Donington Park Transfers – Fixed Price Quote, Book Online 24/7
Donington is one of the great British circuits, running downhill through parkland at Craner Curves in a way no modern track would be allowed to. For one week each summer the same site becomes the Download festival, and the two bookings could hardly be less alike.
Same site A race meeting and a festival at the same postcode. One is a day out with a fixed finish and a car park; the other is a camping weekend with a completely different drop-off arrangement. Say which when you book.
Two kinds of booking
Race meeting or Download?
Same address, entirely different job, and the busiest week of the year is the festival.
- RACE MEETING
Most weekends, spring to autumn
BSB, BTCC, historics and club racing. A day out with a set finish and a normal exit. - DOWNLOAD
June, one week
A camping festival with tens of thousands on site. We drop and collect days later. - THE CIRCUIT ITSELF
Parkland, undulating
Craner Curves runs downhill through trees. One of the best sequences in British motorsport. - EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT
Immediately adjacent
Which shapes the approach roads, and occasionally the noise.
Kent to Leicestershire
Round the M25 and up the M1, a familiar northern run.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 148 miles | 2h 50m – 3h 30m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 151 miles | 2h 55m – 3h 35m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 154 miles | 3h – 3h 40m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 159 miles | 3h 5m – 3h 45m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 164 miles | 3h 10m – 3h 50m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 169 miles | 3h 15m – 3h 55m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 193 miles | 3h 40m – 4h 25m |
A race day at Donington
Circuit meetings are among the easiest large sporting events to attend, and Donington is a good example.
| Element | Note |
|---|---|
| Gates open early | Support races and paddock access run from the morning |
| Paddock passes | Common at British meetings, and worth having. Allow extra time |
| Finish is predictable | Usually mid to late afternoon, so a set collection works |
| The exit | Manageable. Nothing like Silverstone on Grand Prix day |
| We collect on the approach road | Ten minutes' walk, and moving within minutes |
Race day or festival
A circuit day is an easy booking
This is worth saying because motorsport has a reputation built almost entirely on Silverstone in July. An ordinary Donington meeting draws a fraction of that crowd, has a predictable finish in the afternoon, and clears in twenty minutes. We collect on the approach road, you are moving quickly, and the whole day is considerably less of an exercise than a Premier League away fixture.
Download is the opposite
Tens of thousands camping for a long weekend, a controlled drop-off arrangement well away from the arena, and a collection days later once the site clears. It is one of the busiest weeks in our calendar and it needs booking months ahead. If Download is what you mean, our festival page for it covers the specifics.
Bring things for the weather
Donington is parkland and much of the viewing is from banking and grass rather than covered grandstands. A British race meeting in April or October can be genuinely cold, and a wet one leaves you with muddy gear at the end of the day. Bag it before it goes in the vehicle and everyone stays happier.
Three hours makes it a day return
At around a hundred and fifty-five miles this sits alongside Trent Bridge and Edgbaston as a comfortable single-day trip. Leave early, watch the racing, home by nine. There is no need for a hotel for an ordinary meeting, which is not true of Oulton Park or Cadwell.
Donington Park from London, the airports and cities, 20 to 200 miles
Fixed fares both ways with the return on the same page: all routes to Donington Park.
Donington Park questions
Is Donington the same site as Download?
Yes. Donington Park hosts race meetings for most of the year and becomes the Download festival site for one week each June. They are completely different bookings, so say which you mean.
How far is Donington from Kent?
Around a hundred and fifty to a hundred and ninety-five miles, roughly three to four and a half hours each way on the M25 and M1.
Is a race day hard to get out of?
No. An ordinary meeting clears in about twenty minutes, which is nothing like Silverstone on Grand Prix day. We collect on the approach road and you are moving quickly.
Can we do it as a day return?
Comfortably, for a race meeting. Leave early, watch the racing and be home by around nine. No hotel needed.
What should we bring?
Warm and waterproof clothing. Much of the viewing is from banking and grass rather than covered stands, and a British meeting in April or October can be very cold.
What about muddy gear afterwards?
Bag it before it goes in the vehicle. There is usually a cleaning charge if a vehicle needs proper attention, and bags almost always avoid it.
How far ahead should we book for Download?
Months. It is one of the busiest weeks in our calendar and the drop-off and collection arrangements need planning.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel and unaffected by motorway delays.
Motorsport and East Midlands
Circuits and festival sites.
- Download Festival
- Silverstone British Grand Prix
- Brands Hatch
- Oulton Park
- Cadwell Park
- Trent Bridge
- City Ground, Nottingham Forest
- Speedway meetings
Travel guides
Closest airport to Donington Park
East Midlands Airport is the closest airport to Donington Park, roughly 2 road miles and about 15 minutes by car outside the peaks. For most scheduled international flights the best airport for Donington Park is Birmingham Airport, about 38 miles and 76 minutes away, with far more routes and airlines; Manchester Airport is the next option at around 65 miles.
| Airport | Road distance | Drive time | Fixed-fare taxi |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Airport (EMA) | 2 miles | about 15 min | Get fixed fare · EMA transfers |
| Birmingham Airport (BHX) | 38 miles | about 76 min | Get fixed fare · BHX transfers |
| Manchester Airport (MAN) | 65 miles | about 122 min | Get fixed fare · MAN transfers |
| Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) | 88 miles | about 161 min | Get fixed fare · LPL transfers |
| Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) | 91 miles | about 166 min | Get fixed fare · LBA transfers |
Best airport for Donington Park: which one to fly into
Distance is only half the answer. Pick the airport with the right flight, then let us handle the road: every Rushxo airport taxi to Donington Park is a fixed fare agreed before you book, the driver tracks your flight and meets you in arrivals with a name board, and waiting time for a late landing is built in. Popular searches: taxi from East Midlands Airport to Donington Park, taxi from Birmingham Airport to Donington Park, taxi from Manchester Airport to Donington Park.
Airport taxi to Donington Park: how it works
- Fixed price per car, not per person, saloon to V Class minibus
- Meet and greet in arrivals, live traffic routing, name board
- Drop-off and pickup charges included in the fare
- Child seats and wheelchair-accessible vehicles on request
- Return to the airport after the event at the same fixed price
- 24/7, pre-booked, TfL and council licensed drivers
Local know-how: Donington Park
- Nearest National Rail station: East Midlands Parkway, about 5.1 miles from the centre.
- Closest London airports to Donington Park in a straight line: Luton (78 miles), Stansted (94 miles), Heathrow (102 miles).
- Central London (Charing Cross) is 105 miles south-east of Donington Park as the crow flies.
Straight-line distances calculated from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) and DfT NaPTAN station locations (Open Government Licence v3.0).
Race meeting or festival?
Which event, which date, and head count. The two need completely different plans.