England Cruise Ports — The Complete Shore Guide

Port By Port

Southampton is the major turnaround port and reaches London, Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath, Salisbury, Winchester, the New Forest and Portsmouth. Dover reaches London in two hours but Canterbury in thirty and Leeds Castle in fifty, and the White Cliffs and Dover Castle are on the doorstep. Liverpool berths in the city centre with the Beatles route and free waterfront museums, and reaches Chester in 45 minutes. Tilbury reaches Greenwich and the Tower in about an hour if you plan around the Dartford Crossing. Harwich reaches Cambridge in 90 minutes, Colchester in 30. Newcastle reaches Hadrian Wall, Durham and Alnwick within an hour. Portland has the Jurassic Coast and Corfe Castle inside 40 minutes.

When London Does Not Fit

The most common request at every English port is London, and at four of the seven it is the wrong answer. Our substitutions: from Dover choose Canterbury and Leeds Castle; from Harwich choose Cambridge; from Portland choose the Jurassic Coast; from Newcastle choose Durham or Hadrian Wall. From Tilbury and Southampton London does work if the call is long enough. In every case the deciding number is the same: subtract disembarkation, any tendering and at least an hour of cushion from the printed call, then compare what is left with twice the driving time. If the remainder is under three hours in the destination, choose somewhere closer. Send us your ship and ports and we will do that arithmetic for your itinerary.