Originally Posted by
heartybob
... or take the GEX at 05.15 or 05.30, both of which will get the OP to LGW in plenty of time for a 07.40 departure.
I would agree with that. LGW is a pain to drive to from Central London. Unless you have a ton of baggage, a taxi to Victoria and a train from there is so much quicker. Bear in mind, though, that the shuttle trains between South and North Terminal are still not operational, so that would be an argument to avoid the train if you have plenty of baggage.