My husband and I and our two daughters will take a first time trip to England for 13 days in late May. Our plan is to take a taxi from Gatwick to Tunbridge Wells where we will stay with a family member for five days. During that time we plan to visit London for several days and also Canterbury. On June 1, we intend to rent a car in TW and head to the Cotswolds for 6 nights. From there, we will travel to see Bath, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and whatever else our girls would like to explore. My question is....would it be more cost effective for us to rent a car in TW from the very beginning of our trip and drive part way to London and then use the Tube for the rest of the way...rather than taking the train in and out of London for several days? We definitely don't want to take a cab from the airport as we don't think that is a good idea after flying overnight. After researching the cost of train rides, it occurred to me that renting a car for the entire time is cheaper. I just don't know if there is a park and ride type system. I have emailed the family we will be staying with (who will be away when we are in their home) but have not heard back. I realize that I need to rent a car soon before the automatics are reserved :-) Any advice is welcomed.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Your main problem with staying in Tunbridge Wells and travelling into and out of London is that on weekdays a very large proportion of the local residents will be travelling in the same direction as you at the same times. Roads will probably be slow and crowded all the way. Driving in London is a VERY bad idea unless you are used to driving in very busy, cramped cities, and car parking is expensive. The train journey from Tunbridge Wells to London takes about an hour. These are not high-speed trains or particularly luxurious, and on weekdays you will be travelling in the same direction as a large proportion of local residents. How old are your daughters? I would not want to spend two hours a day commuting on very crowded trains with under-twelves. (I'm not suggesting any kind of danger from crime here, just that the experience will not be pleasant.)
Many people who live just outside the London area and work in central London drive to stations just inside it every morning to get cheaper fares as you are planning. Station car parks are in high demand and expensive, and street parking is often reserved for residents only to stop it being used up by commuters. This will be a problem for you if you intend to go part of the way by car.
My personal recommendation is that if you want to see London on this trip, you should bite the bullet and get hotel accommodation within London. Or give up on London and spend your time in Tunbridge Wells exploring the local region by car.
Posted by
London, England.
662 posts
Driving to a Zone 6 tube station and getting the tube in is a good idea... Driving in central London is not. I'm confident driving in parts of central London i know, but even i, having lived here for 40+ years and driving 25 of them, avoid unknown parts wherever possible. So many cameras, so little parking. Use public transport wherever you can.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Mike, there aren't any Zone 6 tube stations in that bit of London... I'd be worried about finding anywhere to park near a railway station in Zone 6.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17563 posts
How old are the girls? There may be discounts on train or tube, depending on their ages.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
Taking a car from TW to London (or anywhere near London) will be a PIA. Taking a train during commuter hours will also be a PIA.
Probably easier to hire a car from Gatwick. TW is nice (so I’ve heard) but not convenient for the Cotswolds or Stratford upon Avon. Explore Kent and Sussex.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34007 posts
As said above, parking at any train station will be expensive, the further in you go the harder it will be.
For example, a day parked at Tunbridge Wells station, if you can find a space, will be £6.50.
From the website of Southeastern trains who run the trains from there:-
Tunbridge Wells Main Station Car Park
(This car park is accessed by a side road off the junction of MountPleasant Road and Grove Hill Road)
Please note: Purchasing permits/tickets in advance does not guarantee you a parking space
Total number of spaces: 79
Disabled spaces: 4
Additional Info:
**Please note that these tickets are not valid for use in the Torrington Road Multi-Storey car park above Morrison’s store.
Please use the Council Pay and Display Machines after 10:30am at this car park.
A limited amount of parking for rail users is available in the multi-storey car park, please ask at station for further details**
Waiting List
Due to the high demand of parking at this station a waiting list is currently in place for season permits.
Posted by
OP
Florida
4 posts
My daughters are 13 and 17.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34007 posts
One daughter on the trains (tubes are different) will be a half price child ticket, the other is counted as an adult. The break is at over 15.
Posted by
London, England.
662 posts
Philip, well spotted. I'm spoilt with tube services being north of the Thames. South of the river has limited tube services. Train is a better option than driving into London. Or coach i imagine, but am no expert on coach travel.