Barnes sits in a great loop of the Thames, with the river on three sides, and the village pond, the green and the old high street make it feel more like a country town than a part of London. Every spring, the Boat Race crews row past the Barnes riverside on their way to the finish just before Chiswick Bridge, and crowds line the banks. Since Hammersmith Bridge closed to traffic, Barnes has also become one of the hardest places in London to drive in and out of. Minibus hire Barnes customers book is mostly weddings and family events, Boat Race day, school trips and airport runs, all planned around that closed bridge.
Barnes sits in the north-east of Richmond borough, between Mortlake, East Sheen, Putney and Roehampton, with Barnes Common to the south. From our base in SE1, it's about forty-five minutes to an hour outside the rush hour, through Putney.
Minibus hire Barnes for weddings
St Mary's, the old parish church by the green, hosts weddings and christenings, and couples also hold ceremonies and receptions at riverside venues, restaurants and members' clubs in Barnes and across the river. The Olympic Studios, where the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin once recorded, is now a cinema and café, and it hosts private events.
Guests are collected from homes and hotels, taken to the church, on to the reception and home again at the end of the evening. The green and Church Road are narrow and busy at weekends, so we'll agree the drop-off and waiting point in advance. Many couples stop by the pond or the river for photographs.
For guests staying in central London hotels, the run to Barnes goes over Putney Bridge, so we'll time the hotel pickup with that in mind. A reception north of the river, in Chiswick or Hammersmith, means a detour by Chiswick Bridge, which adds about ten to fifteen minutes each way.
Race day on the Barnes bank
The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge, held in late March or early April, runs from Putney to Mortlake, and the riverside at Barnes, from the Bull's Head to Barnes Bridge, is one of the best places to watch the crews in the closing stages. On race day, the riverside roads are closed or packed, and the crowds are huge.
Groups book us to get there and home. We'll drop outside the closures and agree a meeting point for after the race, away from the riverside. If you live by the river and have an unrelated booking that day, tell us and we'll plan around it.
The Wetland Centre and school trips
The WWT London Wetland Centre, on old reservoirs by the river, is one of the best places in London to see wild birds, with ponds, reedbeds, hides and a visitor centre, and it runs sessions for schools. Barnes Common, with its heath and woodland, suits a nature walk.
Barnes's primary schools, St Paul's School on Lonsdale Road and the other schools of the area book us for fixtures, trips and regular runs. Rowing crews train on the Tideway here, and teams travel to regattas. For school groups at the Wetland Centre, the driver drops at the entrance on Queen Elizabeth Walk and returns at the agreed time.
The Wetland Centre's school sessions cover pond dipping, bird watching and habitats, and a class can fill a full day there. In winter, when the migrating ducks arrive, the hides are at their busiest.
The village and evenings out
Church Road and Barnes High Street have independent shops, restaurants and pubs, and the Bull's Head on the river has been a jazz venue for decades. Groups book us for birthday dinners, anniversary meals and nights out, with pickups at homes across Barnes, Castelnau and Mortlake and drop-offs at the end.
Hammersmith Bridge and getting out of Barnes
Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since 2019, and that has changed how Barnes connects to the rest of London. Trips north of the river now go over Putney Bridge or Chiswick Bridge, both of which are busy at peak times, and Castelnau, the road to the bridge, is quieter but leads nowhere for vehicles. Minibus hire Barnes families book for anything north of the river is planned with that detour in mind.
Heathrow is about thirty to forty minutes from Barnes outside the rush hour, via Chiswick Bridge and the A4 or the A316. Gatwick is about fifty minutes to an hour, and London City about an hour.
Barnes Common and the level crossings
The roads across Barnes Common, Rocks Lane and Queens Ride, are busy with traffic heading to Putney Bridge, and the level crossings on Vine Road, by Barnes station, and on White Hart Lane hold up traffic when trains pass. Church Road and the High Street are narrow with parked cars. For early flights and timed events, we'll allow a margin for the crossings and the bridges.
For minibus hire in Barnes, call 020 7183 0567.