The M1 starts at Staples Corner, on the edge of Hendon, which makes it one of the best places in London to begin a day out of the city. Hendon is also a student town, home to Middlesex University's main campus, and it has the RAF Museum on its doorstep and a Premiership rugby ground up the road. Minibus hire Hendon customers book follows from all of that, with student societies and sports clubs, school and museum trips, match days and day trips to the coast, the Chilterns and the Midlands.
Hendon sits in the south-west of Barnet borough, between Golders Green and Mill Hill, with the A41 and the M1 running through it. From our base in SE1, it's about forty-five minutes to an hour outside the rush hour.
Minibus hire Hendon for Middlesex University groups
Middlesex University's campus on The Burroughs has thousands of students from all over the world. Student societies, sports clubs, international student groups and academic departments book us for away fixtures, field trips, conferences, society nights out and trips to other universities. New international students arriving at the start of term can be collected from Heathrow together, with room for a year's worth of luggage.
For student bookings, tell us the numbers, the destination and the times, and we'll quote. The Burroughs is a narrow road with a lot of pedestrians and limited stopping, so we'll agree a pickup point near the campus that works for a minibus. Minibus hire Hendon societies book for an evening out usually includes a late pickup, and we'll keep the group together on the way back.
The RAF Museum and school trips
The RAF Museum, on the old Hendon aerodrome in nearby Colindale, has hangars full of aircraft from the First World War to the present, and entry is free. Schools from across London and the Home Counties visit for history and science trips, and cadet groups, scout troops and veterans' associations come too, often on weekends.
The museum has its own car park and coach drop-off. For school groups, the driver drops at the entrance and comes back at the time the teacher gives. Hendon's own schools book us for museum trips into central London, sports fixtures and residential trips.
Saracens and Copthall
StoneX Stadium, at Barnet Copthall on the border with Mill Hill, is home to Saracens, one of the most successful clubs in English rugby. On match days, supporters' groups, corporate hospitality guests and junior rugby clubs book us to get there and back. The stadium also hosts athletics and community sport.
We'll confirm the drop-off arrangements for the fixture and agree where the group meets after the final whistle. The roads around Copthall and the A1 slow down before and after a big game.
Day trips up the M1
From Hendon, the M1 opens up a lot of the country. Warwick Castle, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour at Leavesden, Woburn Safari Park, Silverstone and Whipsnade Zoo are all within about an hour or so, and the coast at Brighton or Southend is about an hour and a half. Community groups, youth clubs, families and friends book us for days out like these.
For a day trip, the driver drops at the venue, waits or goes off and comes back at an agreed time. Tell us the destination, the numbers and the timings, and we'll quote. For a long day, such as Warwick and back, the driver's hours matter, so we'll plan the breaks and the return time with you.
Brent Cross and Hendon Central
Brent Cross Shopping Centre, on the southern edge of Hendon, is one of the largest shopping centres in London, and the new Brent Cross Town development around it has added homes, offices and a Thameslink station, Brent Cross West. Shopping groups and birthday parties book us for trips there.
Hendon Central and the Watford Way have plenty of good restaurants and cafés for family meals and student nights out, and the Hendon Police College, the Met's training centre, is just up the road.
Staples Corner and the A41
Staples Corner, where the M1 meets the North Circular and the Edgware Road, is one of the most congested junctions in London, and the roads around it were affected for a long time by building work at Brent Cross. The A41 Watford Way through Hendon is a fast dual carriageway with few safe places to stop. For pickups on it, we'll agree a point on a side road. For early starts, leaving before seven avoids most of the queue at Staples Corner.
Luton Airport is about thirty-five to forty-five minutes outside the rush hour, straight up the M1. Heathrow is about forty-five minutes to an hour, via the North Circular and the M4.
For minibus hire in Hendon, call 020 7183 0567.