Five of us will be staying in the Cotswolds in May and we're trying to find the least expensive, quickest way into London for day trips. My brother-in-law is suggesting that we park at Gatwick Airport and take the Express into Victoria Station. Does this sound like a good option? Our other options are taking the train from the Cotswolds, but I gather we'd pay a fairly expensive rate if we left during rush hour, but I hate the idea of leaving later in the morning and not arriving in London until almost noon. Another option was driving to Oxford and taking the bus, but I read differing opinions on the advisibility of that route on this site. Thanks!

Oxford to Gatwick is around 100 miles so please don't even think that!
Unless you are making regular journeys a Britrail pass wouldn't be worth it so you will either have to bite the bullet and pay peak rate or drive to a station nearer London and take a bus or train.
A lot depends on how far from Oxford you are. The Oxford Tube is cheap and efficent and will get you into central London quickly but I am not sure about where you would leave the car in Oxford.
You could also consider driving to somewhere like Uxbridge or Ruslip and taking the underground from there.
Good luck,

Adam C
[email protected]

I am hoping against hope your B-I-L meant Heathrow and not Gatwick! Even LHR doesn't make too much sense, but it at least there is a bit more logic to it.

Otherwise - maybe ignore B-I-L in all things trip related

Driving into west London and taking the train or tube is fine. And if you go on a Sunday - driving all the way into central London would be a reasonable option.

I know where I used to park when doing daytrips into London from Oxford (I used a carpark in Ruislip) but that was years ago so I'm not even sure if the lot is still there. There are several Londoners on here (hopefully flanneruk or one of the others will see your thread) that will be able to give you the best locations for a "park and ride"

I mostly used the train from Oxford or Bicester - but that adds when you are talking about five fares.

Several years ago, a group of us staying in the Costwolds parked at the West Ruislip Naval Station and took the tube into London from there -- but we were all active duty plus I'm not sure if the Naval Station is still active since many US bases in Europe have been closed. But you could still park at West Ruislip which has a car park at the tube station and go in from there.

You can find a list of Tube stations with car parks here: http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/carpark/

Your brother in law deserves a prize, if you're reporting him accurately, for some of the doziest advice ever to appear on this board. Has he ever tried driving round the busiest section of the M25 (in fact the busiest road in Europe) during the rush hour? And why, if you're trying to save money, is he telling you to take the most expensive imaginable route from Gatwick tothe centre?

Where in the Cotswolds are you starting from? There's no point giving you instructions based on the Cheltenham line if you're contemplating the Hereford line.

Just the kind of responses I was looking for! Now I can hopefully talk my brother-in-law out of that option. We're staying in Moreton-in-Marsh and I'm willing to pay the extra money to take the train into London, even if it is more expensive during rush hour. Perhaps I will do that and meet him there if he's set on his Gatwick parking plans. Thanks!

You need to get your brother-in-law to look at a map. Gatwick is south of London; the Cotswolds are west of London. There are dozens of railway stations between the Cotswolds and London that would be more convenient and cheaper than Gatwick (the Gatwick Express is more expensive than other trains). Driving to Gatwick is further than driving to a tube station in the London suburbs. There are other stations nearer the Cotswolds that have a very good train service into London - Reading, for example.

The cheapos from Moreton apply to ALL trains on Saturdays and Sundays (though since the first train on Sunday doesn't get into Paddington till 1137, that might not help you.) Incidentally, the price you see on the National Rail site for the 0920 weekday train, and all after, is about 50p less than the price for a ticket that includes virtually unlimited travel on London Transport. That 0920 train is scheduled to arrive at 1055: I've hardly ever known it more than 10 mins late at Paddington

You should also investigate the Network Card: for £20, you get 33% off the cheapo fares (but not off the pre 0920 weekday fares) - and that applies to all your party (I think: it may be just two adults and all children), even though you need buy only one card. The reduction also applies to the London Transport add-on, so for about £16 you get a 200 mile round trip and the run of the world's biggest urban transport system. Cheap at twice the price.

If you're travelling before 0920, do a search on this board for PalQ. He recommends a train pass that can't be bought here, but may work for you, especially if you're travelling on two days.

Now about that bus or car. Leaving Moreton round 0700 by road, it'll take you about 80 mins to the Park+Ride for the Oxford-London bus. If the traffic's behaving at that time of the day, it'll take you a further 80 mins or so to the first possible Park+Ride in London, or the bus about 120 mins to Baker St tube in central London (though it's unlikely the traffic will behave for the last 10 miles). These timings, BTW, are based on our travels on more or less that route this morning, though admittedly traffic's worse on Mondays, and the weather was a bit wintry today.

That is, it may well get you round Paddington about half an hour earlier than getting the comfy 0920 train. In other words, on a weekday, driving or busing is such an awful idea during the morning rush hour that it's not worth anyone's energy checking Park+Rides round Ruislip (even if they've any space left by the time you get there. This is a real problem throughout Greater Greater London - the megalopolis that extends about 100 miles in every direction from central London. And yes, I know that includes Calais, which is every bit as much a dependency of London as Hampstead)

It's all different on Saturdays or Sundays. Personally, I wouldn't bother parking out of town: take the M40 straight into London till it changes into the A505 (Euston Road), keep straight towards The City, then take any left after Euston Station. Almost all parking spaces on side streets on the left of Euston Road (ie to its North) are free at weekends, congestion charging doesn't apply ever there, and you're a few minutes' walk from the tube. Max 10 mins by tube (or 30 on foot) from Traf Sq etc.