WIBU to drive to Wimbledon?

[Proteinpud]

Apologies if this is a silly question, but would appreciate some local insights to settle a debate!

I'm hoping to go to a small weekend event (on my own) for a hobby/sport that I do. I live in the northwest and the event is in Wimbledon. Trains are expensive, even advance, and would mean a walk and change to get to London (Euston) and then getting across to Wimbledon - not impossible, but not an easy journey especially as I'll have quite a bulky kitbag (anyone who travels on Avanti trains will know that getting space on the luggage rack is a lottery, and I imagine navigating the tube with luggage isn't the best either)

The hotel I'm looking at has free parking and I mentioned to DH that I might drive instead. DH thinks that's madness, 'no one drives to London'. He thinks il spend hours in traffic, it'll be impossible to navigate, I'll likely end up with fines for congestion charges/bus lanes etc or get stuck in loops of one way systems.

Obviously I wouldn't drive if I was going to see the sights of central London, but is Wimbledon far out enough to be reasonable to drive to, or am I being naive? I am a careful but confident driver, I drive a lot for work including in the centres of smaller cities - Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool etc. I wouldn't need to drive once I'm there.

DH has a licence but hasn't driven since he was a teenager so I'm not sure if he's projecting his anxieties or if he has a genuine point. He's fully supportive of me going but thinks I should get the train, tube and Uber if necessary.

Would be fine to drive there, sounds easier especially as hotel has parking and you have stuff to bring

I live near Wimbledon and drive often to get out of London. Could be annoyingly trafficky and you will have to do a lot of M25 but it's normal (and cheaper). Getting from the stations which serve the north to SW London by tube takes a while too

It'll be fine, you won't need to drive through central London. Coming from NW you'll probably end up coming in from M25 on M4 or similar. Wimbledon itself is a perfectly normal place to drive. We drove there last weekend from Kent as trains were slower and more expensive for 5 of us.

If you consider yourself to be a confident and competent driver - and it sounds as if you do, then go for it. The distance would be my only concern if I was doing it, but its just roads. Your OH can keep his opinions to himself!

I think you’ll be fine, especially if you do a lot of driving. It’s the parking that would stress me out but you say it’s free so all good.

Also no congestion zone worries but you will need to pay ULEZ unless you drive an EV.

We drive to Wimbledon from East Kent fairly frequently. The traffic inside the M25 has always been fine. We have, however, been stuck on the M25 for several hours on several occasions.__

It'll be fine - I live near Wimbledon and drive all over. Use Waze or a good sat nav, especially in London as there are some weird road restrictions in some places, and you don't want to get caught out and get a ticket (as I did twice recently for a prohibited left turn that was newly imposed in the area.)

People who live in Wimbledon drive!

It’ll be fine as long as you have a parking space - that’s why people generally don’t drive into London from elsewhere.

Just check if you have to go into congestion zone or pay the ULEZ before you come - you just pay it in advance, like a booking. Driving in London isn’t difficult- it’s all at slow speed so you’ve got time to make decisions and the sat nav will guide you. As long as you’re a confident driver you’ll be fine!

Wimbledon is the London suburbs and more like driving in a town rather than central London. You will be fine.

Thanks, that's all very encouraging! I am used to long distances & am ok with motorways (I drove to Kent for work last year so have seen most of the M25!) I can plan enough time for breaks etc. I know there's always a risk of being stuck behind an accident, that's a chance I'd have to take.
It would be M1 /M25 / A3, definitely not central. I'm not claiming to be the best driver but I'm pretty calm and don't take unnecessary risks.
I think DH is just worried I could get lost/stuck and he wouldn't be able to help, he means well.

I will check about charges, my car is a modern 1l and I haven't had to pay in the other cities but I know London may be stricter. It would still be cheaper than the train though, and less awkward than crossing the city.

That route is very easy to enter Wimbledon. Just keep an eye here for closures at the M25/A3 junction : https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/m25-junction-10/

The roadworks at the junction are usually fine now they are so far through so if no closures it should be OK.

Enter your number plate here to check for Ulez https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/

Thanks, that's a good point. I usually use Google maps but will do my research.
We always have to warn friends who come to Manchester about certain roads that are now buses only (not just bus lanes) and if you drive past enough warning signs you end up with no option to turn off. And in Birmingham centre if you don't know what lane you need to be in way in advance of where the signs start, no one will let you in and you can end up in a very long detour! It's that sort of thing he's worried about, though I think he is assuming that anywhere in the M25 will be as chaotic as a typical city centre in rush hour. I had thought Wimbledon was more suburban but it's good to check!

Serious satnav issues if you're coming from the northwest to Wimbledon and you're going through te M25/A3 junction!

Edit: that'll teach me tobe a smartass, loooks like that is the route, I would have guessed come off the M4 junction past Heathrow. Back in my box.

It's very easy to see what to do though. Come off at J10, stay in the left lane, follow it round to A3 North (Kingston, SW London). Now they have built two proper lanes, one for A3 north and one for A3 South it's much easier than it was at the start of the road works (thank goodness!).

Nearly all newer petrol cars are ULEZ compliant and diesels post-2016 are usually compliant too. Check your registration number on the TfL website to make sure.
The congestion charge is different and nearly all vehicles have to pay.

You can register your vehicle via TfL for auto payment in both zones, then you don't have to worry about accidently entering and not paying, or having to remember to pay by midnight to avoid additional fines.

The last bit (from the M25 in on the A3) can be slow and trafficky, but will be fine with a sat nav. Wimbledon itself has a small one way system, but the 20 limit and traffic mean that you’re generally moving so slowly you have plenty of time to work out where you need to be.

I had a football final a couple of years ago … trains were on strike, so I drove (from the NW). We stayed in Farringdon, so had to go through Central London - it was a piece of cake compared to Manchester.
pre-booked my parking .. and if so easy to get out of the centre, up past (If memory serves Euston) .. 2 minutes, and it’s like the suburbs anywhere else.

@ExtraOnions not sure I'd fancy driving around Euston, but having a comparison to Manchester is helpful! I feel if I survived the days of entering and exiting the Mancunian way back when it used to be 50mph I can survive anything 😁

I will check the parking situation though as it is free parking but it isn't pre booked, and I want to check that there realistically is enough parking!

Not true. You need to meet the emission threshold, my F66 non EV does