train vs. car
 

Is it really more convenient to take the train or car? we will be in Lymington(southern england) and want to go to Bath and possibly Canterbury.

Most of the time, it depends on how many people. Three or more people, needing transportation which spans three or more days - - this would favor car.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>

There are too many unknowns for anyone to give a useful answer. How many days do you want to spend on this? Do you want to see anything between these 3 places or do you just want to see them? If you are willing to give this the better part of week and see things on the way, rent a car. If this is just point to point, take the train. I would wonder why you have chosen Canterbury, since there are three cathedral cities much nicer than Canterbury that are a lot closer to Bath - Wells, Salisbury and Winchester - and are more or less on the route between Lymington and Bath.

As Ron says - Going to Canterbury from Lymington makes no sense at all -- by car OR by train.<BR><BR>Salisbury Cathedral is a short drive and Fabulous. Winchester is about the same distance. Wells is farther but is near Bath so it makes a good day trip. ALL are hours closer than Canterbury. <BR><BR>For most of these a car is better since there is a lot to see enroute to all of them - but a train would be a good choice if you just wanted the experience.

topping<BR>

Although normally I'm a big fan of train travel, I have to say I was *not* pleased with my train experience this last Britain trip. Crowded, one of our "reserved" seats was double-booked, there was no place to put our luggage, the station where we changed trains reeked, and the scenery was ugly for pretty much the whole way. And it was *extremely* expensive, even booking 14 days in advance.<BR><BR>I'd say car definitely, even for only 2 people. Much more flexibility, especially in terms of timetable and being able to take in the countryside.

I haev to agree wtih Artemis' sentiments and conclusion. We drove around England and Wales for a week (including Bath) and it would have actually been more stressful on a train, keeping to their locations and schedules, etc.

up<BR>

I came to the same conclusion after poring over my maps of southeast England. If you're going from city to city over some distance and don't care too much about what's in between, the train is hard to beat. But if you want to hop from town to town over short distances (especially in suburban/rural areas not served by frequent mass transit), the car is the way to go.<BR><BR>Diana: if you're going to be out fo several days, think about keeping your sightseeing confined to one region and making a loop if you're driving: Bath is a ways from Lymington and even further away from Canterbury. Get a Michelin or AA highway map and see what's around.