Horleywood
"A near-Gatwick Terminal Experience"
A suburb of Gatwick, with all the charm of a mini-cab waiting room. Home to assorted airline trolley-dolly training schools, it is one stop from Gatwick Airport, whose fast rail links will whisk you into Central London in a little over 40 minutes.
Its main industry is bed and breakfast guest houses, and cab companies to ferry you to the airport. Canny travellers know the backstreets and alleys that the airport workers use, which make it only a fifteen minute walk away from check-in.
Some folk - faced with a parking fee of over $100 at the airport while they go off for a few days - think they can park in Horley for free. Believe me the residents can be vicious. A friend had his tyres slashed by an angry resident whose house he parked outside. The whole business of long term parking is frought. - I myself parked one time at the Gatwick Hilton for a week, only to discover some months later that my tyres had all been switched with near-treadless lethal test failures.
The Horley guest houses on the other hand will offer you a reliable transfer service to the airport.
UPDATE DEcember 2006
The residents have triumphed over the cairport car-park dodgers. Every single street within three miles of the airport has been designated residents only parking, with yellow lines and towaway restrictions applying everywhere. There is now no way to park free off-airport. Sorry.
Update July 2009
Horley remains a sleepy dormitory suburb of Gatwick Airport. Its Waitrose supermarket remains its high spot, along with the "Brandmart" discount warehouse. A handfull of pubs and resaurants. Its not bad. It's just not that good.


A Very British-looking Street