Whitton Road · Twickenham · London TW2 7BA
Twickenham transfers, for a crowd that starts early and stays late
Rugby internationals are all-day events. Gates open hours before kick-off, the car parks turn into picnics, and eighty-two thousand people eventually converge on a suburban station that was never designed for them. This is a coach job, and it always has been.
Into a residential corner of south-west London served by one railway line with modest capacity. The gap between the size of the crowd and the size of the infrastructure is wider here than at any stadium we cover.
Why Twickenham runs on a different clock
Turning up an hour before kick-off is a football habit. At Twickenham it means missing most of the day, and it explains why the transport works the way it does.
Gates hours ahead
The car parks open long before kick-off and become the event in their own right. Picnics, hampers, folding tables and a great deal of hospitality happen before anyone sits down.
A tradition, not a car park
Twickenham's pre-match culture is genuinely unusual in British sport. If your group is part of it, the vehicle needs to carry the kit as well as the people.
The pinch point
Twickenham station handles a fraction of the crowd comfortably and the rest with a lengthy queuing system. After a Six Nations Saturday, that queue is the defining memory for a lot of people.
Assumed, not incidental
Nobody plans to drive to a rugby international and nobody should. It is the clearest case for a booked vehicle anywhere in the sporting calendar.
The Twickenham year
The stadium's calendar is concentrated into a few periods, and those dates book out our larger vehicles faster than anything else we run. Six Nations Saturdays in particular go months ahead.
| Fixture type | When | Kick-off | Booking note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six Nations internationals | February to March | Afternoon or early evening | Our single busiest set of dates. Coaches go months in advance. |
| Autumn internationals | November | Afternoon | Cold, dark by the finish, and a strong case for a warm vehicle waiting. |
| Premiership and cup finals | May to June | Afternoon | Club crowds, big travelling parties, a lot of kit. |
| Varsity and schools finals | Varies | Daytime | School and college groups. We run these with the appropriate vehicles and checks. |
| Concerts and non-rugby events | Summer | Evening | Different crowd entirely, and a later, faster exit. |
| Hospitality and corporate days | Match dates | Varies | Collection timed to your package rather than the whistle. Invoiced on account. |
The long way round from Kent
There is no polite way to put this: Twickenham is the furthest big venue from our patch, sitting on the opposite side of London. The M25 clockwise is usually the answer, occasionally the South Circular is quicker, and the driver decides on the day.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Matchday journey | Leave by for a 3pm kick-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 48 miles | 90–125 min | 11:00am |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 42 miles | 85–115 min | 11:15am |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 30 miles | 70–100 min | 11:30am |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 29 miles | 70–100 min | 11:30am |
| Bromley & Orpington | 26 miles | 65–95 min | 11:40am |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 38 miles | 75–105 min | 11:15am |
| Rochester, Chatham & Gillingham | 57 miles | 100–135 min | 10:30am |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 56 miles | 100–135 min | 10:30am |
| Sittingbourne & Faversham | 66 miles | 110–145 min | 10:15am |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 80 miles | 120–160 min | 9:45am |
| Central London hotels | 12 miles | 40–70 min | 1:15pm |
| Heathrow Airport | 8 miles | 25–45 min | 1:45pm |
Getting a rugby group there and back
The kit is part of the booking
A Twickenham party rarely travels light. Hampers, folding chairs, coats, flags and a substantial amount of liquid all have to go somewhere, and they do not fit in the boots of three cars. This is why the minibus and the midi coach are our standard recommendations here rather than the eight-seater. Tell us roughly what you are bringing and we will size the vehicle for the load as well as the head count.
Waiting is the service
Rugby crowds do not leave promptly. The bars stay busy, groups reassemble slowly, and the walk back to the vehicle is unhurried by design. Our drivers hold position rather than working to a stopwatch, and the fare is fixed regardless of how long the last few members of your party take to appear. It is worth choosing an operator who expects that rather than one who charges for it.
Book earlier than feels necessary
Six Nations Saturdays are the most heavily booked dates in our calendar, ahead of New Year's Eve and cup finals. Coaches and minibuses are committed months in advance, because every rugby club, pub team and supporters' group in Kent wants the same three or four Saturdays. If you have tickets, or expect to, book now. A provisional reservation costs nothing to move.
The journey is long, so plan the stop
Ninety minutes to two hours each way is a serious run, and a group that has been drinking will want a break. We build stops into the itinerary rather than pretending they will not be needed, and on the return we would far rather add fifteen minutes than have somebody uncomfortable for an hour. Say what you need when the job is quoted.
Twickenham travel questions
Rugby-specific, including the ones people are too polite to ask.
How long does it take to Twickenham from Kent?
It is the longest regular run we do. From Gravesend allow an hour and a half to a little over two hours on a matchday, and from Medway or Ashford considerably more. Twickenham is on the opposite side of London from us, and the M25 clockwise is usually the least bad option. The table above gives leave-by times by area.
Can you drop us at the stadium?
As close as matchday traffic management permits, which is usually a short walk from the ground. The residential streets around Twickenham are restricted on match days and the immediate approaches are managed, so no vehicle reaches the turnstiles. We confirm the drop street when we book you in.
Where do you collect after the match?
From an agreed point clear of the main pedestrian routes, which we set based on the specific fixture. Rugby crowds disperse slowly and drink afterwards, so we set a realistic time rather than an optimistic one and the driver waits.
Can we bring a picnic and hampers?
Yes, and most groups do. Tell us roughly how much kit is coming so we size the vehicle for the load rather than just the head count. This is the main reason we usually suggest a minibus over an eight-seater for Twickenham.
What if we are late back to the vehicle?
Not a problem, and it is close to expected. The driver holds position and the fare does not change. Rugby days finish gradually rather than at a specific moment, and we plan for that rather than penalising it.
How far ahead should we book a Six Nations game?
Months, honestly. Those Saturdays are the busiest dates in our year and the larger vehicles are committed early. If your club or group goes every year, book the whole season at once and we will hold the vehicles.
Can you take a whole rugby club?
Yes. Forty-nine-seat coaches, and multiple vehicles run as one booking for larger parties, with a single contact and one invoice. We also cover club sections travelling to away finals elsewhere in the country.
Do you cover school and youth rugby fixtures?
Yes, including finals days at the stadium. Tell us the age group and any requirements at the point of booking so the right vehicle and the right driver arrangements are in place.
Is the train not simpler?
For one or two people from central London, possibly. From Kent it is a long journey with changes, and the queue at Twickenham station after an international is legendary for the wrong reasons. For any group, and with hampers involved, a coach is not a close contest.
Do you do concerts at Twickenham as well?
Yes. Summer stadium shows there are a different crowd with a faster exit and later finish, so the planning differs from a rugby day. Tell us which you are attending and we will plan accordingly.
Other big days out and guides
The rest of the sporting calendar, run from Kent.