8 hour layover between Heathrow & Gatwick

That's a perfect amount of time to wander around in London for just a little bit. You can take the Underground in from Heathrow and the Gatwick Express out.

Regular way between airports is taking the bus (Nat'l Express); trip time average is about 1 hr 15 min and they depart about every 30 min. If plane arrives on time, you'd probably have about 5 hrs left to kill at LGW = a bit boring. You could go into London for a couple hours if you wanted to take a look at Parliament/Big Ben & Westminster Abbey, but the short time probably isn't worth the expense & effort. Also, you'd have to tote your luggage around. But... you could still go see Windsor Castle without much trouble. Store your luggage at LHR, take a taxi to Windsor (15 min) & you'd have 2 or 3 hrs available to sightsee there.

8 hours is Ample time to see some of London. Gatwick airport is boring. Heathrow Express or Tube to London- if Tube switch to District line to Victoria and leave luggage at "Left Luggage". (Hammersmith is the easiedt transfer point). Tube from Victoria to whatever your preferred sightseeing area. In my experience arriving at Heathrow is usually efficient, and leaving from Gatwick is a lot less time consuming (security lines) than Heathrow- but I havent done gatwick for a while. Train from Victoria to Gatwick.

Ummm Maybe. Four folks, lots of luggage? Hmmm. After you land it will be at least an hour at Heathrow before you have reclaimed your luggage and made it through immigration. An hour to get some Pounds, use the toilet, find the Heathow Express, buy a ticket, and get to Paddington. Or an hour and a half on the Tube. With the luggage. So. 8 minus 1 minus 1 is 6. You need to check in how early? Two hours? Three? Say two, you like to cut things close. OK, 6 minus 2 is 4. From Victoria the train takes 30 minutes, if there are no problems, and you need to find the correct platform and then the right check in queue at Gatwick, and maybe get to the right terminal, and the trains only go 4 times an hour in a perfect world. So figure 90 minutes. OK, 4 minus 1.5 is 2.5. So you have 2 and a half hours from Paddington to Victoria. Why not hire a taxi for an hour to whizz you around. You might need a van because 4 people is a taxi is fun, 2 facing forward and 2 facing backwards, but you still have all that luggage. Good luck, and welcome to London!! Maybe your plane will be early...

My wife has just piped up with an idea. Bear in mind that we meet folk at the airports and collect them, so we know the two airports well, but we don't tend to fly ourselves. Could you take the National Express coach which connects the two airports and check your luggage in at Gatwick, and do what needs to be done at the check in desk. But instead of going to the security checkpoint, go down stairs to the train and run in to London on Gatwick Express and have whatever time and then back on Gatwick Express. You've already checked in so its just security and the hike to the gate. No luggage, and you will know how much time you have, and your energy levels. If it works, thank Carol.

Carol's idea is as close to "having your cake and eating it too" as you can get. . . assuming no one in your group gets squeamish about needing to be "early" where ever he/she goes. If you do go to London, relax and enjoy what time you have. At the Victoria Station, take the tube to Westminster, then walk to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, across the river and take a whirl on the "eye"(if you pre-purchase a ticket--so you can go to the front of the line), then back to Gatwick.