Getting To Gatwick Airport Early

itsakidsworld

Hi Folks,

we have a long trip to Gatwick Airport and will be setting off in the middle of the night. We will reach the M25 around 6.30-7am and wonder if this will be very busy at this time? Have we left enought time from here to get to Gatwick for 8am from first hitting the M25? We travel down from the M1 and then go anti-clockwise past Heathrow.

We need to know that if this section gets grid-locked do we have to allow extra here? Thanks for any advice.

IAKW

sarah_elton

Weekday or weekend is the crucial question here...?

AdrianHi

I don't travel that route often, but I do know the early rush hour is on by then.
I would recommend getting to Gatwick the night before and taking a hotel room for the night. A lot less stressful that way, plenty of hotels right on the airport.
On a clear road Heathrow is 40 minutes for me. If I want to catch a flight earlier than 10am I go for a hotel. That was before children though, not flown since.

uberalles

sarah_elton is quite right, although even at weekends the fact that Gatwick is about 40 miles or so from junction 6A, where I think you come off the M1, would mean you will need a no problems clear run.

Personally I would not be confident and would either get to the M25 at least an hour earlier or stop overnight as previously said.

creased-leach

Would you like to hear our tale of having to walk the last mile to the airport down a closed motorway- bags in tow- in September?

I'm all for expecting the unexpected, but that reallllly was very unexpected! A lesson to be learned methinks.

morg_monster

creased-leach wrote: »

Would you like to hear our tale of having to walk the last mile to the airport down a closed motorway- bags in tow- in September?

I'm all for expecting the unexpected, but that reallllly was very unexpected! A lesson to be learned methinks.

What lessons did you learn?! Always get wheelie suitcases?!

I remember seeing pictures of this on the local news I think. Poor you!

creased-leach

morg_monster wrote: »

What lessons did you learn?! Always get wheelie suitcases?!

I remember seeing pictures of this on the local news I think. Poor you!

The best bit was, hubby has a reputation for always having multiple spare everythings- and leaving wayyyy to early, which saved our skins on this occasion. We had loads of contingency time- but still only made it with ten minutes to spare. :eek: Had we stayed on the coach, we'd have missed the flight.

Anyway, hubby didn't have spare, motorway rated tyres for his macho case- and they disintegrated my pink girlie case, however, trundled down the asphalt quite merrily and show no signs of wear at all. :T I was made even more smug by the fact that I'd packed so much lighter than him, too!

It was an unforgettable start to the hols though. Kindof end of the world, armageddonesque. An empty motorway, people running with bags & cases- all that we needed was Will Smith or Bruce Willis...

Actually, come to think of it- I'll have both- it pays to keep spares! :rotfl:

itsakidsworld

Thank you for your replies and help. We actually travel tonight and so what I will do is leave a couple of hours earlier to make sure we are in the area before people wake up(hopefully!!!).

I agree we should have booked a hotel room for the night but work just changed the pattern of our travel which with hindsight was stupid really!

No worries though, I had better get to bed now!!!

Thank you once again- it has really been helpful.

geordieracer

Or depending wher you are travelling frrom on the M1 you could always just get off at bedford or Luton and get the traion straight through to Gatwick first thing..