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london (just got back)
eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 07:49 PM

thankyou for your advice had a top weekend and got booked in to go again in a few weeks


[Edited on 8/10/07 by eccsmk]

speedyxjs - 26/9/07 at 07:52 PM

quote:
Originally posted by eccsmk
has anyone got any advice on how to not get lost?


Dont go

stuart_g - 26/9/07 at 07:54 PM

Depends on where you are going as to whether you drive or not. if it is near the middle I would dump the car somewhere on the outskirts and tube it in. If it is not in the middle then you can drive, get on the way out though before 4pm or it will be very slow.

donut - 26/9/07 at 07:55 PM

As above, dump the car and get a train in then tube to wherever you need to go.

SOHO's nice

MkIndy7 - 26/9/07 at 07:58 PM

Don't use SatNav thats for sure!

I picked the roads by map to get to brixton from the M25... took 1/2 tops to get there using the North Circular.

Followed SatNav on the way home and it took 1hr+ and took me on some horrendous roads through the centre of London!

I would definately agree, forget using the car whilst there, park it up as soon as possible!

David Jenkins - 26/9/07 at 08:04 PM

Soho's boring! There's just a few grubby sex shops, loads of over-priced bars and thousands of annoying foreign tourists...

I'll second the 'stop on the outskirts and take a tube/train into the centre' vote. Driving in the smoke is bad enough when you do know where you're going, and a total nightmare when you don't. There's also the London driving technique to contend with... best summarised by "indicate - count to 3 - manoeuvre", whether there's something in the way or not!

RichardK - 26/9/07 at 08:09 PM

I'll 3rd the tube in thing, but if you do drive don't forget your congestion charge payment!

I have used TomTom and I thought it was fine, but saying that I wouldn't know if I was going the long way round or not

Cheers

Rich

theconrodkid - 26/9/07 at 08:17 PM

i,m in the smoke,where you got to get to?

eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 08:18 PM

wapping

Gixer Indy - 26/9/07 at 08:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by eccsmk
has anyone got any advice on how to not get lost?
im traveling to london soon and have never been before
thinking of driving down
any advise much apreciated


Take the bus, then tube it as others have said, driving's ok if you have somewhere to leave the car,but then you'll have to pay for that! if you go by bus you can sample some London Pride ale as well

eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 08:34 PM

there will be plenty of beer drinking
think ill use the underground but still undecided if i should drive in or catch the train

iank - 26/9/07 at 08:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by eccsmk
there will be plenty of beer drinking
think ill use the underground but still undecided if i should drive in or catch the train


plenty of beer automatically means train in my world, or are you stopping over night?

zetec - 26/9/07 at 08:42 PM

Wapping is outer London, I presume you mean the one near Limehouse/docks) few miles from me. M25 clockwise (If you go over the Dartford bridge you've gone too far!)round to A13 then towards London, local roads from then on Sat Nav will be fine. Driving is fine, parking might be a bit tricky/££ but you should find somewhere.

David Jenkins - 26/9/07 at 08:44 PM

I would HATE to drive anywhere round Wapping, you'd probably have to drive through the City to get there, and I'd be very unhappy to park my car there as well...

eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 08:52 PM

iank

im staying over night

zetec

thank you

[Edited on 26/9/07 by eccsmk]

ReMan - 26/9/07 at 08:55 PM

I regularly park at a North London tube station (Cockfosters) when I travel into the cetre. Parking is only £3.00 for the day!!! and you can park overnight for not much more

eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 08:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ReMan
I regularly park at a North London tube station (Cockfosters) when I travel into the cetre. Parking is only £3.00 for the day!!! and you can park overnight for not much more


that sounds good saves me driving into centre
ill have to google cockfosters or see if satnav can find it

Simon - 26/9/07 at 09:03 PM

M25 clockwise to A13 follow to Limehouse and turn left into Branch Road which becomes the Highway. Wapping should be signposted.

Couldn't be easier.

Put Wapping, London into Google Maps.

Used to get into City this way (but without turning left towards Wapping) and even during rush hour, roads were ok.

ATB

Simon

snapper - 26/9/07 at 09:04 PM

How much of your car do you want left when you return to it?
I used to commute to Westminster most days (secure parking) and when the job moved out of London traveled in when necessary (secure parking).
It only took a few weeks to loose the ability to move a vehicle into a moving gap only a few inches larger than the car.
If you are having an overnight in London, public transport in and drink till you passout then train out again with no drink drive worries the next day.

AndyH - 26/9/07 at 09:19 PM

Train,Beer, Sorted

The only way to do the Smoke.

eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 09:30 PM

im thinking train is a better idea
train takes about and hour and 20 mins to kingscross the on the underground

or a 136.9 mile each way drive

thankyou for help and advice

Worzey - 26/9/07 at 09:51 PM

I drive in to Vauxhall most days. Takes 45 minutes in the morning (I leave at 5am!) and 1 1/2 hours to get home.

Take the train!

eccsmk - 26/9/07 at 09:56 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Worzey
I drive in to Vauxhall most days. Takes 45 minutes in the morning (I leave at 5am!) and 1 1/2 hours to get home.

Take the train!

i hope you get paid travel

James - 26/9/07 at 11:48 PM

If you want a free sports car show, drive round the West side of the M25, enter London at the A3, over the river at Putney Bridge, then up to Park Lane. (A pretty easy journey!)

Park in Park Lane underground car park.

You'll be surrounded by Ferraris, Porches, Astons and Bentleys that are left there long-term by owners who live nearby.

It *was* about £15 overnight IIRC.

My girlfriend's hall of residence was 1/4 from there so I drove a few times at weekends.

Used to be the Mclaren F1 showroom a couple of hundred yards down Park Lane which was nice as well cos' it made it easy for me to choose my next tin top!

Cheers,
James

brynhamlet - 27/9/07 at 06:18 AM

If you value your time and car don't drive. I've had two jobs in London and when I got the first, I drove the first week. Cost a fortune to park and driving there is more dangerous than driving in Libya where I worked for a bit. Motorcycles use the place as a racetrack, going past either side of you wether you've got indicators on or not. And what can I say about cyclists. I doubt there isn't one without a death wish, trying to use use your car to die with.
I'll certainly not willingly drive in London again

BenB - 27/9/07 at 12:22 PM

Don't drive in London. Not worth it!!!!

Take the train down, you can get everywhere either by bus or tube.

And there's always walking. They did a thing a few nights ago on the news about how Londoners never walk and take tubes for silly journeys.

Last night I put this to the test. Had dinner @ Covent Garden, needed to go to the Royal Festival Hall. Was planning on tubing it (would have allowed 25 mins for it), walked it in 12!!!! London is not that big!!

Driving around the Docklands is a pain in the arse. I tried driving there once. Never again. Major traffic jams and congestion due to the Rotherhide tunnel.

The only thing you have to be careful of is if you're using the Docklands Light Railway they don't run as late as the tube (or they didn't used to!)....

It's worth using Transport for London website to work out your journey in advance. Also, some of the Docklands is a bit dead late at night- you'll probably want to go more into the centre....

martyn_16v - 27/9/07 at 07:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by James
Park in Park Lane underground car park.

You'll be surrounded by Ferraris, Porches, Astons and Bentleys that are left there long-term by owners who live nearby.


When I used to look after a site by Marble Arch I used to regularly park my battered van between a mint DB5 and a Lambo

I quite enjoy driving in London, but probably only because I drive a) a big white van I don't pay to repair, and b) like a c***. There's almost different 'rules' in London, everyone does it and so everyone expects it and doesn't get as annoyed at being cut up as people elsewhere might. I actually get far more annoyed by blithering idiots on motorways than I ever have in London

eccsmk - 27/9/07 at 10:22 PM

thank you to all
ive decided to get the train down there and see how it goes
im pleased i asked i was just going to jump in my car and rely on sat nav
thanks again

eccsmk - 8/10/07 at 11:35 AM

pleased i didn't drive so easy jumping on the train and having a few pints on my walk around
underground takes a bit of getting used to but it was a fun weekend