Traveller1210

We will be renting a car from Heathrow airport at 9am and we will be staying overnight at Leeds Castle.We wish to arrive at the castle at around 1400.Any idea what we could see between renting the car at 0900 and our desired arrival time at Leeds Castle?

The next day we will be going to Whitstable and then drive to Canterbury where we will be staying overnight.Anything we could add to the 2nd day of our trip?
Thanks

janisj

Welcome to Fodors.

Please clarify -- are you arriving at LHR after a long haul flight and hoping to drive to Leeds Castle the same day??? If so that is an awful idea -- really terrible It is 65+ miles over the most congested motorway in Europe. Its never a great idea to drive on arrival day after an overnight flight, but when the M25 is involved all bets are off.

I would either book a (very expensive) car service from LHR to Leeds Castle and collect a rental car in Maidstone the next day . . . OR . . . take public transport in to London (there are several options) eventually getting to Victoria station for a train to Maidstone then taxi to the castle. Neither is a great option but both are better than driving. And actually, faffing about with the trains through London could be faster if there is a mess on the M-25

Now -- IF this is short haul and you are only flying in from Ireland or France or Netherlands etc. . . .ignore all of the above.

Traveller1210

We would have spent 4 days in london prior to this. Initially was thinking oxford and leeds castle but this would be too much driving.

Moderator1

Welcome to Fodors. We removed the Trip Report flag and added a tag for the UK

Traveller1210

Thank you

janisj

Phew (!) -- lecturing font off .

Now -- Often heading out to LHR to get a car is a great idea -- but NOT for getting to eastern Kent. You could collect a car at LGW or in Maidstone -- either of which would be massively more convenient than LHR. If it was me -- I'd take the train to Maidstone -- from there it is only about a 10 minute drive to the castle.

Traveller1210

What i would like to know is what i can do between taking the car and arriving at the castle at around 1400.any idea?

janisj

IF you did collect the car at LGW -- there are tons of options of places to stop/see en route to Leeds Castle -- Hever or Chartwell or Sissinghurst or Knole or any number of other great sites.

But I'd probably still train London to Maidstone -- it would be sooooo easy.

janisj

Didn't see your last post -- there are absolutely tons of options. Just don't try driving from LHR -- get the car somewhere else . . .

Traveller1210

We will staying in harrows on the eve plus will be going back to heathrow for our flight after an additional 6 day trip.thats why we found it easier to rent from heathrow

Janeyre

Agree with janisj about the train and then the car. If not, then Windsor after LHR? Loved Hever…was there two weeks ago.

How about Dover with the Canterbury/Whitstable leg?

janisj

I personally wouldn't try to fit in Windsor -- it is close to LHR but in the wrong direction and takes at least 3 hours to visit -- so with a 9 AM car collection and 10AM Windsor opening time they'd have a hard time getting to Leeds Castle by 2PM -- 4 PM would be more like it.

KayF

These may not be in the right direction for your trip but the things we did when visiting Leeds Castle (in that general area) -
Bodiam Castle
Rye
Battle

Also quickly visited Hastings but the only thing I remember is the wind and rain coming at us horizontally. We dived into the first place we saw for a meal, mainly to get out of the weather.

janisj

Do you mean Harrow?? That is a strange place to stay for visiting London - unless you are visiting friends/relatives in the area or something. And it definitely is an inconvenient place to stay for traveling on to Kent.

But in any case, there is no reason you have to collect the car at the same location you drop it.

TDudette

Is Stratford upon Avon in that area???

janisj

Nope -- entirely in the wrong direction . . .

KayF

With the Canterbury and Whitstable part of the trip, if it was me, I'd head to one of the towns/villages right on the water and have a walk, get something to eat. We did a good guided walk in Canterbury years ago, it was organised by the tourist office. I would not recommend Dover, it's been a while but the town was awful and the castle a lot less interesting than other historic places in the UK. I'd put Dover down the bottom of the list.

shelemm

This might not answer your question... but if I was going up to Leeds I would go to Haworth (pronounced Howith) where the Brontes lived. It's a terrific village to roam about. It is directly west of Leeds, so not on the way to Leeds from London.

janisj

Um, no . . . Leeds (the city) is about 250 miles from the Leeds Castle . . .

hetismij2

You could drive through the Surrey hills, and visit some of the smaller villages, then drive across the High Weald, or you could visit Chatham Dockyard, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Rochester, Hampton Court, no on second thoughts not Hampton Court - inside the expanded ULEZ whenever that happens.
You don't need to go on the worlds biggest carpark the M25 once you get away a bit from Heathrow. Maybe take the A3 off it towards Guildford, then pick up the A25 and drive across country. Clandon Park an NT property is along that route. Newlands Corner is lovely too.