Where to Park near Heathrow?

stellap

any one got any good tips for cheap parking at/near london heathrow?
I once parked at a farm near to Stansted & saved myself a fortune, but that was when you could do an internet search of near airport parking and not get six billion results mainly for the same companies!
Would far prefer to spend my money when I get to India, rather than getting fleeced at this end. any info gratefully received.

one day I'll think of something interesting to write...

Nick-H

I guess it depends on whether you mind leaving your car on the street. I've parked in Hounslow (East, I think, near Kinglsley Rd) a couple of times(for 2 weeks and for 5 weeks): there are some streets close to the tube station that don't have restrictions. I don't have a London A-Z here so I can't be more specific.

On thing is I have friends there that kept an eye on the car, even though it wasn't in their street (though what they would have done if anything was amiss I don't know...)

If it is for a long trip, forget driving to the airport,, get the car off the road and suspend the insurance and cash in the tax. That's what I did for a 6-month trip.

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stellap

thanks Nick,
I have thought about leaving it at a friend's in North London but came to the conclusion that after an eight hour flight I'm probably not going to fancy navigating my way across London to then drive back across past Heathrow to get home.

If I left it somewhere that I didn't know anyone you can bet we'd return to a flat battery or something equally annoying (this actually happened to us in Stansted, but luckily the farmer's son was a nice bloke & didn't mind jump starting us at 4 in the morning!.

keep the ideas coming folks...ps it's an 18 day trip (about £80 to park at the airport, which at nearly 20% the cost of the flight is rather galling).

Nick-H

Coming back from Chennai on BA you, allowing for the timezones, miss a whole night's sleep.

It is amazing how, once you sit in your car, you're ability to drive accross London comes back to life. But, being safe is the thing, and we should know our personal limits.

I have to admit though, that the occasion I stayed some hours at my Hounslow friend's, then expected a fast trip back to East London, only to find myself, over an hour later (at nearly midnight), stuck in a jam on the North Circular, did a lot to crystalise my intention to live in India rather than London!

manojb

Lucky you don't live in Bangalore. You might have packed up and left long ago

stellap

just bumping this up - perhaps boring thread title wasn't the best way of getting a response!

if anyone has any ideas I'd be very grateful...

Penri

I usually use Park and Fly for Heathrow - 1Km from airport, regular shuttles and a reasonable price.

Nick-H

Good thinking. I've changed the thread title. Hope you don't mind.

I can change it back again if you think I'm interfering!

anu_k

Why drive to Heathrow?

Leave your car safe at home (disconnect the battery if u are worried it will go flat).
Use the underground or the express from Paddington...
http://www.heathrowexpress.com/

Easy and cheap.

I never drive to Heathrow or Gatwick... not worth the hassle or the expense. Though Luton and Stansted is another story.

stellap

Thanks anu_k, but from Swansea to Heathrow by public transport is both expensive and hasslesome (4 changes by rail!), and I think when we get back we're going to just want to get home as quickly as possible rather than wait around.

Penri - will check out your suggestion and report back.

Nick - doing exactly what it says on the tin is clearly to way to go for getting a fast response, thanks

biswassb

That is because you probably have not seen or lived in London. You will pack up and go back to Bangalore.

anu_k

Oops... scratch my suggestion... only applies to those living in the SE.

From Swansea by public transport you are looking at a ~3hr train journey from Swansea to Reading followed by ~1/2 hour bus ride to Heathrow... hmmm... jus easier to drive i guess

rab

Stellap you are either serious about convenience or serious about cost.

From Swansea I would look up National Express buses. You can travel cheap and they go every two hours from Swansea, including during the night, so you should connect ok with your flight.

That will save you both the car park and the petrol.

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kidsan

if you're not gonna take up rab's very sensible advice, i would say that chiswick could be the place for you. It is just off the M4 and on the picadilly line so you could easily park and then jump on the tube.

That said, there are now more parking restrictions in chiswick (ie residents parking) though not everywhere. Maybe there's someone from chiswick on here on you can get more detailed info from the net.

good luck...K

Nick-H

Houslow is even closer to Heathrow, and most roads have restriction (I know one that doesn't ).

Chiswick is getting a bit further from Heathrow, and a bit too far into London. Most places that would be convenient to park and commute have really been clamped down on --- Damn london authorities and their attitude to cars (an Ex-Londoner speaks).

The Heathrow Express is mighty convenient --- but not cheap. Isn't it one of the world's most expensive train journeys in terms of money-per-mile? Also necessary to check that it is going to the Heathrow station you want. Last time I used it there was engineering work, I had to change, get on a tube, change, get on a tube --- making it a complete waste of money!