Travelling to and from Bovington - By Rail, Bus and Coach. Information supplied by Friends of Wool Station
Rail
The nearest railway station is Wool (2 miles) on the main line between London Waterloo and Weymouth. The Waterloo-Weymouth service is operated by South West Trains [www.southwesttrains.co.uk]. Trains in each direction call at Wool at hourly intervals throughout the day and at similar intervals in the evening, seven days a week.
All London-bound trains call at Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton Central and Southampton Airport Parkway. Southampton Central is the main interchange point for a number of other rail services, namely:
- Portsmouth-Southampton-Salisbury-Bristol-Cardiff services operated by First Great Western [www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk]
- Bournemouth-Southampton-Reading-Birmingham-Manchester services operated by CrossCountry [www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk]
- Southampton-Chichester-Brighton and Southampton-Chichester-Gatwick-London (Victoria) services operated by Southern [www.southernrailway.com]
- Local services to Romsey, Eastleigh, Fareham and Portsmouth.
All Weymouth-bound trains call at Dorchester South. From here, there is a well-signposted 10-minute walk to Dorchester West for train services to Yeovil, Westbury and Bristol operated by First Great Western [www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk]
You can plan your rail journey by using the National Rail journey planner at www.nationalrail.co.uk. Information about stations, fares and any current or planned service disruptions can also be found on the National Rail website.
You can also plan your journey from door to door by any mode using the Traveline journey planner at www.traveline.org.uk (tel 0871 200 22 33).
Tickets can be purchased in advance, often at discount prices, from The Train Line [www.thetrainline.com]. Tickets can also be purchased in advance, often at discount prices, via the South West Trains website [www.southwesttrains.co.uk]. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets at the start of your journey from the booking office at Wool station (when manned) or from the ticket vending machine on the platform.
Split fare option: You can save money on a journey to London by buying two sets of tickets instead of one. For example, if you want a peak-hour day return, the normal fare between Wool and Waterloo is £92.60, but if you buy separate return tickets for Wool-Basingstoke and Basingstoke-Waterloo, the total peak-hour return fare is only £57.20. Ticket office staff at Wool can sell you both sets of tickets but are not allowed to advise you about the split fare option. The trains you catch must call at the intermediate station, but there is no need to get out and rebook. Fares quoted are correct at May 2010. See also http://splityourticket.co.uk
Up-to-the-minute information about train departures from Wool station can be viewed online at http://www.livedepartureboards.co.uk/ldb/sumdep.aspx?T=WOO
Fares by rail to London for as little as £1 (+50p booking fee) can be obtained by booking via www.megatrain.com. The nearest Megatrain station is Poole (14 miles). You will need to buy a separate rail ticket for travel between Wool and Poole, and you must change trains at Poole.
Members of HM Forces and their spouses & children can get 1/3rd off most rail fares with an HM Forces Railcard; for details, see www.hmforces-railcard.co.uk. Similar discounts can be obtained with other railcards; for details see www.railcard.co.uk
Coach
Scheduled coach services between most towns and cities in the UK are provided by National Express [www.nationalexpress.com]. Also, a scheduled coach service between Bournemouth and London is provided by First Greyhound [www.greyhounduk.com].
The nearest Greyhound pick-up point is Bournemouth (20 miles) at either Pier Approach or the Travel Interchange (ie Railway Station). Greyhound offers fares to London for as little as £1. Book online at www.greyhounduk.com.
The nearest National Express pick-up point is North Street, Wareham (7 miles). Coaches operating via Wareham are:
- 035, Swanage-Wareham-London, one journey each way daily.
- 315 (Winter)/316 (Summer), Eastbourne-Southampton-Wareham-Exeter-Helston, one journey each way daily.
- 333, Bournemouth-Wareham-Bristol-Blackpool, one journey each way daily.
Note: Services 315/316 and 333 run via Wool; the driver may agree to set down in Wool on your return journey.
A wider selection of National Express coaches operate from Poole bus station (10 mins walk from railway station) and Bournemouth Interchange (just outside the railway station). Services run to central London, Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and other destinations. If you can book well in advance, you can usually get the cheapest fares on the most popular routes, eg: Bournemouth-London.
You can plan your journey from door to door by any mode using the Traveline journey planner at www.traveline.org.uk (tel 0871 200 22 33).
Bus
Bus services in south east Dorset are operated by a number of companies, principally:
Note: For a full list of bus operators see www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=387255
The main inter-urban bus services in the Bovington area call at the railway station bus stop at Wool (2 miles) or the Drax Arms in Bere Regis (5 miles). These services are:
- X53 Jurassic Coast Express (Poole-Wareham-Wool-Weymouth-Lyme Regis-Exeter), about every 2 hours Mon-Sat daytime. In Summer months, the X53 also runs about every 3 hours on Sundays. This service is operated by First Hampshire and Dorset [www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/dorset].
- X43 Summer Shuttle, 24 July 2010 to 5 Sept 2010 only (Swanage-Wareham-Wool-Lulworth-Weymouth), about every two hours daily. This service is operated jointly by First Hampshire & Dorset and Wilts & Dorset.
- 387 (Poole-Bere Regis-Dorchester), about every 2 hours, Mon-Sat daytime, operated by Damory Coaches [www.damorycoaches.co.uk].
Local, rural bus services in the Bovington/Wool area operate under subsidy contracts let by Dorset County Council. Some rural services operate on a “ring-and-ride” basis under the Door-to-Dorset banner (see www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=358024 ), including…
- 103 (Bovington-Wool-Lulworth-Dorchester), from about 0730 to 1830, Mon-Sat.
- 103A (Wareham-Bovington-Wool-Lulworth), from about 0730 to 1530, Mon-Sat.
Call Door-to-Dorset on 0845 6024547 to book your journey on the 103/103A.
Shuttle bus services provide handy connections with airports and ferries in the South:
- “Route One” from Poole railway station to the town, hospital and quay.
- “Service A1” from Bournemouth railway station to Bournemouth Airport.
- “City Link” from Southampton Central railway station to the shops and Town Quay ferry terminal.
- “Railair” coach from Woking railway station to Heathrow Airport.
The operator, route and timetable of bus services can change frequently, so you should check before travelling.
Bus routes and timetables can be viewed online on the relevant operator’s website (see above).
Bus maps and timetable booklets are available from libraries, post offices and tourist information offices. Bus timetables for Dorset can also be viewed online in .pdf format on the Dorset County Council website: www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=387271
You can plan your journey from door to door by any mode using the Traveline journey planner at www.traveline.org.uk (tel 0871 200 22 33).
- - Information last updated May 2010 - -
