To not understand where people park overnight (when getting a train)?

[dustofneptune]

We just moved from a city to a village a few weeks ago. (Cue "you're not in Kansas anymore" stupidity on our part...)

We're a 15min drive from the nearest mainline station (Moreton-in-Marsh, if it helps).

All good, but we have a 3-day trip to London coming up - and now we're wondering... errmm... what do we do with the car?? We're so used to just walking to the station or getting an Uber, this didn't even cross our minds until today.

If you live a drive away from a train station - how do you normally navigate it if you're going away for a night or longer?

Can you leave a car at a station for a few days? Or is that a terrible idea / not allowed?

Do you normally just pre-book a taxi instead? We've been quoted £60 round-trip by local firms! (Double what the return train tickets cost!) 😮

We've tried JustPark, but nothing comes up.

There are two buses per day to the station (lol) - but the timings are hours away from our booked train times. And we don't know if these buses are real buses or the mythical fabricated village buses that people talk about on here.

Are we missing something? (Aside from braincells...)

TLDR - What the flip do people do with their cars when they drive to a train station and are going to be away for a few nights?

My station is £3 a day and there is a big industrial estate nearby with acres of free street parking but occasionally I need to drive to a bigger station if I need an early train and it’s £12 a day with no street parking anywhere near. I would have thought all station car parks have long stay options - I’m sometimes there for a week.

Park at the station, or if you can’t do that, park on the road on a residential street somewhere nearby.

The only issue is remembering where you’ve parked, DM came back from a week away and thought her car had been nicked, until she remembered it had been a bit busy when she set off so she’d had to park it down the road from where she usually left it.

Next time get on at Honeyborne, free carpark.

Some of us just call a taxi and Uber now as it's so common for us but taxis do exist, a pre booked one in rural areas. Maybe not as easy to get but it's def possible and cheaper and safer than parking for a few days

😂😂😂

Honestly you can’t be that rural if you have a ‘local town’. Can’t even get a bus or a taxi at all where I grew up.
People on MN just don’t understand what it means to live rurally 😄

Local taxi but now Uber. For three nights it’s cheaper for us to use Uber. Otherwise park at the station.

You do realise that the rail network was there before airports, motorways and cars?

You can park overnight at the station, dp does it all the time for work. You just need to book the appropriate amount of time

Station carpark, streets parking at the residential area (don't like doing this cause I'd hate it if someone did it in my street), the privately owned car park close to the station, cycling to the station

@Kweeky

Some are - Bristol parkway we use but it's annoying to anyone who doesn't have a car!

Car park. I was in Northumberland last week and got the train to Glasgow for two nights. We parked at the longstay car park for £4.60 which covered 72hrs

Maybe drive to the station and see what it says in the car park as the rules are different from one to another I think.
If there is a station master ask him x

Parking at a station formal few days is indeed a totally normal thing to do OP!

Most apps have an option for parking for a few days.

Just seen that people have put up links, that's great I didn't know about that myself before.

If there are buses on the bus company's timetable, there will be buses. Rural public transport may be infrequent and inadequate but its not mythical.

I cadge a lift (which I'm always happy to return) or call a minicab.

We get a taxi i don't think we have uber here on the sticks 😂

The train station car park, it costs about £6 for days.

If it's only a 15 minute drive than still a taxi of course!

Can't you get a lift with someone ?

I’d check if the train station allows overnight parking, if not go on maps / street view and see if there’s anywhere you can leave your car on a street.

Hi I live here. You can park in the station overnight, or park in the town also. There is also a small car park opposite the station

Also not sure which town you live in 15 mins away but the Pulhams buses are quite regular!

That's my point really - things should change. We have a large station 35 miles away - apart from the drive there you have to trek slowly through the city to the centre, passing through innumerable traffic lights adding more time to your journey to the station and the risk of more possible holdups. So to be sure of being there on time you have to leave very early.
Once at the station (possibly early) there is nowhere comfortable to sit or eat.
On top of that I doubt I'd leave my car in the car park overnight as it is the city centre where all the pubs and clubs are.
Most stations are in the city centre which was suitable in Edwardian times.
Instead I drive much further to an airport (about 85 miles away) on motorway and park in their safe car park and eat at their many eating places or shop whilst I wait in comfort though cause more pollution of course.

That's my point really - things should change.

How do you propose that should happen? And even if it were possible, any idea what the cost would be?