Heathrow is the airport North Devon uses for long-haul, and at roughly 190 miles it is the longest of our regular airport runs — near enough four hours depending on your terminal and what time you set off.
Over a distance like this the price is settled before the day rather than discovered at the end, and one driver takes you the whole way to the terminal door. The alternative from Barnstaple is a coach, or a train to Exeter and on to Paddington with a Tube or Express leg tacked on the end; with hold luggage and a 7am check-in, that is a long night for a family.
Which terminal, and why it matters
Tell us the terminal when you book, not on the day. Heathrow's terminals are spread across a large site and are not interchangeable — arriving at 5 when you needed 3 can cost you twenty minutes on the transit at the worst possible moment.
If you only know the airline, give us that and the flight number and we will look the terminal up. Airlines do move between terminals occasionally, so we check it again close to the date rather than trusting a booking made months earlier.
Setting off: the night before, or very early
Most Heathrow departures out of North Devon mean either a pre-dawn start or an overnight drive. For a mid-morning flight we would usually be collecting you somewhere between one and three in the morning, and we would rather tell you that plainly at the time of booking than shave an hour off to make the quote sound better.
The M4 approach into Heathrow is the section that moves most. Very early it is quick; from about six onwards it is not, and the timing we suggest reflects which of those you will be driving through.
Long-haul returns and jet lag
Long-haul arrivals are where flight tracking earns its keep. An inbound from the Gulf or the States can land ninety minutes off schedule, and immigration and baggage reclaim at Heathrow can add a further hour on top of that.
We watch the actual landing and allow for the walk out through arrivals, so the car is there when you emerge rather than an hour before. After a night flight, the four-hour run home is not one to be doing at the wheel yourself.
Making the distance worth it
On a 190-mile transfer the maths changes. Splitting four or five people across two cars roughly doubles the bill, and a fortnight in a Heathrow car park is a serious sum on its own before you add fuel both ways.
One 8 seater carrying the group and the luggage is normally the cheapest way to do it, and it is certainly the least tiring. Give us passenger and bag numbers when you book — at this range there is no sending a second vehicle at short notice.
What is included
- Price fixed in advance, confirmed before the day
- Dropped at your terminal door, not a car park
- Return flights tracked, including long-haul delays
- Estates and 8 seaters for hold luggage
- Overnight and pre-dawn departures covered
