Did you know that registration to Civilian Aviation is completely free and brings you lots of added features? Find out more....

Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post your logs, movements and information for London Heathrow here.
Post Reply
User avatar
andygolfer
Administrator, POTM, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 8500
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Rayne Essex - 12 miles east of Stansted

Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by andygolfer » Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:39 am

has anybody got experience of the Premier Inn on the a.4 Bath road near the 27R threshold please?

i'm planning an overnight stay in mid June so with the long evening and early morning light being to the north of the runways I presume that this will be far better than the T.4 Premier Inn as I'd be shooting into sun from about 7pm onwards (if I was in a room that early anyway). It looks to have a bit of a garden and car park which should be suitable and not an unreasonable walk for the early morning arrivals on 27L the next day. I'd plan to be up early for the landings on both runways and get somewhere between the two until the sun moves round from about 8am onwards but will be off elsewhere about 9am anyway (Ascot, Ladies Day).
I've spoken to them and they will reserve a twin room on the south side if I ask so that's a start.
Any advice / recommendations welcome MTIA.

andy
Andygolfer (or at least I was once), now just plane crazy

Image
please support our photo competitions by entering and/or voting!
Proud winner of 2019 Air-Britain photo competition!

co-owner of UK Light Aviation Enthusiasts google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uklae
and Stansted Aviation Enthusiasts google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stnae

my photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125470545@N07/

User avatar
Mike
Administrator, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 10372
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:46 pm

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by Mike » Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:07 am

I've stayed there for about 12 nights in total and the last time was about 10 years ago. The views of aircraft landing on 27R from the car park are excellent but lousy for photos until late afternoon when the sun has moved round to the West.
It's not possible to see anything on the ground (I'm not sure about the top floor rooms though) and views of landing aircraft on any other runway are hopeless.
There's some picnic tables there and the bar is very handily situated just inside the door to the right as you go in. ;)

This is a photo I took in 2006 of the hotel when landing on 27R, it'll give you an idea of what it looks like from the South - the surrounding area will probably look a lot different now.

Image
Image

Please support our monthly photo competitions by entering and/or by voting !

User avatar
andygolfer
Administrator, POTM, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 8500
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Rayne Essex - 12 miles east of Stansted

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by andygolfer » Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:52 am

thanks Mike. I'm planning on being elsewhere on the approach until the sun has moved round so can plan my check in for once the light has moved round.
I wasn't expecting to see much (if anything) on the ground tbh so that isn't an issue. I'd rather be out in the garden / car park than take photos through glass - i'll only do that if it's wet!

looks pretty good for what I want and hopefully easy to get between the runways when they are landing on both early in the morning

thanks again
Andy
Andygolfer (or at least I was once), now just plane crazy

Image
please support our photo competitions by entering and/or voting!
Proud winner of 2019 Air-Britain photo competition!

co-owner of UK Light Aviation Enthusiasts google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uklae
and Stansted Aviation Enthusiasts google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stnae

my photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125470545@N07/

User avatar
Mike
Administrator, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 10372
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:46 pm

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by Mike » Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:03 pm

Just take a wander down the Eastern Perimeter Road towards the BA Engineering base and you should get some good shots. :thumb:
Image

Please support our monthly photo competitions by entering and/or by voting !

User avatar
andygolfer
Administrator, POTM, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 8500
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Rayne Essex - 12 miles east of Stansted

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by andygolfer » Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:19 pm

Mike wrote:
Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:03 pm
Just take a wander down the Eastern Perimeter Road towards the BA Engineering base and you should get some good shots. :thumb:
many thanks, it's not too far and the runways are only about 1500m apart so around 800m distant to the landers on both if I go mid way. I'll have to do a few morning play backs beforehand to see what lands on each runway (although I expect that won't be set in stone) and work out which I want pics of
Andygolfer (or at least I was once), now just plane crazy

Image
please support our photo competitions by entering and/or voting!
Proud winner of 2019 Air-Britain photo competition!

co-owner of UK Light Aviation Enthusiasts google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uklae
and Stansted Aviation Enthusiasts google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stnae

my photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125470545@N07/

User avatar
andygolfer
Administrator, POTM, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 8500
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Rayne Essex - 12 miles east of Stansted

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by andygolfer » Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:23 pm

Mike wrote:
Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:03 pm
Just take a wander down the Eastern Perimeter Road towards the BA Engineering base and you should get some good shots. :thumb:
many thanks, it's not too far and the runways are only about 1500m apart so around 800m distant to the landers on both if I go mid way. I'll have to do a few morning play backs beforehand to see what lands on each runway (although I expect that won't be set in stone) and work out which I want pics of

I've just checked and the day time alternations start at 6am and not 7am as I thought so I'll need to get down to the southern runway earlier than I thought. Shame because 7am would have worked about right with the sun moving round.
Andygolfer (or at least I was once), now just plane crazy

Image
please support our photo competitions by entering and/or voting!
Proud winner of 2019 Air-Britain photo competition!

co-owner of UK Light Aviation Enthusiasts google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uklae
and Stansted Aviation Enthusiasts google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stnae

my photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125470545@N07/

User avatar
Cessna954
POTM & SPOTM winner
Posts: 753
Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:30 pm

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by Cessna954 » Sat Apr 13, 2019 3:28 pm

Andy,

I stayed at the Bath Road Premier Inn in June last year with similar intentions as yours, using the long day for late evening and early morning photos.

I had a 2nd floor room on the south side, but the room window had a film coating on the outside which made photography through the glass impossible, in fact using binoculars through it was quite difficult.

There's an earth mound with picnic tables at the bottom of the car park, which would be ideal for late evening (from c19:00) or early morning (upto c8:30) 27R arrivals (I use a sun location app on Google Maps to plan when I need to move locations). Whilst they were scheduled to be on 27R AM duty runway, and despite at 5am start by myself, I found that they didn't start using the duty 27R runway until 7am, so I hopped in to my car and headed over to Chester Road.

I found the hotel to be pretty good, had a nice steak and chips and pint or two of Magners at the end of a long day spotting. There's also a 24hr Costa in the lobby, so when I headed out at 5am I picked-up a large Latte to see me through the morning.

I'm looking to make a return trip there myself in June to get the late PM Chinese arrivals and early AM stuff as well - steak and chips being a bonus!!

Neil

User avatar
andygolfer
Administrator, POTM, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 8500
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Rayne Essex - 12 miles east of Stansted

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by andygolfer » Sat Apr 13, 2019 5:53 pm

Many thanks Neil, sounds good apart from the windows but with the opportunity to be outside anyway I am planning on that basis.

hopefully the switch to one runway is at 7am as they are on 27L in the morning on 19th. I shall be leaving LHR around 9.00 -9.30 to go to Ascot for the Ladies Day helicopters then back in the afternoon for a while before heading home probably feeling knackered!

thanks again (and to Mike)
andy
Andygolfer (or at least I was once), now just plane crazy

Image
please support our photo competitions by entering and/or voting!
Proud winner of 2019 Air-Britain photo competition!

co-owner of UK Light Aviation Enthusiasts google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uklae
and Stansted Aviation Enthusiasts google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stnae

my photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125470545@N07/

Rugbyref
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:02 pm

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by Rugbyref » Sat Apr 13, 2019 6:55 pm

Fingers crossed they are not using 09s as they have been this week, and due to be next week too. :mad:

User avatar
andygolfer
Administrator, POTM, SPOTM & FC POTM winner
Posts: 8500
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:51 am
Location: Rayne Essex - 12 miles east of Stansted

Re: Premier Inn, Bath Road

Post by andygolfer » Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:35 am

Rugbyref wrote:
Sat Apr 13, 2019 6:55 pm
Fingers crossed they are not using 09s as they have been this week, and due to be next week too. :mad:
that is the big risk but I don't want to leave it until the last minute to book. It would just mean staying out on the 09L approach until I've had enough for the evening or go to Feltham for some banking departures although the sun would be well round to the north looking at charts so it will be a very narrow window to get them lit as they turn.
Andygolfer (or at least I was once), now just plane crazy

Image
please support our photo competitions by entering and/or voting!
Proud winner of 2019 Air-Britain photo competition!

co-owner of UK Light Aviation Enthusiasts google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uklae
and Stansted Aviation Enthusiasts google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stnae

my photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/125470545@N07/

Post Reply

Return to “London Heathrow”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests