Park and Ride Near London

[towser]

Hi,

I'm planning a London break in October and was thinking of driving down (coming from north of London) and leaving the car for 3 or 4 days and then getting the train or metro into the city.

I've never done this before so looking for recommendations that are easy to get to and safe to leave car for a few days.

Thanks....

[Jamescrs]

Have you looked at rail fares from your local train station?

I'm doing the same for the last week of October for 3 nights and I can currently buy a family ticket from Leeds- London return for £120 avoiding peak times and fixed dates. For me it's not worth taking the car at all. The train from Leeds to Kingscross is not much over 2 hours

[2172cc]

I'm in Potters Bar where the train station is on the main line into Kings Cross or Moorgate where you can link up to the underground network. Takes about 15 minutes if you get the fast one into KC. You can get a one day travel card from the station that allows unlimited travel on bus ,train or underground as it's in zone 6
It's also just outside the ULEZ zone for your car and there's plenty of free street parking a short walk away or the station car park is quite big at I think £6 a day.
Also easy to get to if you're coming down the A1 or M1/M25.
I find it a great location to get to anywhere from.
Hope that's useful for you

[towser]

Jamescrs said:

Have you looked at rail fares from your local train station?

I'm doing the same for the last week of October for 3 nights and I can currently buy a family ticket from Leeds- London return for £120 avoiding peak times and fixed dates. For me it's not worth taking the car at all. The train from Leeds to Kingscross is not much over 2 hours

I’m coming from near Glasgow and looking at about £340 for a family ticket. Driving gives us a bit of flexibility on the drive back to drop in on some friends as well.

[towser]

2172cc said:

I'm in Potters Bar where the train station is on the main line into Kings Cross or Moorgate where you can link up to the underground network. Takes about 15 minutes if you get the fast one into KC. You can get a one day travel card from the station that allows unlimited travel on bus ,train or underground as it's in zone 6
It's also just outside the ULEZ zone for your car and there's plenty of free street parking a short walk away or the station car park is quite big at I think £6 a day.
Also easy to get to if you're coming down the A1 or M1/M25.
I find it a great location to get to anywhere from.
Hope that's useful for you

Thanks will look into this.

[pidsy]

Depending when in October - I may be able to help.

Secure parking at the end of the Jubilee line.

[spikeyhead]

Luton Airport Parkway works if you're coming down the M1

[bennno]

Westfield and tube in?

[spikeyhead]

bennno said:

Westfield and tube in?

It's 45 minutes on a good day to get from Jn 10 of the M1 to Westfield, then £25 a day parking.
In traffic that could easily double.

[mike80]

Have you tried JustPark? https://www.justpark.com/uk

I've used it a couple of times, and always ended up in the car park at Stratford International, then got the tube into the centre. Or rode my bike in when I did Ride London. I think it was £16 for 24 hours a year or two ago.

[Venisonpie]

2172cc said:

I'm in Potters Bar where the train station is on the main line into Kings Cross or Moorgate where you can link up to the underground network. Takes about 15 minutes if you get the fast one into KC. You can get a one day travel card from the station that allows unlimited travel on bus ,train or underground as it's in zone 6
It's also just outside the ULEZ zone for your car and there's plenty of free street parking a short walk away or the station car park is quite big at I think £6 a day.
Also easy to get to if you're coming down the A1 or M1/M25.
I find it a great location to get to anywhere from.
Hope that's useful for you

This is a good suggestion, it saves going into any part of London or using the M25.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Coming from Glasgow, I'm assuming you'll end up on the M6 & M40 into London. That's my route going from London to the North West. So you could park in Oxford Thornhill Park & Ride and get the Oxford Tube (coach) into Central London.

But assuming your car is ULEZ compliant, I'd just drive in to somewhere like Hillingdon or Ickenham, park up on a side street, and get the tube in.

But look again at train fares at odd times. I recently flew up to Glasgow, but came back on the 15:20 train to Euston, on a split ticket Glasgow - Preston & Preston - Euston, same seat, same train, for £29 one way.

[omniflow]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Coming from Glasgow, I'm assuming you'll end up on the M6 & M40 into London. That's my route going from London to the North West. So you could park in Oxford Thornhill Park & Ride and get the Oxford Tube (coach) into Central London.

But assuming your car is ULEZ compliant, I'd just drive in to somewhere like Hillingdon or Ickenham, park up on a side street, and get the tube in.

But look again at train fares at odd times. I recently flew up to Glasgow, but came back on the 15:20 train to Euston, on a split ticket Glasgow - Preston & Preston - Euston, same seat, same train, for £29 one way.

I'm not 100% certain, but most actual Park & Ride schemes will be borderline for your requirements as they have a maximum stay of 72 hours.

Your choices are really to find somewhere you'd be happy to park on the street close to a train station, or find a paid for car park - such as Westfield or High Wycombe Station. I'd probably be happier parking my car in Westfield Car Park for 4 days, but it will be more expensive than High Wycombe Station and you'll be at the mercy of London traffic. Even on a good day it's 30 mins from High Wycombe to Westfield and an hour is probably the norm. As for getting into London it's probably 10 minutes longer from High Wycombe, depending on exactly where you want to go.

[dontlookdown]

Venisonpie said:

2172cc said:

I'm in Potters Bar where the train station is on the main line into Kings Cross or Moorgate where you can link up to the underground network. Takes about 15 minutes if you get the fast one into KC. You can get a one day travel card from the station that allows unlimited travel on bus ,train or underground as it's in zone 6
It's also just outside the ULEZ zone for your car and there's plenty of free street parking a short walk away or the station car park is quite big at I think £6 a day.
Also easy to get to if you're coming down the A1 or M1/M25.
I find it a great location to get to anywhere from.
Hope that's useful for you

This is a good suggestion, it saves going into any part of London or using the M25.

Another upvote for this idea. Coming from the North as you are, Potters Bar is an ideal location for getting in and out of town via train.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

dontlookdown said:

Venisonpie said:

2172cc said:

I'm in Potters Bar where the train station is on the main line into Kings Cross or Moorgate where you can link up to the underground network. Takes about 15 minutes if you get the fast one into KC. You can get a one day travel card from the station that allows unlimited travel on bus ,train or underground as it's in zone 6
It's also just outside the ULEZ zone for your car and there's plenty of free street parking a short walk away or the station car park is quite big at I think £6 a day.
Also easy to get to if you're coming down the A1 or M1/M25.
I find it a great location to get to anywhere from.
Hope that's useful for you

This is a good suggestion, it saves going into any part of London or using the M25.

Another upvote for this idea. Coming from the North as you are, Potters Bar is an ideal location for getting in and out of town via train.

He's coming from Glasgow. Normal route would be south on to the M6, M5, M42, M40. I doubt he'll be touching the M1.

[POIDH]

I have done this before - from Perthshire.

Luton is the answer. I found a public street next to a park (I would struggle to say exactly which one now) which was then a 5-10 min walk into town and the station.

IIRC, it was about half an hour on the train with trains every 20 mins or so throughout the day.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

POIDH said:

Luton is the answer.

We need to know his route into London. If it's M40, which I think it will be, Luton is definitely not the answer. If it's M1, it could well be the answer.

[pidsy]

As mentioned above - I can sort this if the dates work out.
Can’t imagine they wouldn’t.

Zero cost - helped plenty of PHers over the years.

[thebraketester]

I can recommend you a very good and secure (gated) just park at Brent Cross tube station if that would work.

[Macneil]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

He's coming from Glasgow. Normal route would be south on to the M6, M5, M42, M40. I doubt he'll be touching the M1.

M6/M1/M25 for Cockfosters I would have thought?

I'd go Luton Parkway OP,