How far is the Gatwick North Long Stay Car Park?

[WalkingThePlank]

We usually use the Short Stay car park but it seems to be prohibitively expensive this year (and none of the usual discounts either) so am thinking of using the Long Stay Car Park. DH will want to use the Short Term Car Park unless I can convince him that the long stay car park is not a huge hassle.

So, how far is the car park from the terminal, how long does the bus take to arrive at the bus-stop, how long is the journey? We will be arriving there at 3.30am to start our holiday so don't know DH will be in groggy mood if we have got out of bed early only to be waiting for a bus.

Anyone with any experience?

For long-stay at Gatwick I stay the night at a nearby hotel and use the hotel's valet parking service so they take me to the terminal and then deliver my car back to Arrivals at the right time. It usually costs me £150 all in for a week at the Arora.

The long stay car park at Gatwick north is well signed & is about a 2 minute drive from the terminal. The transfer buses arrive about every 6/7 minutes.

Do make sure you note your zone (alphabetical) row (numerical) & bus stop (numerical) for your journey back - or you'll be like DH & I late one night when we'd forgotten to note what row we were in. All cars look alike in the dark!

It's easy & if you are booked in advance your entry is via number plate recognition so no faffing when you get there.

Thanks. We're busy the night before so I think a hotel is out - unless we could afford the Sofitel next door!

So Magimedi, do you think it's 10 mins from car to terminal?
My husband will be such a grump if I get this wrong!

It's very easy. we do it for every holiday now. Buses are very frequent and stop at various points around the car park and stop right outside Departures.
You need to be aware of your nearest bus stop as you will need to request the driver to stop there when you get home again. Write it down with your parking position as suggested by magi.
I think the best bit is coming home as it is so straightforward - no hanging around for taxis or trains etc. Thoroughly recommend

Allow 20 mins for the whole thing, from the time you enter the car park to getting to the terminal & you will be fine.

Have a great holiday!

Have you priced up the Premier Inn at Gatwick North, park sleep & fly option. It is valet parking but the drop off/pick up point is the short stay.
I had Family room there with a week' sparking for about £120 at Easter. The hotel itself is a bit manic but very convenient.

Have just checked out the Premier Inn. Looks like a good idea - priced midway between short and long stay with a room chucked in.

We always used the valet parking at gatwick - sky park secure I think - worked out cheaper than the long stay!

Worth a look - [http://www.skyparksecure.com/?utm_expid=1798316-11.FZOL0dWUQs6KDJJ31AJbsQ.0]

bugger link fail www.skyparksecure.com/?utm_expid=1798316-11.FZOL0dWUQs6KDJJ31AJbsQ.0

The long stay is perfectly fine. You can see the terminal from the car park. It's a short 5 min bus journey and we haven't waited more than a few minutes every time.
It's nothing like Heathrows long stay if that's what you are thinking.
The bus stop for the journey back is at the end of the concourse at arrivals - very easy to find.
You won't get anymore sleep in a busy cheap motel as you'll be waiting for that alarm to go off. And still waiting for a bus to drop you off.

We got to the car park at five to 6 and was at the terminal, through security ( no bags to check in) and at a far away Easy Jet gate at 25 past 6.

I'm not saying the Premier Inn is really...well...premier. But it is 30 secs from the terminal and if you get rid of your cases and get boarding passes the day before you can have a fairly decent breakfast at the hotel (rather than in the departure lounge) and go straight through to your gate.

Actually I remember the big Premier Inn hotel as we came out of long stay. Tripadvisor users recommend highly so I guess I'll concur and agree that it does look the better option!

Thanks everyone for your help. We're going to go for the Long Stay - which saves £60+. DH would like me to point out that I will be the grumpy one at 3.30am if the bus takes more than a few minutes. How very dare he!