Canuckk

We ( 3 adults) will be starting our England/Scotland tour from the Gatwick airport, staying in London for 4 days, taking roundtrip rail to Hampton Court Palace on a fifth day, returning to Gatwick on a sixth day to pick up a rented car and begin our 5 or 6 day self-drive tour to Edinburgh.
Now, here's my plea: of all the cards available for transport, which one or more do I need to serve our to & in London and Hampton itinerary?
Also, is there a card to gain discounted admissions, e.g., 2 for1 ? From reading other posts I assume a London Pass is not worthwhile if I'm going to see only a half dozen major buildings.

Thanks for any help 'cause I'm stillll shuffling the understanding of all the cards around. It's the only arrangment in the whole trip of which I'm unsettled.

The responders for everyone's requests are truly generous: sincere thanks.

Canuckk

Oops, respectfully sorry 'bout the misspelling (sloppy typo) of the great city, London.

sashh

Others have more up to date information on transport but just a thought - why are you picking a car up from Gatwick if you are travelling north?

Gatwick is 20+ miles south of London so you are adding miles and probbly the M25 to your journey.

alanRow

If you buy a Travelcard at a London TRAIN station then it's eligible for the 2-4-1 offers on www.daysoutguide.com which can easily cover the full cost transport for your trip.

From Gatwick you pay for the train - and you can buy the correct Travelcards at any of the stations the train arrives at.

You can buy one day or 7 day Travelcards - for your stay a 7 day Travelcard will probably slightly cheaper than several one day Travelcards. Just get a Zone 1-2 as that's where most of the sights you want to see are. For Hampton Court you can also use the Travelcard on the train BUT you'll need to buy an additional ticket from the ticket office as it's outside zone 1-2 - just show your Travelcard and say "Return to Hampton Court" and the ticket clerk will know what you mean

alanRow

As for car hire - WHY Gatwick, it's probably the worst place you could pick a car up from near London if heading north. Have a look at a map, London is between Gatwick and the north - and one way you'll pay a toll for the tunnel, the other you'll pass Heathrow Airport. Either way is on the M25 which has a reputation as being the "world's largest car park", so on a bad day you could spend a couple of hours just to get a few miles north of London. Book from LHR instead

janisj

Not what you are asking -- but along w/ sashh, I also don't quite understand collecting a rental car at LGW to drive to Scotland.

First you'd have to take a train to LGW and the drive completely around greater London. Is there some reason you need to rent the car at Gatwick?

Are you possibly touring in Kent/East Sussex before heading north?

Canuckk

sashh, alanRow, janisj....
...picking up a car at LGW for Scotland? In the tentative planning stage, my plane lands at LGW so I thought I'd get a return ticket to get the car. Our first self-drive stop was Hever Castle. Then over the next three to four days: Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds, before heading northeast to York, Jedburgh, and Edinburgh, Highlands.
Let me know if a better plan is to forget Hever ( not worth the LGW pick up and route to Hampton area?),instead, take a day rail roundtrip to Hampton Court Palace, then on the next day from London pick up a car at Heathrow and begin our Windsor/Stonehenge/Bath leg.
Appreciate your feedback.

janisj

OK - for Hever and the south LGW does make sense. But then on to Hampton Court not so much. HCP is easier as a 1/2 day trip from central London by train than by car from LGW.

Windsor is also really easy from central London -- but also doable by car from the SE.

I'd do HCP from your base in London -- and possibly Windsor too depending on how long you have in London.

Canuckk

Thanks janisj....I am suuurre glad you are on this site.
Revised plan now is: forget Hever, return train trip to HCP, next day train to Heathrow (car)and Windsor Castle, find hotel on route to Stonehenge somewhere along M3 ( with Stonehenge in the early motning).

sashh

That sounds like a plan.