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Portsmouth is another great day trip - not for the so-so large port city but for the National Navy Museum and its Historic Docks - I loved it, looking at all those historic ships and the old buildings and docks themselves.:
https://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/s...avy-portsmouth https://www.google.com/search?q=port...w=1280&bih=625 Janis - yes I Google places I have been long ago and paste and copy for OP. Not sure what your constant snide accusatory approbation about that is. Portsmouth is an easy train ride and I believe Arundel Castle could be done too with it - Arundel may not be the oldest castle around but it has a very imposing appearance when walking from the train station to nice small town over which it hovers high above. Hatfield House I really loved too - nice gardens and small village not far by train from London (Hatfield is just as famous for the Hatfield train disaster of about 20 or so years ago) - Hatfield House short walk from train station. https://www.google.com/search?q=hatf...ih=625&dpr=1.5 |
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...h-gems-925598/
London has many places that not so well known can be real charmers too~ from an old trip report of mine. |
I seriously doubt if one could do Arundel Castle and Portsmouth in a day trip from London. In fact, it's really not possible. Arundel Castle usually involves about a 5 hour train ride ( have no idea as to why that long ) with a change I believe, and then Portsmouth is about another hour or so. Even if one could find a faster train to Arundel, Still think it's too aggressive an itinerary. If one includes visiting times to both the castle, the Naval Museum and the historic docks, there just aren't enough hours in the day. And, while I enjoyed my short visit to Portsmouth several years ago ( visiting only HMS Victory ), I wouldn't put it ahead of some of the other options available.
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Very interesting thread, PalenQ! Thank you! Unfortunately, I have very limited time in London, but I am very happy that Hatfield House as well as Ham House and Kew Gardens are on my list. I had seen speakers in Hyde Park back in 1998. We were not too inspired by their loud Socialist slogans and quickly left 😊 I wish I could travel to London more often, but it is hard to do... I was so fortunate to visit 34 countries, some of them on business, some of them solo, majority of them with my husband... And we tend to go to the countries and cities we love several times, so how to find time to see all the gems London and England have to offer? I wish I could... and I am trying really hard... Well, I am so grateful for the opportunity to travel and see the world...With years, I learned how to enjoy what I can see and not to dwell on so many sights I had to miss... It was tough to learn how to do it, but there is no other choice. Thank you, historytraveler! Arundel is off my list for now and Portsmouth might happen in the future, but with an overnight stay. |
I seriously doubt if one could do Arundel Castle and Portsmouth in a day trip from London. In fact, it's really not possible. Arundel Castle usually involves about a 5 hour train ride ( have no idea as to why that long )>
Re-check schedules - it's 1:20 by many train to Arundel from Portsmouth and 1:20 on most trains from London to Arundel. London-Portsmouth is about 1.5 hours on fastest trains - so it's very possible - not recommending anything just pointing out options. |
Arundel
i also thought that it only takes 90 minutes to get to Arundel from London: this is why I included it to start with, but now I decided to postpone it for another trip. |
I did recheck train times and yes, the trains from London to Arundel take about 1 1/2 hours. Have no idea as to why I got 5+ hours. May have accidentally put in somewhere other than London as departure point.
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You'll love Kew Gardens - peaceful (hopefully) and so much to see |
Originally Posted by historytraveler
(Post 16872468)
Arundel Castle usually involves about a 5 hour train ride ( have no idea as to why that long ) with a change I believe.
And, while I enjoyed my short visit to Portsmouth several years ago ( visiting only HMS Victory ), I wouldn't put it ahead of some of the other options available. For those who don't know, the Mary Rose was Henry VIII's flagship, sunk in the 1546. Because of the way it settled into the mud, about half of the ship is preserved (imagine slicing it down the long access.) The Ship was raised in the 1980s, has been undergoing preservation work ever since. The Museum takes the half a ship, then has been built that each floor corresponds with a deck - so the exhibits recovered from the see bed are displayed opposite the intact parts of the ship. |
Mary Rose Museum
Now I know how to convince my husband to join me next time, willit!😊 Mary Rose Museum is something he is very interested in. He loved Kitty Sark in Greenwich and is s big fan of our own Mayflower in Plymouth, MA. Thank you for such a great tip! |
Originally Posted by vinonobile987
(Post 16872669)
Now I know how to convince my husband to join me next time, willit!😊 Mary Rose Museum is something he is very interested in. He loved Kitty Sark in Greenwich and is s big fan of our own Mayflower in Plymouth, MA. Thank you for such a great tip! HMS Warrior | Museum Ship & Venue | Portsmouth, Hampshir https://www.hms-victory.com/ The new Mary Rose exhibit is so much better than the previous one, a truly fascinating exhibition and certainly not just for those interested in ships. If you search online there are always discounted tickets available for the Historic Dockyard and with the train from London serving Portsmouth Harbour you are a few minutes walk from the Historic Dockyard entrance. If you have time you can always walk to Southsea Castle from the Dockyard, taking in some of Portsmouth's historic streets. The castle is fully functional and may not resemble the mental image of castles that some people have but it's very interesting and it's good to share the view that Henry VIII would have had as he watched the Mary Rose sink. There's also a vrey good brewery there! Southsea Castle |
If yous like historic ship museum consider in future the Historic Dockyards at Chatham on the Thames Estuary a short train ride from London -not as extensive as Portsmouth but I really enjoyed it - https://www.google.com/search?q=hist...ih=614&dpr=1.5
And I took a train from Chatham to the nearby Isle of Sheppey with its historic old main street and nice seaside: https://www.google.com/search?q=isle...w=1280&bih=625 |
Thank you so much, jc_UK and PalenQ! My husband will be very tempted to explore the old ships. We both enjoy when tall ships come to Boston - it is a big event for our city. |
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