lyndie9

Had planned to spend last day(Saturday) touring Windsor castle, then Sunday morning travel to LHR for noon departure, BUT had trouble finding a room. Switching to Hampton Court, sounded better, not sure the logistics work out, and still need to find a hotel near train, and HC.
After 3 days London, five days Cotswolds, would travel from Bourton on the Water to either Windsor, or Hampton Court for last day, (a Saturday). Then up Sunday morning to LHR.
Hope I have included enough info, thanks for the help.

PatrickLondon

Not sure what you're asking. Are you driving or using public transport?

lyndie9

Public transport, need best option for travel and a hotel for that last night.

Dukey1

I am totally confused: you say you are switching and then say "to either Windsor, or Hampton Court" so which place ARE you going to end up in????

PalenQ

check the bus services that serve Heathrow or private car hire from Windsor or Hampton Court - Windsor has several hotels but Hampton Court is just a tiny suburb with maybe a few hotels.

Trains you'd have to go back towards London from Hampton Court and change to Southwest trains at some station like Kingston and get off at Feltham and take the air bus from there to the terminals but from Windsor you could take a train to some station on the line to Paddington that also served Heathrow Connect (stopping trains to Heathrow not the non-stop from Paddington Heathrow Express - pretty easy by rail from Windsor.

Windsor is by far IME a better town - a proper city with all the amenities - Hampton Court is a residential community with a few stores, restaurants, etc.

If I were choosing which one to visit I'd take Hampton Court hands down for many reasons but you are asking about logistics so I'd say Windsor.

janisj

You are likely going about this wrong . . . You need to get from Bourton on the Water to the London area by public transport. So figure that out first. then find a place to stay that last night.

Easiest would probably be train from Moreton-in-Marsh to Paddimgton. From there you can take the train to Windsor. (Or you could take the express bus from Oxford to Heathrow or train to Paddington) .

One option - take the bus from Oxford to LHR and get a room near the airport. From there it is a cheap bus ride to Windsor.

HCP would be a bit too complicated for accommodations/transport/getting to LHR in the morning.

flanneruk

"One option - take the bus from Oxford to LHR and get a room near the airport"

There are no buses from BOTW to Oxford, and most connections stop an unpleasant walk with luggage (virtually uncabbable) to the bus station. So this suggestion requires:
- bus to Northleach, then to Oxford St Giles, then walk to bus station
- bus to LHR T5
- bus to your chosen hotel (The Sofitel is walkable, but extremely pricey), checkin then back to airport for bus to Windsor, or
- leave bags at T5, bus to Windsor (I think), see Windsor then back to T5 (I think) then bus to hotel.

Somehow in all this, you might be able to do some sightseeing.

BOTW really isn't a good place to stay if you're dependent on public transport. Total timetables for options at transportdirect.info

Is there a reason you don't want to drive?

janisj

I agree that B-o-t-W isn't a great base for car-less visitors.

flanner - are there buses from Bourton on the Water to Moreton in Marsh? If so maybe the easiest would be train to Paddington, stay/drop bags at a Paddington area hotel, train to Windsor, back to Paddington, Heathrow Connect to the airport the next morning???

nytraveler

Frankly I wouldn't decide on which to visit based on a hotel.

Pick what you want to see - then organize a hotel. Have no idea if there is anything near Hampton Court (which is a London suburb - not a separate town like Windsor). But in either case you can make your trip to LHR the next day.

For Hampton Court I wold stay in London.

janisj

nytraveler -- the biggest problem for the OP isn't where to stay. The issue is she doesn't have easy transportation to much of anyplace. Once she organizes how to get from Bourton on the Water she can stay just about anywhere. Central London, LHR, Windsor . . .

Odin

This hotel is opposite Hampton Court Palace.

http://www.carlton.nl/mitre/

janisj

That hotel may be fine -- but getting there from Bourton-on-the-Water???

historytraveler

How is OP getting to BOTW I the first place? As stated it is not an easy place for using public transport regardless of where you're going.

Odin

No idea how to get from BOTW to HC by public transport, but you can easily get from HC to LHR by bus, route 111 which is a regular service. On Sunday morning it will be ok, other days I would not recommend. The bus stops at Hounslow West so you can take last few stops to the terminals or just continue to Heathrow Central bus station. Allow 1.5 hours. There is also an air bus service from Kingston to LHR.
Does the train to Paddington from M I Marsh stop in Ealing Broadway, if so there could be a way to get to HC by bus (route 65 to Kingston then taxi to HC) but it's better to rent a car for this type of excursion as the distances are not great & easy route, whereas by train/bus it's complicated, inconvenient & probably expensive.

PatrickLondon

It's easier still just to get the train from Waterloo, for Hampton Court. To get from one part of West/South-West to one of the Thames Valley suburbs of London, there's not usually much time saving to be made by trying to avoid going into central London and out again, unless there's some train connection via Reading.

Then there's the question of how to get from Hampton Court to Heathrow by public transport on a Sunday morning, as PQ outlines (and that's not allowing for engineering works on the lines, which usually happens over a weekend).

It seems to me the simplest thing would be to make the earliest journey possible into London and stay somewhere on the western side of the centre that's convenient for access to Paddington, Waterloo and/or the Piccadilly Line for Heathrow, taking the rest of Saturday to go out to either Windsor or Hampton Court, and then having the least possible stress and expense for getting to the flight home.

Odin

PQ doesn't know that there is a direct bus service virtually outside Hampton Court Palace to LHR, route 111 which runs 24/7 and there are no engineering works. It's a reliable frequent service, as much as bys services can be, disrupted only by traffic during the working week. Early Sunday am should be a breeze.

If the OP can get to Moreton in Marsh, the train stops in Slough then you can take another to Windsor & see Windsor Castle instead.

janisj

>>No idea how to get from BOTW to HC by public transport, but you can easily get from HC to LHR by bus, route 111 . . . There is also an air bus service from Kingston to LHR. <<

I know that. And they would be a lovely ideas . . . except for that pesky getting from Bourton-on-the-Water bit.

Until the OP comes back this is all gum flapping. (I assume she is getting to B-o-t-W after taking a train to Moreton in Marsh. And she'd have to get back to M-i-M and take a train to London - which isn't convenient to Kingston/HCP/etc. )

>>Does the train to Paddington from M I Marsh stop in Ealing Broadway,<<

Yes - IF one changes at Slough. But no matter if one goes to Paddington or to Ealing Broadway . . . it is nearly 2 hours just to get to London (not counting traveling from Bourton on the Water to Moreton which probably takes at least 30 minutes) - and then schlepping down to HCP - more hours getting there than seeing HCP.

janisj

Let's just say, what she wants to do ain't going to be easy . . .

flanneruk

<i>"If the OP can get to Moreton in Marsh, the train stops in Slough then you can take another to Windsor & see Windsor Castle instead."</i>

What does she do with the luggage?

<i>">>Does the train to Paddington from M I Marsh stop in Ealing Broadway,<<

Yes - IF one changes at Slough."</i>

Only by lugging the luggage up and down stairs, or snuffing out the poorly-signed lift at the counter-intuitive end of the platforms.

Transportdirect.info answers all the practical questions: only the poster can answer why, with all the things to see and do in the Thames Valley, she's so determined to do things without a car that God designed Britain to make possible only with one.

poole

We are also going to Windsor Castle the day before our flight and couldn't find a place to stay that night.

This is how we are solving the problem:

I booked a room at the Premier Inn Terminal 5 at 420 Bath Road.

After checking in and/or leaving our luggage, we will take the free bus #423, that stops across the street, to Terminal 5 which is only two stops away.

We will then take bus #71 or #77 from Terminal 5 to Windsor Castle. One bus goes south to Windsor and the other goes
north.

We will spend the day in Windsor and make the reverse trip back to Premier Inn.

No trains, no taxi's and hopefully no fuss !!