Parking and public transport into London

SarahQ85

Hello,

I posted this message on the 'Parking' board and someone suggested I might get better responses elsewhere - perhaps you can help.

I'm looking for advice about parking on the outskirts of London and travelling in to the centre.

The context: I've agreed to take my 16 year old cousin to a couple of University open days next week - LSE on Wednesday. We're travelling from Doncaster.

Obviously I'm not mad enough to try to drive right into central London on a weekday - horrible traffic, congestion charge, extortionate parking charges - no thanks!

Can anyone suggest a place to park then get public transport? I don't mind paying for parking as long as it's not ridiculous. How far out of London should I be looking?

Thanks in advance!



P.S. I know that getting the train all the way would be sensible - but this time we're on a whistlestop tour of southern universities and doing it by train was was very complicated and eyewateringly expensive!

wealdroam

SarahQ85 wrote: »

Hello,

I posted this message on the 'Parking' board and someone suggested I might get better responses elsewhere - perhaps you can help.

I'm looking for advice about parking on the outskirts of London and travelling in to the centre.

The context: I've agreed to take my 16 year old cousin to a couple of University open days next week - LSE on Wednesday. We're travelling from Doncaster.

Obviously I'm not mad enough to try to drive right into central London on a weekday - horrible traffic, congestion charge, extortionate parking charges - no thanks!

Can anyone suggest a place to park then get public transport? I don't mind paying for parking as long as it's not ridiculous. How far out of London should I be looking?

Thanks in advance!



P.S. I know that getting the train all the way would be sensible - but this time we're on a whistlestop tour of southern universities and doing it by train was was very complicated and eyewateringly expensive!

For that trip I would come down the M1 and park at Stanmore. The tube station is less than two miles from M1 junc 4, either try the station car park or a nearby street.

SarahQ85

Thanks wealdroam - that's very useful

The_Groat_Counter

There are on-street parking restrictions immediately around Stanmore station, but they don't stretch that far. Do note however there are a few private roads nearby where parking is prohibited but I don't think they have yellow lines, however I think the signage is pretty clear, and another clue is the fact that no-one else is parked there!

Do you have contactless credit or debit cards? If so you can use them to pay for your Tube travel directly, by touching-in and touching-out through the automatic gates with your card. (They also work on London buses - you only need to touch-in once when boarding the bus.)

You'd each need one to do this - i.e. one card per passenger.

More infomation here:
www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless

The_Groat_Counter

Another option for those coming down the M1 is to park at Luton Airport Parkway station and get the train down to St Pancras - and the Thameslink trains go beyond St Pancras through central London, calling at Farringdon, St Paul's Thameslink and Blackfriars then further south.

The multistorey at Luton Airport Parkway always has spaces, and costs £7.60 a day, or £3.30 after 10am, or £2.50 on weekends and bank holidays and also after 5pm.

www.thameslinkrailway.com/your-journey/car-parks/charges/

It's very easy to get to and well signed from junction 10 of the M1.

Of course the train tickets from Luton Airport Parkway into London would cost more than travelling in from Stanmore.