Self-guided holidays : Self-guided paths and trails walking holidays
Self-guided Paths and Trails Travel Information
Nearest or recommended International Airports for Self-guided Paths and Trails.
| London | The South Downs Way; Cotswold Way; all sections of the Thames Path; both sections of the Wessex Ridgeway; all sections of the South West Way |
| Bristol | Workable for all of our Self-guided Paths and Trails with the exception of the South Downs Way, but particularly convenient for the Cotswold Way, Wessex Ridgeway North and the Exmoor Coast Path section of the South West Way |
| Exeter | All sections of the South West Way |
| Southampton | Workable for all of our Self-guided Paths and Trails, but particularly convenient for the Wessex Ridgeway, the Dorset and South Devon sections of the South West Way and the South Downs Way |
Although we have mentioned the most convenient airport against each destination one of the London airports could be used as the port of entry for any of the tours, so the journey time from London to the closest railway station for all tours have been included in the list of typical journey times.
The journey times quoted are for a typical train journey between the station nearest to the airport (central London in the case of Heathrow or Gatwick Airports) and the station closest to the hotel. Where there is a change of train en route waiting times may vary so allowance should be made for this when planning your journey.
National Rail Enquiries have an excellent website with interactive timetable information.
Travel between various international airports and their nearest mainline railway stations
Heathrow Airport
Guests travelling to destinations other than those detailed below will have to go into central London before embarking on the next leg of their journey. The Heathrow Express is a direct rail link Heathrow Central station and London Paddington railway station. Trains run every 15 minutes and the journey time ranges from 15 minutes for Terminals 1, 2 and 3, to 30 minutes for Terminal 4 and 5.
Guests travelling directly from Heathrow Airport to Cornwall, Exmoor, South Devon, the Cotswolds, and Pembrokeshire need not go into the centre of London. Instead they can take the Rail-Air Link bus from Heathrow Airport to Reading to intersect with the train travelling westwards out of London. The service departs every 30 minutes (every 20 minutes at peak times of day) and the journey time (from the furthest terminal) is 55 minutes.
Gatwick Airport
There is a railway station right in the heart of the airport complex and the Gatwick Express to London Victoria departs every 15 minutes. The journey takes 30 minutes (35 minutes on a Sunday).
Other airports in England
From Bristol Airport there is a bus link to Bristol, Temple Meads Railway Station (journey time 30 minutes) Southampton Airport is adjacent to Southampton Airport Parkway railway station, and from Exeter Airport there are buses to Exeter St David's railway station from early morning to early evening (journey time 25 minutes).
Typical rail journey times
The journey times quoted below are for a typical train journey between the mainline railway station nearest to the recommended airport (central London stations in the case of Heathrow or Gatwick Airports) and the mainline railway station closest to the hotel/guesthouse at which the tour is based. Where there is a change of train en route waiting times may vary so allowance should be made for this when planning your journey.
Although we have mentioned the recommended airport(s) against each destination one of the London airports could be used as the port of entry for any of the tours, so the journey time from London to the closest railway station has also been listed.
Cotswold Way
| TOUR NAME & START/FINISH LOCATION | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotswold Way: Chipping Campden | Moreton-in-Marsh | 1 hour 35 mins from London, 2 hours 45 mins from Bristol | Bus or taxi |
| Cotswold Way: Bath | Bath | 1 hour 30 mins from London or 15 minutes from Bristol | Walk or taxi |
South Downs Way
| TOUR NAME & START/FINISH LOCATION | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Downs Way Eastbourne | Eastbourne | 1 hour 30 minutes from London or 2 hours 30 minutes from Southampton | On foot or taxi |
| South Downs Way Winchester | Winchester | 1 hour 10 mins from London or 20 minutes from Southampton | On foot or taxi |
Wessex Ridgeway
| TOUR NAME & START/FINISH LOCATION | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wessex Ridgeway North: Marlborough | Swindon | 1 hour from London, 40 mins from Bristol or 2 hours from Southampton | Bus |
| Wessex Ridgeway North & Wessex Ridgeway South: Ludwell | Salisbury (Tisbury is closer, but only convenient if travelling via London) | 1 hour 25 mins from London, 1 hour 15 mins from Bristol or 45 mins from Southampton | Bus or taxi from Salisbury or taxi from Tisbury |
| Wessex Ridgeway South: Lyme Regis | Axminster | 2 hours 45 mins from London, 3 hours 15 mins from Bristol or 2 hours 30 mins from Southampton | Bus |
Thames Path
| TOUR NAME & START/FINISH LOCATION | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Path West: Thames source near Cirencester | Kemble | 1 hour 25 mins from London | Bus or taxi |
| Thames Path West & Thames Path Central: Wallingford | Didcot Parkway | 45 mins from London | Bus or taxi |
| Thames Path Central & Thames Path East: Windsor | Windsor & Eton Central | 45 mins from London | Walk or taxi |
| Thames Path East: London | Various depending upon destination |
South West Way
| TOUR NAME & START/FINISH LOCATION | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exmoor Coast Path: Minehead | Taunton | 2 hours 30 mins from London, 1 hour 15 mins from Bristol, 1 hour from Exeter | Bus or heritage steam railway |
| Exmoor Coast Path & North Devon Coast Path: Instow | Barnstaple | 5 hours 15 mins from London, 1 hour 15 mins from Exeter or 3 hours 45 mins from Bristol | Bus |
| North Devon Coast Path & Cornwall's Atlantic Coast East: Bude | Exeter | 3 hours 30 mins from London. Alternatively, fly into Exeter and take bus directly from Exeter to Bude | Bus |
| Cornwall's Atlantic Coast East & Cornwall's Atlantic West Coast: Newquay | Newquay | 5 hours 15 mins from London or 3 hours from Exeter | Walk or taxi |
| Cornwall's Atlantic West Coast & Far West of Cornwall: St Ives | St Ives | 5 hours 45 mins from London or 3 hours 45 mins from Exeter | Walk or taxi |
| Far West of Cornwall & The Lizard: Penzance | Penzance | 6 hours 30 mins from London or 3 hours 15 mins from Exeter | Walk or taxi |
| The Lizard & Roseland to Rame: Falmouth | Falmouth Town | 5 hours 15 mins from London or 2 hours 45 mins from Exeter | Bus or taxi |
| Roseland to Rame & South Devon Coast West: Plymouth | Plymouth | 3 hours 40 mins from London or 1 hour 10 mins from Exeter | Walk or taxi |
| South Devon Coast West & South Devon Coast East: Dartmouth | Totnes | 3 hours 30 mins from London or 45 mins from Exeter | Bus |
| South Devon Coast East & Dorset Coast Path: Lyme Regis | Axminster | 2 hours 45 mins from London, 40 mins from Exeter or 2 hours 30 mins from Southampton | Bus |
| Dorset Coast Path | Poole | 2 hours 15 mins from London, 3 hours 45 mins from Exeter or 1 hour 15 mins from Southampton | Walk or taxi |
If you would like further advice on travel within the UK we are always willing to help, so please do contact us.
Specific train times are always sent with final joining details but can be made available earlier on request. The rail timetable for trains in Great Britain are rolled out online three months prior to date of travel, although the rail companies do reserve the right to make further changes after than point, particularly if engineering works become necessary.
National Rail Enquiries have an excellent website with interactive timetable information
Travel Information Quick Links
National Rail Enquiries for British train times and other rail-related information http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
London Heathrow Airport http://www.heathrowairport.com
London Gatwick Airport http://www.gatwickairport.com
Manchester Airport http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk
Rail-Air Link timetables and information on coach transfer from Heathrow Airport to Reading railway station, for travel to the south West of England. http://www.railair.com
Heathrow Express for travel from the airport into central London https://www.heathrowexpress.com
Gatwick Express for travel from the airport into central London https://www.gatwickexpress.com
National Express for cross-country coach travel http://www.nationalexpress.com
Online journey planner; particularly good for information on local bus services between railway stations and tour locations http://www.transportdirect.info
The Automobile Association (The AA) for lots of information on British roads and travel/route planning, including mileage calculator http://www.theaa.com
Google Map http://maps.google.co.uk
Interactive currency convertor http://www.footpath-holidays.co.uk/converter.html