Outside the Griffin pub on Whetstone High Road sits an old block of stone, and local legend says soldiers sharpened their swords on it on their way to the Battle of Barnet in 1471. Whether or not it's true, the stone gave the place its name. Whetstone today is a prosperous suburb on the old Great North Road, with Totteridge's green lanes and big houses to the west and Oakleigh Park to the east. Minibus hire Whetstone customers book is mostly weddings and family celebrations, school trips and fixtures, and runs to Stansted and the other airports.
Whetstone sits in the north-east of Barnet borough, between North Finchley, Barnet, Totteridge and Friern Barnet, with the A1000 High Road running through it. From our base in SE1, it's about fifty minutes to an hour outside the rush hour, up the A1 or through Highgate and Finchley.
Minibus hire Whetstone for weddings
St John the Apostle on the High Road and the churches and synagogues of Whetstone, Totteridge and North Finchley host weddings, and the area's golf clubs, hotels and country houses on the Hertfordshire border host receptions. Many couples choose venues down the lanes towards Totteridge and Arkley, where there's no public transport and parking is tight.
The minibus collects guests from their homes or hotels, takes them to the ceremony, on to the reception and back again late in the evening, so nobody needs to drive. For golf club and country venues, we'll check the drive and the turning space before the day. Minibus hire Whetstone couples book often includes a run from a central London hotel for guests travelling in from abroad.
Bar and bat mitzvahs, anniversaries and big birthdays follow the same pattern, with guests collected from several homes and brought back at the end of the night. Synagogue weddings, many on Sunday afternoons or after Shabbat ends on Saturday evenings, can finish late, and we'll plan the driver's hours around them.
Stansted round the M25
Stansted is about forty-five minutes to an hour from Whetstone outside the rush hour, via the M25 and the M11, joining at junction 23 or 24. Luton is about thirty-five to forty-five minutes, via the M25 and the M1, and Heathrow about fifty minutes to an hour. Gatwick, south of the river, is a longer run of an hour and a quarter or more.
Families heading off on holiday, groups of friends going to a stag or hen weekend in Europe and relatives arriving for a family occasion book us for the run. A minibus takes everyone and the luggage together, and on the way back, we'll time the pickup to the landing.
Schools on the Barnet and Hertfordshire border
Whetstone and the surrounding area have state primaries and secondaries and several independent schools nearby, and they book us for museum visits, theatre trips, swimming and sports fixtures across Barnet, Enfield and Hertfordshire. The South Kensington museums are about fifty minutes away outside the rush hour, and the RAF Museum about twenty-five.
Pupils, teachers and kit travel together for fixtures, and the driver waits for the result. For a regular weekly booking, such as swimming lessons, we can keep the same slot through the term.
Totteridge, the Dollis Brook and walks
Totteridge, to the west, has a village green, an ancient yew in St Andrew's churchyard thought to be more than a thousand years old, and lanes lined with fields and big houses. Its cricket and tennis clubs have junior sections that travel to fixtures. The Dollis Valley Greenwalk follows the brook south through Whetstone towards Finchley and Hampstead Heath, and Swan Lane Open Space has sports pitches and a playground.
Walking groups and ramblers can be dropped at one end of the Greenwalk and collected at the other, and schools use Swan Lane and the brook for nature trips.
Restaurants and the High Road
Whetstone High Road has restaurants, cafés and bars that suit a birthday dinner or an anniversary meal, and North Finchley's artsdepot is a short drive south for a show. For an evening out, the driver collects from homes across Whetstone, Totteridge and Oakleigh Park and brings everyone back at the end. Totteridge and Whetstone station, at the bottom of Totteridge Lane, is a handy meeting point for guests who arrive by tube.
The High Road and Totteridge Lane
Whetstone High Road is part of the A1000, the old Great North Road, and it's busy with buses and traffic most of the day, with limited stopping in the shopping parade. Totteridge Lane, which climbs west from the station, is narrow, winding and lined with walls and hedges, and it's slow at school times. Some private roads in Totteridge have gates and restrictions. Give us the address, and we'll check the approach before the day.
For minibus hire in Whetstone, call 020 7183 0567.