Luxury transport from Canterbury: executive cars for occasions, cruise terminals and journeys across the UK

Luxury transport for Canterbury's big days

The Canterbury area is full of places people choose for weddings. Littlebourne has a Grade I listed timber barn at Littlebourne Court, dating from around 1340 and now used for events and weddings, as well as the Grade I church of St Vincent. Petham's All Saints is Grade I too, and Patrixbourne's church of St Mary dates from the late Norman period.

An executive saloon can take the bride and her father to the church, the couple on to the reception, or guests between the two. Give us the timings for each leg when you book, and if you want the car to wait between them, book it by the hour.

Graduation days are the other big occasion in the city. Canterbury Christ Church University holds graduation ceremonies in Canterbury Cathedral, and no vehicle can enter the Precincts, so the car sets the graduate and family down within walking distance of Christ Church Gate in the Buttermarket and collects them from the same point afterwards.

Exclusive transport by the hour or the day

With as-directed hire, the car and driver are yours for a set number of hours or a whole day. The driver takes you wherever the day goes and waits between stops, so there is no need to book separate journeys or look for parking.

It works for a day in London with lunch, a gallery and an evening at the theatre, for a round of visits to family across Kent, or for an anniversary that moves from a hotel to a restaurant and back. Tell us the outline of the plan, and whether it may stretch late, when you book.

If the plan takes you into east London by the Blackwall Tunnel, remember that the tunnel is charged in both directions during charging hours, with no charge between 10pm and 6am. Tolls and parking fees on the route can be added to a fare where they apply.

Cruise terminals at Dover and Southampton

Dover is the obvious cruise port for Canterbury: the A2 runs straight from the city to the town and finishes as the Dover bypass. Its Western Docks have a pair of purpose-built cruise terminals and one more berth for ships that call in.

Southampton, a longer drive, has five terminals split across two docks: QEII and Ocean on the eastern side, Mayflower, Horizon and City on the western. The cruise line's documents name your terminal and check-in slot; send us both and the collection time is set from them.

A fortnight's cruise luggage often needs more room than a saloon has. An estate swallows three or four large cases, and an MPV seats six with four cases or more, handy when two couples sail together. For the return, book the collection at the terminal for the time you expect to disembark.

Long-distance travel from Canterbury across the UK

From the city the car joins the A2, becomes part of the M2 at Brenley Corner, and from there the whole motorway network is open: the Midlands, the North, the West Country or Wales. One car and one driver take you the whole way, with no change of train and no luggage to manage on platforms.

It suits an older relative moving to be near family, a student starting at a university hundreds of miles away, a family heading to a holiday cottage with a boot full of bags, or anyone who simply prefers one journey to three trains.

Stops for a meal or a break can be planned into the booking, and a child seat can be fitted if you ask and tell us the child's age.

Choosing the car

For most occasions the executive class is the natural choice, with four seats and room for two or three large cases. The saloon also seats four, with two big cases. For more luggage there is the estate, with three or four cases, and for a group the MPV, with six seats.

Each driver carries a council-issued private hire licence, granted only after an enhanced DBS check, and each car holds a council licence and hire and reward insurance.

How the fare works for longer journeys

Whether the trip is to a church in the next village or to the other end of Britain, you see one fixed price for the car before you commit, and it stays put whatever the traffic, roadworks, a detour, a late finish or a bank holiday.

Additions come only from changes to the plan: waiting past the free 10 minutes at an address (unless the car is booked by the hour), a stop nobody booked, a big change of route on the day, or parking and tolls where they apply. Cancelling with more than a day's notice costs nothing. Book online, on 01843 247247, on WhatsApp or by email; online, ExpressTravelKent takes 10% off.