using the tube from Heathrow

[misha1]

We are staying at Holiday in Kensington Forum (or something like that) and I read on trip advisor that this is within steps from a tube station...Glousteshire(sorry for sp error). My question is...does anyone know if travel on the "tube" from the airport with 5 bags of luggage is feasible and if so, is this hotel truly a hop, skip and jump from the tube station? Thank you Julie

[grannygristle]

We are staying at Holiday in Kensington Forum (or something like that) and I read on trip advisor that this is within steps from a tube station...Glousteshire(sorry for sp error). My question is...does anyone know if travel on the "tube" from the airport with 5 bags of luggage is feasible and if so, is this hotel truly a hop, skip and jump from the tube station? Thank you Julie

 

Hope this works:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=kensington+forum&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

 

That should be an aerial photo of the area with Gloucester Road tube station and the Kensington Forum both marked.

 

The journey from Heathrow to Gloucester Road is simple enough - straight on the Piccadilly line (blue) stay on until you reach GR.

 

As for the 5 pieces of luggage - that would depend on how many people were trying to carry them.

HTH

[Rickey 88]

We are staying at Holiday in Kensington Forum (or something like that) and I read on trip advisor that this is within steps from a tube station...Glousteshire(sorry for sp error). My question is...does anyone know if travel on the "tube" from the airport with 5 bags of luggage is feasible and if so, is this hotel truly a hop, skip and jump from the tube station? Thank you Julie

 

Sorry, but you can't "Hop, Skip & Jump" from the tube station with five bags of luggage!! The Holiday Inn Forum is a distance, and I can't remember if the tube station even has a lift or escalator. With something less that the number of bags you'll be burdened down with, it might be possible, but I wouldn't chance it....

[handfordr]

The Holiday inn Kensington Forum is less than 200 yards from Gloucester Road Underground Station, Its about a 40 minute ride from Heathrow.

If you can independently pull/carry your luggage you can do this trip.

The Kensington Forum is a landmark tower, so you can't miss it.

Be careful as there is another Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Kensington opposite Gloucester Road in a traditional brick building, you want the tower on the same side of the road as the Underground Station.

[Jana White]

Done it many times and very easy to do. As long as you can easily work with your 5 pieces of luggage, should not be a problem. The Picadilly line goes direct to Heathrow.

[ab1881]

my husband uses a handicapped scooter and we want to try and do this same thing next week. I know that Earls Ct is a handicapped stop is it very far then to walk to the Holiday Inn Kensington from there instead of using the Glouchester stop?

 

If anyone knows if there is an escalator and no steps to use the Glouchester stop I guess that would work too. We have had the scooter on an escalator at the mall here so I know we can do it. (without him on it of course.)

[sailingkiwi]

my husband uses a handicapped scooter and we want to try and do this same thing next week. I know that Earls Ct is a handicapped stop is it very far then to walk to the Holiday Inn Kensington from there instead of using the Glouchester stop?

 

If anyone knows if there is an escalator and no steps to use the Glouchester stop I guess that would work too. We have had the scooter on an escalator at the mall here so I know we can do it. (without him on it of course.)

 

Gloucester Road station does not have step free access to street level.

 

I am not sure about the distance from Earls Court to your hotel, but you might want to take into account that while there is a lift available at Earls Court, there could be a 4 to 8 inch gap between the platform and the train when you are getting off. Also, in two years I have never seen anyone use a scooter on the Underground.

 

Transport for London has a map (with index) that shows the accessibility details for all of the Underground stops.

 

Map - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tube-access-guide-map-0108.pdf

 

Index - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tube-access-guide-index-0108.pdf

[ab1881]

SailingKiwi,

 

thanks so much for the index link, I hadn't seen that one yet and it will be very helpful.

[kruzseeka]

I'm not an experienced traveller on the Underground - but just a thought: I would think you would have to avoid rush-hours at all costs with quite a lot of luggage. Perhaps seasoned travellers will be able to tell you when it's likely to have quietened down after the morning rush.

[Growler]

We are staying at Holiday in Kensington Forum (or something like that) and I read on trip advisor that this is within steps from a tube station...Glousteshire(sorry for sp error). My question is...does anyone know if travel on the "tube" from the airport with 5 bags of luggage is feasible and if so, is this hotel truly a hop, skip and jump from the tube station? Thank you Julie

 

Gloucester Road tube station would appear to be about 300 yards from the Hotel's front entrance, so no problems there. Depending on what time of day you need to travel will dictate whether the tube is viable or not. It certainly won't be during 'rush hours' ie before 9:30am,or 4pm - 7pm, but probably ok outside of those times *IF* you can lug your bags down to the platform and back up again. I wouldn't even try it tbh. If there are six people in your party to carry the 5 bags though, it might be different!;)

 

I don't know enough about Gloucester Road tube station to know whether it has easy access or lifts (some stations do, some don't), and also, depending on which terminal you need to get to will determine the length of 'walk' you'll have once alighting at H'row.

 

HTH

 

Tim

[Globaliser]

My question is...does anyone know if travel on the "tube" from the airport with 5 bags of luggage is feasible and if so, is this hotel truly a hop, skip and jump from the tube station?

My usual advice for travelling on the Tube with luggage:-

• You must be able to move all your baggage in one go, without having to shuttle backwards and forwards because you have more bags than usable hands.
• You must be able to lift and carry all your luggage by yourself, ie it mustn't be too heavy for that.
• You must be able to carry it on the level for several tens of yards in one go.
• You must be able to carry it up and down stairs equivalent to one storey in one go before having to rest.
• And of course there are many stations where you must use an escalator, so you have to be able to control your luggage on the escalator while it's carrying you up or down.

If you can't do all this, the Tube is really not for you.

my husband uses a handicapped scooter and we want to try and do this same thing next week.

With the way that the Tube is set up, I'm sorry to say that a handicapped scooter is, in truth, really incompatible with using the Tube. You'll really have to find some other way of doing this.

[misha1]

Thank you all for the good information. I would say that the tube, although nicely located, is not for baggage loaded travelers. Can anyone tell me what amount of time and average fare we can expect to and from this locale using the taxi?

[rsquare]

I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Forum many times, dating back to when it was an Intercontinental. It is a well-run hotel with a great location.

 

If you are coming in from Heathrow on the Piccadilly Line (blue line on the map, but no one will call it that), there are two lifts (elevators) which take you right up to street level. The station is also a stop on the District Line (green) and the Circle Line (yellow), but these will require using stairs from the platform to the street level.

 

Piccadilly line cars have an enlarged open area surrounding the doors which is intended for travellers' luggage. As a paranoid American, I always worry about somone snatching a bag as the doors open at an intermediate station, so I make sure that I sit in a seat where I can keep a hand on my bag. Perhaps one of the UK CCers can tell us if this ever actually happens.

[handfordr]

Thank you all for the good information. I would say that the tube, although nicely located, is not for baggage loaded travelers. Can anyone tell me what amount of time and average fare we can expect to and from this locale using the taxi?

 

A black taxi from the rank at Heathrow should be about 45 GBP ($US90) to Gloucester Road.

A prebooked taxi from someone like Airport Cars should be less than 40 GBP.

 

The journey is about 30-40 minutes in a taxi.

[misha1]

Do you prebook these airport cars on line?

[NancyIL]

We took the Tube from Heathrow to Holborn (I think) with our luggage in 2005. There was no escalator when we got off the train, so we had to drag the suitcases up the stairs to street level. THAT part wasn't fun. The walk to our hotel from there (Renaissance Chancery Court) wasn't far.

[datamood]

Here's a link to an online bookable taxi transfer with reasonable prices http://www.airportdirect.org/quoteresult.php Falling back down a Tube escalator carrying 5 suitcases could be much more expensive!

[datamood]

Sorry, It should be just http://www.airportdirect.org

[boards]

We just returned recently from London, UK and had alot of fun experiencing the tube. We witnessed a number of people travelling with luggage up excalators and without exception they needed someone to help and they only had two pieces of luggage. It would be not easy task to pulling five pieces of luggage on the "tube system". There are escalators to go on and steps to climb, we would not personally recommend doing it.

[handfordr]

Do you prebook these airport cars on line?

 

2 of the more reliable prebook taxi companies at Heathrow are Simply Airports and Just Airports

 

http://www.simplyairports.co.uk/index_1.htm

 

http://www.justairports.com/

[ab1881]

Rsquare

 

which stop did you get off at on the picadilly (blue line) with the two lifts to get to the Holiday Inn Forum?

 

thanks in advance

 

Annette

[Globaliser]

It's Gloucester Road station.

[ab1881]

On the map it doesn't show Gloucster Rd as having a lift. Earls ct stop does though, I'm not sure which one to use because we have to have a lift from Heathrow.

[Globaliser]

On the map it doesn't show Gloucster Rd as having a lift. Earls ct stop does though, I'm not sure which one to use because we have to have a lift from Heathrow.

The map doesn't show Gloucester Road station as having step-free access from street to Piccadilly Line platform level, which I believe it doesn't. (This - rather than Earls Court - must be the station that rsquare is referring to, because of the reference to the Circle Line, which does not stop at Earls Court.) But the majority of the level change is done by lift, in contrast to access to the District and Circle Lines.

 

The TfL website says:-

 

Gloucester Road

Entrance to Booking Hall: Level or 1 step up

 

Booking Hall to Platforms:

 

Circle and Eastbound District: 12, 12, 12 stairs down

 

Westbound District: 17, 12, 11 stairs down

 

Piccadilly: Lift (or 19 stairs down, 4 x 17 spiral stairs down), subway, 12, 15 stairs down

If you genuinely need completely step-free access, you'll need a different station. Earls Court to the Forum is a cab ride; it's far too far to walk with luggage.

[ab1881]

Thanks for the info Globaliser

 

If we get off at Earls Ct can we catch a cab there easily?