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Gatwick mid-morning departure

Curious from those who use Gatwick as we have not yet done so.

Is it reasonable to book a 10:50 weekday morning flight out of Gatwick (European, not to US), coming from Lambeth? It looks like we can walk to Waterloo (staying across from IWM) and a train around 8 should get us there timely, operative word of course is "should."
Other primary choice is Ryanair out of Stansted at 12:45. We like the idea of the earlier arrival (Barcelona).

Thanks

Posted by
2859 posts

Thanks, Emma. I had already seen the train change. Based on our past history, I expect we can get out a bit earlier. We are both compulsive about making sure we are on time. Rush hour problems had us leaning away from the Nat Express bus to Stansted for the later Ryanair option.

Related question - tickets for this route would be such that they do not need to be bought well in advance (as we've done for longer trips out of London), and we could simply pop in to Waterloo the day before and buy them, they are not time specific?

Posted by
33851 posts

That is correct, Larry. At that time of day on a weekday it will be full-whack on the price, I'm afraid.

Although changing trains at Clapham Junction is much easier than it used to be, it is still no walk in the park. You will learn how a salmon swimming upstream in a fast flowing river feels. There are plenty of displays indicating what platform you will need. Trains to Gatwick, Three Bridges or Brighton, among others, are likely to stop at Gatwick, but it would be worth your while planning exact trains online and having a plan B and C incase there is any hitch with plan A.

Southern and Gatwick Express are both run by the same company who also run Thameslink. Southern is currently in industrial dispute with its drivers (you might call engineers) and guards (you might call conductors) so a number of trains have been cut from the timetable and there are sometimes delays.

If you are travelling soon that may affect you, so you really must have a B and C. If you are travelling somewhat later things may improve but many peoples' jobs are at risk, as is safety, and both sides are well and truly dug in for a protracted fight so there may be fallout for some time.

Posted by
2859 posts

Thanks, Nigel. This trip is in March, so I would hope things will have settled down by then. Then again, can any of you in the UK even begin to predict what the long-term effects of that vote will be on otherwise routine activities?

As for Clapham Junction, a new challenge! The only place that has truly flummoxed us so far has been Gare St Lazare in Paris, where we could not find the exit!

Posted by
32353 posts

Larry,

Which airline were you thinking of booking out of Gatwick? I made a similar trip in about mid-morning last September and it was very easy (I was travelling from Victoria Station area so used the Gatwick Express). Although your transportation to reach LGW will be different, the process was very easy once I arrived at the airport.

Posted by
2859 posts

Ken, it's a NAS flight. I don't expect any problems at Gatwick, just making sure we can get there timely. As an aside, last spring we had a 10:20 Eurostar, left from the same place in Lambeth around 8:15, using the 59 bus. Traffic was so fouled from a diversion on the Kingsway that I got us off at Aldwych and we hoofed it to make it on time (the bus had a much longer route through traffic from there). Needless to say, we don't have that kind of option going to an airport!

Posted by
2859 posts

Sorry, Nigel - Norwegian Air Shuttle. But not flying them across the pond.

Posted by
32353 posts

Larry,

Thanks for the additional information. The reason I asked about the airline is that some airlines use the north terminal, which means a ride in the diminutive train system and a bit of extra time.

I'm not well versed in getting from the Lambeth area to LGW, so Nigel and the others will be your best resource for that question.

Posted by
2859 posts

Ken, already had seen that NAS uses the South Terminal, where the train arrives. As I said, I am compulsive on knowing where I have to be when, ahead of time. (Please no one diagram that sentence).