Travel
This page provides information on travel in the Locksheath area.
If driving towards London on the M3, expect delays at the southern end of the M3 up to Junction 13 from around 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. If driving to London, you need to be passing Camberley before 7 a.m. to avoid the worst of the traffic along the whole M3.
If using the A3, note that the northern end of the A3 can be VERY congested at all times.
Separate Sections are provided on:
Road Travel Information, including traffic links.
Air Travel Information, including links to local airport.
Rail Travel - Trains from Swanwick, Fareham, Southampton Parkway
Sea, including ferries from Portsmouth and Southampton.
Air Travel
Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport is a regional airport owned by AGS Airports Ltd. They serve around 30 destinations. Good transport links - located just off the M27 and M3, Southampton Airport is around 5 minutes walk from Southampton Airport Parkway train station with connections onto the centre of London.
Operating hours: Mon – Sat: 06:30 – 23:00, Sun: 07:00 – 23:00
Terminals: One
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport located 3.5 mile from Bournemouth. The site opened as RAF Hurn in 1941, but was transferred to civil control in 1944. A regional airport with around 40 destinations featured by 30 tour operators.
Approximately a 40 minute drive from Locks Heath (subject to traffic and time of day)
Heathrow Airport
One of the London airports, approximately 90 minutes drive from Locks Heath (subject to traffic and time of day). A coach service operates from Southampton to Heathrow.
Gatwick Airport
One of the London airports, approximately 90 minutes drive from Locks Heath (subject to traffic and time of day).
Rail
Nearest stations are located at Swanwick (on the Botley Road, from Park Gate), Southampton Parkway, and Fareham.
Swanwick station is generally served by slow, stopping trains, running east-west along the coast. There are a few good connections to London via Havant.
Southampton Parkway is the best choice for fast trains to London. All trains stop here. Normally, the trains which are newer and in better condition start at Weymouth. For regular travellers to London, there are trains at 6:52 and 7:12 which are normally in good condition. On the return journey, the Weymouth trains are better, but are normally more crowded. The 18:05 from Waterloo is generally far less crowded than the 17:45, but the it is generally made up of older rolling stock. However, you are more likely to get a seat on this train.
Note that this is a very congested route into London, and you should expect delays on some of your journeys, if travelling regularly on this route.
The car park at Southampton Parkway is massive, but expensive. Note that the car park is only free on Sundays. A cheaper car park is available at Eastleigh station, but the car park is much smaller. However, space is normally available up to about 9:00 in the morning. Not all fast trains stop here. Eastleigh is also a connecting station with trains to Fareham, via Botley and Hedge End.
Fareham station is a good alternative for the east-west route, or trains to London via Eastleigh (to Waterloo) or Havant (to Victoria).
Another alternative is Havant station. The multistory car park almost always has parking spaces, and is cheaper than Southampton Parkway. The return fare to London is also slightly cheaper.
Note than many trains stop at Clapham Junction, except during peak times. This can make it easy to get a train to Victoria, if you get off a Waterloo-bound train at Clapham Junction. Trains depart from Clapham Junction to both Waterloo and Victoria about every seven minutes.
If you want to economise on regular travel to London, there is another option. Drive a car to Hook station (the Hook M3 exit is just after the second Basingstoke exit on the M3 northbound). Hook station is about half a mile from the M3, via an easy route. The fare and car parking is much less than Parkway, but the train is a semi-fast train and takes about 45 minutes to get to London. The train gets crowded, but you will get a seat boarding the train at Hook.
Road Travel Information
Buses
Route X4 Southampton - Locks Heath - Fareham - Portchester - Portsmouth:
This new route replaced the route 80 from Southampton to Fareham and has been extended to The Hard Interchange, Portsmouth via Portchester, A27, Continental Ferryport and Portsmouth City Centre. Running every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday throughout the day it provides a direct link from Southampton to Portsmouth and a fast link into Portsmouth from Fareham and Portchester. On Sundays the frequency the route runs hourly between Fareham and Southampton.
Route 4 Southampton - Warsash - Locks Heath - Stubbington - Lee on the Solent - Gosport:
This new route replaces the route 72 and runs hourly every day of the week.
Route 4A Southampton - Warsash - Locks Heath - Fareham:
This route replaces the route 57 between Warsash and Fareham although serves Hunts Pond Road instead of Primate Road and will not serve Osborne Road, Church Road and Newtown Road in Warsash. The route runs hourly Monday to Saturday.
Route 4B Fareham - Locks Heath - Warsash - Southampton - St Annes School:
This route replaces the current school days only route 78C for students travelling to St Annes School in Southampton. On the approach to Southampton the new 4B route runs via Woolston and not Bitterne.
The timetables can be found here (opens in new window).
Sea
Portsmouth Ferry Port
Millions of people travel through Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port each year.
It is advisable to book in advance. Bookings are made directly with the ferry companies. Sometimes, it is possible to buy tickets on the day of travel depending on availability.
Southampton
Red Funnel Ferries provide a regular fast and efficient service from Town Quay to Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Southampton is famous as a cruise port.
P&O Cruises operate out of the Mayflower Terminal in Southampton.