Help planning routes
 

Hello again:

Ok, we've finalized our plans. I need a bit of help planning routes. You know, what roads to avoid, etc. Here is what we're doing:

We arrive Gatwick @ 7am Sunday morning. We're renting a car and staying in Canterbury. We want to see Canterbury, Leeds Castle, Dover & Rye. We leave Canterbury on Tuesday.

We have reservations at Thornbury Castle for Tuesday evening. I know, it's 183 miles & but it's our anniversary :) On the way there, we'd like to stop and see either Salisbury Catherdral or the Bath area.

Wednesday we leave for Reading. (100 miles) Who the heck wants to stay in Reading? Well I have points to stay free in Canterbury and Reading so I'm going for it! We're going to drop the luggage and head for Windsor. Spend the day in Windsor (27 miles)

Thursday we're going to Hampton Court (33 miles) and spending the evening in Reading.

Friday morning dropping the car off at Gatwick (55 miles) and taking the Gatwick express to London's Notting Hill Gate tube station where our hotel is down the street.

We plan to spend about 4 hours doing the hop on & off bus and end up at the Tower of London for a few hours. It apparently closes at 6pm.

Saturday we'll spend our time seeing Westminster and relaxing. I know there's tons to see in London but it was the countryside or London city.

Sunday we leave at noon.

My questions are: On Tuesday, shall we go to Thornbury via the southern coast area A27 to A36 or the northern route, M2, M20, M26, M25, M4? What road is the best to take from Reading to Gatwick? Does the Gatwick express run on time? Are there ever delays?
Or should we keep the car until we go to the airport on Sunday when we leave?

Thanks for any advice offered!

Nic

I'm sure you will get some opinions based on personal experience/familiarity - - but you might want to take look at a website like viamichelin.com or mappy.com for the route planning function offered there.

Best wishes,

Rex

Rex, I did that. Now I need to know what are the best options. There are more than one available.

Thanks for the heads up though.

Nic

Go south - avoid the M25 at ALL costs.

But my first question - why don't you arrange to drop your rental car a Heathrow instead of back at Gatwick? There is usually no drop off charge and it is much, MUCH easier to drive from Reading to LHR instead of LGW.

And the Gatwick Express only gets you to Victoria and then you would have a fairly long tube ride to Notting Hill gate.

From LHR you could take the Paddington Express and be a relatively short cab ride to Notting hill gate or a short tube ride.

Thank you Janis!!

I just checked with the company I'm renting from and I am allowed to return to LHR for the same price! Thank you thank you!

Nic