Been ages since I visited the old smoke but have to take the missus to south Kensington tomorrow for 2.30 appointment.I'll be coming up from Exeter and can approach from either M4 or M3 around midday.I presume it would be easiest to park up and take the tube for the last part and wondered where would be a good place to leave the car for 6 hrs...preferably free / cheap and not to far to walk. Any suggestions would me much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Bill
We parked at Hounslow tube station for a day in the smoke. It was a couple of mins from the M4.Don't think it was too expensive to park either.
Further out and get the main line train in?
Maybe kew gardens, not sure if its residents parking in the neighbouring roads. Its a super posh area so i suspect so, you may have to walk 5 mins to avoid paying.
Or train from Exeter. Quick if you go Paddington route and S.Kensington is a short hop on tube, or even walkable (cut through Hyde Park)
Hounslow West has a big car park immediately adjacent, Osterley a smaller one, Hounslow East also a smallish car park. Most of those areas are now CPZ to stop people parking in streets to get public transport.
I've used Hatton Cross a few times but not weekday lunchtimes
There is a multi-storey next to Richmond Tube. There is also an open air car park a short walk away. Neither are free, but are not that much for a few hours
Hope the 2:30 appt near South Kensington is not for the same sort of reasons that I do that trip
Old Deer Park parking at Richmond is my preference if heading that way - you have to walk a fair way to find free on-street parking in that area because of the proximity to Twickers
Hatton cross and piccadilly line would be my first choice. Further in you could go as far as ealing common and park for a few hours for free.
2.30 french consulate .Wife is french . Passport renewal + other. Quite frankly our experience so far is that they are one of the most unhelpful, incompetent and arrogant selection of individuals we've ever had the displeasure to deal with. Is there an STD clinic near there or something!
Oh apologies for the Joke ..just seen why you (BAB) have to go there.
Various hospitals in that area. I was popping into Brompton for a bit while my dad had his heart op (referred from Exeter). Not somewhere you want to be, but they do a good job (and they gave him a 4 for 3 in the bypass 😀 ).
EDIT: lots of metered parking in that area, we used to live nearby. Can recommend some streets if you want to drive all the way in just meep going on M4 and the road is almost straight to the front door of fhe consulate (quite straightbforward outside morning rush, yoir issue will be getting out again but you should be ok if you are on yoirnway before 4)
Tube from far out takes ages. Train generally quicker. Does of course depend on exactiy where you are going int’ town though. Free parking is a bit ambitious, local residents generally get council to make parking controlled and TFL want the revenue from any land they own.
Drive part of the way and park at Grateley/Whitchurch/Overton, perhaps?
Fast trains Waterloo, then a cab.
park near martin's herron station (or a similar commuter spot on your route in) and just get the train. Bracknell's on a slow line, so somewhere else might be better..
Martin's Herron gives you the option of a quick spin round Swinley
As you're driving in the middle of the day, away from the morning rush, just keep heading in on the M4 - you won't save any time getting a tube from further out, nor will you get free parking near them. Either book something on justpark, else there's plenty of on-street parking around there (mostly max 4 hours, around £4 an hour) or if that fails, there's a couple of big NCPs and a Q-Park in the roads behind Harrods.
Careful not to wander into the congestion charge zone.
thanks very much to for all the suggestions . Eventually we drove to junction 3 then 5mins further down to hounslow west.As said there's a large car park right beside the tube £5.60 for 24 hrs. We then took the tube which was fairly quick direct to south kensington. We didn't get back to the car till around 5 so was glad we didn't drive further in as the traffic was as to be expected fairly heavy on the way out.French consulate lived up to there notoriety as being a bunch of awkward tossers. We applied for 2 documents and they insist we take 2 separate trips to london again for collection rather than collecting both in one go. Fortunately the missus has some inside contacts which may force them to be more flexible which they hate.