Help on transportation- pressed for time

For 3 it might just be worth hiring a car from Gatwick that you can then drop off the next day at Stanstead. It's a relatively straightforward drive predominantly on the M25 but you'd need to be confident driving. Is this arriving after a transatlantic flight? You have to pick up your tickets when you arrive at the studios and go through bag screening so some extra time to factor in.

unusually, I would not be as upbeat as Emma about your being able to get to the studio tour by train in the amount of time you have.

An international flight into Gatwick will incur Border Control and the long walk from the gate to Border Control, possible late arrival, and some arrivals at Gatwick are stopped on a remote stand and bussed to the terminal. I'd generally allow 90-120 minutes between touchdown and walking through the frosted glass doors.

Then you may be in the South Terminal where the station is or you may be in the North (do you know?) so you need to take the people-mover over, then downstairs to the station - get your ticket, or do you have one from home? - then wait for the train (every 15 minutes).

Then half an hour for the journey. 20 minutes to get off the train and get down to the Victoria Line with no dawdling. Trains just a few minutes apart. 11 minutes on the tube and 5 to 10 to the train platform at Euston.

All these walking times assume no hindrance from luggage and walking quickly. If moving luggage is difficult or the kids slow you down or you walk slowly, add time.

Then there are London Northwestern Railway trains to Watford Junction at xx:49, xx:54, xx:04, xx:24 and xx:34 most hours, with most trains taking about 22 minutes - just the xx:49 and xx:54 taking about 15 or 16 minutes. So, waiting time and travel time and barrier waiting time and walking time to the bus stop at Watford Junction, about 40 minutes all in probably.

I don't know how frequently the Night Bus from bus stop number 4 at Watford Junction goes to the studios, nor how long it takes.

So, 9:25 + 1:45 + :30 + :30 + :20 + :20 + :40 plus bus. Or 9:25 + 4:05 = an average time getting to the Night Bus stop at around 13:30 (1:30pm). Tough for a 1:00 tour, and you aren't on the bus yet, and your plane was on time.

What will you do with your luggage? If you had a few minutes and were at the Holiday Inn Express WFJ it is adjacent to the station but running over, running in, leaving luggage in the luggage room (they aren't the speediest - personal experience) and running back for the bus will take at least :15 or so.

The Holiday Inn isn't near the station at all.

Sorry if I sound pessimistic. I think I'm realistic. Anybody want to chime in on my estimates? I'm happy to be proven wrong....

We (3) will be in London for 10 days.

If you're going to be in London for 10 days (after returning from Scotland, I presume), then why not see if you can change your studio tickets for one of those days? Your current plan is, frankly, crazy. I highly doubt you'll get to the studios in time for your timed ticket without a costly taxi. And getting to Stansted the next morning is going to be either expensive OR very time consuming or both.

Nigel, I don't think your time estimates are out of line, except you didn't add the time needed to buy the various train/tube tickets.

And as the airline likely closed lavatory access about 20 minutes before landing, everyone is now ~5 hours since their last "rest stop"... and are on the run to start a tour... hmmm

However the question by OP was not of the shaky logistics of their planned journey but "which is cheaper", Uber or train.
Anyone want to take a shot at that?

I am finding this fascinating reading, please continue.

Because I'm having insomnia tonight, I'll take a shot at it. I used tfl's fare finder for the trains, and the taxifarefinder for London website for taxi and uber

Train/underground single tickets for 3 people - £79.80
Taxi. Median price without surcharges - €210.96
Uber-no surge pricing- £104

Unfortunately the Milton Keynes - Clapham Junction - (further south into Croydon) train is the first one that Southern throws overboard when anything happens - from strike to late running to obstruction further down the line - it stops.

I know it very well (unfortunately) and it is one that I just can't rely on.

And Emma is right about Clapham Junction. The overbridge connection to all the platforms is narrow, the platforms are narrow, and you just need time there for a connection. It is only 6 platforms on the suggested connection but I wouldn't try to do it in the allocated time.

And if you miss the train to Milton Keynes and Watford Junction there is nothing for an entire hour.

I've done a bit of further digging and have discovered the minimum legal official connection time at Clapham Junction is 10 minutes. There is a 5 minute exception for some Southern to Southern connections, but as I said - I wouldn't try it.

how does that work when train tickets include tube line potion?

Last time I had a train ticket that included a tube connection (several years ago, so things may have changed since), it worked something like this: When you collect your tickets at the station, you get a bunch of little orange coupons (tickets for various segments, seat reservations, etc.) One of those is the tube ticket. You stick it into the fare gate in the tube station just like any other paper ticket, and you're on your way.

The Southern train to Watford Jct might have been a good choice back in the day when it used to start from Gatwick but even then the hourly frequency was not so great.

A ticket for Gatwick to Watford Junction can easily be obtained, on printed ticket stock it will be one ticket FROM Gatwick TO Watford Junction ROUTE Any Permitted - and will have a little cross symbol. The little cross symbol indicates that the ticket is a "cross London" route and includes the first train, the connecting Underground journey and the second train. It will pass through all gates on the way (don't forget to grab it back when it sticks up in the gate) and will be retained at the Watford Junction barrier which marks the end of the journey.

If you are worried that an intermediate barrier gate may retain it incorrectly you can find the human near the barrier, show her or him the ticket and they will let you through.

best to be the man on the Clapham omnibus.