I will be renting a car when leaving London, heading to the Lake District. What are the best options for rental location? To rent from Heathrow Airport involves an additional daily fee for renting from an airport location. I would like easy access to the main roads, and of course want to be outside the city "zone." I will be leaving from Kensington area of London, with access to Piccadilly and District lines. Suggestions welcomed!
Are you trying to get outside of greater London or just clear the congestion zone boundaries?
Either will work, although I would like to be close to major road.
Avis and Sixt are close to the Shepard's Bush station. It's on the Central Line, so there'd be no change from Notting Hill Gate or Queensway. The nearest Congestion Zone boundary is at the other end of Hyde Park. Escaping from London out the A-40 and M-40 is pretty easy.
If you want to get way the heck clear, Wembley Park (Jubilee Line) has a Hertz place. You'd be on the M-1 in a mile.
If you want to get way, way the heck clear. It's clear sailing from St Albans onto the M-1. To get up there, I think it'd be Central to Jubilee to West Hampstead via the underground, then to whatever that train station is just north of the West Hampstead station for the trip up to St Albans. That's going to take at least an hour, maybe a lot more.