Getting to the Midlands from London, Manchester or Birmingham

AFAIK it's the same at Birmingham also.  At least I know there is a BHX stop on one of the lines...

Trains do go right from Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street

I'd definitely recommend Birmingham as well, I always fly into it instead of Heathrow or Gatwick since my husband lives in Northampton. I found it fairly easy to navigate once you touch down, and passport control/customs is fairly decent as well. Depending on when you actually fly into Birmingham you might be able to skip huge immigration lines--I find it pretty empty since my flights always get in sometime around 6-7am, though my longest waits have been to claim my luggage moreso than immigration. When my husband used to travel to the States he'd have to take the trains back into Northampton and he said it's not too difficult to catch the train from the airport (though I can't vouch for that myself, I've never taken the trains yet).

Thank you all for your advice on this - it has been immensely helpful! Arriving into London sounds just way too difficult. We're coming from Australia, so whatever we do will be after 30+ hours of travelling and I'm wanting to minimize the stress and hassle (and time!) as much as possible in this last part of the journey. Getting a connecting flight to the East Midlands would be the ideal solution, but I'm having trouble trying to sort this out on the internet - as far as I can tell there are no London-East Midland flights? This doesn't seem right to me though. I've decided to try and book the flights through a travel agent rather than online as the airline sites aren't very useful for figuring out the various connections. Expedia seems to offer better options to get us straight to either Birmingham or Manchester.

Birmingham sounds like it might be easier, and idea of a small airport with quick customs and baggage claim is appealing!

Thanks again - your posts have been a huge help to me. I'll let you know what I end up doing - and post again with my experiences once I arrive in case any others face similar decisions!

as far as I can tell there are no London-East Midland flights? This doesn't seem right to me though.

There wouldn't be any point; the distance is only about 100 miles or so.

There wouldn't be any point; the distance is only about 100 miles or so.

We just made this drive yesterday.LHR-M4-M25-M1-A52 to Derby. Took just over 2.5 hours.

Thank you all for your advice on this - it has been immensely helpful! Arriving into London sounds just way too difficult. We're coming from Australia, so whatever we do will be after 30+ hours of travelling and I'm wanting to minimize the stress and hassle (and time!) as much as possible in this last part of the journey. Getting a connecting flight to the East Midlands would be the ideal solution, but I'm having trouble trying to sort this out on the internet - as far as I can tell there are no London-East Midland flights? This doesn't seem right to me though. I've decided to try and book the flights through a travel agent rather than online as the airline sites aren't very useful for figuring out the various connections. Expedia seems to offer better options to get us straight to either Birmingham or Manchester.

Birmingham sounds like it might be easier, and idea of a small airport with quick customs and baggage claim is appealing!

Thanks again - your posts have been a huge help to me. I'll let you know what I end up doing - and post again with my experiences once I arrive in case any others face similar decisions!

You also could connect to East Midlands via Paris or other european cities. 

I agree though, if you fly into London, rent a car and drive up.  Much easier that way. 

I agree though, if you fly into London, rent a car and drive up.  Much easier that way. 

although, after 30 hours of travelling, I wouldn't want to see you get behind the wheel of a car.   Maybe think about stopping in London for a day and catch up on your sleep first, if you decide to go the hire car option.

although, after 30 hours of travelling, I wouldn't want to see you get behind the wheel of a car.   Maybe think about stopping in London for a day and catch up on your sleep first, if you decide to go the hire car option.

But if the OP can sleep on a plane, what's wrong with driving after 30 hours. On an 11 hour flight, I will get at least 8 hrs, much more than I routinely get at home.

And if one adhere's to the 2-hour driving rule about stopping for a break, I'd think they be ok.

But if they are like my ex and can't ever sleep on a plane, then fo' sho, get a hotel for the night before driving.

But if the OP can sleep on a plane, what's wrong with driving after 30 hours. On an 11 hour flight, I will get at least 8 hrs, much more than I routinely get at home.

well yeah, i guess.
I cant sleep on planes, so i expect a lot of other people have the same problem.

well yeah, i guess.
I cant sleep on planes, so i expect a lot of other people have the same problem.

I feel for ya. I love the take off, the landing and during the boring bits in between, I can sleep like a log. I am not a good person to travel with.

Birmingham sounds like it might be easier, and idea of a small airport with quick customs and baggage claim is appealing!

Yes, I would highly recommend flying into Birmingham. 

As far as Birmingham is concerned, "Birmingham International" is the station for the Airport - they are linked by a free automated shuttle car system (there must be a better description of it than that!).

Trains do go right from Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street

Thanks for this!  I knew there was a stop, but wasn't sure if it was actually at the airport or nearby with a connection option.  Good to know!

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be on the road (and in London of all places) after 30+ hours of travelling!  I tend not to sleep much at all on planes, plus there will be the time difference/jet lag to contend with - not to mention the fact that it's been several years since I've driven at all.

I booked our tickets into Birmingham today. I've realized another possibility may be a taxi - according to the online quoting system it would be about GBP45 - not that much more than the train fare and soooo much easier.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be on the road (and in London of all places) after 30+ hours of travelling!  I tend not to sleep much at all on planes, plus there will be the time difference/jet lag to contend with - not to mention the fact that it's been several years since I've driven at all.

Ok I side with Q-G Genau