Harrow on the Hill is one of the few places in London where you can see the whole city from a church steeple. It's also home to some of the best-known schools in the country, which is why so much of the minibus hire Harrow customers book is school trips and sports fixtures. The rest is weddings, family events and airport runs to Luton and Heathrow.
From our base in SE1, Harrow is about an hour outside the rush hour, out along the A40 or the A41.
Schools on the hill and across the borough
Harrow has a large number of schools, from primaries in every neighbourhood to well-known independent and state secondary schools. Harrow School, on the hill, is the most famous. John Lyon School is close by, and there are many more across the borough.
Schools book us for museum trips into central London, sports fixtures across the south of England and days out, from the coast to the theme parks round the M25. For regular runs, like weekly fixtures or swimming, we can book the dates for the term.
The hill itself is steep, with narrow roads and tight corners near the top. A 16-seater can manage it, but stopping outside some of the older buildings is difficult. We'll agree a pickup point with the school.
Minibus hire Harrow for weddings and family events
Harrow has a lot of weddings and family celebrations, often with large guest lists. Venues range from places of worship and halls in the borough to hotels and banqueting suites across north-west London.
Guests often come from across north-west London, Wembley, Kenton, Queensbury and Edgware among them, and a minibus from a meeting point saves everyone driving. On the biggest days, several vehicles looping between the hotel, the venue and the reception work better than one making repeat runs. Tell us the guest numbers for each part of the day and the timings, and we'll plan the vehicles. For celebrations over several days, we'll quote each day on its own so the plan stays clear.
Luton, Heathrow and the M1
Harrow sits between two airports. Luton is around forty minutes away, via the A41 and the M1, or the M25. Heathrow is about thirty-five to forty-five minutes, via the A312 or the A40 and the M25.
For a 6:30am flight from Luton, a pickup around 3:45 is usually right for a group. For relatives flying in for a family event, we'll collect from the airport and bring everyone straight home. For Heathrow, a little later. Stansted is a long way from here, often an hour and a quarter or more, so Luton is usually the better airport for European flights. Gatwick is the longest run, around an hour and a half round the M25.
Harrow town centre
Harrow town centre sits at the foot of the hill, around the station and the bus station. It has two shopping centres, St Anns and St George's, and a busy high street. The bus station and the one-way roads around it make stopping tricky, so we'll agree a pickup point a short walk away.
Harrow Arts Centre in Hatch End brings shows and events to the north of the borough, and groups come in for performances.
Northwick Park Hospital, on the edge of Harrow, is one of the biggest hospitals in north-west London, and staff book us for team events, leaving dos and Christmas parties. The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore is also in the borough.
For hospital teams, evening and weekend bookings are the norm, after shifts finish. A team night out in central London, with drop-offs back across Harrow, Kenton and Wembley at the end, is a typical booking. Give us the addresses in advance and the driver will plan the order.
Pinner to Stanmore
The borough of Harrow runs from Pinner in the west to Stanmore in the east, and from Harrow Weald in the north to Rayners Lane and South Harrow in the south. Wealdstone sits just north of the town centre, and Kenton and Queensbury run along the eastern edge, on the border with Brent.
Pinner has its village and a lot of weddings. Stanmore has the hospital and the end of the Jubilee line. Rayners Lane and South Harrow are mostly family pickups. Each area has its own page.
Pickups on the hill
A practical point about the hill. It's lovely, but minibus hire Harrow schools book for the hill takes a little more planning. The roads are narrow, parking is limited, and school traffic at the start and end of the day is heavy. For pickups on the hill, we'll agree a point that's safe for a minibus to stop, and it may not be right outside the door.
For minibus hire in Harrow, call 020 7183 0567.