My son (14) and I will be in London April 5 - 13, 2004, first time for him. This is a gift trip from my mother in honor of my son, and she's covering the hotel and airfare, but we must cover all other expenses, so I'm trying to pre-pay what I can to avoid budget surprises. I think we'll be ok on meals, but worried about the expense of the activities and transportation: I'm planning a mix of city/daytrip time. Daytrips he wants: Beaulieu, Bath, Hampton Court, possibly Stonehenge. (I'd love to add Windsor, but afraid not enough time.) My mother has also gifted us with a private guide for Day 2 (Tower, Westminster Abbey, City.) I've learned soooo much from all the past posts (Thank you all!) but still looking for opinions:
1. Transportation: Thinking some combo of BritRail Days-Out-Of-London (Gatwick) and Visitor Travel Card.
2. Is Hampton Court the only reason I would need a Travel Pass larger than Zones 1-2? (Our hotel is in Bayswater.)
3. If we take the train to Brockinhurst, then taxi to Beaulieu for the Motor Museum, can we hop on/off anywhere else to enhance the trip?
4. Any worries about the holidays during our trip: (Good Friday 4/9, Easter Sunday 4/11 and Easter Monday 4/12)
5. Any problems getting to Gatwick via tube to Waterloo then Express, due to London Marathon 4/13? (Flight leaves 12:30pm)
6. Thinking about Evan Evans for Stonehenge/Bath day trip. Any better ideas?
I'm sure I have more questions, but this is certainly enough for one post. Thank you!

you will have a great time!

Answers to some of your questions:

#1 & 2 - you most likely only need a zone 1 travel card. Then any trips outside of zone 1 you pay a small supplement. The only reason to get a zone 1-2 card would be if you plan on going to BOTH Greenwich and the London Zoo. Both of these are in zone 2 but unless you are doing both, you are still a little ahead getting the 1 zone card.

#3 - You will love Beaulieu and your idea for a local driver is fine. I might think about taking the train to Lymington - butr Brockenhurst would be OK too. There is so much to see and do there it can easily take most of a day. But be sure to also stop at Bucklers Hard which is only a couple of miles outside of Beaulieu. This is the most fascinating village you will ever see. It is where the used to build ships on the main street (only street actually) and slide them down to the water. This tiny village has this amazing main street that is about 200 feet wide. Plus several of the cottages are open with furnishings and manequins dressed of theperiod. This is about all you will have time for - but if you do have some time just drive along some of the lanes in teh New Forest - it is just so lovely.

#4 - yes - the holidays will be of concern. Many things wil be VERY crowded, and some will be closed Easter Sunday and/orMonday. Instead of giving you a list - just look at the individual websites of the places you want to visit. They usually will give their holiday schedules.

#5 - the Gatwick Express runs from Victoria, NOT Waterloo. The Marathon will not effect the tube much. A cab ride would be another story - lots of street closures. But the tube is the way to go.

#6 - Evan Evans is a reputable company so that would be OK. But taking the train (on your own) to Salisbury and local bus to Stonehenge would be cheaper and give you more flexibility re schedule etc..

Regarding being in London over Easter - my mom and I were there last year over Easter. Everything that was usually open on Sunday appeared to be open on Easter as well. We went to Kensington Palace, had our Easter dinner at the Orangery there, and visited the Victoria & Albert Museum. Yes there were a lot of other visitors at both places but it was not oppressively crowded. We got a table right away at the Orangery restaurant at Ken. Palace. It was fortunately a really nice day so we were able to enjoy the gardens too. (Admisssion to the V&A is free BTW.)

Janis - thanks so much for your help and advice -- glad to know the Marathon won't be a problem for us. Re Beaulieu: we're taking the train there, and the Beaulieu website recommends getting off at Brockinghurst and cabbing to the estate. I was wondering why you thought Lymington instead? Did your statement: "There is so much to see and do there it can easily take most of a day" refer to Lymington or to Beaulieu? Bucklar's Hard sounds quite good too. And I'm so glad to know Zone 1 is all we'll need. But wouldn't that limit us to off-peak travel times?
Daisy54 - Thank you for assuring me we'll be able to keep touring after we worship Sunday morning.
I've got so many more questions - perhaps better to post by each subject than all at once.

No - after I wrote that I thought I should have clarified - Beaulieu has enough to fill most of a day. As for Brockenhurst vs. Lymington - it is really 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other. The reason I mentioned Lymington at all was because it is on the water and there are several lovely shops/cafes/tea rooms. But Brockenhurst would be fine too since it is more in the New Forest and also has nice scenery - the difference in distance of the 2 towns to Beaulieu is probably less than 1/4 mile.

Weekly travel cards are good at any time of the day/night for buses, trains, tube, and night buses w/o time restrictions, no matter which zones they cover. (If you were talking about day passes - they sell daily travel cards for all day and for after 9:30 AM. the ones good after 9:30 are cheaper.)