Southampton, England, UK

Southampton 28 July 2022/ Geoff Sutton

Southampton is a deep water port in the historic county of Hampshire, which is on the south coast of England.

Here's an aerial view created with Bing in 2023. Southampton is a busy port with hundreds of visits by cruise ships each year.

We arrived by train at Southampton Central and took a ferry to the Isle of Wight as part of our pre-cruise plans.

After two days on the Isle of Wight where we toured the historic Queen Victoria and Albert's Osborne House and Carisbrooke Castle, we returned to Southampton and walked about the historic waterfront area.

The Mayflower Memorial built in 1913 for the 300th anniversary celebrations. The transatlantic voyage of the Mayflower and the Speedwell began near here 15 August 1620.

There are two plaques. One for the Wampanoag -- The People of the Dawn-- who were residents of the area where the ships landed for some 12,000 years. The other is for the many migrants who came through Southampton or made it their home.

Historic Tavern and Old City wall, Southampton

The wall dates to about 1350.

Platform Tavern, Southampton, 1873

God's House Tower built in the 1400s to protect the sluice gates.

In the 1700s, it was a debtor's prison and felon's gaol.

Street art, Southampton

Southampton Old Bowling Green--the World's oldest bowling green dating to about 1299 (which sounds older than about 1300).

Related posts

Cruising the UK

Visiting London Sites

Places to visit in the UK

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Travel Notes

We purchased a return (roundtrip) ticket on a direct train from Waterloo station in London after flying into Heathrow.

Visitors may save money with a UK Railcard Pass.

In 2022, you could board a National Coach at Heathrow airport to Southampton.

There are two ferries to the Isle of Wight. One is only for passengers. The other is for passengers and vehicles. It makes a difference where you want to go on the island.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, which was within walking distance to the ferry and cruise terminals.

 

Cruising the United Kingdom

 

Island Princess near Guernsey 2022

We cruised around the United Kingdom in July and August 2022.

In this post, I provide highlighted links to the cruise ports. At the bottom of the page are comments on the overall experience including the Island Princess cruise.

Our Pre-cruise plan

We've learned from experience with flight and cruise delays to arrive before a cruise so we arrived at London's Heathrow on 26 July. I planned to head to Southampton by coach but we needed a test for Covid to board the ship so we went to the walk in clinic at Paddington station via the Heathrow Express. Here we got some British pounds for the trip. We were early so I took our group round the corner to see the Little Venice Canal. 

We then went to Waterloo station for the direct train service to Southampton Central.

Then we headed to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight by ferry. I had booked us into the Prince of Wales hotel across the road from Osborne House, which my wife considered the highlight of our trip. I renewed our English Heritage cards here because they were unable to enter a US address when I called from the US. Visitor passes are available outside the UK, but I preferred the annual membership plan, which I used again in the Spring of 2023. Once purchased, we entered most places at no additional cost.

Osborne House

After Wednesday's visit to Osborne House, we visited the restored Carisbrooke Castle via bus from the hotel. At the end of the day, we crossed back to Southampton for an evening at the Holiday Inn near the cruise port.

The 14-day Cruise

Friday. 

We walked to the cruise terminal from the hotel and boarded the ship at the early time slot. The roller bags were fine on the pavement. We arrived at the same time as our friends who came by taxi.

Saturday. Guernsey

We used local busses to tour the small and picturesque Channel Island of Guernsey. We paid for things with a credit card. The Guernsey pound is based on the UK pound but is not used elsewhere in the UK and Guernsey is not part of the UK.

Guernsey

Sunday. Cork, Ireland

I wandered about Cork, Ireland (not part of the UK) whilst my wife and her friends shopped. We had some Euros from previous trips but it is easy to find cash points (ATMs).

Blarney shopping by Cork

Monday. Holyhead, Wales. 

My wife and I headed to the fabulous medieval Conwy Castle by train from the Holyhead port. The return train was very late, which caused some anxiety for those of us taking the DIY approach to excursions.

Conwy Castle, Wales

Tuesday. Belfast, Northern Ireland. 

We've been here before. I recommend the Titanic Museum and coastal sites if  you are new to the area.

Wednesday. Greenock /  Glasgow. 

It was a rainy day. I took the train to Glasgow and spent most of the day at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  My wife and her friends shopped locally.

Thursday - A Day at Sea

Friday. Lerwick Shetland. 

We used the local bus to visit the ancient settlements at Jarlshof then wandered about Lerwick before boarding the shuttle service to our cruise ship anchored offshore. Suggestion: Read or watch the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves.

Lerwick, Shetland

Saturday. Orkney

We enjoyed our visit to the Orkney Main Island. This time we took a Princess excursion to see several sites on the west side including the Ring of Brodgar.

Orkney scene

Sunday. Invergordon / Inverness

We docked at Invergordon and went by coach to Dunrobin Castle. We skipped Inverness, which we had visited before but we do recommend a visit to this picturesque town and would have included a visit if there were enough time.

Dunrobin Castle

Monday. Edinburgh, Scotland. 

I booked us into the Royal Yacht Britannia for a 9.45 am visit. We shared a taxi and arrived when they opened. Britannia is a large yacht so we spent a couple of hours following the audio-guided plan. The women in our group wanted to have tea on board so that was our lunch stop.

HMS Britannia

Next, we walked  across the street to the Holiday Inn and ordered a taxi to Edinburgh Castle. I had booked mid-afternoon tickets, which were selling out quickly; however, we arrived early and were able to walk in with no queue. We had free entry with our English Heritage pass. We purchased the audio guide, which was well worth it.

At the end of the day, we took the train to the cruise port, which was South Queensferry and boarded a water shuttle back to the cruise ship.

Edinburgh Castle 2022

Tuesday. A second day at sea.

Wednesday. Dover. 

We walked to Dover Castle and spent most of the day there. It's a fabulous castle with great views above the white cliffs, centuries of British and European history, and an amazing network of underground tunnels vital to the island's safety in World War II.

Dover Castle view 2022

Thursday. Portland, Weymouth

Portland and   Weymouth. We took the free local shuttle bus to Weymouth.

Weymouth, Dorset, UK

D-Day Museum

On the way back to port, I stopped at Portland Castle and the nearby D-Day Museum.

Friday. Southampton. 

The cruise ended and we had to be out of our rooms early. We walked off without using luggage service. There was no hassle with passport control. 

Post-Cruise London

We reversed our earlier journey by taking the train to Waterloo Station in London where I booked a small air conditioned apartment hotel near Paddington station. After stowing luggage, I led our group to Westminster for photos and an experience along Queens Walk.

Saturday. My wife and I visited family whilst our guests had a full day London tour on an air conditioned coach. They were happy with the tour and I certainly think it best for first time visitors.

Sunday. My wife and I visited more family whilst our guests occupied themselves in London.

Monday. Our guests wanted to visit the famous Harrods store in Knightsbridge and the impressive Westminster Abbey so I led our small group to the luxurious halls at Harrods then to our timed entry tickets at the Abbey. We ended the day at the Liberty store where my wife bought some fabric (my wife and her friends are quilters).

Westminster Abbey 2022

Harrod's Food Hall 2022

Tuesday. We took our return train to Heathrow and arrived in the US with our first port of entry at Charlotte, NC.

Notes

If it weren't for the covid-19 testing, I would have gone direct to Southampton by coach from Heathrow. The testing at Paddington Station was an easy walk-in clinic though I did book in advance.

The English Heritage passes are a great value if you are a do-it-yourself traveller like us.

There are advantage to the Princess Cruise sponsored tours in low worry about getting back on board on time and enjoying some interesting commentary on your journey. The choice of a cruise sponsored tour or a local DIY approach is a matter of choice and budget. I do recommend the cruise tours on days when, or at locations where, there is limited public transportation such as a Sunday or national holiday near a small rural town.

Also, there were transportation strikes in the UK so I had to check the latest information to avoid messed up plans. I only had to do one work-around but it's good to think about strikes and transportation delays when planning tours.

Air transportation delays and missing luggage are reasons we arrive one or more days early before package tours and cruises.

Heathrow

 The entry into the UK is smooth for UK and US visitors. We scanned our passports and had no hassles.

 When I'm by myself, I use the London underground (tube) or busses to save money for London locations. But with a group, the Heathrow Express and a taxi may be best. Heading to Southampton by National Coach Service was direct from Heathrow in 2022.

In London, you tap your credit card or use your phone to pay for tickets on the underground or busses. Passes are also available for various time frames.

Planning travel

I've found Google Maps work fine for selecting the best option to get from one place to another by bus or train throughout the UK.

I save money on UK trains with a digital railcard good for discounts throughout the UK.

Phone Service

My wife and I have Google Fi and change from the budget plan to Unlimited plan when traveling outside the US. We change back to the low cost plan when we return. The Google Fi plan is flexible. There is a small charge for phone calls. I called our grandchildren and paid $1.00 for a 10 minute call before we lost signal on the cruise ship.

Island Princess Cruise

We chose the cruise based on the itinerary. We were pleased with the the ports of call and would recommend the itinerary to others.

We generally like Princess cruises. The staff are friendly and the food is good to very good.

I was disappointed that the cruise did not feature UK food and entertainment for the full cruise.

We do not like the "Formal Nights"-- for us, the extra clothes are a waste of precious space in our luggage so, we don't attend the slow and fancy dining on those nights. Unfortunately, we did not have another option for the itinerary.

As noted above, there are options to taking the Princess shore excursions. The best reason to purchase a Princess tour is the peace of mind but they are expensive compared to DIY alternatives.

We found the stateroom smaller than expected with a very small shower but it was fine for the two weeks.

If you are new to cruising, do note that it does not always work out to stop at every planned port. We were fortunate to enjoy the full planned itinerary. It doesn't always happen--usually due to weather conditions.

Related Posts

Visit the United Kingdom

Visit London

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

Sponsored by

Please see Mind the Gap 

Available on AMAZON

Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland

On a cruise around the UK, we stopped at Lerwick on the Main Island of Shetland, Scotland.

For many, the island has come alive in the Shetland book series written by Ann Cleeves. Also, a visually rich TV series is based on the books or Cleeves' characters and features many scenes throughout the island.

We were anchored off shore and arrived by a shuttle boat into Lerwick harbour where we saw the view above.

The harbour itself is an attractive scene before even viewing the picturesque island.

 

We were planning to visit Scalloway Castle but learned it was closed so we took the local bus  south to  the amazing ruins at Jarlshof. There's a lot to see so I created a separate post for Jarlshof.

See the amazing Jarlshof villages.

Near Lerwick harbour is Fort Charlotte.

Here's a brief  video overview Fort Charlotte.

Signboards tell the story of the Fort with a 350-year history guarding the Bressay Sound.

For lunch, I wanted fish 'n chips. When I attempted to place my order at the first chippy, the woman peered out the window and said the haddock hasn't arrived yet. Truly a place where you can get a fresh catch of the day. So, I walked away from the waterfront and had a nice bit of fish from the shop below as I watched the tourists and locals.

As an aside, the shop is featured in one of the Shetland TV episodes.

As a fan of the Shetland series, I couldn't resist a photo of the police station where detective Jimmy Perez and his team solve many mysterious crimes.

Lerwick Police Station/ Sutton 2022

Nearby is the Town Hall--often seen in Shetland stories.

Town Hall, Lerwick

A local shop, Shetland 2022

Of course, the courthouse is critical to Shetland crime stories.

Court/ County Buildings Lerwick/ 2022

This war memorial on Hillhead in Lerwick is near the police station and often seen in the background in Shetland stories. The memorial commemorates WWI and WWII Shetlanders who killed or missing.

The memorial was completed 6 January 1924.

War memorial in 2022

Lerwick's Library was once St. Ringan's United Free Church built 1885-1886. The change to a library was completed in 2002. The photo below is from my 2022 visit. Most of the stained glass windows were in the church. The library is another fine building adding character to the Shetland stories.

St Ringan's Church, Lerwick

Lerwick Methodist Church

A typical Shetland scene includes water, hilly landscapes, and sheep.

Leaving Shetland

Learn more about Shetland at https://www.shetland.org/

Notes

Shetland is 123 miles north of the Scottish Mainland and 222 miles west of Bergen Norway.

There's evidence on the islands of early settlers from the Stone Age. 

The bus service is reliable and a good value.

There is a special cultural event in Lerwick, which you'll read about in the Shetland novels called Up Helly-Aa (Up Holy Day), which is celebrated the last Tuesday of January ending the Yule season.

For a summary and review of the Shetland Book series, see my reviews.

You'll find some of the Shetland and Scots vocabulary in Mind the Gap

available on AMAZON    and   GOOGLE BOOK STORE

Visit my website  suttong.com

Visit other places in Scotland

and

the United Kingdom