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Canterbury, Kent to Stirling?

V

ValHam

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What would be my options in travelling between Broome Park in Canterbury, Great Britain to Macdonald Forest Hills in Stirling, Great Britain? Train - plane or car? Thanks
 
National Rail has a trip planner, looks like 6+ hrs by train with several changes. The rail system in England all run through London like spokes on a wheel, if the destination is on a different spoke you ride in to the hub (London) and take a taxi to the station for the other spoke.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search#

This is a good site to research and purchase before you go.

http://www.visitbritain.com/en/Transport/


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Driving for convenience, 7 1/2 hours on average but it all depends on how comfortable you are with driving in the UK or you can travel by train for pretty much the same duration however you'll be taking four separate trains which may be a hassle particularly with luggage.

If it was me, I'd drive with an overnight stop in York perhaps.
 
Train/plane fares are pretty close.... the number of bags is the real kicker ($25 bag on plane).

1 hour to London, 1 hour in line, 1 hour flight, 1 hour to Stirling. 5 hours plus

Train is much closer to 10 hours.

Of course, planes can be late etc.... connection times..blah blah.

I don't reccomend driving anywhere near London. Traffic and challenges galore. Also, you didn't say how many in party/bags etc... but not all Euro rentals are the same. A car big enough for 4 adults and 6 bags (for 8 hours plus) is not a cheap rental...although cheaper than the train/plane if you can minimize the rental time.

I'm a fan of the train/bus--especially if you plan to have lunch/pints along the way...and maybe a stop for such a long trip. Make it an adventure!
 
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I have never been to Great Britain - driving on the opposite side may be a challenge - I booked a week at Broome Park in Canterbury Kent and a second week at Macdonald forest Hills Kinlochard Aberfoyle by Stirling.

I plan to rent a car in both locations . Perhaps I could overnight somewhere on the route - Thanks kindly
 
Would it be easier to go on a direct train London to Glasgow and once in Glasgow go to Stirling ? York looks interesting if I drive and want to do an overnight. Just 2 of us and the luggage -
 
stopover

You might consider Warwick Castle. It is a very glitzy yet historic castle. They have jousts and medievil market and a large castle. This is close to Stratford on Avon which has a ton of Shakespeare sites since this was his home town. It is also right on the way to Stirling. When there in Stirling (if you feel energetic) climb up the William Wallace tower.
 
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SmithOp said:
Virgin has a high speed train London to Glasgow 4-1/2 hrs, that was the 6+ hour time I mentioned above.

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/go-by-train/glasgow/


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You're correct. Sorry, didn't mean to step on your suggestion. The Virgin is 6+ hours for just the London to Glasgow portion of the trip. Add the Cant. to London (1 hour plus connections) and Glasgow to Stirling (1 hour plus connections) and it goes way up. Also, the fare for Virgin (only) is well over $100 per person unless you have special fares. I think it's very comparable to taking a flight; but the luggage may be cheaper.

Neat train; I've never ridden. I'll have to try sometime, looks great.
 
taterhed said:
You're correct. Sorry, didn't mean to step on your suggestion. The Virgin is 6+ hours for just the London to Glasgow portion of the trip. Add the Cant. to London (1 hour plus connections) and Glasgow to Stirling (1 hour plus connections) and it goes way up. Also, the fare for Virgin (only) is well over $100 per person unless you have special fares. I think it's very comparable to taking a flight; but the luggage may be cheaper.

Neat train; I've never ridden. I'll have to try sometime, looks great.
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We used it quite a bit last trip with a first class rail pass, the coaches tilt slightly going around corners. The MPs use the first class section for commuting. It only 4-1/2 hours, not sure where you are seeing 6.

573dc6ba81a35582158d44040f9bf8c8.jpg



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If I were going from Broome Park to Stirling, I would fly from Gatwick to Glasgow or Edinburgh. The drive to LGW is fairly easy, mostly motorway (although the M25 can be a nightmare depending on when you are traveling). BA and EasyJet both fly from LGW to Scotland.

As an aside, when you are staying at Broome Park, consider a day trip to Paris by Eurostar. We have done this three times and it's a great take. Pick it up at Ashford Station which is not far from BP. For travel around Paris, we bought tickets on batobus.com which stops at several major tourist sites....Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc. A long but really fun day.
 
Funny: that's why I never walk into a european rail station and expect to buy a ticket without help.

First, I'll bow out and let you offer the rail advice. You've got much better info and experience. Thanks for sharing--I'd love to take the Virgin Train to Manchester or Glasgow or ??? sometime. Looks like a great opportunity--with lots of prior planning.

I admit, you are correct. The trip is 4:31 (hours/mins) to 6:54 (h/m) depnding on day/time. Sat is 6 hours and 54 mins. Lets say 7 hours, shall we? If you can travel on Saturday, Tuesday or Wednesday, purchase 2 weeks or more out, prepaid, non-refundable, then you can purchase a 30 pound fare on Virgin, Euston to Glasgow; subject to availability. Traveling between 926am and 1530 (Sat). I think. On Sunday, the fare doubles. There are some very early fares, weekdays with limited availability, but no way to get to London that early from Canterbury (0530 depart London). Return fares (45 pound) only leave late from Glasgow and get to London after 2200 I think. All peak travel fares are much, much higher. Go to the website: http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/tickets-offers/##


So, great opportunity, but you would need to have lots of flexibility--otherwise, the tickets are over 60 pounds. If you have a pass...then things get easier. But, the trip is still 7 hours on Sat. A 15 day railpass with 3 use days (airport to Canterbury, Canterbury to Glasgow, Glasgow to airport) might make sense. $275-$400 per person; family, senior, youth discounts are all available. And yes, this covers the express LHR trains too. Then you can travel whenever you want.

Now, my head hurts. Final advice: London has congestion fees for driving in the London Metro area and stiff fines for vehicles that don't meet emission limits. Suggest you really study up on driving near central London before you go. Not an easy undertaking. Rural England/Scotland is another thing entirely. Seems like driving with a stop in York is a 'smashing' idea! The whole trip is around 8 hours with no delays. If you're not familiar with UK driving, the motorways (interstates) in UK have many, many traffic controls. Speed cameras (marked and posted) unmarked speed cameras, AVERAGE speed cameras (yes, average between points) and more. Lot's of internet stuff to read. Speed limits are pretty generous; 70mph and under. The M25 (outer beltway or ring road) has tolls and lots of traffic. This might help some. http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/great-britain.pdf

I'm very jealous and expect to read reviews/reports! I love Canterbury. I could spend hours just walking the highstreet and cobbles. Amazing little pubs and inns. :)


Great discussion.
 
scotlass said:
If I were going from Broome Park to Stirling, I would fly from Gatwick to Glasgow or Edinburgh. The drive to LGW is fairly easy, mostly motorway (although the M25 can be a nightmare depending on when you are traveling). BA and EasyJet both fly from LGW to Scotland.

As an aside, when you are staying at Broome Park, consider a day trip to Paris by Eurostar. We have done this three times and it's a great take. Pick it up at Ashford Station which is not far from BP. For travel around Paris, we bought tickets on batobus.com which stops at several major tourist sites....Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc. A long but really fun day.
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That sounds great.
If you have any suggestions for Scotch tours based/arriving from Glasgow, I'd love to hear. Trying to figure out how to piece together a trip using less-expensive accomodations (TS?) and travel for 4-7 day trip. No fun driving on a Scotch tour, but we could take turns. thought a highlands pass and coach might work with the right base(s).
 
To be fair, we werent trying for fastest and cheapest travel. Our holiday was to travel on the rail system and visit as many heritage sites as possible, we purchased the rail pass and the national trust touring pass. My uncle, who retired from British Rail, thought we were crazy. The visit Britain site is a great reference for researching and buying advance tickets and passes at discount.

Agree, good discussion, we are looking at the Oyster card for our London stay this year, appreciate the tip on the Paris day trip.


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We took a coach from London to Stonehenge, Bath and Salisbury. Had a great time. Would love the rail pass, but we were on a 'tight schedule.' Maybe the scenic rail to Scotland next time.
thanks
 
ValHam said:
Where would you recommend as a stopover - York or somewhere else?
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Highly recommend York as a stopover point. In the past we have taken the train from London to Edimburgh a couple of times and then drove around Scotland. If you buy the train tickets in advance, they can be gotten fairly cheaply. We got advance return 1st class seats last year to Edinburgh from London for 100 GBP each last year which included food, wifi access and nice seats and 1st class lounge access at the train station. In most cases you do have to reserve a specific train time, but since we were going for the Ryder Cup the last time and we knew which day we wanted to travel and when. Regular fares were about half the 1st class rate if I recall correctly so you could get there for as little as 100 GBP for two if you can plan ahead and travel off-peak as we did. I would suggest taking a local train or other transportation in to London (don't try and drive in) and take a direct train from there. If you can work an overnight (or longer) stop in York, I don't think you will be disappointed. Lots to see there with the National RailWay Museum, York Minster and the Viking center all within walking distance of the train station.
 
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