Guided holidays : Single centre guided walking holidays
Guided Walking Holiday Travel Information
Nearest or recommended International Airports for guided tours.
| London | Cornwall, South Devon Coast, Cotswolds, South Downs, River Thames, Derbyshire Dales |
| Exeter | Cornwall, South Devon Coast |
| Manchester | Lake District, Yorkshire Dales |
Although we have mentioned the most convenient airport against each destination one of the London airports could be used as the port of entry for any of the tours, so the journey time from London to the closest railway station for all tours have been included in the list of typical journey times.
The journey times quoted are for a typical train journey between the station nearest to the airport (central London in the case of Heathrow or Gatwick Airports) and the station closest to the hotel. Where there is a change of train en route waiting times may vary so allowance should be made for this when planning your journey.
National Rail Enquiries have an excellent website with interactive timetable information.
Travel between various international airports and their nearest mainline railway station
Heathrow Airport
Guests travelling to destinations other than those detailed below will have to go into central London before embarking on the next leg of their journey. The Heathrow Express is a direct rail link Heathrow Central station and London Paddington railway station. Trains run every 15 minutes and the journey time ranges from 15 minutes for Terminals 1, 2 and 3, to 30 minutes for Terminal 4 and 5.
Guests travelling directly from Heathrow Airport to Cornwall, Exmoor, South Devon and the Cotswolds need not go into the centre of London. Instead they can take the Rail-Air Link bus from Heathrow Airport to Reading to intersect with the train travelling westwards out of London. The service departs every 30 minutes (every 20 minutes at peak times of day) and the journey time (from the furthest terminal) is 55 minutes.
Gatwick Airport
There is a railway station right in the heart of the airport complex and the Gatwick Express to London Victoria departs every 15 minutes. The journey takes 30 minutes (35 minutes on a Sunday).
Other Airports
Manchester Airport has its own mainline railway station. From Bristol Airport there is a bus link to Bristol, Temple Meads Railway Station, journey time 30 minutes.
Guided Walking Holidays: typical rail journey times
The journey times quoted on this page are for a typical train journey between the mainline railway station nearest to the recommended airport (central London stations in the case of Heathrow or Gatwick Airports) and the mainline railway station closest to the hotel at which the tour is based. Where there is a change of train en route waiting times may vary so allowance should be made for this when planning your journey.
Although we have mentioned the recommended airport(s) against each destination one of the London airports could be used as the port of entry for any of the tours, so the journey time from London to the closest railway station has also been listed.
| TOUR | NEAREST RAILWAY STATION | APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIME | ONWARD TRAVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Cornwall | Bodmin Parkway | 4 hours from London, 1 hours 45 mins from Exeter | Bus or taxi |
| South Devon Coast | Totnes | 3 hours 15 mins from London, or 45 mins from Exeter | Bus or taxi |
| South Downs | Berwick (Sussex) | 1 hour 30 mins from London | Taxi |
| River Thames | Didcot Parkway | 50 mins from London | Bus or taxi |
| Cotswolds | Moreton-in-Marsh | 1 hour 35 mins from London | Taxi |
| Derbyshire Dales | Derby | 1 hour 45 mins from London | Bus and/or Taxi |
| Yorkshire Dales | Garsdale Head | 4 hours 30 mins from London, 3 hours 15 mins from Manchester | Bus or taxi |
| Lake District | Windermere | 4 hours from London, 2 hours from Manchester Airport | Bus or taxi |
If you would like further advice on travel within the UK we are always willing to help, so please do contact us.
Specific train times are always sent with final joining details but can be made available earlier on request. The rail timetable for trains in Great Britain are rolled out online three months prior to date of travel, although the rail companies do reserve the right to make further changes after than point, particularly if engineering works become necessary.
National Rail Enquiries have an excellent website with interactive timetable information.
Travel Information Quick Links
National Rail Enquiries for British train times and other rail-related information http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
London Heathrow Airport http://www.heathrowairport.com
London Gatwick Airport http://www.gatwickairport.com
Manchester Airport http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk
Rail-Air Link timetables and information on coach transfer from Heathrow Airport to Reading railway station, for travel to the south West of England. http://www.railair.com
Heathrow Express for travel from the airport into central London https://www.heathrowexpress.com
Gatwick Express for travel from the airport into central London https://www.gatwickexpress.com
National Express for cross-country coach travel http://www.nationalexpress.com
Online journey planner; particularly good for information on local bus services between railway stations and tour locations http://www.transportdirect.info
The Automobile Association (The AA) for lots of information on British roads and travel/route planning, including mileage calculator http://www.theaa.com
Google Map http://maps.google.co.uk
Interactive currency convertor http://www.footpath-holidays.co.uk/converter.html