michel by train, takes just over half an hour with one change in Dol.
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Thank you!Poole looks much better and I had no idea about this option.
Where is the most convenient place to stay near Stonehenge?
Thanks again!
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Brittany Ferries do Caen, Cherbourg and St Malo from Portsmouth. Their site keeps crashing but I'm pretty sure they do several a day to Caen and Cherbourg, fewer to St Malo. Personally I'd go to Cherbourg and hire a car and bumble down the Cotentin Peninsula - stop at St Vaast, Barneville Carteret, Granville etc for great seafood, there's a great cathedral at Coutances and a wonderful view of MsM from Avranches.NB Portsmouth Central is a fair way from the ferry port - check if there's a closer station.
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Actually I was thinking of catching an overnight ferry in order to spend sleep time during the ferry time. It looks like the Poole are only day trips. We thought we would rent a car at st. Malo and drive north because our return ff ticket is from Amsterdam. I thought that would save us backtracking?You guys are great!
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Lotta choices here.I hope you're not disappointed with your first impression(s) of Stonehenge.
To many posters here (including me), it's quite a damp squib.
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My son 17 loves history!!! Stonehenge has been on his list of places he wants to see for years. Since we will be in London and Normandy, seems like the right time.9
Indeed.I know stonehenge very well - and to live very close-by to it.
Back then it was possible to walk through the stones and 'Feel' them.
Nowadays it's a gift shop, snackbar - and the stones are fenced off.
Yep - they're 'Still' there, but the magic to them isn't the same anymore.
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As July is the height of summer (?) it doesn't get dark till 9pm so no sunset photos at Stonehenge are possible. Although you can always take a wander down one of the many footpaths nearby to take atmospheric photos but the Stones close much earlier than that. One of my best photos of them was taken in winter on a misty day, coming up the track from Amesbury (nice walk that one, by the Avon river) and there was no traffic...A little known fact is that you can have a private tour, early in the morning before they are officially open. Contact English Heritage to enquire about this. I haven't checked for a while if it is still possible but haven't heard it isn't possible. My sister took my elderly mother for this a few years ago after she had heard that Sting had had a private visit..... Then you could get fantastic photos (if it's not raining!)
I LOVE Stonehenge, don't get put off by the negative comments - but each to their own!
PS, google Avebury as well - which is as good as Stonehenge but in a different way and you can easily do both in one day and have lunch in the Red Lion in the village and check out Silbury Hill at the same time.
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http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/guides/ports/portsmouthBy train
There are train services between Portsmouth and London Waterloo, taking 85 minutes. There are also services between London Victoria and Portsmouth passing through Chichester, Brighton and Gatwick. From Cardiff the train passes through Salisbury and Bristol. Portsmouth stations include Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour, both of which are close to the Port.
A shuttle bus runs to the port from Portsmouth & Southsea Station, and from the bus station next to Portsmouth Harbour Station, between the months of May - September. View the shuttle bus service schedule. Outside of these months a taxi should be taken from outside either train station at a cost of around £5.
Please allow, approximately, a minimum of 45 minutes to connect between the ferry port and Portsmouth train stations, depending on what form of transport you plan to get to / from the train stations.
