knoxvillecouple

We are two couples flying to Heathrow in early June, renting a car for 3 nights in Chipping Camden, then on to London for 5 nights. Our plan is to return the car to Heathrow and then get to our hotel in London. My question regards how and where we might engage JustAirports for the trip to our hotel (Cenral/SW1). Will we need to take a rental car shuttle back to the terminal to meet a JustAirports ride, or would they meet us at the rental car return location?

Sorry if this is confusing.

One other thing - since we'll only be in London for 5 nights (to include some day trips to Cambridge, Greenwich, Hampton Court), does it make sense for us to get 7-day travel cards? I've been researching here (and yon) about our options, but have to admit I'm still confused. Passport photos, Oystercards, 2-4-1, etc.

TIA,

Sam

jamikins

Would just email just airports and ask them. I am sure it's not a problem!

For 5 days get a 7 day paper travel card at the nearest national rail station. Don't forget your passport photos.
Www.daysoutguide.co.uk will tell you what is on special

janisj

You'll need to call justairports and book in person. Ask them then. I have no idea if they will collect you at the rental depot (my guess is yes) but booking on the website is for airport runs.

I do have one concern though . . Driving to Chipping Campden right off an overnight flight is not recommended. At best just tiring/difficult, at worst - dangerous.

Why not reverse the trip? Do London first (recover from the jet lag car-less), then take justairports to LHR and collect your car there, then drive back to LHR to fly home . . . OR . . . take the train from London to Oxford, collect your car there and drop it at LHR before flying home.

Re the oyster/travelcards . . . Both HCP and Greenwich are 'in' London and covered by both so you'd be using local transport. For 5 days, generally a 7 day travel card (on either an Oyster or paper) makes sense for 5 days. Probably what I'd get are Oysters w/ Pay as You Go ££ on them and then buy paper travel cards only on the days you will use 2for1's. Then you won't need a photo.

W/ only 5 days in London do you really want to spend so much time elsewhere? I'd maybe ditch Cambridge.

janisj

I didn't see jamikins' post (I think she is my sister from another mother - we post at the same time so often )

E-mailing them might work -- but IME when I've had slightly more complicated bookings, phoning has been easier -- otherwise it can take several e-mails to nail everything down. They do answer e-mails - but not always immediately.

knoxvillecouple

Thanks for the prompt replies.

Janisj - our accommodations are already set, so we'll have to be extra careful getting to Chipping Camden. My wife and I "experienced" the jet-lagged rental car pickup issue when we flew to Edinburgh years ago - not fun, but that flight was much longer in duration (layover in Amsterdam) and we did survive (although my first experience on a roundabout on a Friday afternoon at rush hour, driving on the "wrong" side of the street, sitting on the "wrong" side of the car, is one we'll never forget).

The advice to actually call JustAirports is on point! Sometimes I fear that I'm a prisoner of the Internet, forgetting that Alexander Graham Bell device where one actually talks to another person.

Finally (for now), we're not returning from Heathrow but, rather from Edinburgh. After our 5 nights in London we're flying to Inverness for a couple of nights and using a highly-rated tour company for two days in the Highlands and Isle of Skye for that. They will also be driving us to our flat in Edinburgh for our final destination on this trip. Our five nights in Scotland are, in some ways, the most expensive, having a private guide and transportation; on the other hand, the two drivers in our party can be totally relaxed and not worry about running into sheep (which we almost experienced in 2000) or knocking over a petrol pump (which we also almost experienced as we were filling up prior to leaving Sterling).

Some adventures are better than others!

Sam

knoxvillecouple

P.S. Forgot to add that the other couple is our daughter and her husband. They both really want to go to Cambridge. Since we will not be able to visit Downton Abbey/Highclere when we are there (due to filming), I don't feel like we can put the kibosh on their other must-see. One can only push members of the immediate family so far.

jamikins

Janisj

janisj

Have they considered Oxford instead of Cambridge? It would be very easy from Chipping Campden and is a VERY similar experience. I like both cities but Oxford is my favorite of the two. (To the casual visitor, some of the colleges in OxBridge are indistinguishable)

You could drive in to the park and ride and take a bus into the center of Oxford.

maitaitom

We had Just Airports take us to the car rental place from our hotel, so I'm sure there would be no problem to do that in reverse. We did it all by email.

knoxvillecouple

Maitaitom - I feel honored to get a reply from someone whose rental car experiences might make mine pale by comparison.

I'll probably call them. Another possible hiccup is that I'm not sure of an exact arrival time back at the rental car return, since we'll be driving from Chipping Camden. It's not like an airplane ETA.

Sam

janisj

That is why I suggested calling them. You don't have a typical need. MaitaiT had a definite ETD since they were traveling TO the rental location. That is very w\easy to work out. You are doing the opposite.

For instance, if you are delayed you may face a LOT of waiting time £££.

Ackislander

This is good advice. Take the bus from Heathrow to Oxford, tour the city, and pick up a rental car there.

Gordon_R

It's been a while since I used one of the car hire places along the Bath Rd, but I drive along this road quite often. It doesn't appear to me that these depots are geared up at all for taxis to wait on people returing their cars and taking an onward taxi. It's a busy road you can't really wait on (though a quick drop-off might be OK). If I remember correctly, the only entrances to the depots are for return hire cars through security barriers with non-return spikes on the entry road.

janisj

Good point. They might have to pick you up at one of the nearby hotels.

maitaitom

I would still check with Just Airports to see if they would do this. Our driver took us inside the car hire (Avis) and over the spikes. He just exited where you would if you rented a car. He seemed to know the people there, so I would guess he could hang there for a bit for you, but don't know for sure.

The people at Just Airports were always very quick with their email responses to me…I don't think I ever had to wait more than a half hour for any reply. I was nervous about him taking us to the Avis place, but Sunny at Just Airports said they go there all the time.

janisj

A big difference is you had a specific pick up time, knoxville won't be able to be so precise. That is why a phone call might be best to sort out the variables.

surprise

I also think that you should write an email them and ask everything you are interested in. Talking about the comment about reserving a trip, it can be also a good variant! If your daughter wants to visit Cambridge I understand her desire))) There’s always something for everyone when it comes to entertainment in Cambridge. For instance, an impressive range of art, from the contemporary to the classic, different theatres, beautiful pubs and restaurants… You can also admire the beautiful architecture and majestic college buildings. That’s really great! Have a good trip!