Cruising from South Hampton, England

couponquin wrote: ↑ Hello all,
We are travelling to England to visit family in June and then doing a cruise from S.H. any advice/suggestions on best way to get from London to South Hampton, best place to stay if landing at Gatwick and leaving from Gatwick as staying with family in Essex may not be an option - I'm thinking car rental to get around is probably the best option, anyone done this or something similar? any suggestions would be welcomed,
Thanks.

From Waterloo station you can take a train to Southampton (the city by this name in the UK is one word, just got reference). This is probably the easiest and least stressful.

If you want to go to other places along the way, a car is for sure the best option. But you should be aware of a few things:

If you hire a car within London itself you will pay a congestion fee. This will not apply if you hire the car at LGW as long as you don't drive into the city.

I guess it's obvious, but I'll say it anyway. In the UK they drive on the left hand side of the road. Some people are more comfortable than others but you may find there is a period of adjustment and London is not exactly the ideal place for a relaxing drive.

You may find the cost of fuel to be nuts compared to Canada. The train will be much cheaper.

I don't want to put you off from hiring a car, it can be a really good experience, I just want to make sure you have the whole picture.