Eurostar - Best parking plan
Eurostar - Best parking plan
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Discussion

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
Never been on the Eurostar before - we are going to go to Paris in mid September

What is the parking like at the Ashford station? As its only 70odd miles from me, it is easier to drive there, park and get straight on rather than faff about getting from Reading station to London that early in the morning.

Whats the parking like, and is there any danger of it being full? Apparently you can't prebook so I don't want to risk getting there and finding out I cant park...

Any local advice?

miniman

28,433 posts

278 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
The train journey is quite straightforward - direct to Paddington then onto the H&C or Circle line via the steps at the Reading-end of the platforms (avoiding the crowds), then 5 stops to Kings Cross St Pancras. Depending on the time of day, I reckon this is no worse than M4-M25-M26-M20 or Bracknell-M3-M25-M26-M20 to be honest.

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
miniman said:
The train journey is quite straightforward - direct to Paddington then onto the H&C or Circle line via the steps at the Reading-end of the platforms (avoiding the crowds), then 5 stops to Kings Cross St Pancras. Depending on the time of day, I reckon this is no worse than M4-M25-M26-M20 or Bracknell-M3-M25-M26-M20 to be honest.
Yeah only thing that puts me off London is that we will need to get up mega early to get the train systems in, and the respective rail tickets are £39 each way. Fuel will only cost £25 or so to get to Ashford and the saving in tickets by not doing London pays for the 3 days parking.

sday12

5,060 posts

227 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
Ashford? Are you mad? Have you not heard of Ebbsfleet?

http://ebbsfleet-international.co.uk/index.php?sta...

itsnotarace

4,685 posts

225 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
Parking at Ashford is fine, there are 1200 odd spaces at the international terminal itself and even in the unlikely event it's full, there are another 2 carparks within a 5 minute walk from the station that have another 600 spaces between them both of which are open weekends / 24hrs

http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/ashford...

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
sday12 said:
Ashford? Are you mad? Have you not heard of Ebbsfleet?

http://ebbsfleet-international.co.uk/index.php?sta...
Thats around 115 miles as opposed to 70 - was looking at it as a backup option though.

tr7v8

7,453 posts

244 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
itsnotarace said:
Parking at Ashford is fine, there are 1200 odd spaces at the international terminal itself and even in the unlikely event it's full, there are another 2 carparks within a 5 minute walk from the station that have another 600 spaces between them both of which are open weekends / 24hrs

http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/ashford...
I regularly use Ashford International, nver a problem with spaces always 1/3-1/2 full max. Worth parking on the 5th floor as that is where the walkway is into the station. If you have something big &/or a particular P & J then on the 4th floor there are some massive semi-circle spaces which are about as safe as it gets.
A couple of words to the wise. Don't cut it too fine if you've never been there before the car park doesn't have the best signage in the world. It is actually at the back of the Ashford Designer Outlet. Also be careful of the kerbs in & out, they were designed for something focus size & I've scraped a wheel on the Jag twice in there. Finally the car park machine doesn't accept Amex only Visa/MC etc. Not a problem for most but guess what our corporate card is biggrin

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
tr7v8 said:
itsnotarace said:
Parking at Ashford is fine, there are 1200 odd spaces at the international terminal itself and even in the unlikely event it's full, there are another 2 carparks within a 5 minute walk from the station that have another 600 spaces between them both of which are open weekends / 24hrs

http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/ashford...
I regularly use Ashford International, nver a problem with spaces always 1/3-1/2 full max. Worth parking on the 5th floor as that is where the walkway is into the station. If you have something big &/or a particular P & J then on the 4th floor there are some massive semi-circle spaces which are about as safe as it gets.
A couple of words to the wise. Don't cut it too fine if you've never been there before the car park doesn't have the best signage in the world. It is actually at the back of the Ashford Designer Outlet. Also be careful of the kerbs in & out, they were designed for something focus size & I've scraped a wheel on the Jag twice in there. Finally the car park machine doesn't accept Amex only Visa/MC etc. Not a problem for most but guess what our corporate card is biggrin
Spot on - have a battered old corsa to drive down so parking and entrance size wouldnt be an issue hehe

Is the car park actually signed Eurostar carpark or just Ashford Station?

We were thinking of getting there around 60-90mins before departure - good enough time to sort everything out?

F i F

46,973 posts

267 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
TheCarpetCleaner said:
tr7v8 said:
itsnotarace said:
Parking at Ashford is fine, there are 1200 odd spaces at the international terminal itself and even in the unlikely event it's full, there are another 2 carparks within a 5 minute walk from the station that have another 600 spaces between them both of which are open weekends / 24hrs

http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/ashford...
I regularly use Ashford International, nver a problem with spaces always 1/3-1/2 full max. Worth parking on the 5th floor as that is where the walkway is into the station. If you have something big &/or a particular P & J then on the 4th floor there are some massive semi-circle spaces which are about as safe as it gets.
A couple of words to the wise. Don't cut it too fine if you've never been there before the car park doesn't have the best signage in the world. It is actually at the back of the Ashford Designer Outlet. Also be careful of the kerbs in & out, they were designed for something focus size & I've scraped a wheel on the Jag twice in there. Finally the car park machine doesn't accept Amex only Visa/MC etc. Not a problem for most but guess what our corporate card is biggrin
Spot on - have a battered old corsa to drive down so parking and entrance size wouldnt be an issue hehe

Is the car park actually signed Eurostar carpark or just Ashford Station?

We were thinking of getting there around 60-90mins before departure - good enough time to sort everything out?
tr7v8 advice is the money answer on this thread imo. The first time I used Ashford was year before last and there were those massive roadworks going on around the roads there and all over Ashford with the most lousy diversions. The car park signing was abysmal, and the satnav got confused. Fortunately we were in plenty of time but just used common sense and headed towards the station and then what we could clearly see was a car park next to the station. Signing was useless, but afterwards is obvious when you know where you are going, which sort of defeats the object. Bit like the signs in Sheffield city centre. frown

Hope this google image helps


edited to add, I'd make it at least 90 minutes but that is just me. Don't you have to check in an hour before? Remember it's not like walking onto a British Rail station (shows age there) You have to have check in, passport check(s), airport style security check of you and luggage, then go to the boarding lounge. You don't just stroll onto the platform as and when.

Edited by F i F on Thursday 13th May 10:34

sday12

5,060 posts

227 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
TheCarpetCleaner said:
sday12 said:
Ashford? Are you mad? Have you not heard of Ebbsfleet?

http://ebbsfleet-international.co.uk/index.php?sta...
Thats around 115 miles as opposed to 70 - was looking at it as a backup option though.
Sorry, I thought you were coming from Reading

mep

88 posts

214 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
Are you coming from Reading?

Did you use Google maps for your routes/distances?

I noticed that if you put Ebbsfleet into Google Maps it shows you Ebbsfleet in Ramsgate (which is 118 miles from Reading)

You need to put Ebbsfleet International Station to get to the right place (75 miles from Reading). Plenty of parking at Ebbsfleet and more choice of trains than at Ashford I think.


TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
mep said:
Are you coming from Reading?

Did you use Google maps for your routes/distances?

I noticed that if you put Ebbsfleet into Google Maps it shows you Ebbsfleet in Ramsgate (which is 118 miles from Reading)

You need to put Ebbsfleet International Station to get to the right place (75 miles from Reading). Plenty of parking at Ebbsfleet and more choice of trains than at Ashford I think.
You are absolutely right - I put in Ebbsfleet International and it comes up wiht the right place biggrin

Much better idea - parking £8 per day.

tr7v8

7,453 posts

244 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
Depends which train you want. The Brussels train is earlier out of Ashford than Ebbsfleet. I live pretty much in the middle of both so horses for courses ;-)
At the beginning of June I'm off to Paree & taking the Ebbsfleet one because it just works better.

honest_delboy

1,626 posts

216 months

Thursday 13th May 2010
quotequote all
Why not drive all the way to Paris? Or is this utter madness...

Debating wether or not to eurostar or channel tunnel it in september.

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Friday 14th May 2010
quotequote all
honest_delboy said:
Why not drive all the way to Paris? Or is this utter madness...

Debating wether or not to eurostar or channel tunnel it in september.
I hate driving after doing 50,000 - 60,000 miles a year for 6 years in my last job as a field service engineer. Plus I have never driven abroad, and I never want to. Happy enough to get the train in and public transport it around.

I reckon if you are not chickenst about driving abroad (like I am), it would be quite fun! Expensive on fuel though.

F i F

46,973 posts

267 months

Friday 14th May 2010
quotequote all
TheCarpetCleaner said:
honest_delboy said:
Why not drive all the way to Paris? Or is this utter madness...

Debating wether or not to eurostar or channel tunnel it in september.
I hate driving after doing 50,000 - 60,000 miles a year for 6 years in my last job as a field service engineer. Plus I have never driven abroad, and I never want to. Happy enough to get the train in and public transport it around.

I reckon if you are not chickenst about driving abroad (like I am), it would be quite fun! Expensive on fuel though.
I can appreciate that not driving by preference bit, certainly more relaxing for the driver, but not sure about the cost angle.

The cheapest I can get Eurostar for the three of us that are going to Paris later this year is about £50 more expensive than driving from home to destination and back, incl Norfolkline ferry and auotoroute tolls.

The Eurostar price is just standard non flexible tickets , and does not include cost of getting home to Ashford and back.

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

218 months

Friday 14th May 2010
quotequote all
F i F said:
TheCarpetCleaner said:
honest_delboy said:
Why not drive all the way to Paris? Or is this utter madness...

Debating wether or not to eurostar or channel tunnel it in september.
I hate driving after doing 50,000 - 60,000 miles a year for 6 years in my last job as a field service engineer. Plus I have never driven abroad, and I never want to. Happy enough to get the train in and public transport it around.

I reckon if you are not chickenst about driving abroad (like I am), it would be quite fun! Expensive on fuel though.
I can appreciate that not driving by preference bit, certainly more relaxing for the driver, but not sure about the cost angle.

The cheapest I can get Eurostar for the three of us that are going to Paris later this year is about £50 more expensive than driving from home to destination and back, incl Norfolkline ferry and auotoroute tolls.

The Eurostar price is just standard non flexible tickets , and does not include cost of getting home to Ashford and back.
Wow I didn't realise the ferries were that cheap - learn something new every day smile

I might think about drive plus ferry - ultimately I just can't do the "other side of the road" thing. It scares the st out of me.

F i F

46,973 posts

267 months

Friday 14th May 2010
quotequote all
TheCarpetCleaner said:
F i F said:
TheCarpetCleaner said:
honest_delboy said:
Why not drive all the way to Paris? Or is this utter madness...

Debating wether or not to eurostar or channel tunnel it in september.
I hate driving after doing 50,000 - 60,000 miles a year for 6 years in my last job as a field service engineer. Plus I have never driven abroad, and I never want to. Happy enough to get the train in and public transport it around.

I reckon if you are not chickenst about driving abroad (like I am), it would be quite fun! Expensive on fuel though.
I can appreciate that not driving by preference bit, certainly more relaxing for the driver, but not sure about the cost angle.

The cheapest I can get Eurostar for the three of us that are going to Paris later this year is about £50 more expensive than driving from home to destination and back, incl Norfolkline ferry and auotoroute tolls.

The Eurostar price is just standard non flexible tickets , and does not include cost of getting home to Ashford and back.
Wow I didn't realise the ferries were that cheap - learn something new every day smile

I might think about drive plus ferry - ultimately I just can't do the "other side of the road" thing. It scares the st out of me.
You get used to it, but that is easy for me to say, used to swapping rhd/lhd, fwd/rwd, manual/auto, small/big, slow/fast.

Best service imo, is Norfolkline Dover-Dunkirk, I booked this for September and the return fare for three of us and a Volvo estate was 27 quid. Just looked today and it's come down to £25. :chunter: The Autoroute toll charges for where we are going is 39 euro return. Fuel is about 1.27 euro/litre say about £1.12/litre.

However, and it is a BIG elephant in the room type of however, if you are going into Paris itself and nowhere else, then I personally wouldn't drive into the city centre. I absolutely hate it, but as we are going Reims(ish) the mad buggers in the French Capital won't have the pleasure of my company or euros. That may be the killer factor in your equation to keep on Eurostar, plus if only two of you the fares work better in your favour.