Gatwick to & from West of England & South Wales
Public Transport Options Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, Exeter, Plymouth ...
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Coach, Rail or Private Car / Bus ?
There is a choice of direct public transport options from Gatwick to South Wales and West of England.
The broad choice for the traveller is between cheaper, less frequent and slower coaches, or the train options. The train station at Gatwick Airport is embedded within the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport. There are no shared van shuttle type operations.
National Express coaches run economical services to most major towns and cities in West England and South Wales with a few direct services to Gatwick, something trains cannot match.
The rail network option again is normally faster but more expensive but will require at least one change of train.
Gatwick To/From Western England / South Wales by Train
For services to South West England and South Wales from Gatwick, you will in nearly all journeys have to interconnect with services into London's Paddington station.
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The most hassle free way is to catch a link train that runs from Gatwick to Reading, this is quite a scenic journey too for much of the way.
Reading is the first stop out of London for trains from Paddington.
Otherwise you will need to make the tedious transfer across Central London between Paddington and Victoria, (there is a direct London Underground link).
Gatwick Station
The station platforms are located directly below the airport’s South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal’s concourse. There is free monorail service that operates every couple of minutes between the South and North Terminals at Gatwick.
Although there are three major train companies that use Gatwick, ticketing is integrated and there is one large ticket hall at passenger terminal level.
Purchasing Train Tickets
As a general rule of thumb for journeys of around an hour or so there is no financial advantage in pre purchasing, you may as well buy at the station on day of travel. For longer journeys, advance purchase fares offer great savings.
Only on the main trunk routes are there reserved seats, most services you just grab the first available seat you like the look off.
The three types of tickets are broadly :
Advance Purchase: Buy in advance, sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. These tickets will have restrictions specified when purchasing.
Off Peak: Buy any time, travel off-peak. The definition of off peak can vary from ticket to ticket. These tickets may require you to travel at specific times of day, days of the week or on a specific route. Where there is more than one Off-Peak fare for a journey, the cheaper fare with more restrictions will be called Super Off-Peak.
Anytime: Buy any time, travel any time. (the standard ticket). Anytime fares are fully flexible tickets, with no time restrictions on when you can travel.
Getting The Cheapest Fares
Advance purchase tickets on these longer distances on the other hand can be bargains. The cheap tickets are normally released 3 months prior to your departure date and the best deals often sell out quickly.
For the overseas visitor this can present problems as there are with few exceptions no true etickets delivered by email at present. Tickets can be sent to UK addresses by UK post and also internationally for a fee. You can however order tickets on-line and pick up the tickets from machines at key mainline stations including Gatwick Airport.
At train stations there are manned ticket offices and also ticket machines. All major credit cards are taken as well as cash.
For fares and timetables use 'The Trainline' web site where you can also order tickets for delivery to your home address.
National Express Coaches - Gatwick to/From Western England / South Wales
National Express offer a good coverage of direct services from to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea. For other destinations you will probably need to change buses at these or Heathrow Airport which all services run via.
Unlike the train alternative there are true etickets.
Most journeys will be far cheaper than train, especially if you get a return ticket. However frequencies are not as good and journey times are normally longer.
Cheapest promotional fares are available online in advance. Normally a return fare is much, much cheaper than two single fares. Unlike the railways tickets bought online are true etickets, visitors from overseas can pay by credit card and have their tickets delivered by email in a couple of minutes.
What If My Flight Is Late?
When you purchase a ticket for a National Express service it is for a single stated departure time. You do not get an individual seat number, but you are guaranteed a seat.
It is recommended booking a service at least 90 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of your flight. So what happens if your flight is late and you miss that schedule on your ticket?
If your London Gatwick flight arrives early or late, you may use the same ticket at no extra cost to travel on the next available bus service subject to seat availability.
Passengers with a ticket for the schedule in question are boarded first and get priority.
In the reverse direction, when boarding at points that are not airports you are expected to make the schedule you have booked.
National Express Luggage Allowance
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You can carry two medium-sized suitcases - weighing up to 20kg (44 lbs) each - plus one small piece of hand luggage per person. Drivers loading the baggage do not weigh bags. Customers will be permitted to pool their individual allowances if they are travelling in a group or as a family, but they must be travelling on the same ticket.
Over this allowance and steep excess luggage charges kick in. Passengers within the luggage allowance get boarded first, those with excess luggage only get boarded if there is sufficient space left in the luggage hold, even if they have purchased a ticket.
North & South Terminals Gatwick Airport
All coaches that serve Gatwick Airport serve both North and South Terminals. At both terminals they have been given priority treatment and their boarding points are immediately outside the exit doors of both passenger terminals.
Private Transfers From Cars To Large Groups
We have options to cater for all party sizes.
On transfers the amount of luggage can be as critical to the right selection of vehicle as number of passengers, so do pause to reflect on this aspect.
Saloon Cars / Sedans / Estates - For Up To 5 Passengers
Saloon/ Sedan car or MPV/Estate/Station Wagon size vehicle. Will take up to 5 full size adults and around 4 cases with some small hand luggage. Ideal for a family.
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Air-conditioned & Roomy Small Buses |
All driver waiting time and airport parking included in airport pick-ups - No extra charges if your flight is delayed!
Baby seats or child booster seats supplied on request and are of course free of charge.
At passenger terminals the driver will be waiting for you as you exit the customs and luggage retrieval channel to escort you to the waiting vehicle.
Small Buses - 8 To 16 Seats With Room For Lots Of Luggage
Air conditioned roomy small buses with 8, 12 or 16 seats and lots of luggage room for small groups. These buses are proper purpose built buses, not cramped converted vans.
These small buses are small enough to get in the car parks at airports, big enough to qualify to use the special bus lanes in Central London.
The buses can also carry outsize items, commonly wheelchairs, electric scooters, bicycles and surfboards.
Drivers meet and greet at airports, hotels and ports just like the cars.
Full Size Touring Coaches For Large Groups
If you have a large group then that is not a problem either
The largest coaches are 50 seat coaches but we also have access to vehicles half that size.
With large groups if your average passenger is bringing more than one large case and a small item of hand luggage it might be the luggage capacity of the vehicle rather than the number of passengers that drives the correct size of vehicle required. The point being that estimating the amount of luggage you will be bringing is just as important as knowing how many people in your group.
With large groups just as small groups multi-drop and pick-ups from hotels is routine and if you require sightseeing we can arrange a guide whether it be an orientation tour of London or a niche interest of the group.
Putting Your Own Groups Together / Sharing
We do not put groups together for the purpose of vehicle sharing.
You are welcome to put your own group together. The key point with these charters is that the price is a flat rate for the vehicle, not per person. If somebody pulls out at the last moment the group are still liable for the full cost of the charter.
