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I'm going for a weekend away in late September. Parking from 10am on the Friday back about 2am on the Monday morning. Even going through our generic works discount site the cheapest official parking is £68 which is seems steep for less than 3 days (nearly as much as the return flights) I'm comparing this against the parking I've booked at Manchester for the family holiday in August which is £79 for 8 nights. That puts Stansted at more than twice the price per night.
So, does anyone have any better options? Like a nearish train car park that I can park and get a short train instead? Or even somewhere close enough to bike from. I've got a pub bike that could be locked up without too much worry if there's even bike parking at Stansred. The problem is the return getting in at 2am. I need to be back in Yorkshire by lunchtime for work so trains at that time are sparse. I also don't want to get it to the realm of dodgy airport car park companies where they take your keys and leave your car on a random street for the duration.
Is that the blue carpark? (which is the longest walk) September is still a popular time and Stanstead is a busy airport, so chances are it's the going rate.
I don't think the Stanstead express runs at that time of night/morning so it wouldn't be great to rely on it for the return arrival.
From the official site:
There are various cycle routes to the Airport. Not only is cycling great for the environment, it’s also great exercise. You’ll find storage at the bike shelter in the Red Zone of theShort Stay Car Park,or behind the Coach Station next to the terminal building. There's no charge for using this service.
£79 for 8 nights in August is silly cheap for official parking compared to an airport in the South East so not really comparable in my view.
£68 seems pretty inexpensive for parking over 4 separate calendar days.
Even if you consider it as 3 days (rather than 4) it is cheap compared to some other airports, and on par with many city centre car park rates.
Given you have an unsociable arrival time at 0200 on Monday, you don't really have many other options and the cost of getting to/from the airport should probably have been considered when you were wooed by the return flights for about £70.
Just book it.
I don't think the Stanstead express runs at that time of night/morning
Yeah, my current thinking is to park at Bishop Stortford NCP. Only about £20 for the duration then £5 on the Stansted express. The problem is the first one in the morning isn't until 05:30 so I could hang around and still make it home in time. Just the idea of hanging around an airport for 3 hours isn't great.
If the weather is looking good I might park at the same car park and bike in. About 6 miles and I'm only Ryanair hand luggage so not too much to carry.
the cost of getting to/from the airport should probably have been considered when you were wooed by the return flights for about £70.
Oh it definitely was. The only alternative was flights from Manchester that were £400. So even with fuel and parking at the airport this would still be cheaper.
Nothing wrong with looking to do something cheaper than the first price you see. I am from Yorkshire after all.
the cheapest official parking is £68 which is seems steep for less than 3 days
Utter bargain. I paid that for 10 hours at Manchester.
It makes the £210 for three weeks I booked look like the deal of the century
To update this, I've just paid £33 via yourparkingspace.com to park at the nearby Premier Inn. Either a 20 min walk to the terminal or there is a 24hr shuttle bus available for £4 which might seem more appealing in the middle of the night.
I did look at all the options to park on somebody's drive in nearby towns but they were all a similar price and I felt less confident about them rather than a barriered hotel car park.
Speak to some of the pubs nearby.
They might let you park there for a small fee. You can then get a taxi for a few quid on your return and be on the motorway quickly.
Bishops Stortford town parking wardens are really hot on airport parking, most roads are now resident parking only. Best off paying for proper parking.
Some people do rent out parking spaces via Just Park. Might be worth a look.
Have you tried the cheap airport parking comparison site on money saving expert. Always works out well for me.
To update this, I've just paid £33 via yourparkingspace.com to park at the nearby Premier Inn. Either a 20 min walk to the terminal or there is a 24hr shuttle bus available for £4 which might seem more appealing in the middle of the night.
Nice one.
Stansted is owned by the same people that own Manchester Airport - it's just at Manchester there are marginally more transport options so the parking tends to be slightly lower priced to compete with that. Stansted is a total **** to get to so the parking can be a bit more because they know you have fewer options.
The whole area around Stansted is locked down tight for parking - everywhere has resident permit systems and vigilant patrol teams ready to clamp / tow away.
Use TopCashback to get 15-20% cashback, with the Official Stansted Parking website if you go with them, I use the Green car park fairly regularly.
