Car Rental, Train Travel

Here's the link to one of the big car rental consolidators: Auto EuropeGo there and input your pick up and drop off destinations and see if they can arrange something; you might be pleasantly surprised. Make sure you get the Tunbridge Wells in Kent and not the other Tunbridge. Both of your locations are small but not tiny, so they may be able to fix you up.If not, on their website you should be able to determine the closest pick up and drop off locations to your desired locations. Suggest you avoid renting from a London location--if you have to you could probably pick up at London Gatwick airport, not too far west of Tunbridge Wells. I say this because an airport pick up avoids having you start out your driving adventure in the UK by driving on surface streets within the London metro area, you don't want to do that (hopefully you've driven in the UK before, it's different than here)--a quick exit from the traffic of the metro area and onto country roads is what you want.

For what it’s worth here’s my suggestion. Forget all about picking a car up in Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Kent is beautiful but it’s in exactly the wrong direction. Why go a long way east when your intended destination is west of London and then have the hassle of driving back through London ?

There is normally a higher surcharge to pick up a rental car in London than to pick one up in the shires. I would take one of the frequent buses to Oxford and pick up a car there. You may save a little money, even taking the cost of the bus into account, you will certainly avoid the problems of driving through London and a dreary motorway journey. You can take the A40 out of Oxford to the Cotswolds, it’s not a bad road and it’s ideal if you need to get used to the three major headaches of adjusting to driving on the left, adjusting to the dimensions of the car and familiarising yourself with the controls.

You probably already know this but you’re heading to a place where the roads are narrow. In such places a small car can get you out of big trouble. Unless you’re really happy with a stick shift do try and order an automatic, it’s one less problem. You’re heading towards a lot of traffic roundabouts, take your time and give way to traffic from the right and if you have to - go around the roundabout twice if you miss your exit the first time.

The advice given on this page is excellent. Avoid driving in London. Take the tube or bus to any suburban auto rental agency office.

We have always rented at Heathrow and then taken the circle road south to Royal Tunbridge Wells. Traffic has not been bad. There is so much to see in the south!