My husband and I will be traveling in Europe in July and will take the Eurostar from Paris into London. We will be picking up a rental car and driving to Wales. As neither of us has ever driven in the UK ( we are from the US) we are following advice to get the rental car at Heathrow, rather than King's Cross, which would get us on the highway fairly quickly and we would not have to deal with the city traffic before adjusting to driving on the opposite side. Unfortunately, it's certainly not as convenient. What would be the best way to get from King's Cross to Heathrow? Is the Heathrow Express really that helpful timewise if we will still have to get from King's Cross to Paddington? Or should we just get the rental at King's Cross (at a higher cost, too)?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5431 posts
How much luggage are you lugging? The Picadilly line from Kings Cross goes all the way to Heathrow.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Agree Piccadilly line, direct from KX, unless you are so encumbered with luggage you cannot easily carry it.
Make sure you know where you are going in Heathrow. It has 5 terminals, and 3 different underground stations. Is the car pick up actually at the terminal, or off-site with a shuttle bus? If it is off-site, it may be more convenient to go direct there.
Another option is Ebbsfleet station, which is a station on the edge of London, which some Eurostar trains stop at. This would save you going into London and out again. You would then be on the "wrong" side of London for Wales, and have to drive round on the M25. It appears to have car hire, see here: https://www.europcar.com/location/united-kingdom/dartford/ebbsfleet-international
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5457 posts
You would probably have found the journey easier by flying to Cardiff or Bristol if you aren't stopping anywhere enroute (or Manchester if it is for North Wales). But I daresay this option is now long passed.
If it does happen to be North / Mid Wales then heading out from St Pancras to somewhere north of London might fit better than Heathrow to the West.
All of the major companies have a base around the Kings Cross / St Pancras area, so do check through them all.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We're still trying to figure out the luggage. We just about have all our clothes/gear, so hopefully we can do a test run on packing soon. We haven't done anything like this trip before, so it's all new to us. I expect we will each have a large rolling case and a backpack (mine holding the camera gear). We are wanting to enjoy what is supposed to be one of the best scenic drives up the A470.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We were originally expecting to spend a day or two in London before leaving for Wales, which is why we didn't plan a more direct route. I wouldn't mind flying directly to Cardiff or Bristol, but we'll have to decide if it is worth the additional cost.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33829 posts
what day of the week and what time of day does your Eurostar arrive at St Pancras? that's very important for a reasonable answer.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thanks for the helpful replies all.
We will arrive on Sat @ 10:40.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33829 posts
Saturday morning driving in London is not as bad as weekday, but not as easy as Sunday.
The area around Kings Cross is always congested, then you will have the thrill of Euston Road and into the A40 to the M40 to the M25. Very busy, narrow lanes in spots, plenty of speed cameras and red light cameras.
The A40 also goes past the scene of the horrific fire earlier in the week and at last check was still closed. Is your trip soon?
Wales is fairly large and the infrastructure not always just where you want it. The approach is different depending on your destination in Wales. North Wales? South Wales? the coast? Makes all the difference. You might consider taking the train to Chester, Cardiff or Bristol and then hiring a car.