Help I'm driving to London tomorrow.

[Billargh]

Right so I'm driving to London tomorrow morning for a gig and I'm wondering what's the best way to go about it.

There's no bloody way I'm driving through the city centre and paying the congestion charge, does anything like a park and ride system exist down there? I've had a little look about and the majority just seem to suggest parking at a tube station and getting that into the city centre. I'm assuming getting parked somewhere like this could be a bit of a nightmare if I'm not getting there until 4pm or after.

So aye, any suggestions? It's also worth noting I'm driving back at around midnight tomorrow night too, so I don't need to be parked somewhere for too long.

 

[Gwadien]

Its called the London Underground

 

[Billargh]

Thanks for the input pal.

 

[Moriath]

I usually goto ealing or richmond and take the train / underground

They are a bit out of your way though.

I think the tube goes out to near watford. That might be a good plce to try.

I would never really consider driving i to town that would just be a nightmare.

Ealing in the west has some multi story car parks for the shopping centre and the tube isquite close to that. Infact right next to it. And ealing is just off the m4/a4.

 

[Zarjazz]

Yeah, you really don't want to be driving through central London if you can avoid it. I presume you're coming from the North, M1 route? If so I'd suggest Cockfosters, though that's an expensive taxi back if you miss the last tube back, or maybe Finchley area for parking.

 

[Billargh]

Aye I'm coming from Newcastle, pretty much M1 the whole way down.

Funny you say Finchley, I was just looking at parking in Finchley Central cause it's on the same line as Camden Town which will make it a bit easier for getting back.

This website is helpful as out mind, but thanks for the advice so far folks.

 

[Syri]

I've been parking on Park Side, a road just next to Gladstone Park, which is just a bit away from junction 1 of the M1. It's free street parking, and about 15-20 minutes walk from Willesden Green tube station, which is in zone 2, so fairly cheap and quick to get into central London. If you want to give it a go, the postcode there is NW2 6RJ

 

[Billargh]

I've been parking on Park Side, a road just next to Gladstone Park, which is just a bit away from junction 1 of the M1. It's free street parking, and about 15-20 minutes walk from Willesden Green tube station, which is in zone 2, so fairly cheap and quick to get into central London. If you want to give it a go, the postcode there is NW2 6RJ

Cheers dude, I'll keep that in mind. Looks a bit awkward getting to Camden from that station mind.

I take it you never have much problem getting parked there or anything?

 

[Syri]

Never had trouble finding a space, and I've arrived any time between 8am and 2pm. Probably the easiest way to Camden from there is to get the jubilee line, change to the met line at Finchley Road, as it's an easy interchange between those two there, and then change to the northern line at Kings Cross St Pancras. It looks like you can change at Euston, but you actually have to go out of the station there, and into another, so it counts as two journeys, so you're better changing at Kings Cross.

 

[Billargh]

Never had trouble finding a space, and I've arrived any time between 8am and 2pm. Probably the easiest way to Camden from there is to get the jubilee line, change to the met line at Finchley Road, as it's an easy interchange between those two there, and then change to the northern line at Kings Cross St Pancras. It looks like you can change at Euston, but you actually have to go out of the station there, and into another, so it counts as two journeys, so you're better changing at Kings Cross.

Took some getting my head around those directions like, but definitely an option! Do you know roughly how long it would take to do that route, with changing at Kings Cross?

Mind you, the timetables on the Underground website are the biggest load of cancerous infested AIDS I've ever seen.

 

[Syri]

The trains are usually not far apart at Finchley Road, I've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes to change there, just make sure you get a met line train going to Aldgate or Moorgate, the Baker Street ones don't go as far as Kings Cross.
As for changing at Kings Cross, it's a bit of a walk between the platforms there, as they're at different levels, so you need to go down a couple of escalators and through some corridors. It takes a few minutes to get between the platforms, but the trains are fairly regular now on the northern line, and all of the northbound trains on that line should stop at Camden Town.
At a rough guess, I'd say 15-20 minutes walking to the tube station, about 5-10 mins on the jubilee line, about 15 mins on the met line, 5 mins changing, and I think it's about 5 mins on the northern line, plus maybe a couple of extra minutes if you need to wait for trains at any of them. So from car to Camden, about an hour, roughly... but I don't use the northern line that much, and don't usually go that far on the met line, so might be a bit out on that.

 

[Billargh]

Awesome dude, cheers.

 

[Raven]

Can you not go somewhere that has a station that stops at Kentish Town? One tube stop from Camden.

Luton even, just off the M1, or St Albans, or even Harpenden...plenty of parking

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/searc...0x4eeb400a0ce7b472!4m2!1d-0.358953!2d51.81846

And a relatively short journey in.

http://www.thetrainline-europe.com/...ierJourneys=false&earlierReturnJourneys=false

 

[Moriath]

Can you not go somewhere that has a station that stops at Kentish Town? One tube stop from Camden.

Luton even, just off the M1, or St Albans, or even Harpenden...plenty of parking

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/searc...0x4eeb400a0ce7b472!4m2!1d-0.358953!2d51.81846

And a relatively short journey in.

http://www.thetrainline-europe.com/...ierJourneys=false&earlierReturnJourneys=false

Yeah good idea.

 

[Billargh]

Can you not go somewhere that has a station that stops at Kentish Town? One tube stop from Camden.

Luton even, just off the M1, or St Albans, or even Harpenden...plenty of parking

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/searc...0x4eeb400a0ce7b472!4m2!1d-0.358953!2d51.81846

And a relatively short journey in.

http://www.thetrainline-europe.com/...ierJourneys=false&earlierReturnJourneys=false

Only thing that puts me off about this is the fare from Harpenden to Kentish being almost £25, so that's £100 between the two of us getting to London and back from there.

We're doing this as the cheapest option and as a last minute thing. Megabus or similar are out cause we need to be back in Newcastle for 10am on Thursday morning and there isn't any coaches that would get us back in time. Train tickets are a bit extortionate too.

edit - turns out from Luton you can get a return from around £14 which isn't bad.

 

[Raven]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34981843

Probably not the best idea to advertise traveling to London to carry out a hit

 

[caLLous]

This has a got real Karl Pilkington vibe to it. Please come back with stories, @Billargh.

 

[Billargh]

This has a got real Karl Pilkington vibe to it. Please come back with stories, @Billargh.

We left at about 11.45 and arrived at Finchley Central around 16.45 (after finally finding the narrow street you go down to get to the car park). We hit very little traffic, even once we got inside London. Gig was amazing and I got home at around 4.30 this morning.

I did get surrounded in an off-licence in Camden by 3 black fellas though who were certain I wanted to buy some 'smoke' and that it would aid my drive home, that's probably as close to a story you want as you're going to get

Sorry to disappoint!