Wales to London to Gloucester - help please!

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

We live in South Wales, fairly close to the M4.

We’re hoping to attend LSE open day but need to be in Gloucester the day after the open day. We will have a car full of things that need taking to Gloucester.

I’m thinking that driving East along the M4 and getting the train/ tube in and back out of London then driving up to Gloucester might be best but I have no idea where might be good to leave the car and which public transport route would be best. We could look to stay overnight wherever we decide so that we can get into London earlier.

If you’re familiar with the East end of the M4 and routes into London, can you offer me any ideas please?

Leave car at Bristol Parkway?

Thats as far east as I would bother going, or you will be driving a big long way for nothing.

Depending where in S Wales you are can you just do a day trip to London on the train then drive to Gloucester the next day? If you're very far west that won't work but you could drive to Newport (big station car park quick to get to from M4).

What @APSSucks says makes perfect sense.

I live same place as you OP by the sounds of it and I’d do what @APSSucks suggests. Just get the train from Newport and back it’s only 90 minutes.

We live very west Wales , and we leave the car at Neath rail station car park and take the train the rest of the way ( the Milland road car park .. or similar name can’t remember its name exactly )
Bristol would be good too , depends where in Wales you live

Thanks. There seems to be some tunnel works going on on the trains so there are no direct ones from South Wales to London when we need to go (mid June). It’s either a huge detour or several changes including a rail replacement bus.

Maybe drive to Bristol parkway or Swindon?

I live near Gloucester and usually drive to reading there’s a big car park next to the station. As reading is a good sized hub there’s always several trains heading there from Paddington all the time so you done have to worry about them getting cancelled or replaced by busses further down the line, or being restricted to just one an hour And it’s a lot cheaper.

Ah! That sheds new light...

Why not drive to Gloucester then, do the London train from there and then you'll be in the right place for your visit the next day.

The trains generally detour via there if the tunnel is closed so there might be a few extra.

Drive to Reading, get the Lizzie line to Tottenham Court Road direct then get back and stay overnight in Reading. Then no more than 2 hours to Gloucester the next day.

I've stayed at the hotel at the football stadium before, that was actually pretty cheap, nice and could easily leave the car there's. And a McDonald's right there

Cardiff to London is quick on the train, and still a fairly short drive (relatively speaking) to Gloucester.

The train from Gloucester to London is just over an hour and 45 minutes

Park at Reading and take the train in then drive back to Gloucester, check Google maps because there’s a road closure on the a417, better off taking the motorway. Alternatively park at Bristol parkway or if money is tighter book a parking space in Bristol itself and use the coaches, they are cheap and super frequent to central London

Unfortunately not when there’s engineering works in the tunnel

Flixbus to Bristol and train from there?

It’s £10 per day to park in Swindon long term car park and it’s right next to the station. It’s about 55 mins to Paddington from Swindon, depending on which train you catch and there are several trains every hour.

Or you can drive to somewhere at the end of the tube line eg Hounslow and get the tube in.

We usually drive (from Swindon) to Hammersmith and park in a multi storey there and tube into the centre of London

Drive to Reading and leave the car there. Big car park at the station. There are many trains to Paddington every hour, less than 30 minutes journey, or take the slow Lizzie line.