Arriving by plane

If you decide to come by airplane, and you have a choice for which airport to arrive / depart from, the best choice is Gatwick Airport. Not only is it closest to our home, it is also well serviced by train, and it takes (on average) only half an hour to reach our house from the airport.

Gatwick

Gatwick (i.e. the South Terminal) has a railway station directly attached to it, so finding the train is easy. Before you enter the station there are ticket offices where you can buy a ticket to Norwood Junction. Above the entrance to the station is a large board on which the next departing trains are indicated. There are trains that go directly to Norwood Junction, but if that takes too long, you can also take the first train to East Croydon (there are 9 trains an hour to that station), and change there for a train to Norwood Junction.

You could also take a taxi from East Croydon to our place.

Stansted

From Stanstead you can take a train, the Stansted Express into Liverpool Street Station, a 45 minute ride. Trains depart from the ground level at the airport (Arrivals is on the first floor), and there are lifts to bring you down. Walk to the right, and get on the train.

You can buy a ticket at the ticket office, but it is a better idea, especially if you fly with Ryaniar, to buy a ticket on the plane.

It is also possible to take a bus into Victoria Station; depending on the hour of the day, the trip can well take two hours.

Luton

Close to Luton Airport there is Luton Parkway, the railway station, and a shuttle bus runs every so many minutes (10?) to bring you to and fro. From that station, at least twice an hour, there are direct trains in to London, that continue onto Brighton. The train stops at a number of stations, including London Bridge, but the best stop to reach us is East Croydon.

Heathrow

From Heathrow the connection is good, although it can take up to 2 hours before you reach our home. If you arrive before 9:30 am, your cheapest option is to buy a six-zone single for the trip from Heathrow to Victoria Station, and then a train ticket at Victoria to travel to Norwood Junction; if you plan to get on the tube after 9:30, you're better of with a six zone travelcard, that gives you access to all means of transport. An easy to follow route is to take

  1. First the Piccadilly Line to South Kensington.
  2. Change for the Circle Line or District Line towards the East, and get off at Victoria Station.
It is easy to follow, but requiers quite a lot of walking and is not a pleasure with heavy suitcases.

Better would be to take a bus towards Croydon. It leaves from the Bus Terminal close to Terminal 2 (there is a free bus from Terminal 4 to the other Terminals at Heathrow Airport), and has a stop at the East Croydon Station. It is cheap, and, in the evenings, very fast. You can take a taxi from East Croydon to our place, or take the train to Norwood Junction.

You could also get a taxi from the airport to our home, but that is expensive.