Sussex England Match

[beejaybeeohio]

Finally got a match to an ongoing in place since 2/16. It's for the Lidsey Farmhouse Annex RCI#BY24 in Bogner Regis. 1 Bedroom which is fine since we are 2. Looks okay.

Pros:
+Timeframe is ideal as it fits perfectly between disembarking from a cruise in Rome and 8 days later embarking on a transatlantic cruise out of Southampton.
+We've not been to that area of England.
+We'd have 25 TPUs remaining if we take this trade. Assuming we can get another week (or maybe 2) out of the remaining points the price per night is @$70 US.

Cons:
-Seems to be a bit far from places we'd like to visit e.g. Stonehenge & Highclere Castle.
-Reviews report it's cold at times and we will be there late October.

I would appreciate all comments, suggestions and advice.

Thanks!

 

[Pompey Family]

You'll be in a nice part of the country, not too far from us . Bognor Regis is a traditional seaside town but has gone downhill since it's glory days but just outside of it, where you will be, is some glorious countryside. Nearby Chichester is an upmarket medieval town with plenty of old historic buildings and monuments to see. There is also the Fishbourne Roman Palace nearby which is excellent if you are interested in Roman history, https://sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/fishbourne-roman-palace

Bognor Regis to Stonehenge will only be a 1.5 hour drive on mainly good, fast roads if you do want to see it, Highclere is 1hr 20 mins. If you leave after the rush hour then the journey should be pretty uneventful however the A34 at rush hour can be a nightmare likewise the M27. The train from Bognor to London Victoria is less than 2 hours.

Going the other direction Brighton is just over an hours drive. Plenty to see there and the place has a nice atmosphere. A bit further is Hastings where you can visit Battle Abbey and the site of the Battle of Hastings, you can drive there but I would prefer to take the train from Bognor.

Also within close reach is Winchester, the ancient capital of England where, amongst other great sights, is King Arthur's Round Table http://www3.hants.gov.uk/greathall.

The great city of Portsmouth is a 50 minute drive from Bognor where Charles Dickens was born (you can visit his birthplace) and the Historic Dockyard houses some magnificent ships such as HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose. The new Mary Rose museum is a fantastic exhibition and well worth visiting http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/. If you have a look on Groupon there are often discounted tickets for the dockyard.

I also love Portchester Castle, on the outskirts of Portsmouth overlooking the harbour, a small but well preserved Norman (mostly) castle. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/portchester-castle/

From Portsmouth (or Southampton) you can take the ferry or hovercraft to the Isle Of Wight. Osborne House (Queen Victoria's holiday home) is a great attraction and is more interesting than Highclere in my opinion (unless your sole reason for visiting is Downton Abbey) http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne/

Depending on your interests and what you intend visiting it may be worth investing in an English Heritage pass for overseas visitors, a 9 day 2 adult pass costs £52 and will grant entry to all English Heritage sights for no additional payment http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/overseas-visitors/. Stonehenge, Osborne House and Portchester Castle are all English Heritage sights so visiting those three alone will more than recoup the cost of the pass. Here's a list of the English Heritage sites closest to Bognor Regis http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/#?category=Property&theme=&page=1&place=bognor regis

I also like Arundel Castle which is a 20 minute drive from Bognor http://www.arundelcastle.org/

If you like walking then the South Downs has many walking trails and many cosy pubs to finish up in https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/enjoy/explore/walking/

A 2 hour drive west will take you to the Purbeck coast in Dorset (en route you will travel through the picturesque New Forest national park) which is known as the Jurassic Coast due to the abundance of fossils there. There are some fantastic walks there along with quaint villages and traditional pubs.

There is so much to see and do in the area it's impossible to list them all, the ones I've highlighted are a few of the first that came to mind. Of course a lot depends on your interests but I have no doubt that you'll easily fill your time. Hiring a car is definitely recommended, whilst most sites can be visited by public transport it can be quite time consuming and the costs soon mount up. A small car should be relatively inexpensive (manual) but fuel is not cheap however a small fuel efficient car will keep the costs down.

As for the weather, late October is variable. We could have storms coming in from the Atlantic, it could be sunny and cool or we could have a late Indian summer. You're from Ohio.....it won't be cold. The average high is 15°c and low is 10°c, rain is a distinct possibility, the drizzly type rather than the pelting type. Snow is highly unlikely. I'm still in shorts in October!

 

[beejaybeeohio]

Thank you so much, Pompey Family! I was hoping to hear from you and benefit from your great knowledge of your country! I located an Eyewitness Great Britain guide among my travel book collection buried in the basement and the chapter on the Downs & Channel Coast was helpful, too.

I also researched rental cars and found that we can pick up at Gatwick and drop off at Southampton without paying a hefty one-way charge. We are spending the pre-cruise night in Southampton, staying at Ennios and gathering with a few fellow cruisers at the Dancing Man that evening. Lidsey's week goes from the day we disembark cruise #1 in Rome and ends a week later so the timing is ideal. All this makes Lidsey Farmhouse even more attractive as an exchange.

The only negative thus far is the one review on the RCI website but it is so vague as to be virtually meaningless. Reviews on booking.com and cottages.com are quite positive.

I think we will take this exchange- have until 2/20 to confirm so may search informally to see if something else opens. There is a cottage exchange in Wales available, but we have ruled that out.

Barb

 

[klpca]

Wow Pompey Family! You have provided wonderful information. There's nothing better than hearing about a destination from someone who lives nearby.

 

[Pompey Family]

I think we will take this exchange- have until 2/20 to confirm so may search informally to see if something else opens. There is a cottage exchange in Wales available, but we have ruled that out.

Barb

Personally I think the location is ideal considering the cruise departure from Southampton and my recommendation would be to take the exchange.

Another suggestion I considered today, and it all depends on whether you're keen walkers or not, is walking part of the Wayfarers Walk. This is a 71 mile trail from Inkpen Beacon in the North Downs to the picturesque fishing port of Emsworth and whilst I wouldn't suggest doing the whole length there is a very interesting section that is easily achievable in a day. Emsworth is 30 mins from the cottage and a walk from there will take you along the coast and up along the ridge of Portsdown Hill. There are a number of forts built to fend off a French invasion that never transpired, the first one, Fort Purbrook (which pretty much backs onto my house!) is an activity centre and not really set up for tourists but can be viewed and is very interesting. Fort Widley is similar whilst Fort Nelson has been converted into a very good, and free, warfare museum. There are tunnels to explore and is a very interesting place to spend some time if military history interests you. My kids love going there and suffering the predictable scare attempts by dad in the tunnels! There are some amazing views along the way overlooking the city of Portsmouth, the Solent and the Isle of Wight plus Langstone and Cihchester harbours.

From the forts you can walk down to the lovely village of Southwick. It was here where Eisenhower and Churchill planned and launched the D-Day operation. Southwick House can be visited by the public but prior arrangement has to be made as it's situated within the grounds of the Defence School of Policing http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/d-dayonyourdoorstep/details/allied-naval-headquarters-southwick-house. Even if you don't visit Southwick House the village is nice enough in its own right and there are a few nice pubs to take a break in plus one with its own brewery where you can buy the beer.

Returning back to Emsworth I would recommend dinner at Fat Olives, my absolute favourite restaurant, it's a small place located in an old fisherman's cottage and always requires advanced booking http://www.fatolives.co.uk/.

Happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

We have confirmed the exchange and I have printed all your wonderful tips, Pompey Family! As a person who likes to plan ahead, it is a relief to know where we will be during our "gap" week. I recall that in an earlier post, you mentioned the week we were searching for included a school holiday, so getting this match in an ideal locale for our travels is a bonus! Thanks again!

 

[Glynda]

We too will be taking a cruise out of Southampton. Our cruise departs July 2. We will be taking our 15 year old granddaughter who has never been to England. We will be flying into Heathrow and staying five nights in London. Then leaving London on July 1 by 10AM to drive towards Southampton where we will spend the night before departure the following day. On our way, I would like to travel through some lovely English countryside, villages, etc., for our granddaughter to see something other than a big city or busy highway. I remember how, on previous visits, we loved seeing sheep in the roads, thatched roofs, narrow winding roads with cottages sitting right on the shoulder of the road, pubs galore... the quintessential English charm. Granted we were north of London at that time. A stop to tour a historical site would be ideal also. Any recommendations? On our return from the cruise, we are spending another night before flying out of Heathrow and plan to do so near Windsor and tour Windsor Castle.

 

[Glynda]

BJB, I believe that the last day to tour Highclere Castle this year is September 6.

 

[beejaybeeohio]

Oh, that is too bad. Our Mt. Pleasant DD & family were in London over Christmas and also missed out on Highclere Castle since it was closed.

What about Hampton Court? When we visited there, we met Henry VIII, and my Sis-in-law was asked to participate in his wedding to Katharine Parr. Great fun!

 

[Glynda]

Oh, that is too bad. Our Mt. Pleasant DD & family were in London over Christmas and also missed out on Highclere Castle since it was closed.

What about Hampton Court? When we visited there, we met Henry VIII, and my Sis-in-law was asked to participate in his wedding to Katharine Parr. Great fun!

It looks like Hampton Court Palace is only closed December 24,25 & 26th.

Ahh...good thing you didn't hang around. You may have been asked to participate in her getting her head chopped off just two years later!

 

[MULTIZ321]

Hi Pompey Family,

Thanks for all the great tips!

Richard