Travelling from London to Loughborough

We run a free coach pickup service from Heathrow Airport in September. You do not need to fly to Heathrow to take advantage of this service, you need to book your seat on the coach and then you can travel from your airport to Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport.

This is a very expensive option from London and normally we would not recommend that you do this, unless you are travelling with a group. If you do decide to travel by taxi, we suggest that you pre-book a taxi, you can do this with several taxi firms in Loughborough. If you need support or have any questions you can contact the International Student Experience Team.

The UK widely uses Uber, and we recommend downloading the Uber app before you travel so you can easily book a taxi on arrival. Once downloaded, you can enter your destination, see the estimated fare in advance, and pay securely through the app without needing cash.

Students are warned not to use any unregistered taxi service as, in the unexpected event of a road accident, you may not be eligible for compensation.

Trains from Kings Cross/St Pancras to Loughborough Station run regularly and typically this journey would take approximately 1 hour 30 minutes (depending on how many stops are made). On Sundays, trains are less frequent and slower.

• You can travel on the underground (Piccadilly Line) to London Kings Cross/St Pancras railway station. The journey takes approximately 1 hour. Alternatively, you can use the Heathrow Express from Heathrow Airport to travel into central London, arriving at Paddington Train Station.
• If you travel to Paddington Train Station directly using the Heathrow Express, you will then need to take the underground - either the Circle line or the Hammersmith & City line (direction east) to Kings Cross/St Pancras railway station.
• When you get off the underground train, you will then walk about 5 minutes to St. Pancras main-line railway station.

This will involve carrying your luggage up and down escalators (moving staircases) or steps.

By Coach

You can get a National Express coach at Heathrow Airport to Loughborough University typically with one change. This service departs approximately every 2 hours and on average it takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes to travel to Loughborough.

Another option is to travel with FlixBus , which operates services from Heathrow to Leicester St Margaret’s Bus Station. The journey takes approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes, depending on traffic. From Leicester, you’ll need to take a local bus or taxi to Loughborough, which takes an additional 30–40 minutes.

If you are flying into Gatwick Airport, you can either get the underground to Heathrow Airport to make use of the free coach collection service in September or you can travel by train or coach directly to Loughborough.

By Train

From Gatwick Airport Station, take the Thameslink train (towards Bedford) to London St Pancras Railway Station. From there, East Midlands Railway run regular train services to Loughborough Train Station. These journeys take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on how many stops there are. On Sundays, trains are less frequent and slower.

If you’re happy to travel by train, the best way to plan your route is to visit thetrainline.com or visit National Rail.

By Coach

You can get a National Express coach at Gatwick Airport, which will take you to our Loughborough campus. There is one change, and the journey takes roughly 6 to 7 hours. If you are unsure what stop to get off at, please ask the driver.

Alternatively, FlixBus operates services from Gatwick Airport to Leicester St Margaret’s Bus Station, with a journey time of around 4 hours and 30 minutes. From Leicester, you will need to take a local bus or taxi to Loughborough (approximately 30–40 minutes). 

Travelling from Loughborough Train Station to our Loughborough campus

Once you’ve arrived at Loughborough Train Station, you’ll find that there are plenty of taxis waiting outside the railway station. It normally costs around £10 and the journey from the train station to our campus will take around 10 minutes. Alternatively, the ‘Sprint’ bus runs directly to the University from the bus-stop outside the railway station and costs about £2.80. Visit Kinchbus.co.uk for more information.