Upminster is where the District line ends, and in some ways where London does too. Beyond the station, the houses thin out into fields, farms and golf courses, and the M25 runs along the edge of town. The landmarks are rural ones, a restored windmill, a fifteenth-century tithe barn and a Tudor hall that's now a golf clubhouse. Minibus hire Upminster customers book is mostly weddings, golf days and seaside trips, plus fast runs to Southend Airport.
Upminster sits in the east of Havering, next to Hornchurch and Cranham, with Essex on three sides. From our base in SE1, it's about an hour to an hour and ten minutes outside the rush hour, via the A13 or the A12 and the A127.
Minibus hire Upminster for weddings
St Laurence, the old parish church at the top of the town, hosts weddings, and so do other churches across Upminster and Cranham. Receptions follow at golf clubs, hotels and barn venues in Upminster and across Essex, many of them down lanes with no public transport.
That's where a minibus helps. We'll plan a loop that collects guests from their homes or a hotel, drops at the church, takes them on to the reception and brings them home at the end of the night, so nobody has to worry about driving. For venues down country lanes, we'll check the access and the turning space in advance. Minibus hire Upminster couples book for the evening often includes a final run to the station for guests heading back into London on the last trains.
The windmill, the tithe barn and the hall
Upminster Windmill, a smock mill built in 1803, has been restored and now has a visitor centre, and it opens for tours and school visits. The Tithe Barn, a timber-framed barn built in the fifteenth century, houses a museum of local and rural life run by volunteers, open on set weekends. Upminster Hall, a Tudor house, is now the clubhouse of Upminster Golf Club.
These make a good local history trip for schools and community groups. The driver drops at the site and comes back at the agreed time.
Golf days and societies
Upminster and the surrounding area have several golf courses, and golf societies, corporate groups and stag groups book us for days out. A minibus takes a group of players and their bags to the course, waits or comes back at the end, and takes everyone home after the nineteenth hole.
For golf days, tell us the course, the tee times and the numbers, and we'll plan the pickup. Golf bags take up space, so for a full group, we'll check the vehicle has room for them. Corporate golf days often end with dinner at the clubhouse, so we'll set the pickup for after the meal rather than the last putt.
Southend, Leigh and day trips
Upminster is the closest part of London to the Essex coast. Southend seafront, with its pier, the longest pleasure pier in the world, and Adventure Island, is about forty minutes away along the A127. Leigh-on-Sea, just west of Southend, has cockle sheds, fish restaurants and a pretty old town by the estuary.
Families, school groups, senior clubs and birthday parties book us for days out at the coast. The driver drops near the seafront and comes back at an agreed time. On sunny summer weekends, the A127 and the roads into Southend are slow, so we'll plan an early start. The seafront is busiest in the school holidays and on bank holiday weekends, when the car parks fill early, which is another reason to arrive by minibus.
Southend Airport and the others
Southend Airport is about thirty to forty minutes from Upminster outside the rush hour, along the A127. It's a small, quick airport, with flights to holiday destinations in Europe, and for families in east Havering it's often the easiest choice.
Stansted is about forty to fifty minutes, via the M25 and the M11. London City is about forty minutes along the A13. Heathrow and Gatwick are a long way round the M25, an hour and a half at least. For a family holiday, a minibus from the door saves the luggage trolley and the long-stay car park. When the family flies home, give us the flight number and we'll time the pickup.
The A127 and the M25
The A127, the Southend Arterial Road, runs along the northern edge of Upminster and meets the M25 at junction 29, and both are busy in the morning and evening rush. The station area and St Mary's Lane through the town centre are busy at commuting times, with buses and drop-offs at the station. In the town centre, we'll pick a side street for the pickup. For early flights from Southend or Stansted, we'll allow a margin for junction 29.
For minibus hire in Upminster, call 020 7183 0567.