M25 on Monday mornings

**DaveB** · 9 August 2006, 08:39

Originally posted by expat

I live north of London and commute to the mainland. Currently I fly Easyjet from Luton because it's my nearest airport, but it's getting to be a pain. The queues at Luton are just unlike any other airport I've see outside the Third World, both for passport and security going out, and (especially) for immigration coming back in on Friday night. It won't get better after the schools go back, I've done it for a year, to various places from Luton.

So I'm thinking of flying from Heathrow. Question: does anybody know what it's like driving dowm the M1 and along the M25 (and into LHR indeed) on Monday mornings? It'll be early, but is there ever early enough? Obviously I can just leave 3 hours for it, but I wondered if anyone else has done it?

You'd be better off going by train. Thameslink into London Kings Cross and then tube direct to heathrow or tube to paddington and then heathrow express. Less than 2 hours each way about £30 for the return ticket.

**TheMonkey** · 9 August 2006, 08:39

Yeah it's horrible. Can take 3-4 hours on a bad day. Usually clags from the M40 to the M3.

**DaveB** · 9 August 2006, 08:42

Originally posted by TheMonkey

Yeah it's horrible. Can take 3-4 hours on a bad day. Usually clags from the M40 to the M3.

And thats not counting the jams to get into heathrow itself.

**AtW** · 9 August 2006, 08:44

Don't know about Monday mornings but driving yesterday around 9am on M25 (coming to it from M40) was fine, a bit of a queue on M4 (I think) leading to Heathrow tho.

IMO if you do it regularly you are better off using public transport - at least there are special bus lanes for it there.

**expat** · 9 August 2006, 08:53

Originally posted by AtW

Don't know about Monday mornings but driving yesterday around 9am on M25 (coming to it from M40) was fine, a bit of a queue on M4 (I think) leading to Heathrow tho.

IMO if you do it regularly you are better off using public transport - at least there are special bus lanes for it there.

Hmm. Public transport is ok but slow and a bit sparse in the morning. When I ask Journey Planner about arriving at LHR by 7:15 or earlier, it's 4:42 from my station, arrive 6:48. That's not really the kind of timings I had been looking for. And I don't like multiple changes, I'd rather have the comfort of my own car.

Maybe I´ll stick with Luton.

**DaveB** · 9 August 2006, 08:56

Originally posted by expat

Hmm. Public transport is ok but slow and a bit sparse in the morning. When I ask Journey Planner about arriving at LHR by 7:15 or earlier, it's 4:42 from my station, arrive 6:48. That's not really the kind of timings I had been looking for. And I don't like multiple changes, I'd rather have the comfort of my own car.

Maybe I´ll stick with Luton.

According to the National Rail Enquiries site there's a service at 05:14 from luton arriving in heathrow at 7:03. There are also trains at 05:44, 05:48 and 06:04 all taking Between 1:35 and 1:49 to get to heathrow.

**Phoenix** · 9 August 2006, 08:58

Fly from Luton To Heathrow!
Perhaps HyperD will give you a lift?

**expat** · 9 August 2006, 09:01

Originally posted by DaveB

According to the National Rail Enquiries site there's a service at 05:14 from luton arriving in heathrow at 7:03. There are also trains at 05:44, 05:48 and 06:04 all taking Between 1:35 and 1:49 to get to heathrow.

My local station is Leighton Buzzard, I fly from Luton since we don't have our own budget airline (yet).

Flying from Luton, I can drive there in half an hour at that time in the morning. Going to LHR by train, I get Silverlink to Euston. It is almost worth driving to Luton and then taking the train from there! I could drive to Milton Keynes, which would get me faster trains to Euston.

I could live somewhere else, it'd be easier.....

**AtW** · 9 August 2006, 09:04

By the way, surely airlines flying out of Heathrow are much more expensive?

M25 on Monday mornings