where to stay in London in a motorhome?

[ilovexmastime]

I've promised the kids we'll visit London during the October half term, staying in our motorhome. Can anyone recommend anywhere we can park up for free\pay to park. We don't need a hook up so don't really want to pay too much.

[AmandinePoulain]

We stayed at Chertsey a few weeks ago. It's not what I'd call cheap but we got a discount for being members of the C&C club. It was nice and clean, and seemed well run. We caught the train from Weybridge into London (the trains from Chertsey aren't as frequent), it took about 40 minutes I think?

[Blu]

Not sure if the Crystal Palace campsite takes motorbikes. Or the scout camp at Dulwich (you don't have to be scouts).

[CatsCantFlyFast]

Crystal palace does do motorhomes and is a lovely lovely site

[ilovexmastime]

Thank you! I'll google the places you've mentioned and see which is most suitable.

[professorpoopsnagle]

Crystal Palace and Abbey Wood do motorhomes. They are run by the caravan club. The big problem will be for you though, the emissions of your van as that can really stump up the cost of going 'into' London. I don't know much more about it than that as we tent, but I remembered it being mentioned. More info here

[FannyBazaar]

Debden House does campers and caravans. Parking a car for free or paying for all day parking in London is hard enough, there are often restrictions so you can only park for 6 hours, overnight often no charge but only until around 8am. Or how about Sewardstone

[RandomMess]

LOL, I live near Chertsey, I can offer you our residents car park for free if you use the 24 hour tesco for the toilet facilities

[wohmum]

There's also Hurley or Swiss Farm , both near Henley and decent sites

[Blu]

From Crystal Palace the number 3 bus goes past the Imperial War Museum, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Sq, Regent's St to Oxford Circus. Or the number 3 and other buses go quickly to Brixton tube.

Crystal Palace park has the dinosaurs, too.

[ilovexmastime]

Thanks for the heads up on the low emission zone Prof... that definitely needs looking into.

Thanks for the offer Random... I'm off to google where Chertsey is

Thanks everyone else for the suggestions, I'm guessingthat I've got hours of research ahead of me in order to plan the perfect trip. (I'm quite excited about it, what a saddo!).

[burberryqueen]

Alexandra Palace?

[AmandinePoulain]

You're not a saddo, I love planning camping trips

[lljkk]

I thought the congestion charge was horrible? £100 or so? Just so you're prepared.

[burberryqueen]

no it is not that much surely?
besides if she parked up at Crystal Palace or Ally Pally she would not be in the congestion zone.

[lljkk]

Um, this implies otherwise.
At least for some types of motorhome.
But am not an expert.
Just have friends who rant about it. So am happy to be wrong.
Whole thing seems very confusing.

[Blu]

The Emissions Zone and the Congestion Charge (CC) Zone are completely different things - different zone boundaries, and the congestion charge zone only operates on weekdays between certain times. And the charge is £10.

OP - do check the CC zone in case you cross central London on your way to any of these sites (although frankly that would be best avoided) and it is unlikely that you would choose to use your motorhome as transport once in London as traffic and parking - especially parking - are not at all conducive. Which is why good public transport from your chosen site will be important.

Children under 10 travel free on buses and tubes. You can get day travel cards which keep the cost down.

[lljkk]

Is the Emissions zone charge a per day thing, I think might be?

[ilovexmastime]

Blimey! May have to re-think staying in London... so many complications. Maybe it would be best to stay outside London and then get the train in...

[Shattereddreams]

Ilove
All the places mentioned are "outside" London and getting the train in

Just how long on the train for. Where's home? Roughly? Best to approach and stay on the right side of London

Of course, you can park for free on M25 all day ha ha

[ilovexmastime]

shows how good my geography is...

We'd be coming up from Cornwall.

[Blu]

Crystal Palace isn't outside London. here. Not sure how it compares to Debden or Abbey Wood in terms of distance and ease of travel to central London.

Were you imagining setting yourselves down in a car park alongside Regents's Park, OP? In ye olden dayes the S Bank used to be the place to park camper vans - all the Aussies and Kiwis used to live there for a few weeks, buying and selling their 'round Europe' VWs before heading back home or on to the continent.

But parking restrictions have put a stop to all that, and in suburban areas, I saw only last week posts on a local firum concerned about someone staying in a motorhome on a residntial street and how could they report it etc.

Hurley is definitely outside London - good for Legoland and Windsor Castle

[Blu]

Look Here for reviews of people who used it as a base for London sightseeing

I can only roll my eyes at the folk who complained there was no play park - it is part of a HUGE park which has two very different and excellent playgrounds, lakes, dinosaurs, a petting zoo (well, goats), etc etc.

It wouldn't be too hard getting to the site from routes to the SW, and you wouldn't need to go through the CC zone. And you might not be eligible for the Emissions Zone, but I don't know anything about that.

[Shattereddreams]

Crystal palace is still "outside" London to a Londoner but it probably is pretty damn well as close a camp site as you can get.
Abbey wood isn't on a direct bus route, although the bus journey to Oxford circus from crystal palace will be about 1 hour.

Don't be travelling all the way round the M25 to camp, it really isn't worth it. Not Essex anyway, you'd pay the Dartford toll.

You must look up your vehicle because if you can't pass the emission zone, then you may as well park anywhere you like on its boundary and get the train in - from the SW side of London.

[MumOfTheMoos]

Shattereddreams, of course Crystal Palace is in London, speaking as a Londoner - but you don't need to be a Londoner to know that as it is in a London borough, with a London post code, policed by the metropolitan police, accessed by roads managed by transport for London, or trains running on the London Overground or red London buses.

Clearly, you've never been.

[Blu]

Ooh, you will have all the Londoners who live in CP up in arms there, Shattereddreams! Of Course CP is in London - but not central London, to be sure

CP has the fantastic new (ish) overground rail service, too. But it doesn't go anywhere a visitor might want to go.

I used to use the no 3 bus route from a bit further in than CP - it was always full of German and Dutch visitors using the campsite.