Fangfangzhang

Can anyone tell me the bus or the train is more convenient to travel from Stratford-Upon-Avon to London after I visit Shakespeare's birthplace, Nash's House, Hall's Croft and Ann Hathaway's Cottage? The scenic spot is close to the train station or the bus station?

janisj

Train - 100%. Depending on which train you catch it will take from 2 hours to nearly 3 hours with 0 -to 2 changes.

A coach will take from 3 to 4+ hours

Both stations are in the center of Stratford . . .

nytraveler

The sights you mention are not all in the same place - they're in/near Stratford but not all together. For instance AHs cottage is more than a mile from the center of town. Will you be walking or ? within the town?

janisj

All the Shakespeare sites in/near Stratford are easily reached from the center. Anne Hathaway's Cottage is a nice walk, or both it and Mary Arden's house (recommended) are on the H-o-H-o bus route.

PalenQ

I believe there is a small station near Mary Arden's House if I recall correctly - but anyway go to www.nationalrail.co.uk for schedules and discounted tickets if booked far enough in advance that can be a fraction of full walk up fare - but those ducats are sold in limited numbers and can sell out way early or may not - some discounts may be available the day of the train if the quota of seats is not exhuasted - anyway read the conditions of use first as many have draconic change/refund fees. www.seat61.com has a wealth of info from a British rail expert and for general info I like www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

How are you getting to Stratford? If using trains much in southern England check out the London Plus Rail Pass that stretches from Bath and Bristol to the west and stratford to the north and all of England below them practically - also includes two airport train tickets on airport express trains. But if just doing this or a handful of train trips discounted tickets will be the cheapest way by rail.

Buses can be dirt cheap but like janis says will take longer and IME is not nearly as comfy as a train you cana get up and walk around in without problem - and better loos!

janisj

They are traveling by train from London and back. AFAIK no pass would be worth it.

For a short visit like yours the Hop-on-Hop-off bus makes a lot of sense. While it is a easy walk to Anne Hathaway's cottage for instance - it is about 2 k/1.2 miles from the Birthplace - depending on your walking speed that is 20-30 minutes. The bus takes you around to all the properties and you can get off to tour the various houses and then ride to the next.

Mary Arden's House is 4 miles from the birthplace -- so quite a long walk. The H-o-H-o makes it very easy to do all of them (Hall's Croft, etc etc.) in one day. . . . And I almost never recommend H-o-H-o's

PalenQ

They are traveling by train from London and back. AFAIK no pass would be worth it. AFAIK too - just had not read other threads you have apparently but and OP may it sound here like they were only coming from Stratford to London - could have been part of a wide-ranging trip. But for one return trip AFAIK2 - At least get some kind of day return - cheapest tickets I think are train-specific - OK for going but you never know how long you may spend in a day trip destination IME.

Day returns I believe can't be used to leave London until 9:30 am weekdays so if want more time in Stratford to see those rather far-flung and AFAIL Ersatz Shakespeare sights with a murkey real relationship with the Bard... in any case Stratford is one sweet cool town with a bubbling river running right thru it.

do check out the Bard's grave in the Parish Church not far from the modern playhouse.

janisj

Actually if you are willing to leave really early in the AM (like 06:30) or after 09:00-ish you can get the REALLY cheap return tix - £15 or less. Leaving London between about 07:00 and 08:30 the fare will be nearly £100.

Fangfangzhang

Thank you very much for all the responses! I'll take the train to London. Actually my daughter and I are staying at Cotswolds before we travel to Stratford. We plan to take bus 21 or 22 to Stratford from Moreton-in Mash (according to lonely planet)in the early morning of August 5th, spend the day there taking hop-on-hop-off bus and then back London. So it's a one-way trip. I checked the national rail. There are two stations in Stratford. One is the Stratford-upon-Avon. The other is Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway. If our final stop is Mary Arden's House,and PalenQ, you say there is a small station near Mary Arden's House, it's Stratford-upon-Avon station or Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway station? After visiting all the sites, we want to get on the closest and the most convenient station to London!

ellenem

The station near Mary Arden's farm is Wilmcote

http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/visit-...ting-here.html

janisj

Neither -- as ellenem says the station is Wilmcote.

But if you are taking the H-o-H-o anyway, I'd just take it back into Stratford -- it stops right in front of the central station.

PalenQ

Why go back to town - check schedules and just waltz to the Wilmcote station for the train - same train - don't see why take HOHO bus back to town and maybe miss the next train - but check schdules

If say it's 5pm and the next train from Stratford is say at 5:15 - stoppin gin Wilmcote at say 5:20 by taking the janis' advice of taking the bus back to Stratford you could miss that 5:15 train - but check schedules - you may get an earlier train than by going back on the bus. Not sure her reason for recommending going back to Stratford - what does it gain? wilmcote is a small station just just one platform - out in the country I;d rather wait there for the train than in the busier Stratford Station.

PalenQ

Well what about baggage however - check to see if the Stratford station has baggage storage or some place nearby - then leave it there and pick it up when the HOHO bus stops there and the end up at Wilmcote - that is if the buses run in that direction or not - if not consider getting off the train coming into Stratford at Wilmcote, doing that out of the way place and taking the HOHO bus to Stratford train station and stow them and of course later leave from there. Or are you able to carry your bags throughout?

If not that may be one reason to go into and out of Stratford station - well that may be a reason that I did not right away think of for going back into Stratford. I did it as a day trip as most do with just a day pack so hopped the train back at Wilmcote - saving time.

janisj

>>Why go back to town -<<

. . . <i>because</i>, there are MUCH more frequent trains from Stratford than from Wilmcote . . . Like every 20 or so minutes vs. every hour or two+ hours depending on the time of day.

PalenQ

But what if they can easily rendez-vous with a train from Wimcote? Let us present all possibilities and let the OP chose instead of just one thing when other options may be viable too or more?

and check your schedule reading - trains from Wimcotte leave hourly during most of the day - there is one 2 hour gap between 3:30pm and 5:30pm but then two trains the next hour - where did you get your misleading schedule info from?

You are also wrong that trains are MUCH more frequent from Stratford - every train from Stratford I looked at except one stopped in Wimcote (www.bahn.de/en) - most (all I looked at) trains seems to go to Birmingham and nearly all of the several save one I looked at for late afternoon departures stropped at Wimcote - no there are NOT MUCH more frequent trains or is www.bahn.de/en wrong? Where did you come up with your schedules?

Wimcotte is a viable departure point that could save time it seems - baggage being the only issue.

PalenQ

There is only one train line - the North Warwickshire Line that deadends at Stratford and passes thru Wimcote and Stratford Parkway before terminating at Stratford - tracks beyond that have been pulled up for years and unless they are back in service there is only one train line into and out of Stratford and it seems MOST of these trains do stop at Wimcote - of the first 12 trains I checked on a Monday 9 of them stopped also at Wimcote - so where do you get the info that there are MUCH more trains from Stratford - and it seems all direct trains to London do stop there - those that go into Marylebone and some going to Euston via Birmingham do not.

So curious as to where you go your info?

PalenQ

I suppose one reason to start in Stratford itself is that you will be traveling at rush hour and the train could be quite full by the time it gets to Wimcote - though many will get off at the Stratford Parkway park and drive stop just before. But to be sure start at Stratford where the trains originate - actually I think the rush hour is in reverse - folks coming back to Stratford from say Birmingham or even London. There is a convenient direct train to London from Wimcote however around 5:30 pm or so - most connections involve one change of trains.