Airport to Royal Tunbridge Wells - How???

Trains to Wadhurst leave from two London central stations, Charing Cross and London Bridge. Same train serves both, leaving from Charing Cross first. Times and fares at http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/. From Heathrow, take the Underground Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith. Change there to a District Line train going in the same direction - should just be on the other side of the platform. Get off at Embankment station - Charing Cross is a 5 minute walk up Villiers Street (steep hill - you may want to climb the stairs up to the elevated walkway instead of the hill). From Stansted, take the Stansted Express train to London Liverpool Street. Then take a bus (many routes link the two stations, see the map at the stop) from the stops in Bishopsgate outside the station to London Bridge. (Warning: tickets are not sold on the bus but via ticket machines at the stop that can be unreliable.)

Kerry, for information on private car transfers, contact Ray Skinner at london-transfers.com.

Another good private car service is Just Airports. However, with the long distance between Heathrow and Royal Tunbridge Wells and the even longer distance between Stansted and RTW, I think you'll find that a car service will be prohibitively expensive. Philip lives in London and I don't, but I'll suggest alternate routes via public transportation. Your mother can take the Tube (Piccadilly Line) from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus, transfer to the Bakerloo Line, and take it one stop to Charing Cross. This would avoid the uphill walk from Embankment. You can take the Stansted Express from Stansted to Liverpool Street, the Central Line to Oxford Circus, and the Bakerloo Line two stops to Charing Cross. If you buy through train tickets at Stansted for Stansted-Liverpool Street and Charing Cross-Wadhurst, your tickets will cover your ride on the Tube.

Traveling on buses on the Underground with more than a carryon is painful and difficult. If that's you, budget for cabs to the right train station, once you get into the city from Stanstead. Consider hiring a car from Heathrow or taking a cab. Should be in the 35-50 pound range. Not cheap, but better than hauling a bunch of bags up and down stairs and all around on the Tube.

If I remember from your previous posts, your mom had some trouble walking and after a flight from the states the directions for her from Heathrow seen daunting. I would go with the private car, it you are spending this much money to go to London, I think the money spent on car is worth it especially when the one poster said it is a long steep hill from one tube stop. Also, just getting on and off tube and up stairs by herself would be a lot and I don't remember too many elevators or escalators on tubes. Good luck.

Kerry, If you aren't packing light and/or your mother has trouble walking, then I'll change my recommendation. Each of you can use a private car service to go directly from your respective airports to Charing Cross. Take a train from there to Wadhurst.

I really appreciate all your help. The way I look at it is, I have the use of a free home exchange for two weeks; if I have to spend a bit of money to get to it, it's worth it! We it be cheaper for four of us to take the train from Charing Cross to Wadhurst (off-peak 2 adults/2 kids under 16)) than to take the cab all the way to the house? Otherwise, we may as well take a cab all the way to the house?

Charing Cross is in postal code WC2. With Just Airports the cash fare from Heathrow to anywhere in that postal code is £40 for an estate (station wagon) and £50 for a MPV (minivan). The 2nd class adult train fare from Charing Cross to Wadhurst is £17.80. It's half price for children 5-15. You'll need to e-mail a private car service to see how much they would charge to take you all the way from Heathrow to Royal Tunbridge Wells. Whatever you do, don't take a taxi (black cab). The fare would be astronomical.

Just a thought, can your Mom take a cab from Heathrow to Charing Cross and meet you there and then you can all take train to Tunbridge? That way you can help her with luggage and you won't break the bank. Good luck.

Thanks again! We are arriving Stanstead (from Venice) on the 3rd; my mom is arriving via Heathrow (from the US) the next day. I just got guotes from www.justairports.com and they quoted 95GBP (plus airport parking) for Heathrow to Tunbridge Wells and 65GBP (plus airport pkg) from Stanstead to Tunbridge Wells. Four the four of us, it is a no brainer. We'll pay the 65+GBP for the private car. It will be more expensive for my mom, 95GBP+,but I think it will be her preference. I think the flight over will be tiring enough for her, as she usually doesn't sleep on the plane. You've all been enormously helpful!

Good deal, glad it worked out and Mom will be so much happier with the car.

Just in case anyone else searches this: taking Tim's route by Tube will be much more strenuous than walking up the hill from Embankment to Charing Cross.

Philip, Now you have my curiosity aroused. Since there is no need to walk from Embankment to Charing Cross on the route I suggested, why would it be more strenuous than yours?

Piccadilly to Bakerloo at Piccadilly Circus, and getting from the deep-level Bakerloo to ground level at Charing Cross, will be more stairs and more of an effort than walking across the platform at Hammersmith, getting from the shallow District to ground-level at Embankment and walking up Villiers Street.

We stayed in this town for two nights in 2005 while we visited Canterbury, Battle Abbey, Bodiam Castle, Hever Castle, and Igtham Mote. Will you have a car? It may be difficult to visit many sites without one. If you are getting a car, just drive from the airport-it isn't that far. What other sites are you planning to visit during your two weeks in that area?

Hi Cynthia, we have a home and car exchange with a family in Tunbridge Wells; so we won't have a car until we get to their home. I have a whole list of things to do in the Tunbridge Wells area, including all those you have listed (much of it compliments of this travelers helpline). Also, when you do a home exchange, the exchange family leaves lots of information for you on what there is to see and do in their area. I'd be pleased to hear what you particularly enjoyed when you were in the area.