RAF Northolt is situated on the main A40 London to Oxford trunk road about 15 miles west of Central London.  It is three miles east of the M40 junction 1A with the M25 London Orbital Motorway junction 14.  It is about 6 miles north of Heathrow Airport. Map of the general area (106kb)
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.Viewing Aircraft

There are few good viewing points at Northolt.  The best, albeit at a distance, is outside the southern entrance to the airfield.  The whole of the main ramp can be seen from here, at a distance of about half a mile.  Car parking is possible in the side roads on the opposite side of West End Road.  Restricted views of the ramp can also be had from crash gates at the end of Wingfield Way and Glebe Road (see note below).

Sheeting has been placed all along the length of the Airfield fence that abuts the A40 to discourage viewing (similar to Heathrow), and this road is also designated a 'red route', meaning that stopping is forbidden anywhere on this section of what is a very fast six carriageway road.
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.Access by road

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Official access to the airfield is via one of two entrances on west side of the A4180 West End Road which heads north from the 'Polish War Memorial' junction of the A40.  Head north for about half a mile, through a set of traffic lights and the airfield's southern entrance is on the left, just before a petrol garage. Further along this road, after passing the runway threshold,  is the main entrance.  Being a military base, NO general public access is permitted at Northolt.
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.Access by public transport

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Underground/Tube
There are two Undergound stations nearby, both on the 'Central Line' (red line on the maps) but neither of these are 'Northolt' station, which is some 3 miles away!
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South Ruislip Station
Turn right out of the station and walk about half a mile.  At the West End Road 'T' junction, turn right and the airfield's southern entrance is almost immediately on your left.
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Ruislip Gardens Station
Exit the station left. You will pass the main base entrance on your right before reaching the runway threshold and then the airfield's southern entrance is on the right, past the petrol station.

Bus
The 140 bus runs from Heathrow to Harrow, past Northolt tube station, from where you could get the tube one stop to South Ruislip (see above).  Otherwise, get off the bus at the 'White Hart Roundabout' and walk north along the A4180 about a mile.  The airfield will come into sight at the crest of the hill, but it is still about another mile to the southern entrance.  A E7 bus also runs along this road towards Ruislip.
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Chiltern Railways
The Chiltern Railways service between South Ruislip and Marylebone stations has been much improved of late. For instance, on weekdays there are ten westbound trains leaving Marylebone
calling at South Ruislip between 0915 and 1315, also ten between 1615 and 1930hrs that could appeal to spotters working in north central London wishing to visit after work. Even Sunday trains now run twice per hour between these two stations. The full timetable can be seen on the company website http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk
 

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.Photography

Photography is possible of aircraft on final approach to runway 25 from the entrance road to the British Airways facility, which is on the opposite side of the road to the base, adjacent to the approach lights, although parking in this area is not permitted.  Some may find that the aircraft may still be rather high and too close for perfect photographs from here (see photo below).
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Photograph taken from the British Airways entrance road mentioned above

The streets around the eastern side of Northolt are very residential, with properties bordering the base fence along much of West End Road (lucky people!).  But of course they do not appreciate this fact, or the constant stream of enthusiasts that park in their roads to view the aircraft.  Antagonism in the past has led to plastic sheeting being put over the crash gate in Wingfield Way, which was previously a good place to view from and is now restricted to glimpses through the sheeting.  Heated discussions including threats to call the Police have also occurred.  Please use discretion when visiting and parking in these areas.
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