My daughter and I are traveling to Athens in May, with an 8 hour layover in Heathrow...
during the day. (She's 32 now, hasn't been in England since she was 15! Same w/ Greece - there with us twice, for 6 weeks each time, when she was 13 and 15. Since I go every year, we're both quite excited for her return!)

We are trying to find somewhere close to Heathrow, someplace easy to get to either directly by train or bus, like an historic site or a lovely village, a nice pub to eat in, something fairly easy but a good way to pass the time while we are waiting for our flight to Athens. I would think we at least have 5 hours to spare, if not a bit more. So it is obvious why this place needs to be easy to get to and from!

Would LOVE any info!
thank you...

Windsor is very closeby Heathrow. There is a bus service

Windsor is probably the closest with plenty to see/eat/do. You can take a bus from Heathrow, but I think it is a 30 to 40-min bus ride. The other issue is the bus (#71 or #77) leaves from T5 only. Perhaps that will work for you (you didn't say which Heathrow terminal(s) you'll be arriving/departing from).

For bus schedules, go to:
http://www.firstgroup.com/index.php

Windsor is a great option - but take a cab, don't wait for the bus. A cab ride will take 10-20 mins depending on the time of day/traffic.

How much is a cab ride to Windsor? IIRC, it's rather expensive. The bus is a much cheaper alternative, but of course has its many limitations (duration, frequency, T5 departure etc).

yes - a cab will be expensive. But sometimes one doesn't have the luxury to choose the slow/budget option. W/ possible immigration hassles, needing to transfer to T-5, security screening, etc., even w/ a cab, the OP really only has about 4 hours free time in Windsor

Thanks so much for all of the replies so far - yes, we will be arriving T5, which seems as though it might simplify things a bit.
Windsor sounds as though it may be the easiest, closest for us. ?
Does anyone know how I may find a bus schedule that might show the dailies from T5 to Windsor?
We will be on a tight budget - and I didn't really figure London into my 3 week stay (usually spend a month each May in Greece - this year it's cut short a bit, with my daughter's time even a week shorter)
That said, a bus to Windsor and perhaps a taxi back to Heathrow sounds inviting. Does anyone know how expensive 'rather expensive' really is, when it comes to the taxi? That would be helpful... Again, thanks so much!

djuna- I already posted the link to <b>FirstGroup</b> in my response above. You can look up the bus schedules for #71 and #77 there.

Taxis FROM Windsor to LHR are likely to be about £20.

At least double FROM LHR TO Windsor. Only London black cabs may sit at LHR cab ranks, and they can charge you whatever they negotiate for journeys outside Greater London (which includes Windsor). They don't want fares of less than £40-£50 (they've been waiting for an hour), so they'd rather you didn't use them, since they'll get a £50+ fare into London from the person behind you in the queue. If they take you, they can't ply for hire in Windsor, so they've got to come back to LHR and wait another hour.

For historical site and close to LHR, You might find this interesting: http://www.osterleypark.org.uk/, as only about 10-15 minutes tube ride by Piccadilly Line.

OK - T-5 helps a lot. You can take the bus to Windsor w/o hardly any hassle (except leaving your carry-ons in Left Luggage if you don't want to schlepp them -- in the terminal before heading to the bus stop. Be sure to allow some extra time on your return to queue to collect the bags)

Then take a cab back from Windsor to LHR.

I'm sorry, I feel pretty dense - I cannot make heads nor tails of the FIRSTGROUP website for bus schedules from H'row to Windsor...
Is the T5 station the 'Central Bus Station' or the 'Compass Centre'??? I entered from: both the Compass and Cetre' and To - Windsor and came up with something that is less comprehensible to me than the Greek that I am learning to read!
Can someone please help?
Also - will it be relatively easy for us to hail a cabbie back to Heathrow from Windsor? Do they just hang out there waiting for fares?
This is starting to seem bigger than I was hoping...
perhaps osterly park on the tube would be easier... But I thought there was no Tube from H'row????
Oye!!! help me!

djuna-

If you go to the FirstGroup link, on the Left hand side, just enter <b>77</b> under bus route, and then click on Berkshire and Thames Valley, you'll get the schedules as follows:
Monday-Fri
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/sout...table1=1&day=1

You didn't say which day you'll be arriving. If it's Sat or Sun, then click on the corresponding schedule.

Going back to the first page, you can enter <b>71</b> under bus route, and click on Berkshires and Thames Valley, and you get this M-F schedule:
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/sout...or=1&source=sp

Is this clear?

yes, that was much clearer thank you - still is greek to me. But thank you. I really am not stupid! I'm just not familiar with Windsor, have no idea (yet) where we would be being left off or leaving from and had no clue that it was even in the area called Berkshire and Thames Valley! So.... thank you, I'll do more homework now.

djuna - according to the schedule I posted above, the bus definitely stops along High Street Windsor (the Parish church stop), so that will drop you off right in the middle of town, walkable to the Castle, shopping center, shops, restaurants etc...