Self-guided holidays : Single centre self-guided walking holidays
Single Centre Self-guided Walking Holiday Travel Information
Nearest or recommended International Airports for self-guided tours.
| London | Cornwall, South Devon Coast, East Devon Coast, Exmoor, Dorset Coast, West Wiltshire Downs, South Downs, River Thames, Cotswolds, Pembrokeshire, Derbyshire Dales, Hadrian’s Wall Country, Northumberland Coast, Scottish Borders |
| Cardiff | Pembrokeshire Coast |
| Bristol | Exmoor |
| Exeter | Cornwall, South Devon Coast, East Devon coast, Exmoor |
| Southampton | Dorset Coast, East Devon Coast |
| Manchester | Lake District, Yorkshire Dales |
| Newcastle | Scottish Borders, Hadrian's Wall Country, Northumberland Coast |
| Edinburgh | Scottish Borders, Hadrian's Wall Country, Northumberland Coast |
| Glasgow | Northern Lake District, Scottish Borders, Hadrian's Wall Country, Northumberland Coast |
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
Manchester Airport has its own mainline railway station. From Cardiff Airport there is a bus link to Cardiff Central Railway Station; journey time 25 minutes. From Bristol Airport there is a bus link to Bristol, Temple Meads Railway Station, journey time 30 minutes. Birmingham Airport is adjacent to Birmingham International Railway Station, and from Newcastle Airport there is a Metro Service to Newcastle Railway Station which takes 15 minutes.
Scottish airports
From Glasgow Airport there is a frequent coach service to central Glasgow which calls at Glasgow Central Railway Station (for links to stations in the north west of England) and Glasgow Queen Street Railway Station (for links to Edinburgh, the Scottish Borders and north east England). From Edinburgh Airport there is a continuous shuttle bus to Edinburgh Railway Station (for trains to the north east of England) and Edinburgh Bus Station (for buses to the Scottish Borders); 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.
| TOUR | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far West of Cornwall | Penzance | 5 hours 15 mins from London, 3 hours 15 mins from Exeter | Short walk or taxi |
| North Cornwall | Bodmin Parkway or Exeter | 4 hours from London, 1 hour 45 mins from Exeter | Bus or taxi |
| South Devon Coast | Totnes | 3 hours 15 mins from London, or 45 mins from Exeter | Bus or taxi |
| East Devon Coast | Honiton | 3 hours from London, 45 mins from Exeter, 2 hour 30 mins from Southampton | Bus |
| Exmoor | Taunton | 2 hours from London, 45 mins from Bristol, 30 mins from Exeter | Bus |
| Dorset Coast | Wareham | 2 hours 15 mins from London, 1 hour 15 mins from Southampton | Bus |
| West Wiltshire Downs | Warminster | 1 hours 45 minutes from London, or 50 minutes from Southampton | Bus or taxi |
| South Downs | Berwick (Sussex) | 1 hour 30 mins from London | Bus or taxi |
| River Thames | Didcot Parkway | 50 mins from London | Bus or taxi |
| Cotswolds | Moreton-in-Marsh | 1 hour 35 mins from London | Taxi |
| Derbyshire Dales | Derby | 1 hour 45 mins from London | Bus and/or Taxi |
| Pembrokeshire | Haverfordwest | 5 hours from London, 2 hours 30 mins from Cardiff | Bus |
| Yorkshire's Limestone Dales | Settle | 4 hours from London, 2 hours 15 mins from Manchester Airport | Taxi |
| Yorkshire's Northern Dales | Garsdale | 4 hours 30 mins from London, 3 hours 15 mins from Manchester Airport | Taxi |
| Central Lake District | Windermere | 4 hours from London, 2 hours from Manchester Airport | Bus or Taxi |
| Northern Lake District | Penrith | 3 hours 45 mins from London, 2 hours 15 mins from Manchester Airport, 1 hour 45 mins from Glasgow | Bus or Taxi |
| Hadrian’s Wall Country | Hexham | 4 hours 15 mins from London, 45 mins from Newcastle, 2 hours 30 mins from Edinburgh, 3 hours 15 mins from Glasgow | Taxi |
| Northumberland Coast | Berwick-upon-Tweed | 4 hours 15 mins from London, 45 mins from Newcastle, 45 mins from Edinburgh | Bus or taxi |
| Scottish Borders | Berwick-upon-Tweed or Edinburgh | 5 hours from London to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Alternatively, fly into Edinburgh and take bus directly from Edinburgh to Melrose, OR fly into Glasgow and take train to Edinburgh and then bus to Melrose | Bus |
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