Time to kill in LGW

[5711N0205W]

Next Sunday I will arrive at LGW at 12:15 and have an onward flight departing at 21:30 both at Gatwick North.

I have no great desire to head into London and I'm not mad keen on spending all that time availing myself of the myriad of opportunities presented by the British Shopping Authority.

Is there anything to see/do in the area that's easily accessible? All suggestions are welcome.

[apaddyinuk]

Hello there,
Well you have a few options! You can go into Creepy Crawley which is just two stops or so on the train from LGW South Terminal. Theres a pretty decent mall there called County Mall with the usual run of the mill high street stores.

OR

You could take the train down to Brighton which I think takes about 30 minutes. Brightons a nice seaside town with loads of little streets with shops and cafes/restaurants and a good way to waste the day away! You can also go celebraty spotting as a few rather high profile people live down there....mind you I lived in Hove for 6 months and didnt see a single celeb!!!

Other then that I cant really think of much else ALTHOUGH, I have noticed on approach and climbout from LGW that there seems to be some sort of aircraft musuem in a field nearby, I never actually checked it out but Im sure if you ask around at the airport (or maybe someone here will enlighten us) you may find something out about it!

The North Terminal is nice ( a lot more pleasant than the South and indeed any of the LHR terminals) but the South has a better selection of landside shops and dining facilities. UNFORTUNATELY the viewing gallery which I must admit was one of the best of any airport is now closed and I have not heard if they intend on reopening it!

Enjoy your stay at Sussex International!!!

[5711N0205W]

apaddyinuk, thanks for those suggestions, I have never been to Brighton so that could be a good option. An aircraft museum would also be an interesting diversion, will have to do some research.

[diesel36]

yes train to brighton is 30 mins.. good suggestion. really nice place. loads to look at nice place to look around.. trains about £8.00 return..

[PaperTiger]

The aircraft in the field by LGW are more of a collection than a museum. It's not open to the public - something to do with planning permission, H&S or similar red tape IIRC.

Not too far away is the Bluebell Railway, but you'd need to rent a car.

[Biggles Flies Undone]

The museum (http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/) is mostly PPR - details are on the web site - but it's a bit of a taxi ride away.

I agree 100% that Brighton is the best option - plenty of fast trains and you can walk everywhere from the station. Go downhill to the sea front and check out the walk along the beach under the esplanade. The Gemini Beach Bar has a live jam session on Sunday afternoons which are brill - especially sitting out in the sun with waitress service :ok: Then have a walk along the pier and walk back to the station via the Lanes (any local will point you in the right direction). Have fun!

[wanderin_star]

May seem long time to wait but be careful going anywhere on train. Combination of our railways and possible security alerts - allow plenty time to get back to airport. Getting to airports on public transport I find biggest bugbear of travelling nowadays.

[Hotel Mode]

Theres engineering work between Haywards heath and Brighton so its a bus, i'd go north to London its only a few mins longer and no bus! Change at london bridge and stay on same platform to Waterloo and go on London Eye/Tate modern. Total journey time shouldn't be more than 45 mins.

Dont panic about the trains, they are as reliable as anywhere else in europe. Havent ever had a significant (>30 mins) delay on the Brighton line,there are 2 operators and it tends to be one or the other with delays rarely both as they go to different london terminals. Many alternative routes to somewhere where a taxi wont cost a small fortune.

[5711N0205W]

Thanks all, I'm sure I'll manage to find something to keep myself gainfully occupied from your suggestions.

[Biggles Flies Undone]

Where did you see that, Hotel Mode? This from the National Rail site:

Train services between Brighton and Hastings are replaced by road transport between Brighton and Lewes. Trains between London Victoria and Bognor Regis will call additionally at Selhurst in both directions and will terminate at / start from Three Bridges.
Services between London Victoria and Horsham will call additionally at Selhurst in both directions and will terminate at/start from Three Bridges.
Services between London Victoria and Portsmouth Harbour / Littlehampton via Hove will call additionally at Three Bridges.
Additional train services will operate between Horsham and Bognor Regis.
Road replacement services will operate every thirty minutes between Three Bridges and Horsham calling at Crawley, Ifield and Littlehaven to connect with the additional services from Horsham to Bognor Regis.

Didn't see anything about LGW/Brighton section. Wx looking good for the weekend.....

[Hotel Mode]

Its really badly written but if you look at the map it shows the Preston Park to Brighton section closed. Southern just show the map on their site, but Thameslink have a full special timetable showing buses from Haywards Heath to Brighton all day.