If you were travelling from Yorkshire to Gatwick..

[loves2plan]

Would you drive and pay to park (circa £85 for parking plus fuel ~£90) or get the train into Kings Cross then from St Pancras to Gatwick (circa £100 for two people return)?

Heading to Mauritius at the end of June and trying to decide what the best option to get there would be! On a good day without traffic or stops it would take around 4.5 hours to get to Gatwick by car and about 3.5 by train (total travelling time, not including the walk between stations or waiting for the train out of St Pancras).

Should also note I will be 26-27 weeks pregnant when we go.

Thanks in advance!

100% train(s)

I am definitely leaning towards trains but I think there are worries either way! Cancelled trains, bad traffic.. argh 😂

Car, too many cancellations and delays on trains. Ok if you don’t have a strict deadline the other end.
What time is your flight? Might go trains if it was a late flight and plan to be a few hours early, mooching around Gatwick

@loves2plan

I am definitely leaning towards trains but I think there are worries either way! Cancelled trains, bad traffic.. argh 😂

Well this is certainly true.

I think if the airport was north side of London I'd be more inclined to drive it. Luton, for example. But having to swing round London and assuming you'd be driving down the M1, it's quite a big loop could add hours if the M25 is gnarly (which it almost always is).

Plus aren't Gatwick charging silly money for parking these days?

@Catcrazy83 that's the thing - our flight is 7:30pm so was looking at getting the train to London around 10:45am, gets in in good time for lunch at Kings Cross then the train up to Gatwick would get us there around 3:15pm if everything went to plan so still lots of time to get checked in and mooch without stressing. Coming home flight gets in at 6:30am and it's an open ticket from Gatwick>St Pancras then the train home would leave Kings Cross at 11am so plenty of time again

@NightmareSlashDelightful exactly! I can't believe the prices for parking, £85 is the most reasonable I've found which isn't too bad but it's one with a 10 min transfer to the airport which I always find to be a bit of a mess around

Train! We drove last time we went from Gatwick and the drive back was hell as my husband was so tired.
If you can sleep on a flight it might be ok, but it's a risk.

Several nice places for lunch around KGX and St Pancras too.

I would travel on the train, and stay at the airport the night before.

Train. Definitely with those flight times.

I'm also looking at Mauritius for the summer holidays and would be a later flight, i'll be going down the night before and staying in a hotel, i know it adds to the cost but it takes away some worry and you can have a lazy morning in London, they'll likely store your bag at the hotel so you can go get lunch too.

Train no question

We do that journey frequently and train it every time.

Train definitely

Assuming you’re spending £1500+ on the holiday, to quibble about a small difference in cost between car and train is daft imho.

Rather than the journey out when you’re fresh and excited, think of the return journey and how you’ll be when you land at LGW.
On the return flight are you able to sleep?
If not I’d be getting the train back rather than drive.

Train, no way you want that drive when you land back home

I would go by train and possibly stay overnight in London to break the trip on the way back.

We had to drive Gatwick to Yorkshire after flying back from the US once and the journey was a killer even though there were two of us sharing the driving.

Train 100%. You can easily change at Kings Cross/St Pancras.

I'm thinking about the bags and the faff of pushing them through the stations, leaving them in left luggage while you go for lunch etc. But equally the horribleness of a long drive after a very long flight.
Trains stop. M25 can get blocked but you can get off and wiggle if you're watching your phone
Have you looked into airport taxi? Or one way car hire? And train back? Or hotel and parking and sink into a bed for a few hours at the end of the Hol rather than the night before you go?

With those flight timings definitely the train. LNER is pretty reliable

Train. If you're pregnant you'll be able to get up and walk around, or go to the loo whenever you want to. You wouldn't be able to do that in a car. And the last thing you need is to get stuck on the motorway in a jam for hours.

Have you booked yet? I'd fly from my regional airport to Frankfurt with Lufthansa, then direct to Mauritius from there.
If already booked, I'd train it.

M25 is usually hideous regardless of time/day. I’d go by train.

I’d drive up the day before and stay in one of those off-airport hotels that do cheaper parking and a shuttle to the airport.

[quote loves2plan]@Catcrazy83 that's the thing - our flight is 7:30pm so was looking at getting the train to London around 10:45am, gets in in good time for lunch at Kings Cross then the train up to Gatwick would get us there around 3:15pm if everything went to plan so still lots of time to get checked in and mooch without stressing. Coming home flight gets in at 6:30am and it's an open ticket from Gatwick>St Pancras then the train home would leave Kings Cross at 11am so plenty of time again [/quote]
Definitely the train! You can relax/ snooze, have a break for lunch.

Kings Cross to St Pancras is less walking then you'll be doing at the airport, and there is plenty of restaurant choice nearby. Consider it an extension of your holiday.