The cost of airport parking can range dramatically depending on the location and time of year. What most of us are looking for is a reasonable price, a minimum of fuss and of course, a secure location. We’ve all seen those TV reports of those less than reputable companies who leave your car unlocked in derelict industrial estates or simply on the side of the road.
So, for our recent 3 week trip to the USA (driving Route 66) we were offered complimentary parking with Cophall Parking Gatwick in exchange for an honest review of their Park & Ride service.
Cophall Parking is an off-site parking location near Gatwick and it’s open 24 hours a day. It's a Park Mark police accredited parking site which means it has effective surveillance, good lighting, a clean environment and quality management.
The office was clean and there were toilets available. We waited less than 5 minutes for the transfer bus to the airport and the driver helped us with the bags, which was great. It was about 4pm in the afternoon and despite the rush hour traffic and the road works, the transfer to Gatwick’s South Terminal took just over 15 minutes. The driver knew all the short cuts which avoided the main delays.
The whole process from car park arrival to getting to the terminal was painless. Cophall Parking are a ‘Gatwick Approved Operator’ and they drop off at bus stop 7 or 8 at the South Terminal, the same location as pick up for the return trip. Although, you don’t want to think about the return trip when you’re going on holiday.
So you’re off on holiday and you can forget about your car, safe in the knowledge that it’s parked securely and not being used as an unlicensed minicab.
Unfortunately, your holiday will come to an end and you will have to return home. You will be probably land at Gatwick, tired and just wanting to be home so the quicker you can be on your way the better. A couple of years ago we did have a horrendous experience with another car park company where we had to wait over 3 hours for our car! Not something you want to endure after an 8-hour flight. So what would the pickup experience with Cophall Parking be like we wondered?
We landed at around 11am and after collecting our bags rang for the car park pick up. We just missed one transfer so thought we would have to wait quite a long time for another but only 10 minutes later another van arrived for us. Our pick up driver was very friendly which was good, especially when the post-holiday blues are starting to kick in.
On arrival at the car park, we just handed in our receipt to get the car keys and a token barrier for the barrier. Within 5 minutes we were on the road and heading home, we did get a smile from the receptionist this time.
In summary, we would definitely use Cophall Parking again especially when taking a longer trip. We were initially concerned that parking off-site would entail a lot of fuss with long waits and transfers. Our experience proved these concerns to be completely unfounded with the return trip being far better than some on-site, more expensive parking. We would definitely pay to use Cophall Parking in future, if you want a cost-effective parking site within easy reach of Gatwick Airport I recommend you try them out.
