London to Brands Hatch

Any poms on here?
I’m going to Spain in July, going through Heathrow. There’s a BSB round at Brands the weekend I’m flying in, and it’d be cool to go.
What’s the best way for a tourist to get from somewhere in London to Brands?
Could rent a car but that might be a p.i.t.a.
Cheers
Barry


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I was going to say rent a car, but I didn't realize how close BH actually is to London. I have nothing of substance to add...

 

Looks like southeastern rail from Victoria Station in a little under an hour.

Back in 1998 I rented a car in Paddington and headed west to Kent, fully equipped with the A-to-Zed and wife as Director of Directions. High holy hell, between the traffic, the left side driving, and manual transmission, it was a miracle of serendipity we somehow made it out to the loop and then to the A2. I'd advise against driving, but it certainly was an experience.

 

I don't recall there being a station very close to Brands and then you'd still need to get from there to the circuit. I would say rent a car but you have to chose your route wisely, there are I believe now areas of London where you have to pay a surcharge to drive through. I would suggest staying close to Heathrow and then taking the southern loop of the M25, that way you avoid driving through London and the additional tolls for crossing the Thames. This would still prove slightly problematical as the traffic on the M25 can be a right bastard at times.

 

Rail Station is in Swanley, which looks to be about 5 km to the track.

 

As I said you've still got to get from there to the circuit, might be able to get a taxi.

 

Do they have their own version of Lyft or Uber?

 

To brands rent a car. I’ll be there for the July round and will be last minute if I could pick you up. I’ll probably be in the midlands before or after the round so go somewhat by the airport. Lots of hotels nearby that aren’t too bad cost wise.

 

Can you go through Gatwick airport? It is closer. Yea if you can rent a car it will make it easier. As others have said M25 and avoid going through London. If you are not familiar with driving on the other side of the road get an automatic and rent a GPS (Sat Nav). The way I keep it straight when driving in the UK is remember the driver (me) needs to be closest to the center of the road. If you are closer to the side of the road you are on the wrong side. When on the motorways it is not an issue, Circles (roundabouts), just follow the arrows on the road to tell you which lane to be in to exit. You will need to know where your exit is (this is where the GPS comes in).

 

Like was mentioned, if you rent a car, specifically ask for an automatic if that's what you want. Otherwise you will get a manual.

Also, the GPS isn't a bad idea, but I found that Google maps was really good for the UK. It tells you what lane you need to be in and when, which is really helpful for those times when there are back-to-back-to-back-to...... round-a-bouts. By the time you're through the second one, you're so turned around you have no idea which way is up. Obviously, you need to have a local SIM card in your phone or some other method, but it works really well.

 

Well, my niece lives in London, and I have to find out where, and I’ll likely crash with her for the weekend. She may be on the more accessible side of the city. No problem driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, used to it when I go to NZ[emoji16]
Likely to find better flights to LHR than Gatwick from MIA.
It’s a pity GP is on summer break, otherwise I’d go to that somewhere



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I can always walk 3 miles, did that at the TT a few days.


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Yeah, they call it "Uber."
They recently got into trouble with the regulators, though, and I don't know how long they will be around if they don't resolve it.

 

Not always the case, I have had good luck flying into Gatwick from MIA or MCO. Admittedly I was not trying to get a connection into Europe. That could make a difference.

 

Good thought, thanks. I can get to Barcelona from either.


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Hope you don't mind hills as there is a very long one from Swanley to the circuit entrance.

 

Plus to get the full experience of Brands Hatch you need to view it from as many different corners as you can, the full circuit is quite the walk.

Renting a car or even a bike is the way to go, BH is easily accessible from the M25. Last time i rented a car from Gatwick airport it came with a built in Navi/GPS which made a big difference.

Another thought make a post on londonbikers.com and see if you can hitch a ride.

 

They have a brilliant public transport system in the UK that will take you damn near anywhere and for relatively cheap.......screw a car. Its damn near impossible to get stranded anywhere over there.And everytime I go back,I almost get hit by a car my first day or two trying to cross the road from looking to the left first for oncoming cars Either way,good luck and have fun. We were thinking of hitting the BSB round at Knockhill 2018.

 

Gatwick is a way better option if you can, I hate lhr. They have a direct from Atl so I take that a lot, Barcelona to gatwick would be a much better option. As it gets closer pm me and you can hang out in our garage.

 

We probably have a spare scooter you could borrow as well.