Options For 'Park & Ride' For London

Pross

I need to go up to the smoke later this month to watch my daughter's end of term production. Hotel is booked in Canning Town and she is based in Stratford. My intention was to catch the train but having just gone to buy tickets for me and the wife the cheapest option is over £250 and that doesn't give us a huge amount of time to make the most of the trip so unfortunately I'm going to drive. The last time I went was to take the daughter and all her belongings at the start of term when we drove to Stratford and parked overnight in Westfield which wasn't to extortionate (needed to pay ULEZ charge too) but previously I've tended to drive to Osterley tube and leave the car there as it is the right side of the city for us. My main concern with that is if the station car park (which is very cheap) is full it may be difficult to park somewhere else nearby. The other option I've used in the past is Heathrow but the parking there is more pricey. I'm assuming ULEZ will apply pretty much anywhere now. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

photonic69

Last time I priced up doing a job in London for an overnight trip with the option of taking the train or going in my old, smokey diesel and paying the ULEZ and CAZ and Parking charges and fuel etc, the train just won out by around £18. If there were two or more of us going then the train just doesn't make any sense.

Pross

Yeah, it's annoying. I quite enjoy travelling up there by train. There's no way I'm using the buses though, my daughter normally uses them when she comes home at the weekends but Megabus takes about 4 hours and the last time she used it drove straight past the pick-up point without stopping for her and the other 3 passengers. National Express is a bit better but still 3 hours in a cramped seat surrounded by people eating smelly food and making loads of noise!

monkimark

If you want to park on the west of town and train into Stratford/Canning town then the Crossrail/ Elizabeth line would give you some parking options out west - maybe Slough or somewhere?

I'd probably just drive to Stratford and park at Westfield if it were me.

Pross

monkimark said:

If you want to park on the west of town and train into Stratford/Canning town then the Crossrail/ Elizabeth line would give you some parking options out west - maybe Slough or somewhere?

I'd probably just drive to Stratford and park at Westfield if it were me.

Thanks, I was thinking of just doing Stratford again. It feels like a much longer drive but we'd be tubing it across London if we park in the west so probably no different and less convenient.

TheBigBean

Pross said:

Yeah, it's annoying. I quite enjoy travelling up there by train. There's no way I'm using the buses though, my daughter normally uses them when she comes home at the weekends but Megabus takes about 4 hours and the last time she used it drove straight past the pick-up point without stopping for her and the other 3 passengers. National Express is a bit better but still 3 hours in a cramped seat surrounded by people eating smelly food and making loads of noise!

3 hours on a National Express bus sounds fine to me. They're quite comfortable and then you have none of the hassle with your car.

laurentian

There's a car park opposite Canning Town DLR station next to the Ibis Hotel but it's not cheap.

If East Finchley Station is on your way (ideal if travelling southon the M1 and very easy to get to), it's about 40 minute tube to Stratford. Large car park there and last time I went £6 for 24 hours

Pross

TheBigBean said:

Pross said:

Yeah, it's annoying. I quite enjoy travelling up there by train. There's no way I'm using the buses though, my daughter normally uses them when she comes home at the weekends but Megabus takes about 4 hours and the last time she used it drove straight past the pick-up point without stopping for her and the other 3 passengers. National Express is a bit better but still 3 hours in a cramped seat surrounded by people eating smelly food and making loads of noise!

3 hours on a National Express bus sounds fine to me. They're quite comfortable and then you have none of the hassle with your car.

Just don't like travelling on them to be honest, you can get lucky and have a quiet journey but most of the trips I've done have involved screaming kids (or adults!) and just an unpleasant few hours.

Pross

laurentian said:

There's a car park opposite Canning Town DLR station next to the Ibis Hotel but it's not cheap.

If East Finchley Station is on your way (ideal if travelling southon the M1 and very easy to get to), it's about 40 minute tube to Stratford. Large car park there and last time I went £6 for 24 hours

I'd be coming up the M4 but doing M25 / M1 then train is viable. Slough looks a decent option, I hadn't realised the Elizabeth Line went all the way out there and it offers a regular reasonably cheap option into East London from there.

rjsterry

Pross said:

laurentian said:

There's a car park opposite Canning Town DLR station next to the Ibis Hotel but it's not cheap.

If East Finchley Station is on your way (ideal if travelling southon the M1 and very easy to get to), it's about 40 minute tube to Stratford. Large car park there and last time I went £6 for 24 hours

I'd be coming up the M4 but doing M25 / M1 then train is viable. Slough looks a decent option, I hadn't realised the Elizabeth Line went all the way out there and it offers a regular reasonably cheap option into East London from there.

Another vote for Slough + Elizabeth line if you are heading for Stratford.

me-109

Have just done Paddington - Slough and return as part of a longer journey. Outbound on Elizabeth and back on mainline express. Liz line was good, stops all over, wasn't that long a journey but put into shade by the return journey that was mainline direct without interim stops. No idea if tickets restrict the options.
Check out the parking options. There is a nearby car park, not huge but ok, no idea on prices.

TheBigBean

Pross said:

TheBigBean said:

Pross said:

Yeah, it's annoying. I quite enjoy travelling up there by train. There's no way I'm using the buses though, my daughter normally uses them when she comes home at the weekends but Megabus takes about 4 hours and the last time she used it drove straight past the pick-up point without stopping for her and the other 3 passengers. National Express is a bit better but still 3 hours in a cramped seat surrounded by people eating smelly food and making loads of noise!

3 hours on a National Express bus sounds fine to me. They're quite comfortable and then you have none of the hassle with your car.

Just don't like travelling on them to be honest, you can get lucky and have a quiet journey but most of the trips I've done have involved screaming kids (or adults!) and just an unpleasant few hours.

See the give up your car thread. It needs more than public transport.

briantrumpet

I got lucky when I did a friends Facebook request for somewhere to park near London to go to St Pancras for Eurostar (it was a Plan B one February when all the railway lines from the southwest were closed)... an old university friend was in St Alban's, let me park on their drive for a 10 days in return for some French fizz, and there's a train into St P every 15 minutes.

Might be worth trying, if you do social media with friends...

Pross

briantrumpet said:

I got lucky when I did a friends Facebook request for somewhere to park near London to go to St Pancras for Eurostar (it was a Plan B one February when all the railway lines from the southwest were closed)... an old university friend was in St Alban's, let me park on their drive for a 10 days in return for some French fizz, and there's a train into St P every 15 minutes.

Might be worth trying, if you do social media with friends...

I don’t have friends (which will doubtless come as no surprise) 😂

abishek_l

What days and hours will you be needing the parking for? I live in Osterley so might be able to suggest an alternative there.

monkimark

I've never used it myself but you can use this site to book parking, it includes car parks but also people who rent out driveways etc for a bit of extra cash.

https://www.justpark.com

Pross

abishek_l said:

What days and hours will you be needing the parking for? I live in Osterley so might be able to suggest an alternative there.

It would be arriving late Monday morning and leaving Tuesday afternoon.

Slough is looking the easiest option though as a shorter drive and faster train service.

ddraver

Closest I've come is an AirB&B in South Malden and a tube in and out.

(Doesn't solve your ULEZ problem tho, I got lucky there.)