Driving out of London

[Jeff49er]

Hi all

 

I am going to London in the part of June and will be staying at Trafaglar Sq.

 

I have Avis car rental in mind.

 

I would like to ask if anyone has driven out of London and please share ya experience and where to park the car overnight

 

Thanks to all

[Cheepo]

Hi all

 

I am going to London in the part of June and will be staying at Trafaglar Sq.

 

I have Avis car rental in mind.

 

I would like to ask if anyone has driven out of London and please share ya experience and where to park the car overnight

 

Thanks to all

 

Driving out of London to where? To nearby Windsor to visit the Queen, or across the channel to Europe ?

 

[TameDriver]

 

There's traffic congestion everywhere in Central London,

Scarcity of parking spaces, exorbitant parking rates and the Congestion Charges ( they got the idea from S'pore's ERP)

Which can be as high as

[Sphwee]

Depending on where you are keen to visit or see. There are so many choices avaviale outside London. In general those hotels outside of London if you choose to stay will have parking FOC.

[Pocus]

If you are touring London, the best is just use the Tube or the bus. Driving on London is as bad, if not worst, as driving in SG during peak hours, especially in the evenings. Parking in London is also very exp.

 

But if you are driving out of London, it would be a much nicer experience, especially on the countryside and in the small towns. The highway can still jam up during peak hours, esp towards london at 5pm onwards. If you are not used to the roads or driving a car less then 150bhp, keep to the middle lane for safety, their lane one damn fast and average speeds could go up to 90MPH (130km/h) or faster... But best to stick to the speed limit cos there are alot of hidden speed cams employ through the highway out of London... Do throw all the bad habits in SG out of the window and drive gracously..

 

Prepare alot of coins for side road parking, they are coin based. At 1.20 pounds for 45mins, it's more than x2 of Singapore but some places are FOC....

 

Enjoy your driving in UK!!

 

 

PS: If possible, try not to use credit card as deposit....or at least make sure it's deal in GBP. I made a mistake last time and deal in SGD, in the end I lugi $30+ due to the exchange rate....

 

Edited May 26, 2012 by Pocus

[Altivo]

take the Underground / tube. Most of the London streets are small and single directional.

[Mcscot]

I drove into London as I wanted the flexibility and I suspect that is what you want!

 

I did not stay in Trafalgar Square which is extremely accessible as documented above!

 

I would look for a hotel with free parking and there are a few in the Greenwich / Canary Wharf area! I drove out of London cos my GF (now wife!) wanted to head to some outlet malls! Great bargains! However, you can't get to these places without a car!

 

All the best!

 

Try lastminute,com or laterooms,com ... brilliant websites!

 

 

[TameDriver]

 

Do be careful when driving on the Highways....

 

Vehicle could sway when a fast moving truck passes yours, which is very frequent, except on major

holidays like Christmas and Boxing Day.

[Jeff49er]

Thanks for the advice.

 

Pardon my bad if I didnt make it clear earlier.

 

Now my plans are clearer

 

I intend to do a one day trip from London to Manchester and then back. I am fine with starting early and drive back in the late afternoon.

 

If I were to rent a car say from Avis, which is the nearest Avis aside from Traf Sq. I dont mind taking a tube there. I could rent an Audi A4.

 

OR just take Virgin Trains....

 

Pl keep the advice coming :)

[Sir2yrv]

Hi mate. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

If you're planning on a trip up to Manchester, a cheaper option will be to take a train from St Pancreas. However, driving in the UK is a wonderful experience. An easy drive, although getting out of London can be hell. Traffic jam, of course.

 

My suggestion is to rent the car only when you're leaving London, and return the car when you're back in London. Congestion charge ain't cheap and parking, if you can get any, can be expensive.

 

Do note there are lotsa speed cameras on the way up, especially when you're on the 'A' or 'B' roads (they're the smaller highway). Do note that the highway speed limit is 70mph, and they can be rather strict about it. However, if you drive safe, signal when changing lanes, and not swerving in and out of lanes, you'll be fine.

 

The Tube or bus is the way to go around London. Get the Oyster card, or the day pass for cheaper deal. Any of the car rental companies are fine, just make sure you look our for deals, that they may have.

 

Have fun on your trip in the UK

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Pardon my bad if I didnt make it clear earlier.

 

Now my plans are clearer

 

I intend to do a one day trip from London to Manchester and then back. I am fine with starting early and drive back in the late afternoon.

 

If I were to rent a car say from Avis, which is the nearest Avis aside from Traf Sq. I dont mind taking a tube there. I could rent an Audi A4.

 

OR just take Virgin Trains....

 

Pl keep the advice coming :)

 

[Sphwee]

It also depends if you are travelling alone or in a group to consider hire a car or to take a train up. I use to take a train early morning to Manchester a few years back. Book in advance for best rate if you want to travel by train. If you still like to hire a car, check the hire car company website which is the nearest rental office to your location. I typically rent the car from Heathrow London Airport. Only once did rent a car in London City through Hertz. The rental office I went to pickup the hire car is in Marble Arch. Near to Oxford Street. That was 3 years plus ago.

[Cheepo]

Jeff, the train (overland rail) is your best bet. You would not want to deal with parking, road rage, numerous roundabouts and manic white van drivers. Good website for train tickets: www.thetrainline.com .

[Taipan49]

+1 For train. It leaves from the central area of London and arrives near the Manchester. You avoid so many hassles.

[Kaypeekaypee]

Im intending to drive out to the Lake District.. but I heard that I need international license.. must go embassy and make ah?

 

[Kiadaw]

Thanks for the advice.

 

Pardon my bad if I didnt make it clear earlier.

 

Now my plans are clearer

 

I intend to do a one day trip from London to Manchester and then back. I am fine with starting early and drive back in the late afternoon.

 

If I were to rent a car say from Avis, which is the nearest Avis aside from Traf Sq. I dont mind taking a tube there. I could rent an Audi A4.

 

OR just take Virgin Trains....

 

Pl keep the advice coming :)

Wow liao leh. You think U.K like Singapore so small? One day round trip to Manchester from London?

 

From my personal experience, thats not enough time. That is not enough time, especially if you wanted to visit Manchester United stadium presumingly. Also driving in U.K is not like SInagpore, there will be long stretches of unlited roads, especially on the non motorway. Normally, I avoid travel when it gets too dark, but of course, no choice during the late Autumn/ winter/early spring months.

 

The good thing about U.K, is the rest stop along the motorways are very good. Usually, inside, there is foodcourt, supermarket, newsstand, magazine shelf. Damn, I am starting to miss U.K again.

 

If you are in Manchester, you might as well go to Liverpool as well ( & get shock of your life when you are at Anfield, and beware the Northern accent). A weekend is ok, just stay overnight in one of the hotel in Manchester or Liverpool leh. Think around 40-50 GBP you can get a decent hotel (outside of town) with carpark, & breakfast.

 

 

 

but prepare for massive jam when you return to London on a weekend.

 

edit. Since you are traveling up North, you may wanted to stop over at one of the best keep secret, the Cotswold, in central England. which looks straight out of Fairytale land. By traveling to Cotwold, you will also see the charming English countryside.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Kiadaw

[Kiadaw]

Im intending to drive out to the Lake District.. but I heard that I need international license.. must go embassy and make ah?

Singapore licence is enough, however, some rental company required you to have a international driving permit to rent a car (personal experience). But usually, the big ones like Eurocar or Avid do not required you to do so. Do note that car come usually default as manual, & could be without aircon (non-aircon cars are fairly normall in Northern parts of Europe).

[The_chanster]

You think U.K like Singapore so small? One day round trip to Manchester from London?

 

London to Manchester is about the same distance as SG to KL

 

M1 > M6 about 3 1/2 hours.

[The_chanster]

Im intending to drive out to the Lake District.. but I heard that I need international license.. must go embassy and make ah?

 

Singapore License is good enough. All major car rentals will accept. If not, try the smaller ones.