Cycles to / from Heathrow

[whole diary]

[CJB666]

It has long been an issue that you can't cycle to / from the central area of Heathrow. The side entrance tunnels have long been blocked off, and cycles are banned from the two main traffic tunnels.

Whilst it may be possible to catch the HCon service, since the TfL^» (Transport for London - about) take-over, this is now so unreliable, being cancelled at every whim, that cyclists would be stupid to rely on it.

The new TfL trains still can't get into Heathrow due to defective signalling systems that no-one can solve.

HEX is grossly over-expensive for what it is - does it take cycles - if at all?

And do the inter-terminal shuttles - HEX and HCon - take cycles?.

Heathrow - the 100% foreign-owned 'duty-free' hypermarket with a sideline in air transport - has now been granted the third runway; but one of the requirements is to improve public transport to / from the Airport.

If current provisions for cyclists are anything to go by there's still a lot of improvements required.

So how can cyclists get to / from the Airport - cheaply?

[ChrisB]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. Why would you cycle as you can't carry sensibly any amount of baggage sufficient to be useful, like overnight bags or larger.

They are also a security risk as explosives can be packed into their frame. I suspect that is the real reason.

[IndustryInsider]

You can fit a surprising amount in a couple of pannier's, Chris, though I do take your general point.   

[patch38]

Echoing CJB's question; what happens if you arrive at T2 or T3 with your bike and panniers in the hold, all set for a pleasant cycling tour of our lovely country? How  do you get out of the central area? Presumably one of the bus shuttles will take bikes? Not a problem for T4 or T5 of course.

[CJB666]

The cyclists are of course staff or intending tourists on a cycling holiday overseas. Actually I am also asking because I want to fly to New Zealand next Christmas for an extended tour of both Islands.

[ChrisB]

In whih case, your bikes will go as freight and you won't be chec,king them in, I think, but delivering them to a freight handler.

Or carrying them as they'll need to be boxed up

[Surrey 455]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. Why would you cycle as you can't carry sensibly any amount of baggage sufficient to be useful, like overnight bags or larger.

They are also a security risk as explosives can be packed into their frame. I suspect that is the real reason.

I used to cycle or walk through that tunnel and it was very convenient when I worked there. I think the airport provided a free shuttle bus for cyclists and pedestrians when it closed but that has been replaced by free travel on local buses for those on foot into the airport now. I have no idea what cyclists (normally airport workers) do now. With the reconstruction of T2 and closure of T1 I'm sure the cycle storage area in between that I used is probably not there any more.

[stuving]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. Why would you cycle as you can't carry sensibly any amount of baggage sufficient to be useful, like overnight bags or larger.

They are also a security risk as explosives can be packed into their frame. I suspect that is the real reason.

I used to cycle or walk through that tunnel and it was very convenient when I worked there. I think the airport provided a free shuttle bus for cyclists and pedestrians when it closed but that has been replaced by free travel on local buses for those on foot into the airport now. I have no idea what cyclists (normally airport workers) do now. With the reconstruction of T2 and closure of T1 I'm sure the cycle storage area in between that I used is probably not there any more.

I just had a look at Heathrow's websites, starting with the recruitment one. That adopts HAL's current slogan of "making every journey better" in various guises, using "your journey" for the process of getting a job. But even in the FAQs^▸ (Frequently Asked Questions) under the "your journey" tab there's nothing about travel to work! All I found was the advice to leave plenty of time when going for interview, though that  would be to Compass House which is outside the airport perimeter.

One the main site they now have a journey planner. That does offer cycle as a mode, and giving it Hayes to T2 it sends you down the obvious road routes and through the tunnel. But then, at the bottom of the "details" page, there's an orange warning that says "Bicycling directions are in beta. Use caution – This route may contain streets that aren't suited for bicycling."

But I'm sure in the past I have found advice for employees about their travel to Heathrow, so it may still be hiding somewhere.

[Richard Fairhurst]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. Why would you cycle as you can't carry sensibly any amount of baggage sufficient to be useful, like overnight bags or larger.

Of course you can! Thousands of cycle tourists carry tents, sleeping bags, panniers upon panniers. Have a look at the travelogues over at crazyguyonabike.com for examples - the top journal at the time of writing was https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1mr&page_id=542429&v=KU, which is a good example.

Cycling out of Heathrow comes up regularly on bike touring forums such as CGOAB. Generally the best options are either Heathrow Connect (or the Sweaty Betty Line or whatever it is this week), or one of the express coaches: both RailAir and the Oxford Airline take bikes. These have the added advantage for the cycle tourist that they speed you out of the West London suburbs and closer to enjoyable cycling territory.

[CJB666]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. Why would you cycle as you can't carry sensibly any amount of baggage sufficient to be useful, like overnight bags or larger.

Sweaty Betty Line

 = Tin Lizzie Line

[grahame]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. [snip]

Of course you can! Thousands of cycle tourists carry tents, sleeping bags, panniers upon panniers. [snip]

What about walking to Heathrow if you live on the periphery?

I recall talking with a chap who was on one of our courses a number of years back ... and he was taking a flying visit - literally - so see his mum that weekend.

Me:   "How will you get from the airport - will she pick you up?"
He:   "I will walk"

Turns out she lived in a cottage about 400 yards from the terminal (I suspect there is just one terminal) at Benbecula.

[martyjon]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. [snip]

Of course you can! Thousands of cycle tourists carry tents, sleeping bags, panniers upon panniers. [snip]

What about walking to Heathrow if you live on the periphery?
I recall talking with a chap who was on one of our courses a number of years back ... and he was taking a flying visit - literally - so see his mum that weekend.
Me:   "How will you get from the airport - will she pick you up?"
He:   "I will walk"
Turns out she lived in a cottage about 400 yards from the terminal (I suspect there is just one terminal) at Benbecula.

A while ago when I was in Australia I landed at Uluru and walking from the aircraft to the terminal building passengers passed a well maintained garden with trees and tropical plants and a wooden entrance gate proclaiming "PRIVATE" and within the trees a beautiful homestead bungalow could be seen which happened to be the Airport Managers "tied cottage".

[Surrey 455]

They can't - and frankly, the purpose of Heathrow is to fly. There is free transport laid on for employees there. [snip]

Of course you can! Thousands of cycle tourists carry tents, sleeping bags, panniers upon panniers. [snip]

What about walking to Heathrow if you live on the periphery?

I recall talking with a chap who was on one of our courses a number of years back ... and he was taking a flying visit - literally - so see his mum that weekend.

Me:   "How will you get from the airport - will she pick you up?"
He:   "I will walk"

Turns out she lived in a cottage about 400 yards from the terminal (I suspect there is just one terminal) at Benbecula.

You can walk or cycle to Terminals 4 and 5 as they are on the perimeter but access to T2 and T3 is currently not possible. You can park your bike at Heathrow Academy which is on the northern perimeter and then take a free bus into the central area.

Cycle parking
There is currently no direct cycle route to Terminals 2 and 3 due to construction work to the main road tunnel. Bicycles can be parked in racks at the Heathrow Cycle Hub, where free local buses operate to the terminals.

View bus route map  (155KB)
Free cycle parking is available at:

Terminals 2 and 3: The Cycle Hub, Heathrow Academy, Newall Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW6 2AP
Terminal 4: Cycle parking is opposite the arrivals forecourt
Terminal 5: Cycle parks are provided at either end of the terminal building.
Bikes can also be safely stored in the left baggage office for up to 90 days.

Please note that for security reasons, bicycles will be removed if not parked in the designated areas.

View map of Heathrow cycle parks  (1.6MB PDF)

[Bmblbzzz]

Cycle parking
There is currently no direct cycle route to Terminals 2 and 3 due to construction work to the main road tunnel. Bicycles can be parked in racks at the Heathrow Cycle Hub, where free local buses operate to the terminals.

View bus route map  (155KB)
Free cycle parking is available at:

Terminals 2 and 3: The Cycle Hub, Heathrow Academy, Newall Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW6 2AP
Terminal 4: Cycle parking is opposite the arrivals forecourt
Terminal 5: Cycle parks are provided at either end of the terminal building.
Bikes can also be safely stored in the left baggage office for up to 90 days.

Please note that for security reasons, bicycles will be removed if not parked in the designated areas.

https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/cycling