Hire cars - London
Sep 22nd, 2012, 02:47 AM
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Hire cars - London
We (self, wife and 3 kids - 20,18 & 16) will be in London for a few days at beginning of December, and are planning one day out in the countryside.
Based on some recommendations here and other places we are looking to hire a car, drive to Windsor Castle, then up through the countryside to Oxford for a look around, before returning to London.
Looking for advice on best places to hire / pick-up cars. Heathrow is the obvious, since it is adjacent to Windsor, and then easy access on to the roads to / from Oxford. This would require an early morning commute out to Heathrow (probably Tuesday 7th December), and I'm wondering if Fodorites know of a more logical place that would get us in the car and on the road sooner, but not also involve a slow crawl through London traffic before really starting our journey.
I realise there is also the chance of snow and unpleasant driving conditions , but I did manage those conditions in Virginia a couple of years ago, when I also had to adjust to sitting in the "wrong" side of the car and driving on the "wrong" side of the road, while also trying to look around and take photos - with quick stops - to show the family who I had left at home in Australia.
Thanks,
Rob
Based on some recommendations here and other places we are looking to hire a car, drive to Windsor Castle, then up through the countryside to Oxford for a look around, before returning to London.
Looking for advice on best places to hire / pick-up cars. Heathrow is the obvious, since it is adjacent to Windsor, and then easy access on to the roads to / from Oxford. This would require an early morning commute out to Heathrow (probably Tuesday 7th December), and I'm wondering if Fodorites know of a more logical place that would get us in the car and on the road sooner, but not also involve a slow crawl through London traffic before really starting our journey.
I realise there is also the chance of snow and unpleasant driving conditions , but I did manage those conditions in Virginia a couple of years ago, when I also had to adjust to sitting in the "wrong" side of the car and driving on the "wrong" side of the road, while also trying to look around and take photos - with quick stops - to show the family who I had left at home in Australia.
Thanks,
Rob
Sep 22nd, 2012, 05:57 AM
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Snow that early in the winter is very unlikely.
For Australians, driving out of central London towards Windsor is virtually identical to driving out of Sydney to the Blue Mountains (in both cases: just head west, following signs for the M4), and I wouldn't waste energy shlepping out to Heathrow. The problems are:
- finding the hire place on your way back in (GPS isn't accurate enough for completely painless guiding to the entrances to the Hertz in Edgware Rd or the Avis at Euston)
- You can't seriously expect to find a carpark in central Oxford, so you need to head for a Park & Ride and bus in. In early December, that means you just won't see enough before dark to make the two destinations worthwhile.
- Driving on any side of the road, while also trying to look around and take photos, may be enjoyable in huge empty deserts like Australia or Virginia. It's impossible to manage almost anywhere in Britain, and certainly not in SE England (which crams roughly the car population of Australia into an area about the size of Melbourne). If you achieve it, it'll only be by being a criminally irresponsible lunatic. The driver will not see any scenery and live, free, to tell the tale. If he's lucky he'll live in jail for several years
If you want to see countryside, the best views are sitting as a passenger on the upper deck of the London-Oxford Oxford Tube bus. That'll also be cheaper, cut out the Windsor trip you haven't got time for and take you straight into the middle of Oxford
For Australians, driving out of central London towards Windsor is virtually identical to driving out of Sydney to the Blue Mountains (in both cases: just head west, following signs for the M4), and I wouldn't waste energy shlepping out to Heathrow. The problems are:
- finding the hire place on your way back in (GPS isn't accurate enough for completely painless guiding to the entrances to the Hertz in Edgware Rd or the Avis at Euston)
- You can't seriously expect to find a carpark in central Oxford, so you need to head for a Park & Ride and bus in. In early December, that means you just won't see enough before dark to make the two destinations worthwhile.
- Driving on any side of the road, while also trying to look around and take photos, may be enjoyable in huge empty deserts like Australia or Virginia. It's impossible to manage almost anywhere in Britain, and certainly not in SE England (which crams roughly the car population of Australia into an area about the size of Melbourne). If you achieve it, it'll only be by being a criminally irresponsible lunatic. The driver will not see any scenery and live, free, to tell the tale. If he's lucky he'll live in jail for several years
If you want to see countryside, the best views are sitting as a passenger on the upper deck of the London-Oxford Oxford Tube bus. That'll also be cheaper, cut out the Windsor trip you haven't got time for and take you straight into the middle of Oxford
Sep 22nd, 2012, 07:33 AM
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"For Australians, driving out of central London towards Windsor is virtually identical to driving out of Sydney to the Blue Mountains"
Having done both , I would go for the Australian route any day.
You don't say where you are staying but a train from London to Windsor should be doable? I'm no expert on the route, but paddington to Windsor is around 40 mins.
Hire a car in Windsor, I think Avis have an office there.
Traffic in central London will be dreadful, weather will be useless and London's aggressive drivers will have you angry in minutes.
Good luck
Muck
Having done both , I would go for the Australian route any day.
You don't say where you are staying but a train from London to Windsor should be doable? I'm no expert on the route, but paddington to Windsor is around 40 mins.
Hire a car in Windsor, I think Avis have an office there.
Traffic in central London will be dreadful, weather will be useless and London's aggressive drivers will have you angry in minutes.
Good luck
Muck
Sep 22nd, 2012, 07:55 AM
#5
If you MUST do this - pick up in Central London (however city centre locations tend to have more limited hours so you might not be able to get the car early) and drop it at LHR.
But I just don't think your plan is a good one for December. The days are very short and if it ends up a stormy day you'll have a miserable time in traffic/tie ups. Even if the weather is decent, you won't get to Oxford until probably near 3PM and by the time you get into the city centre you're looking at 3:30 and the sun is setting before 4PM.
I'd pick one or the other - do Windsor by train or Oxford by bus or train.
Oxford is a full day's trip (especially by car since you have to factor in getting in from and out to the park and Rides). And Windsor takes about 3/4 day to/from London.
But I just don't think your plan is a good one for December. The days are very short and if it ends up a stormy day you'll have a miserable time in traffic/tie ups. Even if the weather is decent, you won't get to Oxford until probably near 3PM and by the time you get into the city centre you're looking at 3:30 and the sun is setting before 4PM.
I'd pick one or the other - do Windsor by train or Oxford by bus or train.
Oxford is a full day's trip (especially by car since you have to factor in getting in from and out to the park and Rides). And Windsor takes about 3/4 day to/from London.
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