I will be returning a rental car, probably to Heathrow (unless this forum strongly advises against it), and I am wondering how crazy that can be. My wife has been warned against driving in London and she asked me to pop on here and ask the group. From there we'll take the Tube to St Pancras station to catch the Eurostar to Paris. Thanks for your insights.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8093 posts
Including the extra £15 Congestion Charge fee it costs to drive inside London, on top of the traffic and routefinding you’d encounter, turning your car in to an airport and reaching London by train makes sense. But instead of Heathrow, use Gatwick Airport, which is much closer from Royal Tunbridge Wells than Heathrow. Then take a ThamesLink train directly from Gatwick to St. Pancras in 44 minutes, for £15.10 per person (more if you want 1st Class).
Posted by
Lake District, England
8866 posts
It doesn't make sense going out of your way to any airport like that. Instead rent from Enterprise and return in Tunbridge Wells itself (well closer to High Brooms- itself has a railway station) or Hertz and return in Tonbridge.
Tunbridge Wells, High Brooms and Tonbridge all have fast and frequent rail service to London Charing Cross. Change at London Bridge for Thameslink trains to St Pancras (which have come from Gatwick and beyond).
But certainly to go to Heathrow would be a crazy waste of a lot of time.
Or if renting from Avis return to Maidstone then HS1 to St Pancras from Maidstone West station then change to Eurostar within St Pancras.
It is a shorter drive than Gatwick and potentially a chance to visit a town rarely mentioned on this forum.
Posted by
London
5 posts
You don't say if you are arriving in Heathrow from some other country, since your location is not visible on your profile. If you're in England, use the train, it's simpler. If you are arriving at Heathrow from abroad, bear in mind it is not in the centre of London nor is it in the Congestion Charge, it is southwest of London quite a long way out of the central area. If you are arriving at Heathrow by plane, it makes sense to rent a car there. The drive to Kent is fine, you just take the big main road the M25 down to join the trunk road the A21 which will take you southeast to either Tonbridge, Kent, or Tunbridge Wells, Kent. (Tunbridge Wells is often known as Royal Tunbridge Wells). YOu REALLY need to make sure which of these towns you mean, they are not the same!!
If you're returning to your home country from Gatwick, then drop your car there. It's quicker to get from Kent to Gatwick than to Heathrow.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
108 posts
On top of what others have said, if you are returning a car to LHR, you don't need to drive through London. Look at a map - M25 and M4 motorways.