London, how long to get to/from.....
 

Hi everyone. We will be flying in & out of Gatwick. Hiring private car/driver; don't want to do the train/bus/taxi, etc. Trying to schedule things & would love some input regarding -

1. About how long will it take to get from Gatwick to South Kensington, 100 Cromwell, across from Glouschester Station on a Sunday; arrive Gatwick 9:45am (Nov 2, 2008)?

2. About how long will it take to get from hotel in South Kensington, as above, to Gatwick on a Thursday, flight leaves at 7:50am (Nov 6, 2008)?

Thanks, Julie

It'd be a lot easier to help you if you didn't make people guess half the names of the places you are talking about.

I imagine you mean Gloucester Road station (not Gloushester and not just Gloucester either. Gloucester is a city.)

I can't be bothered to work out what you mean by 'Cromwell'. Cromwell Road/Street/Lane/Avenue/Crescent/

With the majority of place and street names in London (and elsewhere) being used in several places it's really not at all helpful to abbreviate in this way.

oh brother.
Anyone answering this question is going to realize what the OP means. Yes she has some spelling mistakes but she's indicated South Ken so it's pretty clear.

I suspect the OP meant the

Holiday Inn Kensington
100 CROMWELL RD
LONDON, SW7 4ER ENGLAND

It is right across the street from Gloucester Road tube station.

If you are hiring a car service, they usually will let you know what time they will come pick you up. For your arrival, they will monitor your flight status and arrive accordingly.

Using a car service from LGW is not a good idea because it's substantially slower than using public transport

At a rough guess I would expect that you shouldn't expect be at your hotel until around midday.

If you used public transport it probably would be 45-60 minutes faster

And to reiterate - we recycle names a lot in the UK - so be SPECIFIC in where you want to go otherwise you might end up at the other end of London to where you expect

So it's Cromwell ROAD, Gloucester ROAD and Gloucester ROAD Tube Station which BTW is 3 stops or under 10 minutes from Victoria Station which itself is around 30 minutes from Gatwick Airport

Oh come on, nina, if Julie's spelling mistaikes wer the wurst on this sight, everibuddy wood be happi.

Julie:

The journey from Gatwick rail station to Gloucester Road tube station on a sunday morning will take between 55 minutes and 1 hour 10 minutes.

You take the Gatwick express to Victoria and will transfer to any westbound Circle Line or District Line train.

The way back early in the morning on a work day will take between 45 and 55 minutes. Be advised, however, that the earliest tube train leaves at 05:44 a.m. to get you a connection arriving at Gatwick at 06:30. As there are earlier trains leaving from Victoria, you might want to take a taxi to the main line station.

Hope this helps.

Phil.

Hello Julie...From Heathrow I would use a private car service, but not from Gatwick. Really I would take the train to Victoria station in London and stand in line for a taxi to your hotel. However, it is your trip. Have a grand time!

My point is that it is not a good idea to abbreviate in this way as it can cause a lot of confusion, and frankly, if you are asking for help why make people puzzle out where you mean?

Sorry to sound harsh...but I was trying to teach Julie an important lesson.

I've seen people on forums given instructions from a London airport to Liverpool the city, because they asked for Liverpool station, rather than Liverpool Street station (which we all know is in London). Brits don't ever abbreviate names like this, but it seems to be an American habit for some people. Asking for 'Oxford' instead of 'Oxford Street' or 'Leicester' instead of Leicester Square really marks you out as a foreigner and can seriously cause confusion and wrong advice at times. I wouldn't go to the US board and ask for directions to 'New'.

It's also just plain lazy. How long does it take to type 'Road'?

<i>Asking for 'Oxford' instead of 'Oxford Street' or 'Leicester' instead of Leicester Square really marks you out as a foreigner</i>

Well, obviously Julieagain IS a foreigner to London, at least. There are better ways to ask what she meant.

Meant to say, if she wasn't &quot;foreign&quot; she wouldn't be asking. 8-|

Julie, though one of the posters was a bit harsh and unhelpful, truly the best way in to the City really is via the Gatwick Express which will take you to Victoria Station in London, its terminus. It's then a shortish cab ride, and cabs are plentiful, to your hotel. Your flight back on Thursday night at 7:55 will put you smack in London's heavy traffic hours - you need to be at Gatwick two hours earlier, and travelling overland can take as much as two hours, so again, I would encourage you to take a cab at 4:30 to Victoria Station; you should be there by 5 latest. Grab the Express to Gatwick and you'll be there between 5:30 and 5:45, depending upon the time the train leaves (it only takes 30 minutes, door to door). It truly is the most civilized way to get there.

Nona - did I specify sufficiently to get you off your high horse and back on the ground?

Julie - oops - forgot to say that since you are hiring a private car, the Gatwick Express will be a bit less money, though money does not seem to be your focus. A half-hour journey to Victoria Station and a cab ride will be much more civilized. Enjoy your time in London - it's a very special city.

Julie, I knew exactly what you meant and you've picked an excellent area from which to navigate London, as the Gloucester Road Tube Station has several lines.

Have a wonderful trip!!

Can I tag on to this thread? My question is so similar...

I'll be flying in and out of Gatwick, arriving on a Saturday am and departing on a Sunday am.

I'll be staying up near Archway tube station.

Would the GEX and then a cab from Victoria station still be best, or would a car service make more sense in my situation? I'm looking to save time and aggravation rather than money.

I'm thinking GEX and cab would probably be the way to go but I've never flown into Gatwick so thought I should check.

Apres_Londee - You don't want to arrive at Victoria and cab to Archway. Those 2 are on opposite sides of London.

You probably should take the First Capital Connect train from Gatwick to Kentish Town. I don't know how far it is from Archway by distance, but on tube map it is 2 stops further north on Northern Line.

Thanks yk. I always forget about those First Capital trains. I'd better go take a look.

Julie:

With a 7:50 a.m. Thursday flight, have you considered spending Wednesday night at a Gatwick Airport hotel? Especially for international flights, you need to check in at least a couple of hours early, which would mean needing a car service to pick you up between 3 and 4 a.m., depending on whether there be any overnight road maintenance scheduled.
Since, like us, you appear to be travelers who like to avoid hassle, this could be a viable option. We stayed at the Sofitel -- a quick walk down an interior passageway from Gatwick North Terminal -- and found it comfortable and quiet. When we were leaving, a bellman ran over to the terminal and brough back a luggage cart for us because there were none at the hotel.

&quot;<i> . . . don't want to do the train/bus/taxi, etc.</i>&quot;

Unfortunately, a car service is not a good way to travel between central London and LGW. It will be slightly better since you are arriving on a Sunday - but it is still a very loooong drive since LGW is 30+ miles south of London. A train would be MUCH faster, and cheaper as well.

ApresLondee

I wouldn't go to Kentish Town. It's likely to be tricky to get a taxi from there, and it's very unlikely your flat will be very near Archway tube. So, if you take the tube to Archway, you'll have a great deal of hoiking your luggage up and down the steps at Kentish Town and Archway tubes, then up and down Holloway Rd.

Personally, I'd get the FCC to St Pancras and cab it from there (about 1.5 miles as a cockney sparrer would fly). Once the luggage is dumped, you can work out precisely how handy the flat is for Archway tube, or for the buses that go north, south and west from it.

oh don't mind me, I was in a bad mood yesterday...