Travel Questions

[vogelmann4]

I was told by my boss today that there is a very good chance I will be heading to Sweden (along with some other guys) in mid September. I looked at the schedule and saw that I might be in the area for the LMS race at Silverstone. My question is this, how far from London or another international airport is the track and would it be feasible to travel from the US to England Saturday spend the night and drive up to Silverstone watch the race and then return to the airport and travel to Sweden?

I haven't thought of cost but this might be a once in a lifetime chance, so I am willing to do long hours etc.

Anyone have comments or suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[AstonGeoff]

Silverstone is only a couple of hours at most from Heathrow, it would be easy to fly into Heathrow, rent a car, drive to the circuit, stay in Oxford or Northampton area Saturday night, then back to Heathrow for a late night Sunday flight out (if there is one). It's all a matter of available time and cost! If you can do it you should!

[vogelmann4]

it appears (for now) that the trip has been moved up a week. So now I can fly from Denmark on Friday or Sat. hang out in london on Sat. and then drive up to the track for Sunday and then fly out either Sunday or Monday.

Can anyone give me a hotel and car rental suggestion? Also, i'd like to rent a "proper european car" that I can't get here in the states.

[Sarthe82]

All depends on the budget but there are an enormous amount of hotels within ten minutes drive of Heathrow, have a look here.....http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...e-results&cd=1

As said, Silverstone is very easy to access, M4, M25, M40 and then A43 right to the circuit. Hire car wise, easy to arrange online via the usual Hertz, Avis, Europcar etc, likely you'll get a Mondeo, Vectra or 407 as a midsize car, all of them comfy and servicable enough. Hope thats helpful, feel free to ask away.

[Truckosaurus]

Europcar are part of the Volkswagen empire so are likely to have something that tickles your fancy.

If you're coming into the UK from Denmark then you might be arriving at one of the other London airports rather than Heathrow which adds another layer of complexity if you have to return from LHR. (That said, Luton airport is fairly close to Silverstone).

As for hotels, I wouldn't reccomend staying around Heathrow unless you have to. Either stay in Central London so you can see the sights (downside: £££) or get something more reasonable out towards the circuit (Premier Inn at the Green Man perhaps, downside: it's a chain pub and in the middle of knowhere)

Edit to add: the one peculiarity of British hire car companies is that they don't carry many automatic transmissioned cars, especially at non-airport locations. What autos they do carry are either the smallest class of car or the largest, and often the small cars are out of stock leading to a nice free upgrade.

[vogelmann4]

Thank you all for your help. The flights I had been looking at were to and from Gatwick, which was the only London airport I knew of, and even that was by name. I don't have a preference on which airport, just the cheapest and or easiest to use.

As for the hotel, I'd like to keep that cost down. Something similar to a Super 8 or Holiday Inn here in the states. Nothing fancy, I don't plan on being there much.

The transmission of the car is no problem, i'd actually perfer a manual. I will have to do some research.

[minimangler]

Originally Posted by vogelmann4

Thank you all for your help. The flights I had been looking at were to and from Gatwick, which was the only London airport I knew of, and even that was by name. I don't have a preference on which airport, just the cheapest and or easiest to use.

As for the hotel, I'd like to keep that cost down. Something similar to a Super 8 or Holiday Inn here in the states. Nothing fancy, I don't plan on being there much.

The transmission of the car is no problem, i'd actually perfer a manual. I will have to do some research.

Try Holiday Inn, or Premier Inn.

[sceptic]

There are Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Ramada Encore and Hilton hotels in Milton Keynes, which is around 20-25 minutes by car from Silverstone.

...And just outside MK are Express by HI, Comfort Inn, Best Western.

Alternatively, a similar distance to the NE of Silverstone is Northampton, which has Hilton, Best Western, Ibis, Quality Hotel, three Holiday Inns, an Express by HI, a Comfort Inn and a Marriott.

[Aslak Vind]

As long as you travel by SAS or British Airways from Copenhagen, you will land in Heathrow. Any other carrier and you will end up in the middle of nowhere

Enjoy!

[vogelmann4]

One thing I thought of will I have any trouble renting a room or a car. I'm 22 and I know some services in the US make you pay an extra fee.

[SL]

Most of the big hire car companies have online sites and operate in the USA and UK. Probably best to check them, you may have to pay a surcharge.

Gatwick is the southern most of the 4 London airports, allow about 2-3 hours to get to Silverstone from there although it is almost all motorway (M23/M25/M40)

There is a choice of hotels in the Gatwick area or maybe get somewhere on-route. What airline are you travelling with to Denmark? Where are you flying from in the States?

[vogelmann4]

I will most likely be flying out of DC (Dulles). I do not know the airlines yet. We will be heading to Copenhagen and then driving and ferrying over to Sweden. I work for North American Hoganas and a group of us will be heading to our parent company in Sweden to look into adding an additional furnace. We will probably be in Sweden Sunday-Friday. Then I was planning on heading to England while the married guys fly home.

All of this is still in the planning stages as most of our Swedish friends are still on holiday, and we are busy in the US upgrading a similar furnace. I should know more by the end of the week.

[Aslak Vind]

Originally Posted by vogelmann4

I will most likely be flying out of DC (Dulles). I do not know the airlines yet. We will be heading to Copenhagen and then driving and ferrying over to Sweden. I work for North American Hoganas and a group of us will be heading to our parent company in Sweden to look into adding an additional furnace. We will probably be in Sweden Sunday-Friday. Then I was planning on heading to England while the married guys fly home.

All of this is still in the planning stages as most of our Swedish friends are still on holiday, and we are busy in the US upgrading a similar furnace. I should know more by the end of the week.

Might as well take the bridge from Copenhagen to Malmoe, instead of the ferry?

[vogelmann4]

I have heard people mention both methods. Having never been there I can only go on what others have told me.

[Mal]

Looking at where Aslak is from I would take his advice. Gatwick is certainly the worst of the London Airports to get to Silverstone from. In fact the best would be Luton but there may not be any flights to there next would be Heathrow. However Birmingham may be better if there is a flight.

[CarolK]

Originally Posted by Mal

Looking at where Aslak is from I would take his advice. Gatwick is certainly the worst of the London Airports to get to Silverstone from. In fact the best would be Luton but there may not be any flights to there next would be Heathrow. However Birmingham may be better if there is a flight.

You can fly from CPH to BHX for as low as 182 USD and not affected by the London mess. The Birmingham airport is very easy to use. You can fly from BHX back to IAD for 673 USD one way via Dublin. FYI, the Birmingham airport is about 60 +/- miles from Silverstone. We're staying in Daventry - too bad, we had a second reservation at another location not as close to the circuit that I recently cancelled.