Help with London parking

[Gymmum82]

Help wise mumsnetters. I’m travelling to London on Saturday. Just me and my 2 kids Planning on parking somewhere on/near a tube station in north west London and tubing in to the centre where we will stay overnight.

Where is best to park? Where my car will be safe overnight and easy access to London?
Travelling down the m40/a40 so easy access from there.
Is Stanmore a good option?

Stanmore is a long way from the M40. Uxbridge is closest to the M40 and furthest out from London. There are shopping centre car parks in Uxbridge by the tube station your car will be perfectly safe in.

It's on the metropolitan line.

The chimes would cost £25 overnight
chimesuxbridge.co.uk/car-park/

It might be quicker to park at Slough and get the Elizabeth line in. Stanmore is quite far out, but the traffic can be awful, especially if you are coming from the M40.

uxbridge takes over an hour to central London on the tube. Hayes and Harlington is 15mins from Uxbridge is only 30mins to get into central London, I’d pick that over Uxbridge.

Slough is also a bit off the M40 too though.

Where exactly are you coming from op and going to in London?

Parking is reasonably safe, but the closer to central London the more parking restrictions you will face.
if road parking check carefully the permitted times as much may be resident only.
if using car parking restrictions, check daily rates

do you really need to drive and park? Might be cheaper train/bus with no parking worries? Esp if you don’t need the car for London.

parking closer in London can be £4ph and limited to 4hrs.

If you are coming from Oxford I would get the bus or train. Much quicker for getting into C London

where are you starting?

why not get the train? Saturdays is cheaper on train than weekdays

banbury has a train into Marylebone it’s £60 for an adult and 2 children

Coming from the midlands. Trains are too expensive for the 3 of us comparatively to petrol and parking and the last time we got the train they were all cancelled going home. We left at 6pm. Didn’t get home until after midnight and involved a 40 minute £100 taxi to finish the journey as there were no more trains going further north. I cannot face that again

We need to stay near paddington

Don't do Uxbridge - too much of a faff in the centre of Uxbridge. Go to one of the smaller stations nearby - Hillingdon or Ickenham. I paid £16 for two days parking at Ickenham to travel into Bond Street last week.

Met line down to Finchley Road then cross the platform onto the Jubilee line that goes more centrally (depending on where you're trying to get to of course). I find it much easier. I used to travel up to Amersham and get the tube from there but I was adding so much time and distance to my journey.

Beware ULEZ though - check your car is compliant.

Also, don't use the TFL journey planner app/site to get anywhere - use Citymapper instead - much more reliable!

Elizabeth line might suit you then.

There are smaller stations near Maidenhead that are easy to get to and park at at the weekend. I used Burnham station last time I went in on the lizzie line.

have a look on just park for parking. You might find a driveway cheaper than a car park.

I wouldn’t touch the Elizabeth line. It’s hugely unreliable.

Denham and Gerrards cross are good stations to get in from, outside ulez and (usually!) reliable. Just off the m40 as well.

The Elizabeth line then. West Drayton is a ten minute drive from Uxbridge off the M40. There are pay and display with an app on street parking free after 6pm and free on Sundays.

Also Hayes and Harrington station but a further drive from the M40.

Thanks. This was my thinking but I wasn’t sure if I was just out of date. I remember a while ago it being unreliable but don’t travel often enough to know.
It’s looking like Stanmore or Ickenham might be my best options. Really appreciate the help

ULEZ isn’t a problem as my car is compliant

Ickenham out of the two would be my choice as you (should) sit in less traffic

I might do a google maps check before we set off and see which is faster

Stanmore is at the end of the Jubilee Line. You could stay on this line to Bond Street and Paddington is one stop west of this station.

Ickenham is served by the Metropolitan line. The Jubilee line runs alongside the Metropolitan line at Wembley Park.

TFL's website gives details of all weekend works on the underground.

https://www.sabaparking.co.uk/car-park/ickenham-station-car-park-tfl

You could park near Northolt tube station for central line or Northolt Park rail station for Chiltern Line to Marylebone. Halsbury Road West, Westwood Avenue and Wood End AvenueI don't believe have any parking restrictions.

Finchley Central Station has a car park.

What are the chances of me getting to the station at Ickenham and finding no spaces?

There’s a 24hr Apcoa car park at Paddington station, which isn’t too expensive at the weekends (well, by London standards anyway!) I’d just follow the M40 all the way in and park there. It’ll probably work out cheaper than buying three zone 1-5 travelcards to get you all in from Stanmore.

Stanmore better than Uxbridge for the journey, that part of the Met line has a number of issues from time to time.

Elizabeth line services are limited over the weekend.