Getting Around Chatham
Chatham sits on the River Medway in Kent, between Rochester and Gillingham on the River Medway. For more than four centuries it was a Royal Navy dockyard town, and the old yard is now The Historic Dockyard Chatham, about 2 miles from the town centre, 15–20 minutes by car. Beside it, at Chatham Maritime, the Universities at Medway campus is shared by the University of Kent, the University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University.
From Chatham station, high-speed trains run to St Pancras, and mainline services go to Victoria and London Bridge. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
For a hall of residence, a faculty building or a house on the hills above the town, send the full address with your booking; the confirmation then tells you where the car will stop. A visiting lecturer with sessions on campus and a dinner in Rochester can keep the car by the hour: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
Airport Transfers in Chatham
Gatwick is 47 miles by road, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes. Its two terminals, North and South, saw 42.8 million passengers last year. London City Airport is nearer, 29 miles, yet takes 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. London Southend Airport is 42 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, and Stansted Airport 53 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Heathrow is 70 miles, 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes. The right one depends on your airline and route.
Book with your flight number. For a student arriving at the start of term, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pick-up to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Chatham, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: Heathrow is the longest run, so for a long-haul flight start well ahead. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pick-up time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Day-Trip Travel from Chatham
Rochester is 2 miles, 10–15 minutes. Sittingbourne, in the Borough of Swale, is 13 miles east, 35–50 minutes.
Tunbridge Wells is 28 miles south, 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes. Eastbourne, on the East Sussex coast near Beachy Head, is 57 miles, 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes.
Portsmouth makes a natural pair with Chatham for anyone following the Navy's history: it is 105 miles, 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 55 minutes, and its own Historic Dockyard holds HMS Victory. A booked car lets you see both yards without changing trains in London.
Groups & Event Travel in Chatham
Chatham suits two kinds of group. One is a school party or a history society on a day at the Dockyard; the other is a delegation, an open-day family or a group of new students heading for the campus at Chatham Maritime.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If students or delegates land on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. For a class or a delegation moving together, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; the vehicle is matched to the load, from school bags to a term's worth of suitcases.
Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early at the start of the university year. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
