I'm driving my son and his family down to London late afternoon via M11 or A1 and they need to get to Heathrow. I thought it might be easier to get them to a tube station with a direct journey into Heathrow. Any suggestions which one you care to offer will be really appreciated or alternative ideas

On Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 3:37:02 AM UTC, weeyin wrote:
I'm driving my son and his family down to London late afternoon via M11
or A1 and they need to get to Heathrow. I thought it might be easier to
get them to a tube station with a direct journey into Heathrow. Any
suggestions which one you care to offer will be really appreciated or
alternative ideas

If you're coming down the A1(M) then one option is to join the clockwise M25 at J1, leave at the next junction (J24) and take the southbound A111 to Cockfosters, about 2.5 miles from the motorway. There is a (paying) car park at Cockfosters tube station (although if it's before about six on Monday to Friday it may be full), and a bus-stop lay-by directly outside, and frequent tube trains to Heathrow.

It's a tedious journey, though, Cockfosters to Heathrow. Allow a good 90 minutes, may be safer to say two hours, and check which terminal you need. Trains serve either T4, followed after a long wait in the platform by T123, or T123 then T5. Some trains do not serve Heathrow at all - these will probably be displayed as 'Rayners Lane' or 'Uxbridge'. Obviously you'll get a seat at Cockfosters, but the train will probably become very crowded through central London

Good luck!

Peter

It's a tedious journey, though, Cockfosters to Heathrow. Allow a
good 90 minutes, may be safer to say two hours, and check which
terminal you need.

And, depending of course on the family's needs, dare I mention that it
might be worth consulting
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/toilets-map.pdf



--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

peter wrote:
On Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 3:37:02 AM UTC, weeyin wrote:
I'm driving my son and his family down to London late afternoon via M11
or A1 and they need to get to Heathrow. I thought it might be easier to
get them to a tube station with a direct journey into Heathrow. Any
suggestions which one you care to offer will be really appreciated or
alternative ideas

If you're coming down the A1(M) then one option is to join the clockwise
M25 at J1, leave at the next junction (J24) and take the southbound A111
to Cockfosters, about 2.5 miles from the motorway. There is a (paying)
car park at Cockfosters tube station (although if it's before about six
on Monday to Friday it may be full), and a bus-stop lay-by directly
outside, and frequent tube trains to Heathrow.

It's a tedious journey, though, Cockfosters to Heathrow. Allow a good 90
minutes, may be safer to say two hours, and check which terminal you
need. Trains serve either T4, followed after a long wait in the platform
by T123, or T123 then T5. Some trains do not serve Heathrow at all -
these will probably be displayed as 'Rayners Lane' or 'Uxbridge'.
Obviously you'll get a seat at Cockfosters, but the train will probably
become very crowded through central London

Northfields trains also don't serve Heathrow.

And Piccadilly Line trains sometimes change their destinations during the
journey, typically at Acton Town, so it's worth paying attention to
announcements and the electronic displays. It may be best to simply take
the first train to leave Cockfosters, and change if necessary at Acton
Town, as other Heathrow trains will have commenced their journey further
west along the line (not all eastbound trains go as far as Cockfosters).

On Tue, 20 Jan 2015 01:16:59 -0800 (PST)
peter wrote:
On Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 3:37:02 AM UTC, weeyin wrote:
I'm driving my son and his family down to London late afternoon via M11
or A1 and they need to get to Heathrow. I thought it might be easier to
get them to a tube station with a direct journey into Heathrow. Any
suggestions which one you care to offer will be really appreciated or
alternative ideas
=20
If you're coming down the A1(M) then one option is to join the clockwise M2=
5 at J1, leave at the next junction (J24) and take the southbound A111 to C=
ockfosters, about 2.5 miles from the motorway. There is a (paying) car par=
k at Cockfosters tube station (although if it's before about six on Monday =
to Friday it may be full), and a bus-stop lay-by directly outside, and freq=
uent tube trains to Heathrow.

It's a tedious journey, though, Cockfosters to Heathrow. Allow a good 90 m=
inutes, may be safer to say two hours, and check which terminal you need. =
Trains serve either T4, followed after a long wait in the platform by T123,=
or T123 then T5. Some trains do not serve Heathrow at all - these will pr=
obably be displayed as 'Rayners Lane' or 'Uxbridge'. Obviously you'll get a=
seat at Cockfosters, but the train will probably become very crowded throu=
gh central London

Ignore him. Take the car the whole way if its late afternoon. You can get
to heathrow in 20-30 mins from the A1 junction instead of farting about for 2
hours (after buying a ticket, waiting for a train, the inevitable delays,
change of destination so you all get turfed off in acton etc) on the tube.

--
Spud

In message , at 01:41:03 on Tue, 20
Jan 2015, weeyin remarked:
I'm driving my son and his family down to London late afternoon via M11

or A1 and they need to get to Heathrow. I thought it might be easier to

get them to a tube station with a direct journey into Heathrow. Any

suggestions which one you care to offer will be really appreciated or

alternative ideas


I agree with others that driving all the way might be best, although
I've had quite a bit of bad luck with jams on the M25 between the M1 and
M4.

By tube from the M11, I'd head for Walthamstow Central via a very short
bit of North Circular plus the A503 & A112. Change at Finsbury Park
(cross-platform) not at Kings Cross.

--
Roland Perry

Paul Corfield's suggestion about Blackhorse Road Station is a good idea
but Spud's idea is even better. If you're driving to London solely to help
your family get to Heathrow and you have no other objectives in London,
then driving all the way is the best idea by far.

Paul Corfield's suggestion about Blackhorse Road Station is a good
idea but Spud's idea is even better. If you're driving to London
solely to help
your family get to Heathrow and you have no other objectives in
London,

then driving all the way is the best idea by far.

Not wasted material though as it's often a good idea to have a "plan
B" for airport drop-offs in case eg you hear that the M25 is closed (or
find that the Victoria/Picadilly Line is not running).

--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid