For two weeks every summer, Wimbledon is the centre of the sporting world. The other fifty weeks, it's a busy south-west London town with a village on the hill, a common the size of a small county and a lot of weddings. Minibus hire Wimbledon groups book follows the same pattern. A rush of tennis bookings in late June and July, and a steady run of weddings, school trips and airport transfers the rest of the year.
From our base in SE1, Wimbledon is about forty to fifty minutes outside the rush hour.
The Championships fortnight
The Championships at the All England Club run for two weeks from late June into July. The roads around Church Road and Wimbledon Park are managed for the whole fortnight, with restrictions on stopping and parking, and the area is busy from early morning.
For groups with tickets, or with hospitality packages, a minibus is the easy way in. We'll drop at the set point for coaches and minibuses, which is a walk from the gates, and agree a pickup point and time for the return. For corporate hospitality, the driver can wait for the day, so clients go home when they're ready.
Groups joining the famous queue in Wimbledon Park for on-the-day tickets start very early. A pickup at 4 or 5am is not unusual for the big days, and the driver will drop as close as the traffic plan allows.
Minibus hire Wimbledon for weddings
Wimbledon has plenty of wedding venues, from churches in the Village to hotels on the edge of the Common, and receptions in country houses a short drive out into Surrey. Cannizaro House, at the edge of the Common, is one of the best known.
For weddings, the usual pattern is a run from a hotel or a meeting point to the ceremony, then on to the reception, then a couple of runs home at the end of the night. We'll plan the timings with buffers, because weddings always run a little late. For civil ceremonies, Merton's register office at Morden Park House is a short drive south, and plenty of couples marry there before heading to a reception in Wimbledon.
The roads up the hill to the Village are steep and narrow in places, and a 16-seater needs to stop where it can. We'll agree the drop-off with the venue.
Airport runs along the A3
Heathrow is around thirty-five to forty-five minutes from Wimbledon outside the rush hour, via the A3 and the A316, or round the M25. Gatwick is a similar distance, via the A3 and M25 or across through Croydon on the A23.
The A3 runs along the edge of the borough, and it's the main road into London and out to Surrey. It can be slow at peak times, especially around the Robin Hood roundabout and the junctions near Tolworth. London City Airport is the long one from here, often an hour or more across the river, and Stansted is around an hour and a half round the M25.
Theatre, football and evenings out
The New Wimbledon Theatre on the Broadway brings touring shows and pantomime, and plenty of groups come in for a show and dinner. AFC Wimbledon play at Plough Lane, a short way north of the town centre, and their match days bring traffic to the roads around the ground.
Wimbledon station is a busy interchange, with the District line, trains to Waterloo, Thameslink services and the tram to Croydon. Groups arriving by train are easy to collect from nearby.
The town centre has restaurants and bars along the Broadway, and the Village has more on the hill. For a group night out, a minibus home to Raynes Park, Morden, Tooting or further is easier than waiting for the last train.
Schools and days out
Wimbledon has a lot of schools, including well-known independent schools such as King's College School and Wimbledon High, and they book us for trips, fixtures and field work. Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park are both close, and plenty of groups use them for cross-country, field trips and outdoor learning.
For days out further afield, the A3 and the M25 make the south coast, Surrey and Hampshire easy. Chessington World of Adventures is around twenty-five minutes away, and Thorpe Park a little further round the M25.
Booking around the fortnight
One warning for locals. During the Championships, minibus hire Wimbledon locals book for anything that isn't tennis takes longer, because the roads around the town and the Village are busy all day. A wedding, an airport run or a school trip in that fortnight needs extra time built in, and the bigger vehicles get booked early by hospitality groups. If your date falls in late June or early July, book as soon as you can.
For minibus hire in Wimbledon, call 020 7183 0567.