From Wikitravel

Crawley is a town in West Sussex, on the border with Surrey, in the South of England.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By car 2.2 By train 2.3 By air 2.4 By bus 3 Get around 3.1 By bus 3.2 By taxi 3.3 By bicycle 4 See 5 Do 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Shopping 10 Get out

Understand

Until the 1940s Crawley was a small town until in 1947 it was designated a New Town, and its population boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. The biggest influence on the town, however, is Gatwick Airport, which lays claim to being the 6th busiest airport in the world.

Get in

By car

Crawley marks the mid-point of the M23/A23, which links London in the north to Brighton on the south coast. Haywards Heath is also on this road to the south. The A217 leads north to Reigate, and the A264 heads east to East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells, and west to Horsham.

By train

Trains run north to London, and south to Horsham, Haywards Heath and Brighton.

Regular fast trains run direct from Gatwick to London Victoria.

Fare and timetable information is available from South East Trains, tel. 08457 484950.

There are three relevant train stops for Crawley: Crawley Station, Gatwick Airport and Three Bridges. While trains run directly and frequently from Gatwick and Three Bridges to Brighton, you will need to change in Three Bridges to Brighton when coming from Crawley Station.

By air

Gatwick Airport, a major international airport and one of the world's busiest, is situated just outside Crawley.

By bus

• National Express buses go from and to Crawley station and Gatwick airport

• Metrobus #273 goes from Brighton Churchil Square to Crawley in about 70 mins. crossing lovely Sussex countryside with a £2 fare (2004).

Get around

Within the town centre, to the station, county mall and even the football stadion you can comfortabily walk.

By bus

Local buses run by Metrobus, noticeably 10, 100, 200, 300.

From and to the airport take the number 10 Fastway service which runs almost always as an 24h service (not on Sundays and Public Holidays).

By taxi

Taxis available e.G. at the railway stations. Fares from the station to the airport are around £13 (2005) and take 10 min. (if no traffic jam). However, the Fastways bus 10 taks about 20 min. and costs only £1.20.

By bicycle

Crawley is small enough to reach all ends cycling and in town centre there are parking facilities. Increasingly cycle paths are marked and signed, but essentially the whole place is built for cars and especially the Gatwick airport area is not meant for cyclists.

See

• There is a little model train Sundays in summer from 3pm in Goffs Park.

The locals are mostly friendly, apart from the occasional vandal or dunk who will cross your path. LOOK OUT but overall, have fun in a nice area.

Do

• Take in the classical music at the annual Proms in the Park at Tilgate Park
• The Buchan County Park, mostly known and used by dog owners, is south of Crawley starting at the Broadfield outskirts stretching to the village Pease Pottage. It has two former hammer ponds and some nice old trees. Really beautiful in autumn and at springtime when the floors are blue with bluebells.

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Eat

Along the Highstreet are numerous pubs and restaurants featuring typical english pubs and bars, italian chains like Pizza Express, Si and Bella Italia, two or three curry houses, mexican, kebab kiosks and more.

• Goffs Park Inn Walk or drive the Highstreet southwards until it becomes Brighton Road, cross the railwail, still on Brighton Road until to the right turns Goffs Park Road. Follow Goffs Park Road until it ends onto another road and you see in front of you that nice pub, where you can sit outside and enjoy a pint with nice food.

Drink

Rat and parrot on the high street..ground and first floor pub with wide screen during the day for footie and a dance floor for night with rnb/pop music and flashy lights etc

Sleep

The Grange hotel in brighton road,southgate

Shopping

• The Crawley County Mall is probably the largest shopping centre between Croydon and Brighton offering the typical selection of shops you will find on every UK highstreet.
• The rest of Crawley Town Centre is not too bad for shopping either.
• The Gatwick Airport South Terminal has quite a few shops with extended opening hours accessible also to the non flying public.

Get out

Other places of interest in the Crawley area

• Nymans Gardens, Handcross
• Wakehurst Place, Ardingly
• Cycle trip to Horsham going for example through the Buchan County Park and following the small country road going through St Leonards Forest south parallel to the A264. Have a rest at the Green Dragons Inn in Faygate.
• By train to Arundel and spend a day there.

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