Hello! My husband and I will be arriving in London via the Eurostar and need a car rental out for travel out west and up northwest for a few weeks of walking and cycling. We really don't want to rent from LHR and are considering Oxford as a place to train out of London to to pick up and drop off in Oxford, then take what we believe we've found is a bus that takes us directly to LHR. Granted we are flying home from LHR on a Monday and need to be there by 11ish in the morning, which worries me about the bus getting delayed from Oxford due to traffic. So... I'm hoping so very savvy travelers will have suggestions on places to rent cars from and return to (prefer no one way rentals). Our destination out west will be near Shrewsbury and the Welsh Borders, then coming back in a few weeks from the direction of the Peaks District. This is why Oxford looked like a reasonable choice with both rail and bus links to London and LHR. Other thoughts so appreciated on this matter. As always, thank you so much for the wonderful ideas we have received on this forum in the past! Darla
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8412 posts
Are you spending time in London before you go to Oxford, or are you heading there directly from Heathrow? Regardless, the bus you are talking about is the Airline Bus that goes directly between Heathrow and Oxford. I took it earlier this year and it's a great way to travel. That said, I probably would be a bit nervous about taking it on the day of. When I was there, I got the bus in the mid-afternoon and took it to Heathrow, then had booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express at Terminal 4 for the final night. There are hotels at most of the terminals at LHR.
With regards to car rentals, my favorite rental agency in the UK is Arnold Clark. I love their service, their prices, their cars and their commitment to providing a positive experience for the customer. They take the time to explain all the fine print and show you the car thoroughly. They are courteous and kind, and I really like renting from them. They do not have a location in or near Oxford, however, so you would have to look elsewhere for a rental car. I would probably go with AutoEurope and see what's available through them.
That said, if you're starting in Shrewsbury, why not just take the train to Birmingham and rent a car there? It would certainly save you some time, unless you were planning to spend some time in the Cotswolds on your way there. It's also easy to get to Birmingham from The Peak, so you could drop the car back off after your stay in The Peak and train back to London. Or if you want to see Oxford, drop off the car outside of Birmingham, take the train from Birmingham to Oxford, spend a few days there and then take the Airline Bus to LHR.
Posted by
SoCal
1362 posts
We rented a car at the Victoria station location (actually at the bus station). Certainly won't do that again. Airport rental would've been a much better idea, regardless of the savings on rental price that can be available at Victoria. Driving out of the city from Victoria is a nightmare.
Posted by
OP
Oregon
13 posts
Thank you all for your help! We're going to head out to Slough via the train right from Kings Cross and rent through Europcar there, returning there and taking the brief train ride into Windsor for the last couple of nights in country, then we can train or taxi to LHR the morning of our departure since Windsor is so close and connect. Perfect!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34306 posts
Sorry, there's not a train from Kings Cross to Slough.
Two choices, Paddington to Slough or Tube to Farringdon or Liverpool Street and Elizabeth Line to Slough.
I don't get the return to Slough or Windsor when Heathrow's rental lots are so close. Why pay for a taxi to Heathrow when there is a free shuttle from the car rental lots at Heathrow on Bath Road?
If you take the train from Windsor it will involve the shuttle train to Slough and then the Elizabeth Line to Hayes & Harlington, cross over and then one into the airport. With luggage.
Just curious.
Posted by
OP
Oregon
13 posts
Nigel, we go to Kings Cross because we arrive at St Pancras Intl on the Eurostar, then it does go to Farringdon and onto Slough. We have City Mapper on our phones so will follow whatever it says is the best at time of arrival. We see that we do have multiple choices to get there. Thanks for your clarification. We don't ever want to visit car rental pickup or return at Heathrow ever again. Wow, it has been a mess the two times we did. Slough gets us further away and is convenient just off the line to the rental facility. We don't need a car while we're staying our last two nights in Windsor and a taxi from Windsor to the airport the morning we leave is just a convenience we thought we may indulge ourselves with to make the getting to the airport first thing in the morning a little easier than the train.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34306 posts
thanks for the clarification. Why get involved in Kings Cross to get to the Elizabeth Line at Farringdon? If you go downstairs at St Pancras to the Thameslink station every southbound train there gets to Farringdon in one stop. The Thameslink station is in the northwest corner of St Pancras, and down two flights. Stairs, escalators (escalator currently out of action for repair) and lifts.