AIBU to drive into London? Queen Mary University moving day help

[Motherofchickens1]

My DS is going to Queen Marys this September (Mile end campus) and Im not sure what to do about moving him in. We are travelling from Northumberland and had planned to drive. I will have to stay over in a hotel on the Saturday night (cant afford a fortune) but am really struggling to find somewhere to park the car. Apparently we cant park in the university for more than 45 mins! I dont know the area and was thinking about getting the train and a courier to take stuff down. But this will clearly cost. Does anyone know the area, or had similar situation? Any thoughts or advice gratefully received. Im putting this in HE as well. Thanks in advance

I live just outside London, but often drive in at the weekend- you will be fine. Google car parking near to the university and use a sat nav. Good luck

How about drive in, deposit son and his stuff, then drive out to a hotel with parking, or out far enough, then get the tube back in for the rest of the time? I'm thinking somewhere at the end of a tube line?

Thanks Mendips, I think its fear of the unknown!

There is plenty of free street parking on the weekend around Mile End. Most resident or pay and display bays only operate Monday - Friday 8:30am - 6:30 pm so free to park outside of those times, just make sure you check the signage first. You might need to drive about a bit but you will definitely find something.

Lots of budget hotels in that area eg. a Travelodge, Ibis etc which are fine for a night.

Dumping the car and using the tube seems a good idea.

Thank you whyonearthnot good to have local knowledge x

Loads of parking near there at the weekend, post pay and display.

I'm not sure how far within the boundaries makes you eligible for the congestion charge. But if you approach the city from the east, QMUL is easily accessible by tube from Upminster on District (zone 6) or Barking on Hammersmith. Or if DS has too much stuff, a taxi one way then the tube back would make things a lot less expensive.

I hope he loves QMUL. I have reason to visit there fairly often; great campus with great people!

Please make sure you 1. check the parking signs (some streets have restrictions on Sat as well) and 2. don't leave anything visible in your car as there is a lot of opportunistic crime in the area due to a high proportion of drug users (note: this is nothing to be alarmed about, just be aware).

If you don't want to take your chances parking on the street, you can park at Westfield Stratford for £15 per 24 hours. From there it's only 1 stop on the tube (Central line) to Mile End or a very short hop in an Uber (tons of Ubers in the area). The Premier Inn at Stratford is fairly new and very reasonably priced (they don't offer parking - they will just recommend Westfield's car park for £15).

For driving into London when you arrive, I'm assuming you'll be coming down on the A1M or M11? The best way to arrive into London for Mile End when coming from the North is all the way down the to the start of the M11 and then straight on to the A12 (via a few hundred metres connection on the A406 Eastbound a.k.a. the North Circular). The A12 will take you to Bow roundabout where you change on to the A11 Westbound (i.e. furthest right at the roundabout) which takes you straight to QMUL (which will be on your right after approx 5 mins drive).

Don't fall for any satnav rubbish trying to bring you into London on the M1, A10 etc. Those routes will take you into traffic hell to get over to Mile End. Basically head for London however you want but once you reach the M25, you need to be heading for M11 Southbound. Then it's a straightforward, fairly fast drive to Mile End as I described earlier. Once you're on the last leg of the A11 from Bow to Mile End, make sure you stay out of bus lanes (some you can use on Sat, some only on Sun...it changes from area to area). Some of the local drivers drive like utter morons so just bear with it and take deep breaths if required. Let's just say that considerate driving and good manners are distinctly lacking on that stretch of road, although occasionally someone is really lovely and it makes your day.

Please don't hesitate to PM me if I can help answer any questions. I've lived in the area for many years (and drive frequently) so happy to help with route questions, hotel and restaurant suggestions etc.

Does your DS have a timetable for move in day? I have 2 DC at university in London. They could move in from 9am, there were lots of freshers' activities starting from midday (free pizza, campus treasure hunt etc) and there was a reception for parents at lunchtime - which was kind of the cue for parents to leave Although people were arriving throughout the day, we arrived first thing so DC were unpacked and settled before most people had arrived... and grateful for help unpacking but even more grateful that we left before we could embarrass them by our existence!

Have you considered coming down the day before and having a celebratory family dinner or seeing a show then move DS in first thing and leave early?

I regularly use just park, there is a vast amount of spaces on there.

The congestion charge is £11 if needed.

I drove my younger sister into central London with all her things when she started at LSE last year (neither of our parents drive). It was fine - it was early in the morning and a Sunday so wasn’t too busy.

Just Park app is great. Two of mine were in Halls in central London and drop off/pick up was always by car - sometimes stopping on yellow lines to unload and then finding somewhere to park. A folding trolley is useful for unloading.

there was a reception for parents at lunchtime

This has made me realise how much uni has changed. I just started uni on my own, no parents in sight.

Just Park is really good - I used to live just round there in Bow and always used it for visitors, tradesmen etc as there was no parking by my flat.

Thank you all for your advice, I feel much more confident. Lots of great suggestions thank you for taking time out to help us xx

@HundredMilesAnHour 😇

I flipping love mumsnet sometimes. Your post is superb. No matter what the question, someone always has the answer. 🙂

It was several years ago now but we drove
DD to QM mile end campus and yes they do only allow you just enough time to unpack bags from car before moving you on. We did that then parked in a nearby street. We stayed at a cheap hotel with parking overnight.

Well done to your DS its a great University.

I agree that you can find cheaper hotels nearby but just a little way out.I live a 5 min walk from there, if you need to use my secure car park just pm me