Wallington has two of the most competitive grammar schools in London, Wallington County for boys and Wallington High School for Girls, and Wilson's School is on the other side of town at Roundshaw. Pupils travel in from across south London and Surrey, and the school calendar fills with fixtures, competitions and trips. The town itself is a leafy suburb between Carshalton and Croydon, with Beddington Park and the River Wandle on its northern edge. Minibus hire Wallington customers book is mostly school groups and fixtures, family days out and celebrations, and runs to Gatwick.
Wallington sits in the east of Sutton borough, between Carshalton, Beddington, Hackbridge and Croydon, with Stafford Road and Woodcote Road running through it. From our base in SE1, it's about forty-five minutes to an hour outside the rush hour, down the A23 or the A24.
Minibus hire Wallington for school groups
Wallington's grammar schools play a full programme of rugby, football, hockey, netball and cricket against schools across Surrey, Kent and London, and they send teams to debating, maths and music competitions. Primary schools and the other secondaries in the area book us for museum visits, swimming, sports fixtures and residential trips.
Squads load their bags and their teacher and the driver stays until the match is done. For a busy Saturday with several fixtures, we can run more than one vehicle. Term fixtures can be booked in one go, with changes made as the season goes on.
Minibus hire Wallington schools book for central London trips usually leaves after half past nine, once the A23 has cleared. A Year 7 trip to the Science Museum, for example, works best leaving at 9.30 and starting back by 2.30, so the class is home before the evening traffic builds on the Brixton Road.
Beddington Park and Carew Manor
Beddington Park, on the northern edge of Wallington, has the River Wandle running through it, a lake, a playground and the medieval church of St Mary's, beside Carew Manor, whose great hall dates back to the fifteenth century. Carew Manor opens on set days, and its dovecote is one of the largest in the country.
Schools, nurseries and history groups book us for visits. The minibus pulls in at the park gate and comes back for whatever finish time the group has planned. The Wandle Trail, running through the park, suits a walking group or a cycling club, with bikes in the back if the group only rides one way.
Croydon Airport and local history
Historic Croydon Airport, on the Purley Way a few minutes east, was London's first international airport, and its terminal building has a visitor centre that opens on set days. Honeywood Museum in Carshalton and Whitehall in Cheam are both short runs, and history groups and schools often combine two in a day.
A local history society might start with the airport's control tower in the morning, have lunch in Carshalton village and finish at Honeywood by the ponds, and the whole loop is under half an hour of driving.
Family celebrations and days out
Families book us for weddings, christenings, birthdays and anniversaries, with guests collected from homes across Wallington, Beddington and Hackbridge and taken to churches, halls and venues across Sutton, Croydon and Surrey. For days out, Chessington World of Adventures is about twenty-five minutes away, Brighton about an hour and Wisley about thirty-five minutes. Hampton Court, Box Hill and the rest of the Surrey Hills are all within forty minutes too, which suits a summer walking club. For a reunion or a ruby wedding party at one of the golf clubs on the Downs, such as Woodcote Park or Banstead Downs, guests are collected in one loop round Wallington and the driver returns at the time the bar closes, so nobody has to think about driving home.
Flights from Wallington
Gatwick is about thirty to forty minutes from Wallington outside the rush hour, via the Purley Way, the A23 and the M23. Heathrow is about forty-five minutes to an hour, round the M25. London City is over an hour across town, and Stansted further still. For a family holiday, a minibus from the door with room for the luggage is easier than the train with a change at Redhill or East Croydon.
Stafford Road and Woodcote Road
Stafford Road, the A232, runs through Wallington between Croydon and Sutton, and it's busy with buses and school traffic at peak times. Woodcote Road and Manor Road, around the station and the town centre, are busy too, and the school gates on Croydon Road and Woodcote Road are crowded at the start and end of the day. The driver will wait round the corner from the gates rather than outside them, and for early flights the A23 is clear before six.
For minibus hire in Wallington, call 020 7183 0567.