Looking for advice...first trip to UK for Matterly Des Nations

Vip is nice, but the whole track can be seen from anywhere, there are no seats to be had, its all just a natural ampitheatre.

You can walk pretty much all the way round, except the VIP bit stops you doing a full lap.

VIP will get you way better parking though if you rent a car. 

South Coast is only an hour, what stuff do you want to see, quaint England or big cities? 

Anywhere but London..

Forget Stone Henge, its a total waste of time!

 Not a single American ( or any other) tourist comes away thinking it was worth while.

 But if you can't resist , use the public footpath, NOT the visitor entrance you won't feel as disappointed and ripped right off!

basslips…this is the kind of Brit you wanna find when you get on the ground. 

If it's old history, there's lots in that area. Winchester itself is pretty old with a great cathedral, then there's Avebury stone circle (way better than Stonehenge) which is close to Silbury Hill. Maiden Hill Fort is reasonably close too. Bath has the Roman baths and other stuff. If you can get further down the south coast there's Corfe Castle, Durdle Door etc which can all be done on a good coast walk. There's a LOT of history in that area and a well-planned trip will get you to a lot of it.

Depends on how long you've got and how far you'd like to travel. Some of the best places are small, tucked away villages. To be honest, the further you get from the known tourist places, the better it is.

My last trip to Matterly was in 2006, we stayed in Portsmouth, a Royal Navy town, port city whatever….loved it. I’m a recovering Brit myself was recently over in England in November…anyway, use public transportation when you can, me,  I love the trains ….underground (the tube)and buses when in London…get out and explore, people are generally pleasant and, you kinda already know the language. Bring about twice the money you’d expect to spend…hit up some pubs, especially the ancient ones in rural areas with the thatched roofs…cheerio, mate.

Yes there will be a shuttle bus from town to the track

Agreed, I drive past stone henge a lot to go to Thruxton. It's impressive that they did it, but that doesn't make it interesting for more than five minutes.

As for London, I suppose that's like our California? Avoid that shit.

As a foreigner who lives in England I’ll go against the grain and say go to London. Fantastic city, easy to get around and has a huge amount to see and do.

Agreed. London is awesome with a heap to do and easy to get around in public transport 

a heap of good museums if you have  the time  

As a Brit I like London, it's a great city to visit. 

Another thumbs up for a London visit. I live 45 minutes away on the train. Last year we went to the war museum for my dad’s 90th then a short walk to the London Eye (we booked in advance but it was still an hour wait), you get great views of London. Big Ben is just over Westminster bridge as well. 

Salisbury is older style city not far from Winchester. Has a big cathedral, nice setting for a city I think. 

Haven't been back to visit in-laws for far too long.  Warwick Castle is cool.  If I remember correctly...the "Black Knight's" armor is on display there.  Unbelievably small dude with the biggest sword I've ever seen.  

The Brits built shit to last so there is no end of cool shit everywhere.  You're gonna have a blast.

Note:. Remember to LOOK RIGHT at the zebra crossings.

The VIP thing is maybe not a bad idea. If the weather isn't great you'll at least have somewhere to shelter between races. 

As for things to do and places to go, you may as well visit London as it's relatively close and a lot to see and do.

I have been there a few times, deffo something to do on a weekday though. Its 20 mins from me, last time i went was to take my German racing buddy and his wife.

We did a day in London too, first time i had been in years, they loved it , but i was glad to be out of the place. I refuse to pay to drive into places and none of my fleet are allowed within 20 miles of the centre, so at that point i am done.

I guess the big thing is how you are going to get about, if you dont rent a car, then London is the easy way, and be honest about what you want to get out of it. Do you want a picture on Tower Bridge , or would you rather be in a pub in a village next to the sea with a pint of ale and a pie.

The UK is small, you can be anywhere in no time, but what impresses a tourist is different to what impresses the locals. 

Another vote for a London visit. 

It depends on your age and interests. 

If History is your bag, then you will find stuff in the Hampshire/West Sussex area that interests you. But really only lots of old buildings. Or theres some motorsport heritage stuff around, like Goodwood. Rolls Royce is down that way also, but I dont know if they have a visitor centre?? 

What about the Titanic? You'll find plenty of points of interest about the Titanic down that way. 

You wont find much on the way of 'Moto' points of interest anywhere here in the UK, like you would say So-Cal. So forget looking for that. 

So, London- plenty to do and you'll find pretty much everything (Aside Moto stuff) Take your wallet though..

If you wanna party- Brighton! Any day & night of the week you'll find it going off in Brighton town, ALL night. Yes it is famous for its LGBT+ community, but thats not what its ALL about. Plenty of girls there too. 

Could someone get this man a bike and kit so he could take in a ride day whilst he's here?? That would be awesome. 

Agree.  Everyone is different.  I love history so England was like Christmas every day for me.  I only lived there for 7 years but loved every minute.  I especially liked taking folks up the Needle in London...just to watch their legs lock up climbing all those spiral steps.. The view is worth it though.

Just my opinion but "real" ale is the only thing worth pouring down yer neck.  Pretty sure it's what Jesus drinks.

I live 5 minutes from Warwick castle, it's unfortunately been a bit disneyed but its still worth a look, but like phil says its a weekday activity for sure. 

Lots of national trust houses about which are worth a visit, the inbred mutants of the British upper class may have in general been awful people but they built some lovely houses.

HMS Belfast is a great thing to visit in London, unfortunately unlike you guys we didn't save any of our battleships but its a real piece of history. It's a 1940s time capsule. 

Depends how long you’re staying because Kent maybe worth a visit. You’ve got Rochester & Leeds Castle but my favourite is Dover Castle. 

Last time UK held mxdn i went to the Titanic museum in south hampton but i can't say that it was worth to visit.

The UK country side is really beatiful tough

If you’re into Roman stuff and big castles, don’t rule out coming to gods country (Wales) and forgetting England almost entirely. Big Roman fort and baths at Caerleon, Caernarfon Castle is absolutley massive. 
 

One of the challenges with the UK is there’s a huge amount crammed in for a small place, so you can pick and choose and still miss a lot. Viking museums in York are worth a visit and while youre close to Matterley there’s also the tank museum at Bovington which is ace. 

London is good, but a bit overwhelming if you haven't got a plan or done your research, do not think you can get in a black cab and see everything in a day , you will spend most of your time in traffic.

 Rochester is about a 2hr drive from Winchester and got the 2nd largest cathedral in the uk along with a very old castle, its Charles Dickens land with a quaint little high street full of pubs and restaurants . But be aware when darkness falls on a friday or saturday night it is invaded by  male and female CHAVS from neighbouring Chatam ( origin of the CHAV with its own historic naval base , when boats were wood) who get very messy drunk and usually end up fighting at chucking out time , but dont worry they usually fight each other because their boyfriends or girlfriends have done something!

 Stay overnight in one of the bed and breakfasts overlooking the casino rooms ( dont be fooled by its name, its not a casino just a club for the overly drunk )

Rochester is a nice little taster of historic England in my eyes

Hope you have a good time

Loved London for a few days sightseeing, museums and just walking around.

Then if you rent a car, Scotland is well worth a visit, especially if you like old castles and amazing landscapes, love Edinburgh as well. Whisky trail is a must if you're into that sort of things (and have a designated driver!).

Ireland is awesome, come to think of it, I may need to go to Wales to get the full picture.

I like the Bournemouth/Christchurch area and it's got good access to the race. Eat at The Jetty. One of the best meals I had while in the UK recently.

London is worth a couple days but be prepared for hordes of tourists and crowds.

Stonehenge is eh. I'd rather pub hop in the countryside.

Car rental is a good idea but it's a whole different driving experience. Not as crazy as Italy but very crowded streets and "wrong side" makes it a challenge for most Yanks.

If you're into military history,  the Bovington Tank Museum is well worth a visit. Tanks and armoured vehicles through the ages plus chance to get inside a World War I tank is incredible. Daily display of modern tank driving too.

Winchester itself is full of history and lots of naval history around Portsmouth.

Enjoy your visit to a great track and surrounding areas.

Some recommendations in the south.

1. London - I personally don’t care for cities but London is one of the coolest cities in the world and worth 2-3 days, so much to do and see!

2. The Cotswolds, if you want to go somewhere that feels truly special there’s little places that match the Cotswolds, a collection of small villages that are as picturesque as you’ll find anywhere all sat in an ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’ just google, Burford, broadway cotswolds, Chipping campden to name a few stunning villages and towns in the area,

you’ll also be near Forest of Dean here for mountain biking,

if you wanted to trek slightly further into gods country (Wales) about an hour from the Cotswolds is arguably the best mountain bike park in the UK - Bike Park Wales, with rentals available at both

3. As others have said stone henge may be a slight disappointment but as you’re in the immediate area and it’s on your hit list then go do it, I wouldn’t plan your day around it just tick it off on your way somewhere as you’ll need an hour or 2 tops!

4. Portsmouth historic dockyard and the Mary Rose (King Henry VIII ship) museums (both right by each other,

Arundel Caslte is also just 30 mins further on, of which you’ll pass east and west wittering beaches which are nice but in October will likely not be beach weather!

5. Winchester it’s self is worth a day

6. Also note the National Trust, they are a charity that have properties and land all over the UK of historical significance and preserve them for people to visit and enjoy if you go on their website there are tonnes of interesting places to visit  

these are all reasonably close to the track some other great things to do further north!

Would recommend Snowdonia and the Lake District if you like hiking and countryside but they’re both a lot further north, depends how long you’re here and how far you can be bother to drive

7. Don’t forget to go to the race!

Sir Rupert,

If one were to take the tube/train to Winchester from Heathrow…how does one get to the track from town (Winchester)? Do they have organized cab service/ride share to & from the track?