I'd like to take a day trip from Oxford next Monday. However, it would be on public transport, which I realize really limits my options.

Some ideas I was considering are:

1) a bit of St. Albans and Hatfield House
2) Salisbury Cathedral, Mompesson House and Wilton House
3) Woburn Abbey

My main concerns are public transport.

With 1, it seems like I could go into London and then train to St. Albans and from there to Hatfield House. This seems a bit straightforward.

With 2, I could train to Salisbury in 2 hours and then train from there to Wilton House. Right? Is it possible to get Stourhead in too? It seems like this would be a lot of drama and probably not possible.

With 3, I don't know how I would get there from Oxford.

Any other comments or ideas? I could also add in Brighton or Warwick Castle, but for some reason I'm not so excited about those. I have already seen Blenheim and would prefer something else.

Thanks.

Well, this is THE best time of all to see Rousham (train to Heyford, and in your shoes, I'd walk back to Oxford via the footpaths.) Just for the garden.

The best way to Hatfield House is the train from KX to Hatfield (trains to St Albans go from St Pancras). There should be buses across to St Albans (www.transportdirect.info).

There's no train to Wilton House, There should be buses there from Salisbury, though.

It should be possible to get a bus to Woburn from Bedford, and doesn't the Cambridge bus stop there?

The two most painless Great Sights, in my view, would be Hereford and Winchester, both on direct trains from Oxford

Thanks, flanner. I had not considered Rousham or some of the other options you mentioned. I have a friend who lives in Winchester, so I may try to visit in the summer when he is at home.

topping for people like janisj

I think Woburn would be a pain to get to by public transport. Unless things have changed the way recommended was a train to either Milton Keynes or Flitwick and then a 10 or 12 mile cab ride.

Rousham is practically on your doorstep - so that might be my choice.

I think bus service to Stourhead is a problem - there is service but it is quite limited.

One place not on your list you might consider - How about the New Forest? You can take the train and then explore the Forest, Beaulieu, Bucklar's Hard etc . .

oops - Bucklers Hard . . .

Thanks, janis. From this website it seems like Rousham is only open by prior arrangement as a group.

http://www.rousham.org/

I have never been to any of these places, <b>but</b>

If you decide to go to the Wilton House, can you check out to see if it still has Pieter Bruegel the Elder's <i>A Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird Trap</i> painting?

Some web searches show the painting is there, but the Wilton House website has no mention of it at all. Makes me wonder if it still has it or not.

Rousham <b> house </b> is only available by pre-arrangement. The garden - which is the whole point of the place, since to be honest the house is just another family house - remains open to anyone who turns up

Hi Joe - There are local buses to Wilton from Salisbury. The Salisbury-Bath X4 service also goes within 200m of the entrance to Wilton House.

As Janis says, bus service to Stourhead is very limited - and non-existant on Bank Holiday, I think.

It's difficult to combine Wilton and Stourhead without a car, unfortunately

Steve

Babk Holidays in the UK, if my memory serves me right, and crammed and crowded days. Everyone is out...we used to stay home those days... or find a non-tourist place.

Thanks for the advice, all.

I am aware that it will be very crowded wherever I go, but I have to take advantage of the time off I have.

I think I will go to Salisbury and Wilton House on Monday, considering that I have a full day to take advantage of. Rousham seems like a great option if I wanted a half-day trip.

Can someone review my itinerary? I'm a little stuck on some transport questions.

I'd arrive Salisbury at 9:33. I have 2 possible intineraries:

Option 1

Walk from station to Cathedral. See Cathedral and Chapter House

Walk from there to Mompesson House close to 11 am opening time. See House and gardens.

Catch bus from New Canal at 12:35 (or 1:35) to Wilton per this timetable for Sundays/public holidays:

http://www.wdbus.co.uk/htm/ttNorthern/N_60-60A-61.pdf

Go back to Salisbury at 5:05 coach and mess around until dinner at 6 pm. Depart at 7:30 pm.

OR

Arrive at 9:33 or a little later.

Catch 10:37 bus to Wilton to get there close to opening

2:05 bus from Wilton to city centre.

Visit Mompesson House and cathedral, chapter house.

I'm just not sure what order is preferred, or how long to allot for Wilton House, the cathedral or Mompesson House. Option 1 seems like it would leave a me a bit more time for Wilton if I needed out since I could take advantage of the cathedral being open early, but I wonder if I need to go to Wilton first since it is Bank Holiday weekend. Would they &quot;sell out&quot; of tickets?

Thanks.

JoeTro, I can't help you with your specific questions but I'll say that we found the Tower tour at Salisbury Cathedral to be well worth it. A guide takes a small group up the 300+ stairs of the cathedral's spire in stages. The tour took close to 2 hours, though, so might squeeze your day too much. Also, it's essential to book in advance. Here's a link to our photos from Salisbury (and Stonehenge is in there also): http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...d=8DZsmzZuzamA

Thanks, Noe. I love your photos. I was wondering about the Tower tour and if that was worthwhile. Did the 2 hours include just the tower or the full Cathedral and Chapter House? If I went on Monday I am sure there would be no way I could do the tour given the short notice and the bank holiday.

I thought it was well worth the time and money - really added a nice dimension to what we were seeing. The two hours is just the Tower. The church, chapter house and cloister were separate. If you're interested, just give them a call: 01722 555 156 to see if there's room on the tour. It looks like there are three in May: 11:15am, 2:15pm, 3:15pm. I can't exactly remember, but I think we paid when we got there, although I had called in advance to reserve the spots.

There are lockers at the bottom where you can put anything extraneous so you don't have to schlep it up the stairs. Also, as you can see from my pictures, some of the spiral staircases are quite narrow and high. My daughter is afraid of heights and spiral staircases, so this was a challenge for her. I have a harder time coming down than up, especially if I can see through gaps in the stairs. The wooden ones were particularly difficult.

On further reflection, JoeTro, you are more interested in palaces and country houses than I am, so maybe two hours in a medieval spire won't be quite your thing?

Also wanted to mention that the Cathedral is about a mile from the train station. There are some back ways to walk that are prettier than the main road.

JoeTro, have you been to Cardiff? I think you'd really like the Cardiff Castle; the medieval Palace there was renovated/added onto in the 19th century by John Burges, and the craftsmanship is quite good. There is also the ruin of the original Norman keep.

The National Museum of Wales has a solid art collection, with strength in French Impressionism thanks to bequests by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies.

It would make a good and easy day trip from Oxford when you're next looking for a destination.

Thanks, Noe. I have visited Cardiff.

As it turned out, I slept in late and stayed in. Thanks for the advice, though. I really do need to get out and see the UK in the last months I am here!