Barnet is one of the biggest boroughs in London by population, and it stretches a long way. From the old market town of Chipping Barnet at the top of the Northern line, down through Finchley and Hendon to Golders Green and the edge of Hampstead. Minibus hire Barnet customers book is mostly school trips, weddings and family events, with plenty of Luton runs for European flights.
From our base in SE1, the south of the borough is about forty minutes away outside the rush hour, and High Barnet nearer an hour.
School trips and fixtures
Barnet has a large number of schools, from primaries in every neighbourhood to big state secondaries, grammar schools and independent schools. They book us for museum trips into central London, sports fixtures and days out.
The RAF Museum in Colindale is one of the borough's own school-trip favourites. It's free, it's big, and it has space for a coach or minibus to drop off. Middlesex University in Hendon also brings students and staff who book us for field trips and away days, along with graduation-day transport for visiting families.
For regular runs, like weekly fixtures or swimming lessons, we can book the dates for the term.
Minibus hire Barnet for weddings and family events
Barnet has a lot of weddings and family celebrations, with venues ranging from places of worship and halls across the borough to hotels and country venues just over the Hertfordshire border.
When a wedding runs to two hundred guests, a small fleet of minibuses running loops beats a single coach making several trips. Tell us the guest numbers and the timings, and we'll plan the vehicles and the loops. Many Barnet families have guests coming from across north London, and pickups from several meeting points are common.
Luton and the M1
Luton is the natural airport for Barnet. From Mill Hill or Edgware, it's around thirty-five to forty-five minutes up the M1. From Chipping Barnet, the M25 and the M1 together take about the same.
Heathrow is around forty-five minutes to an hour from most of the borough, depending on the start point, via the North Circular and the A40 or round the M25. Stansted is about an hour, via the M25 and M11.
For a 6:30am flight from Luton, a pickup around 4am from the north of the borough is usually right for a group. On longer trips north, London Gateway services on the M1 near Mill Hill is a handy first stop.
Brent Cross and the North Circular
Brent Cross, on the southern edge of the borough, is one of the biggest shopping centres in north London, and the new Brent Cross West station has opened nearby. The North Circular runs right past it, and the junctions around it, from Staples Corner to Henlys Corner, are some of the busiest in north London.
Henlys Corner, where the North Circular meets the Finchley Road, can add a lot of time at peak hours. For any trip that crosses the borough from east to west, we'll plan around it.
Sport and leisure
Saracens play at their stadium at Copthall in Hendon, and big home games bring crowds and traffic to the roads around Mill Hill and the A41. The same site has an athletics track used for school and club competitions.
Local clubs across Barnet play football, rugby, cricket and hockey all over north London and Hertfordshire, and a 16-seater with room for kit is the usual booking for an away fixture.
Finchley, Hendon, Edgware and the rest
Barnet includes Finchley, Hendon, Colindale, Edgware, Golders Green, Mill Hill and Whetstone, as well as Chipping Barnet itself. Barnet Hospital, on the northern edge, is the borough's main hospital, and staff book us for team nights out and leaving dos.
Finchley and Golders Green have busy high streets and a lot of family events. Hendon has the university and the RAF Museum is just up the road in Colindale. Edgware and Mill Hill sit on the M1, ideal for Luton runs. Whetstone is quieter, with more weddings and school pickups. Chipping Barnet itself sits on a hill, with a high street, a weekly market and narrow side roads. Hampstead Garden Suburb, in the south, has quiet streets with traffic calming, and the driver will take it slowly.
Every one of those districts has a page of its own.
The thing to know about Barnet is its size. A minibus hire Barnet booking that collects from Golders Green and High Barnet on the same trip is crossing the whole borough, and that takes time, especially on the A1000 or the A598 at peak hours. Give us every address and the number of people at each, and we'll plan the order. Sometimes two meeting points are quicker than doorstep pickups for everyone.
For minibus hire in Barnet, call 020 7183 0567.