I have an 8:45 am flight out of LGW and I will be coming from Winchester UK (going from one THS cat sit to another). The earliest train out of Winchester gets me to the airport at 7:25 am, so that is no good. The National Express Bus will get me to LGW at 5:10 am but I have to catch the bus at 2:50 am (yikes!). Looks like a one-hour taxi ride would cost me over 115 GBP plus tip. (ouch!). Does anyone who knows Winchester/LGW have any other options I should consider? Thanks!
Hi @Shella_in_the_Forum
I don’t know Winchester but I used Gatwick a lot over the last 18 months for early morning flights. There’s a through the night train from London but elsewhere the train services stop at around midnight until early morning next day. I’ve checked the nationalrail website which covers all train operators and indeed this is the case for trains from Winchester. So I’m afraid if you can only leave on the day of your departure then bus, taxi, uber or maybe a local company that does airport transfers seems to be your only options.
Are you able to travel the afternoon/night before and stay near the airport @Shella_in_the_Forum?
When we sit in Brighton we always get caught out with early Gatwick flights and no way to get to the airport.
We always go for the first train option which in our case is 3.50am . If i was you, I would bite the bullet and go for the 2.50am bus
That pretty much sounds like your options for getting there. 1h20 to get through to your flight from the train is possible in the morning but it is a risk especially as the first train in the morning always seems to have a higher chance of being cancelled or delayed.
It’ll be a 150 3 hours+ mile round-trip for an uber driver so that price doesn’t seem too bad. Always a risk that no-one accepts it though.
My personal preference would be to get there the day before and stay in a hotel. There’s a Premier Inn attached to the airport at North terminal that’s about £75 a night. Have breakfast and wander over to the terminal at your leisure.
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Thanks everyone. I can leave Winchester the evening before but was trying to avoid the cost of a hotel night. All things considered, I will try to find an affordable hotel or Airbnb near LGW. Cheers!
Wouldn’t the taxi be cheaper than hotel and train? Have you checked the cost of an Uber?
@Shella_in_the_Forum to be honest i think this would be worth it! Apparently Gatwick airport has a capsule hotel type thing which could be fun. Morning rush hour on the motorway can be very unpredictable and it’d be awful to be stuck in traffic in a cab and miss your flight.
Edit: the capsule hotel is called YotelAir. Never used it and no idea how good it is but maybe worth investigating.
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@Smiley I think cost is a toss up and so the margin is about peace of mind and convenience:
-
National Express Bus to LGW
$41 USD
Get myself to a bus stop with luggage by 2.30 am
No hotel night -
Taxi from Winchester
£120 (GBP) plus booking fees @£10 plus tip at min. (That price is thru a bidding platform so they take a fee and a cut I imagine. Most car services are quoting £140-200)
Pick up around 5.30 am
Ease handling luggage/no transfers – This is a big plus for me
Risk traffic (not too worried about this) -
Uber from Winchester
$115 plus tip at min
Pick up around 5am
Risk not getting a driver (big risk, from my experience)
Booking in advance is closer to $200 plus tip -
Airbnb guesthouse ensuite near LGW
$65 with all fees
£13 (GBP) plus tip for taxi to airport offered by guesthouse
Pick up around 6:30 am
Train from Winchester to AB&B about $41 USD
Leave at leisure the day before
Taxi to Winchester train station with luggage $20 ish
I am torn between #2 and #4
Lessons: Trains in Winchester start late even on a workday; Don’t assume costs/inconvenience of a hotel night; FLY OUT OF LHR!
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate having folks think this thru with me!
@Junipers I will check out the capsule hotel too!
I’ve learnt this too - Gatwick is such a pain, always get LHR if you can. This is good though, you have two decently priced options to consider. Perhaps partly depends also on how much you click with the homeowner/how introverted they seem! With some of our sits I’d love to spend an extra evening hanging out, others it felt like they wanted us gone (as a fellow introvert i fully understand this sentiment!)
If the capsule hotel you mean is a Yotel, I would go for it. I have used the one at Heathrow many times, and they are always super clean and the staff are friendly. Plus you pay by the hour which can make for savings if you are not staying the entire night…
There are some youtube videos about the Gatwick Yotel that are very informative. I had booked a stay last year but ended up having to cancel. I was really looking forward to it.
@Junipers This host is an introvert. She is arriving home at 7.30 am and wants me gone before then to relax. No problem on my end. It is the darn morning train/LGW issue for me. I really thought Winchester was large enough to have earlier trains into London on a Friday morning.
Yotel is $155 usd on Hotels.com and much much more on their website. (Premum pod. Standards are sold out.) I think the airbnb guesthouse is the better price. Still considering…
Edit. I didnt realize Yotel was hourly. If I arrive at 8pm and leave at 6am their website is quoting me £80 for standard room. Even with train cost/schlepping, in light of convenient location, this is a strong option.
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Another vote for the Premier Inn at Gatwick. You can book a great breakfast too!
I agree about the Premier Inn at Gatwick. I’ve stayed there and it’s extremely convenient.
Premier Inns are consistently good.
I recently stayed at the Premier Inn at Gatwick. £41 for the night. The bus picks up from the door to take you to the terminal.
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I live near Winchester, and my option would be National Express from the St Catherine P&R (timetable is online) the evening before - trains are unreliable at the moment.
Give me a shout if i can help with local knowledge.
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