courtneyclv

Hi,

My husband and I are taking the overnight'Dutch flyer' Ferry back to London the night before our flight to the U.S. We arrive the morning of the 2nd of May and do not depart until the afternoon of the 3rd.

We will already have several days in London at the beginning of our trip. Where can we travel to that is not a far train ride away, to see more of England for one night?

Thanks!
Courtney

bratsandbeer

Be sure to be at the airport several hours before your flight. From what I am reading, it is taking longer for security checkpoints.

What airport are you flying out of? That could make a difference.

Have you been to Canterbury or Windsor? How about York?

janisj

W/o knowing which airport, it is impossible to give you any useful advice.

flanneruk

Assuming you're leaving from Heathrow or Gatwick, London lies between Harwich, where your boat arrives, and the airport. London is also by far the most convenient place for getting to by public transport, having somewhere to see and then getting to the airport the following day. Places sort of near Harwich ("sort of" because nowhere's near Harwich apart from Holland) might, at a pinch, just include Cambridge, which at least has direct, though slow, buses to LHR

York and Canterbury are both spectacularly awful ideas. A ghastly series of train journeys to, across and from London from Harwich and a full morning journey to the airport the following day. You MIGHT, just, have time for a moonlight stroll round their cathedral precincts that evening - but otherwise you'll learn more about our railway system than you ever wanted to know.

If you want to get to LGW or LHR the following afternoon, and really don't want to stay in London, you're going to have to travel around a further 2 hours from London's Liverpool Street station across town and then from another station. Best choices: for LHR Oxford or Windsor, and Brighton for LGW. You're then 30-60 mins by public transport from your airport.

courtneyclv

Hi,
Sorry about the lack of info. I believe I arrive around 9am or so in London (via the overnight ferry, then train) on the 2nd. I have a flight at 430pm that departs from Heathrow airport.
Thanks!
Courtney

flanneruk

For a map of places with direct buses to Heathrow that take an hour or less:
http://www.heathrowairport.com/asset...t_Heathrow.pdf

Of them: St Albans, Oxford, Windsor and Richmond are pleasant. All involve a train from a London station that's not Liverpool St.

Additionally, there IS a train taking just under an hour from Liverpool St to Cambridge and a direct, though slow, bus from there to LHR.

That, to be realistic, is prety much it given your time constraints. You could, just, manage Winchester or Salisbury, though they require trains back to Woking then a bus to LHR.