sabbaticalmom

My family and I (6) are arriving Heathrow at 7 AM from San Francisco. If we rent a car from the airport how long would it take us to get to Windsor, or Hampton Court Palace? I'm thinking of visiting one or both before driving to Woolwich which is where we're staying.

We have driven before in England and we have driven right after long flights, but never out of Heathrow. If we have the car one day then we can see some sights on the way to Woolwich and return the car to London City Airport that evening or early the next morning.

What do you think? Thanks for your help!

JanisJ, I wish I knew when you were teaching your packing and traveling seminars in Sacramento!!

alanRow

about 20 minutes - if that.

BUT WHY - you can get a bus to Windsor and it's relatively easy to get from Heathrow to Woolwich by public transport. Save yourself a days car hire and the worry that you are committing an offence by driving when tired

alanRow

Six - you won't want a car you need a van unless you aren't carrying any luggage

sabbaticalmom

Thanks Alan. We will have luggage so I figure we can store our bags in the van while we look around Windsor and HCP.

blightyboy

I think that you are a little nuts really, unless you are very short for time in the UK. I personally would make Windsor and HCP a day trip when you have rested and settled in, BUT its really depends on how long you are in the country. I would suggest that there are other things that you could do on that 1st day that are nearer Woolwich - Cutty Sark, Imperial War Museum, River trip, Tower of London are a few

janisj

Hi - no packing classes scheduled right now (just finished doing a series of 4 over the last 6 weeks). There are a couple of travel talks in the next 6 weeks. Watch the Bee for announcements.

Now about your questions. The drive to Windsor is easy peasy -- BUT in your case I wouldn't do it.

1) a vehicle big enough fror 6 plus luggage is hard enough to drive w/o dealing w/ jet lag.

2) I personally would not rent a car for staying in Woolwich/touring London. Is there a particular reason you want a car? Are you touring in Kent or somewhere? If mainly for London - you won't want a car.

3) At least some of you will be too exhausted/jet lagged to enjoy Windsor.

You can get a car service to take you to Woolwich (it won't be cheap - that is a long way) or you can take the tube and a train.

BTilke

Assuming you get out of the airport and get your rental car by somewhere around 8 am to 8:30 am, that's rush hour in our neck of the woods. And there is plenty of traffic around Maidenhead and Windsor at that time of the morning. Long traffic jams can happen easily. All it takes is one person driving in a way they shouldn't at or near one of the vital junctions.
Now if you're arriving on a Sunday morning, you should have no problems with traffic.
Under normal circumstances off peak, 20 minutes is about right. But during the business week I have spent more than 1 hour in traffic on that route.

Re the whole "driving while jetlagged" argument...it's certainly valid, I don't argue that at all, but how come it doesn't go both ways? There seem to be far fewer wagging fingers and raised eyebrows about the number of Brits who land at Orlando airport after a long flight and hop into rental cars.

janisj

I think the main difference is those from the UK took off in the a.m. after a normal night's sleep and arrive the same afternoon. When flying from the west coast to London -- they are up already for several hours before take off, they are awake all night, and arrive early the next a.m.

Makes driving right off the flight a whole different kettle of fish.

(But in fact - I'm not too happy driving after a London/SFO flight either)

BTilke

Not necessarily. If I'm catching a 11 am flight from LGW to MCO on a weekday, I usually leave about 6:30 am (not everyone who takes those flights lives within shouting distance of Gatwick). So I'm up around 5:30 am. Plenty of people flying cattle class leave as early as that or even earlier so they can have better chances of scoring the window or aisle seats or getting their family seated together. And many going to MCO have young children they have to entertain before boarding the plane and in flight. Then the slog through passport control and getting luggage and getting your squirmy, tired but excited kids to and into the rental car.
Moreover, while standing in line, it's not uncommon for other pax (esp. the ones with kids) saying they were up to 3 am or whatever trying to get the packing and necessary chores done.
Doesn't sound too restful to me.

janisj

Didn't say either was restful - but the flying over night vs same day arrival seems to make a HUGE difference.

JSCChan

As an alternative, how about going to Hampton Court Palace and then taking a river cruise up the Thames all the way to Woolwich? You have to change at Westminster but its a leisurely way to start your trip, as long as you're not in a rush. There's plenty of info here
http://www.frommers.com/trip_ideas/o...River%20Thames

janisj

Sorry - but that just isn't a practical suggestion.

It would require public transport from LHR to Hampton Court palace, then a (VERY) loooooooong boat trip to Woolwich.

sabbaticalmom

Thanks for all the ideas and opinions.

Turns out you agree with my dh! I just have this great picture of wandering through the hedge maze at Hampton at 10 AM instead of still on the tube and train.

When I checked the website for HCP it didn't look like they had any left luggage facilities. Has anyone left luggage there recently?

janisj

Have you driven in the UK before? Driving from LHR to Hampton Court and then eventually across <b>all</b> of south London to Woolwich would be tough enough for a native, let alone a family of 6 just off an overnight flight. On a weekday morning via HCP, the drive alone could easily take 2 hours or more.

Where are you planning to use the car after you get to Woolwich?

sabbaticalmom

I have driven in the UK, but it was a small car and it was two days after arriving. My friend and I drove all over from Swindon to Salisbury and up to Great Malvern. Quite the experience!

I have no idea what it would be like to drive a large car around the outskirts of London.

It will take at least an hour and half to get from airport to Woolwich on tube $ train, so I don't think the driving time is much different.

We were just planning on getting to the apt--stopping at the store--and returning car to London City airport that evening or early next morning.

nona1

I think we'd all advise you to forget about cramming in a tourist site on the way to the hotel. Just get there and then worry about what you are doing - it's not as if you are saving yourself hours and hours of travelling if you do these sites 'on the way'. They are both very quick and easy trips by train out of London. If you were landing at Leeds and decided to stop off at Sherwood Forest on your drive down to London, for example, it would make sense, but I just don't get the point of this at all?
And it's much better to go to Woolwich by public transport or a private minibus service than faff about hiring a large van (and you're going to need a large one with a capital L, or two vehicles).

nona1

Re driving - I know it's only 30-odd miles but it may well take a lot longer than 1.5 hours. Don't forget you would be travelling at peak times in the same direction as most of the traffic - which means loads of queues and jams. IT'll be a total pain in the ***.

The other day it took me over an hour to drive just 5 miles through south London.

sabbaticalmom

Okay, Thank you all!!

For some reason this has been a hard decision to make. But now I feel like I've talked it out. I'll let the car go and stick to trains and go straight to Woolwich.

So thanks everyone--