Heathrow International Airport

Heathrow International Airport is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world and is situated only about sixty miles from Wessex. Planes come and go to every part of the globe. Most airlines fly into Heathrow. Access by road and rail is frequent.

Aircraft coming into Heathrow. Not quite as bad as it looks!Photograph by Arpingstone in the public domain.

The airport is located about fourteen miles west of London. The runways have an east/west orientation and so flying into Heathrow International Airport the planes fly over London itself. Look down you may see some famous places as you descend. Makes for some interesting viewing from the ground!

Of course being such a busy airport Heathrow International Airport is also a large one and there are five terminals. It has to be to cater for 67,000,000 people a year! Very important to know which terminal your aircraft is using! Ask your travel agent. All the terminals at Heathrow have excellent facilities and staff are happy to help. Terminal information can be found here.

If you have a disability and require help ask when you buy your ticket so arrangements can be made for your comfort. Those with special diets should also make arrangements ahead of time.

Hotel Accommodation near Heathrow International Airport

There are many hotels in the close vicinity of Heathrow Airport for those that need accommodation before moving on, or to make it easier to catch that early flight.... Booking is suggested when you can.

There are links to accommodation at the top of the right hand column on this page. They are:

Wessex Hotels,  shows all London Hotels as some folk will want to move on to London. To get the Heathrow Hotels click on 'View all London Hotels' at the bottom of the search box. Naturally they will all show up. Look down the left column and click on Heathrow Hotels.

Cottages There are also links at the top of the right hand column to Cottages and self catering accommodation . 

Getting out of Heathrow International Airport

itself and getting to south west England is not a problem. Trains run frequently, there is good access by road, hire cars are available and there are plenty of coaches.

Trains

Trains run to London and from there all over the country.

There are two good connections with Paddington station in London. One is the fast Heathrow Express and the other is the Heathrow Connect which stops along its route.

Heathrow Express at Heathrow © Copyright Phillip Perry and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Heathrow Express takes only 15 minutes to get to London and runs every 15 minutes. A useful service and it operates nearly 24 hours a day. Tickets can be bought on the internet before you leave.

Heathrow Connect has a longer interval between trains at 30 minutes, but even this stopping train only takes 26 minutes. The connect service also operates nearly 24 hours a day.

Both services run from Heathrow Central for passengers from Terminals 1 and 3 and Heathrow Terminal 5. Passengers coming in to Terninal 4 can get a free transfer to and from Heathrow Central by travelling on the Heathrow Connect Shuttle.

London Underground

Budget minded passengers might prefer to use the London Underground. Not too much longer as it takes under an hour to get to London on the Piccadilly line. Trains run at intervals of ten minutes at the most. Three Underground stations service the airport, Terminals 1 and 3 have one, and Terminals 4 and 5 have one apiece.

Fares are cheaper than the Heathrow Express and Connect services. Also the Underground runs to other mainline stations besides Paddington.

Coaches

Rail/Air Coaches

These can be useful if you do not want to travel into London. They are a service of buses and coaches connecting Heathrow International Airport with trains at Feltham, Watford, Woking and Reading.

National Express

National Express Coach in a country lane near Chineham on its way to Portsmouth also in Hampshire © Copyright Martin Addison and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Britain's premier luxury coach company runs services from major airports including Heathrow International Airport. There are inter airport services as well as services to all parts of the country including Wessex. Probably not many places they do not go to!

Road Access

M25 near HeathrowPhotograph by Arpingstone in the public domain.

The M25 is a handy road as it circles London. Be warned it can be very congested.

sometimes referred to as the Great West Road, runs to Bristol.

An ancient road, it used to be called the Great South West Road and runs all the way to Lands End in Cornwall. In consequence it passes through the heart of  Wessex, Hampshire, Dorset and Devon.

Hire Cars

Most car hire firms operate in Heathrow International Airport. It is possible to arrange for a hire car in another town if you do not wish to drive in and from London.

Car Parking

Heathrow Airport

has a large number of car parking options for both short and long stay, including motor bikes and bikes.

Other pages that may be of interest

Getting to and around Wessex

Best Flights to Southwest England

Gatwick International Airport

Southampton International Airport

Bournemouth International Airport

Bristol International Airport

Exeter International Airport

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Or perhaps you might like to browse some more. There are navigation buttons above on the left for your pleasure.

Enjoy