My mom is thinking after a 33 day trip she just wants to take a car to the airport when we leave for Canada and I thought someone on here could recommend a good car service that offer van service to Gatwick from Central London.
Any personal experience would be great. I did a google search and came up with several. I don't know if any are better than others.....Just hoping someone had a great experience and would like to share.
thank you
That is what I thought.....Hopefully I can convince my mother.
thank you so much Emma. You are always so helpful.
Emma is right. We took a car but that was at 5AM on a weekend. There were 3 of us and we were just bushed. But, our driver told us never risk this ride on a weekday, or even weekends later in the day, without leaving many hours more than you think you'll need. Traffic is really awful. If you want to de-stress this trip completely consider going the night before. Here is a wonderful place in the country with a 4 star restaurant and a beautiful afternoon tea that is a 15 minute cab from Gatwick. http://www.alexanderhotels.co.uk/langshott-manor-luxury-hotel-surrey. If too pricey there is a Sofitel at Gatwick.
We took an Uber. It worked great.
I understand what your mother would feel, but I'm afraid that she might not feel that way after getting to the airport.
The only reasonable route by car is south on the A23 Brighton Road which is a very slow clogged up urban road with traffic lights and horrible traffic for the whole journey as fas as Croydon, where it has a short blast as two lanes in each direction, and then back down to one to get through the infamous traffic of Purley, and eventually becomes a dual carriageway just before crossing the M25 and turning into the M23 for the run south to the airport, then slowly into the actual airport, and your walk from where the minicab has to drop you. There are absolutely no guarantees of times, and you will have to leave plenty of padding.
By train, there is a Gatwick Express train as often as every 15 minutes, sometimes every 30, and it takes 30 minutes, taking you right into the airport terminal. If you are in the South Terminal it is just an escalator or lift up one flight and you are right inside the terminal.
Look out the window at the last view of London from the bridge as you cross it, and soon you are whizzing south and it isn't long before it is fields with sheep and cows and horses, and beautiful views of the rolling countryside.
If it is raining the day you leave you will be dry from the time you enter Victoria Station all the way until you land at home (the Gatwick station has covered platforms but the fact that it is a through station does mean that the ends are open). If your flight is from the North Terminal you have a very short walk to the people mover which is an automated short train which connects the two terminals. It is scenic, with windows all around and plays ads at you. More than anything else it is like a horizontal elevator. You bunch up near the series of opaque doors and when they open you step in. A couple of minutes later you step out and you are in the other terminal. Really easy, heated, air conditioned and extremely frequent - every couple of minutes.
Gatwick Express rains are very reliable, and much faster than the car. Big picture windows, very comfortable seats in standard class, heated and air conditioned. The train zips along at between 100 mph and 110 mph most of the way, they car can only do 70 if it is the motorway at the end of the trip after creeping along at no more than 30 and stopping at all the lights.
We (two 75-yr old women!) would also like some info on Gatwick to Heathrow area, pickup 9 pm (21.00), but we need transport to the Holiday Inn, Sipson Rd, W Drayton. Obviously, we need a reliable transport but we'd also like it to be as inexpensive as we can. Any ideas? (I've checked BA Transports, Simply Airports, & Uber - rates are similar.) Thank you!
Nigel you are BRILLIANT.
I just showed this to my mom and Voila! She is convinced. You are so awesome. Thank you so much.
Nigel, I have seen many of your posts and admired them. I agree with a poster above/earlier, this one is brilliant.
Thank you for using your descriptive powers---you have me convinced.
We flew in to Heathrow last year and I resisted my husband and teens' desire to take a private car to our our apartment. Instead we took the tube directly to Russell Square, super easy, fast, affordable. Plus more real.
This December holiday we are flying in to Gatwick and I was wondering what the best option was. Now I know.
Thanks,
SuzieeQQ
San Diego
