I have traveled to Africa many times and sent lots of clients but none, including myself have ever had a lay-over in Heathrow.

I'm taking a group to Namibia in July and the only way we can see fit to get there without an overnight in Jo'berg is to go through Heathrow.

My question is, have any of you done this trip with the 10+ hour day time layover in London and did you have any issues with your guns?

quote:

Originally posted by Big Game Hunter:
I have traveled to Africa many times and sent lots of clients but none, including myself have ever had a lay-over in Heathrow.

I'm taking a group to Namibia in July and the only way we can see fit to get there without an overnight in Jo'berg is to go through Heathrow.

My question is, have any of you done this trip with the 10+ hour day time layover in London and did you have any issues with your guns?

If you check the guns all the way through, thus not taking possession, then it should be no problem. We stayed at the Sofitel off Terminal 5 for convenience during the layover on the way back from Zambia last time.

As mentioned previously, if you've checked the guns all the way through you should have no issues. If you want to see something of London there is a Heathrow Express train that runs from Heathrow to Paddington station. Time from leaving the departures area to being in London is about 30 minutes at most, often less. Once in Paddington you can catch a cab to anywhere you might want to go. One option would be Trafalgar Square (about a $15 cab fare) and check out the Natural History Museum. With a 10 hour layover you could easily spend 6 or 7 hours in London and still have plenty of time to get back to the airport using the same Heathrow Express to make your onward flights. Last time I flew through London you could purchase Heathrow Express Tickets from vendors right as you exited customs.

I've had long layovers in London twice. The first time I hired James Pedder, a firearms courier, to handle my firearms and it could not have gone smoother. James was fantastic and I had no problems with my guns. He's taken care of all the details before my arrival and clearing my guns took just a few minutes with customs. He then took possession of my guns and drove me to the Castle Hotel in Windsor for a day room where I took a nap, got cleaned up and toured Windsor Castle. When it was time to fly to South Africa he'd already checked all of my baggage, just handed me my claim checks and wished me a good safe flight.

The next time, I had my entire family with me and we took the train into London. We walked around High Street and relaxed for about 5-6 hours before heading back to catch our flight to OR Tambo.

Both times, it was a very nice break. I did not have a single firearms related problem on the way over either time, but interestingly I did have firearms related problems on the way home each time, both occuring at Heathrow. One was my fault, the other was American Airlines fault.

I do the Dallas or LAX to Heathrow to Joburg flight every year( and doing it again in Oct). i don't travel with guns, so not a concern. but i do actually enjoy the 10 or so hour layover, as i take the Express train to Paddington Station and spend the day just walking around the City. Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace are a 20 minute walk from the station. the Tower of London, London bridge, and St Paul's Cathedral are not much further. you can also buy an all day tube pass and really see the sights. the best thing is that everyone speaks English and are more than happy to help a poor lost colonial!! it's a great way to begin getting over the jet lag, as Joburg is only 1-2 hours ahead on London...