Going from Southwest to Northeast London quick and cheap
December 15, 2011 10:45 AM   Subscribe

Often I want to go from Southampton UK to Islington. The public transportation system in London is awesome! There must be a better way than the white-knuckle drive through the city I currently do... Given that I want to do the first leg of the trip via car, I expect there is somewhere in SW London I can park and take public transportation, and get to Islington relatively quickly (~1 hour) and cheaply. I've played around with Google maps, and there are a bajillion options.... anyone know one that is near optimal? Ideally with free/cheap parking, and outside the congestion fee zone.
posted by juliewhite to Travel & Transportation around London, England (8 answers total)
 
List of tube stations with car parks
posted by Acey at 11:00 AM on December 15, 2011


This is going to be something of a push given your time constraints: I would take the M3 as far as the M25, then take the M25, coming off onto the A3 at junction 10. Then, make for Sutton, the part of town south of the railway station where free parking endures about 5 mins down Brighton Road. From Sutton station, you can be in Islington within just over an hour, if all goes to plan.

It'll be interesting to see what other suggestions come up - parking in SW London isn't cheap, let alone for commuting purposes, and I hope someone can do better than I just have for you!
posted by pyotrstolypin at 11:04 AM on December 15, 2011


Theres free on street parking in some parts of Twickenham (within 15 mins walk of station) and I'd guess further out on the train line to reading. Twickenham to islington on train is less than one hour and you don't even have to go via zone 1.
posted by ascullion at 11:12 AM on December 15, 2011


There are heaps of options really.

Park @ Richmond Station (£13/day) and take the Overground to Highbury and Islington (50 minutes). That should take about 2 hours if you take the M3.

Alternatively, in about the same amount of time, you can take a train to Waterloo and then the Northern Line to King's Cross. Bus to Islington is 10 minutes. Should be quite cheap if you book in advance on the trainline. Will probably be £35 return.
posted by nickrussell at 11:17 AM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]


And just a warning - I hope you know to check the TFL website before doing this because they are closing a lot of tube lines quite regularly at the moment for upgrade work. This is worse at the weekend and if you're coming in from an area where you only have access to one tube line.
posted by kadia_a at 11:31 AM on December 15, 2011


Parking near a station for free is probably going to be a problem. In my part of town (Brixton) there's free parking about 15 minutes' walk from the tube station, so if that's an option you could take the M3 up to Richmond then the A205 (South Circular) east to the top of Brixton Hill, park for free on Upper Tulse Hill or something, then walk or bus down to the tube station which is then about 35 minutes to Highbury & Islington on the Victoria line. Tube fare is £2.70 or something with an Oyster card, bus is £1.30.
posted by corvine at 11:35 AM on December 15, 2011


I used to do this journey a lot, I worked in Southampton and would travel to London for the weekend. After trying to drive a few times and realising that gridlock starts at the M3/M25 junction (if not before), I took the train. Train arrives at Waterloo. Waterloo to Euston on the Northern line tube then change for Angel or Highbury Islington depending on which end of Islington you're aiming for (or get a bus). Sunday night returns can be affected by engineering works, but check it out in advance. Train journeys (even with delays) beat getting stuck in horrific traffic jams any day, in my experience...

If you park in SW London, you're wasting time getting there then getting in to central London. You may find that the train is actually quicker.
posted by finding.perdita at 6:06 PM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]


Train from Southampton to Waterloo, tube / bus to your destination (check TFL). Easy. I make a similar journey every week and I wouldn't drive it if you paid me.

If you're looking for somewhere to park, there is lots of parking at Southampton Airport Parkway, but it can be expensive. Some of the smaller stations to the west of Southampton have free parking (but that's no good if you're coming from within Southampton itself).
posted by richb at 5:23 AM on December 16, 2011


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