Driving to London center, a no no?
Discussion
Hello, a quick question.
I want to visit Hyde Park with my two children and a wife. The train is expensive and one child has a pram and the other likes to be carried ‘when her knees hurt’.
How feasible would it be to drive to London from Reading direction, M4, A4 etc. Would it take hours or is it straight forward with no issues or is the train a lot less hassle?
I would travel on a Sunday if that makes any difference and park in the Q Park at Hyde Park.
I want to visit Hyde Park with my two children and a wife. The train is expensive and one child has a pram and the other likes to be carried ‘when her knees hurt’.
How feasible would it be to drive to London from Reading direction, M4, A4 etc. Would it take hours or is it straight forward with no issues or is the train a lot less hassle?
I would travel on a Sunday if that makes any difference and park in the Q Park at Hyde Park.
knitware said:
Hello, a quick question.
I want to visit Hyde Park with my two children and a wife. The train is expensive and one child has a pram and the other likes to be carried ‘when her knees hurt’.
How feasible would it be to drive to London from Reading direction, M4, A4 etc. Would it take hours or is it straight forward with no issues or is the train a lot less hassle?
I would travel on a Sunday if that makes any difference and park in the Q Park at Hyde Park.
There are almost never 'no issues' when driving into central London. Sundays are always much better. Trains also have their 'issues' I generally use cabs these days. Expensive, but least hassle.I want to visit Hyde Park with my two children and a wife. The train is expensive and one child has a pram and the other likes to be carried ‘when her knees hurt’.
How feasible would it be to drive to London from Reading direction, M4, A4 etc. Would it take hours or is it straight forward with no issues or is the train a lot less hassle?
I would travel on a Sunday if that makes any difference and park in the Q Park at Hyde Park.
I used to drive in all the time at weekends when I lived in Ealing, was possible to park in Zone 1 betweek chancery lane and Kings cross for free even on a Saturday.
As above, you can park practically in Convent Garden, by Holborn tube for nowt on a single yellow
Better than than the tube or train any day!
As above, you can park practically in Convent Garden, by Holborn tube for nowt on a single yellow
Better than than the tube or train any day!
What with crappy train time tables on a sunday and the prospect of bus replacement services, definitely drive!
As has been said, doddle on a sunday, try to get to where you're going before 9am and you'll sail through on empty street.
Getting out again will be a bit more painful though, does get a tad busier through the afternoon/evening but nowt compared to a weekday.
As has been said, doddle on a sunday, try to get to where you're going before 9am and you'll sail through on empty street.
Getting out again will be a bit more painful though, does get a tad busier through the afternoon/evening but nowt compared to a weekday.
knitware said:
Hello, a quick question.
I want to visit Hyde Park with my two children and a wife. The train is expensive and one child has a pram and the other likes to be carried ‘when her knees hurt’.
How feasible would it be to drive to London from Reading direction, M4, A4 etc. Would it take hours or is it straight forward with no issues or is the train a lot less hassle?
I would travel on a Sunday if that makes any difference and park in the Q Park at Hyde Park.
I drive from Woking to Mayfair on Sundays quite often with family.I want to visit Hyde Park with my two children and a wife. The train is expensive and one child has a pram and the other likes to be carried ‘when her knees hurt’.
How feasible would it be to drive to London from Reading direction, M4, A4 etc. Would it take hours or is it straight forward with no issues or is the train a lot less hassle?
I would travel on a Sunday if that makes any difference and park in the Q Park at Hyde Park.
My route:
M25 -> M4 -> A4, left at the Natural History Museum and then right through the middle of Hyde Park (avoiding the junction of the A4 and Knightsbridge, which is horrible)
There is the alternative also:
M25 -> M4 -> A412 to Northolt (Target Roundabout) -> A40 into A404 into London. (or, to avoid the A412 which has a mile or so of typical urban traffic, you can do M25 ->M40 -> A40 instead, but it's further)
Never pay for parking, it's easy to find free parking on Sundays in Mayfair. You can probably park for free somewhere on West Carriage Drive in Hyde Park, but I'm not promising
It takes about an hour, but it's not uncommon to take longer. There is a perfectly good train service, but as you say quite expensive, and I don't like the Tube much.
Basically coming from west of London to the West End is fine, but you wouldn't really want to drive to say Canning Town, as it will take hours (or you have to go all the way around M25 to Dartford and enter from there.)
A proper Tomtom with internet traffic/IQ routes will help with minimising delays, a normal dumb car-integrated sat nav with only RDS for traffic news probably won't.
And yes, Sunday makes a big difference, on Saturday you have to pay for parking in most places, and Monday-Friday there's extra traffic and congestion charging.
ILoveMondeo said:
What with crappy train time tables on a sunday and the prospect of bus replacement services, definitely drive!
As has been said, doddle on a sunday, try to get to where you're going before 9am and you'll sail through on empty street.
Getting out again will be a bit more painful though, does get a tad busier through the afternoon/evening but nowt compared to a weekday.
To be fair, the train timetables are published online well in advance at www.nationalrail.co.uk Definitely more predictable than the traffic!As has been said, doddle on a sunday, try to get to where you're going before 9am and you'll sail through on empty street.
Getting out again will be a bit more painful though, does get a tad busier through the afternoon/evening but nowt compared to a weekday.
djglover said:
I used to drive in all the time at weekends when I lived in Ealing, was possible to park in Zone 1 betweek chancery lane and Kings cross for free even on a Saturday.
As above, you can park practically in Convent Garden, by Holborn tube for nowt on a single yellow
Better than than the tube or train any day!
I used to live in Ealing and would often drive and park on one of the Hyde Park pay and displays on a Sunday. Have a run around the park, maybe a stroll down Oxford Street after. As others say, it really is a doddle, traffic is generally light. Go for it.As above, you can park practically in Convent Garden, by Holborn tube for nowt on a single yellow
Better than than the tube or train any day!
ILoveMondeo said:
What with crappy train time tables on a sunday and the prospect of bus replacement services, definitely drive!
As has been said, doddle on a sunday, try to get to where you're going before 9am and you'll sail through on empty street.
Getting out again will be a bit more painful though, does get a tad busier through the afternoon/evening but nowt compared to a weekday.
Hmm, while you're right about the traffic becoming a bit busier in the centre later on a Sunday, I usually find main routes out are pretty clear as the majority of traffic is coming back into London on a Sunday evening. I learnt that the hard way coming back from a mates along the M40 Sunday just gone, forgot it was the end of half term which made it worse As has been said, doddle on a sunday, try to get to where you're going before 9am and you'll sail through on empty street.
Getting out again will be a bit more painful though, does get a tad busier through the afternoon/evening but nowt compared to a weekday.
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