Choices for transport from Bruges to the UK - near Canterbury area -travel Newbies!
 

My 16 y.o. daughter and I will be travelling (from a few days in Amsterdam) to Bruges for a day or two, then need to get ourselves to our next destination - in the UK, in the town of Barham, near Canterbury. What I'm wondering is whether it would be better, more enjoyable, or worthwhile to take the ferry from Calais to Dover, then proceed however we might, (unsure about this too, other than by bus) to our destination (Broome Park Estates)or would it be best to take the faster, perhaps more expedient way, by the Eurostar train from Lille to the Ashford station. Not quite sure how we'd get to Calais either, from Bruges, but I'm sure there's a way! Is this ferry trip special, the cliffs of Dover, etc? I gather it would take all day to set out from Bruges and get to our destination. Anybody happen to know about or experienced the Regency Villas at Broome Park? I know this is quite wordy and run-on but....Thanks so much - all suggestions welcome!

The Eurostar also runs from Brussels; there are easy connections from Brugge to Brussels, then Ashford to Dover to Canterbury. About 4 1/2 hours if everything clicks; numerous departures daily.

In fact the eurostar comes with an ABS (All Belgian Stations) fare where you could go free from from any Belgian station to your Eurostar trains - from Bruges to Brussels to hop on the eurostar - this won't work with Lille since Lille is in France. fares are about $6 higher from Brussels but you'll still save some bucks.
I love taking the ferry, which now it seems only goes from Calais - which is tricky to get to by public transport from Bruges - can be done on sidelines. But to see the fabled Cliffs of Dover looming across the way is great. And Canterbury is just a few miles by rail or bus from Dover. It may not take you all that much longer than the Eurostar to Ashford International, then train to Canterbury.

Thanks PalQ and Gardyloo- I am inclined to try the ferry as well, but this 'tricky' issue of getting from Bruges to Calais...any other suggestions for a solution? I don't quite know the distance between Bruges and Calais, either, but it seems not that far.

It'll take you three hours by rail - can leave every hour at :33 after the hour - to Calais-Ville, not far from the ferry/hovercraft docks. I get these schedules off the excellent German Rail web site (www.bahn.de) - good for schedules in all of Europe. an easy way to reference the English schedule page of the German site is to go to: www.budgeteuropetravel.com and on their home page click on the link near the bottom "All european railway schedules" and up pops the English schedule page where you put in Bruges and Calais-Ville (not Calais-Frethun, the Eurostar Calais station farther away from the docks) and the date and time and you'll get all the links. the home page i referenced also gives several tips for making the most out of the German site -details plus for example breaks down the journey indicating where changes are required. For Dover-Canterbury schedules put in on the Bahn site's English page Dover Priory (main train station in Dover) and Canterbury and the date, etc. and you'll get all the times - but these you don't need as trains on this route move at least hourly if not 2 or 3 times an hour and take only a few minutes.

Brugge
Calais Ville Sa, 01.07.06
Sa, 01.07.06 dep 09:33
arr 12:44 3:11 2 IC, RE

Brugge
Calais Ville Sa, 01.07.06
Sa, 01.07.06 dep 10:33
arr 13:43 3:10 3 IC, RE

Brugge
Calais Ville Sa, 01.07.06
Sa, 01.07.06 dep 11:33
arr 14:53 3:20

Thanks so much PalQ! the details are appreciated. I will try and make sense out of this and see if I can make it work. We have never been to any of these places, so rather green, need all the help! Shall I create a separate thread or posting about Barham estates, Kent info & feedback? Thanx again.

English Country Houses: Broome Park in Kent... inherited Kent estates from an uncle and was created a baronet. ... Broome Park is in Barham parish, midway between Canterbury and Dover. ...
www.britannia.com/history/chouses/broomepk

Assuming you have a time share at Broome Park. It is a very nice property. Its out in the country about 1/2 way between Canterbury and Dover. Hopefully you will rent a car. Kent/East Sussex is absoutely FULL of amazing sites. Catsles, world famous gardens, stately home etc. But you'll need a car to get to many of them.

I agree with janisj on the car! An absolute must if you want to see some English Heritage sites, historic houses and gardens, for which the county of Kent is so famous (quite rightly!).
We recently took the P&O ferry from Calais to Dover. It's a short hop (one hour and 15 mins., but the UK are one hour behind on the mainland, so you win an hour). I really prefer the ferry over the train. There's also a ferry crossing leaving from Dunkirk (Dunkerque in French), Norfolk Line, maybe that's easier to get to by public transport.

Yes Dunkerque is a bit quicker to get to, maybe not all that easier.
Train Bruges- De Panne (1 change) takes an hour, hourly service then by very frequent buses to Dunkereque, takes about 50 mins - so this is the way i'd go and would be cheaper as well as less distance.
Norfolk lines go about hourly from Dunkerque to Dover, landing at same Eastern Docks as boats from Calais (about a mile from docks to Dover Priory train station - but you may find a bus goes direct from Dover to Barham.

I personally would take the Eurostar to Ashford in Kent. It would save you more than 1/2 a day's travel time. But if you want the "romance" of a ferry trip Dunkerque is your best bet.

Then rent a car when you arrive in Dover - relying on public transport in rural Kent is not at all efficient