Peter Sellers once called Balham the gateway to the south in a comedy sketch, and the joke stuck. These days Balham is a busy family neighbourhood between two big commons, with a high street full of restaurants and bars, an Art Deco mansion block that runs for most of a street, and one of the largest open-air freshwater pools in the country a short walk away. Minibus hire Balham customers book is mostly birthday dinners and nights out, school runs and trips, family events and day trips.
Balham sits in the south of Wandsworth, between Clapham, Tooting, Streatham and Wandsworth Common, with the A24 Balham High Road running through it. From our base in SE1, it's about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes outside the rush hour, through Kennington and Clapham.
Minibus hire Balham for birthday dinners
Balham High Road, Bedford Hill and Hildreth Street have restaurants, bars and pubs of every kind, and the area is one of south London's most popular spots for a birthday dinner, an engagement party or a big family meal. Groups also head to Clapham or into town for the night. Hildreth Street's market and the cafés around the station are popular for a weekend brunch with friends.
For a dinner, the minibus collects guests from homes across Balham, Tooting and Clapham South, drops at the restaurant and comes back at the agreed time. At the end of the night, send us the addresses and we'll work out the order of the drop-offs. Minibus hire Balham groups book for a Saturday birthday often heads on to a club afterwards, and the driver can make that run too.
Swimming, fixtures and school runs
Balham has a lot of young families and a lot of schools, and they book us for regular runs as well as trips. Weekly swimming, sports fixtures at grounds across south-west London and transport for pupils who travel to a specialist school all suit a minibus.
For trips, the South Kensington museums are about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes away outside the rush hour, the Horniman about twenty-five and Kew Gardens about thirty. A regular run keeps the same stops, times and seat numbers through the term.
Tooting Bec Lido and the commons
Tooting Bec Lido, on Tooting Bec Common, is one of the largest open-air freshwater pools in the country, and it's open all year to members, with summer public sessions. The South London Swimming Club has swum there since 1906. Summer weekends bring long queues, so groups booked into a session should arrive early. Tooting Bec Common and Wandsworth Common, on either side of Balham, have sports pitches, lakes and cafés, and they host school sports days and summer fun days.
Swimming clubs, school groups and families book us for days at the lido and the commons. For a summer outing, the driver drops at the gate you choose and collects at the agreed time.
Day trips out of London
Balham is well placed for days out to the south and west. Brighton is about an hour and a quarter, Chessington World of Adventures about thirty-five minutes, Thorpe Park and Legoland about forty-five minutes, and Hampton Court about thirty minutes. Wimbledon in tennis fortnight, about fifteen minutes away, is a popular outing for anyone willing to join the queue.
Families, birthday groups and community clubs book us for days like these. The driver drops at the venue, waits or goes off and returns at the agreed time. Tell us the destination, the group size and the date for a quote.
Du Cane Court and family events
Du Cane Court, the huge Art Deco mansion block on Balham High Road, has hundreds of flats and its own gardens, and many older residents live there. Residents' groups and families book us for outings, hospital visits and family events. For older residents, we'll keep the walk from the entrance to the vehicle as short as possible and help with bags. Balham's churches, including St Mary's and the Polish church, host weddings and christenings, and the area has a long-standing Polish community.
For weddings and christenings, guests are collected from homes and hotels, taken to the church and the reception and brought back at the end.
Balham High Road and the A24
Balham High Road, the A24, is the main route south from Clapham, and it's busy with buses and bus lanes most of the day. Stopping on it is limited, especially around the station and the junction with Bedford Hill. The side streets are long, lined with parked cars, and some have traffic calming. Pickups happen on a side street, and for an early flight we'll allow a margin for the A24. Gatwick is about forty-five minutes to an hour from Balham, and Heathrow about forty-five minutes.
For minibus hire in Balham, call 020 7183 0567.