Dave the Taxi Driver's
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Dave the Taxi Driver's |
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Gatwick Airport
Gatwick, the second largest of London’s airports is situated about 28 miles south of London in the county of West Sussex. Although Heathrow is the principal airport of London, Gatwick serves about twice as many destinations as Heathrow. There is ample parking both Long Stay and Short Stay. There is considerable number of Hotels of varying grades plus Bed and Breakfast close to, or within a few miles of the airport. Gatwick has two terminals. The North Terminal, from where all British Airways flights operate and the South Terminal. There is a short Monorail link between the two. Road access to Gatwick airport is from the M23 at junction 9 (see map). A Taxi from London to Gatwick will cost over £100. A taxi from Gatwick to London will cost around £80 from the local companies operating from the airport. Licensed London Taxis cannot pick up at Gatwick unless they are pre booked. Using the starting point of the Charles II statue on the south side of Trafalgar Square, which is in fact is the official spot from which all distances to and from London are measured, there are several ways to drive to Gatwick. It can be done in about 1¼ hours in average traffic. During the day outside of peak hours the way I usually go, and which I think the quickest way to get there, is to leave Trafalgar Square heading towards Parliament Square, follow the River Thames until you reach Albert Bridge, cross the bridge, turn right into Parkgate Road onto Westbridge Road following the signs to Wandsworth and the A3 towards Guildford. Take the A3 south to the Tolworth Tower roundabout. Turn left at the roundabout (A 240 second exit ).From here follow the signs to Gatwick. The yellow square on the signs is the indicator for the Gatwick direction. These lead down towards Epsom and onto Burgh Heath where the A240 meets the A217. Turn right here. Join the M25 at junction 8 which is a few miles south. Turn left onto the M25 then take the M23 slip road about one mile further on and Gatwick is about 15 minutes from there. There are other routes such as through Brixton, Streatham, Thornton Heath and Purley following the A23,but unless it is a quiet time of the day such as the middle of the night, it might take you a month to get there. From Wandsworth you can also go through Wimbledon, Morden and Sutton. This road is the A217. This leads you to the same point in Burgh Heath, the A240 junction, that you would have reached if you had used the A3 and left it at the Tolworth Tower Roundabout. Coaches National Express operate an hourly service from London Victoria Coach Station. Journey time up to 1hour 35 minutes, plus airport transfers and links to destinations all over the country. Easy bus (route eb3) operates from Fulham Broadway Tube Station(SW6) to Gatwick from 06.00 to 22.00 hrs. From Gatwick the operating hours are 06.30 to 23.00 hrs. Trains The Gatwick Express operates trains to and from London Victoria every 15 minutes. Journey time 30 minutes. Hours of operation :from London Victoria 03.30 to 00.30 and from Gatwick 04.35 to 01.35. First Capital Connect trains run to and from Bedford via Luton Airport Parkway to Gatwick. Stops on this service include London Bridge, London Blackfriars, City Thameslink and London St. Pancras International and London Blackfriars. Overnight there is an hourly service. Southern Trains run three trains per hour to and from London Victoria with an hourly service overnight. Journey time 35 minutes. Car Hire
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My name is David Bromiley. I have been a Licensed London
Taxi Driver for many years having passed the famous ‘Knowledge of London’ back
in 1984. As many will already know, the ‘Knowledge’ is the strictest testing
system for prospective taxi drivers in the world. As I am an Official London Guide it will be my
pleasure to escort you on private tours of London, during which you can ask as
many questions as you like and stop to take photographs wherever you want to.
There are various aspects of London life that
can be incorporated into a tour with a particular theme. Whatever you would like
to do just contact me at my email address below. I hope to meet you soon.