Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Hurdity]

Hi there

I might drive by myself into central London at the weekend to collect my son from his rented apartment where he's been doing a year's placement before final uni year. Haven't decided yet whether to go outside my comfort zone and do it by myself!

Thing is I don't know London at all and have never driven there or near there on my own but need some advice as to route. There must be some London members on here!

I will be coming from SW ie M3. What is the best way to get to W1? Should I go up M25 and go in as if from M4 or what? Is it well signposted? I usually use maps but we have an old satnav which I've never used so not sure if I can follow it (husband uses it reguarly!) but won't be able to stop by the side of the road to read the map!

Any specific advice re route and tips welcomed! It will be Sunday morning so presumably not much traffic?

Thanks in advance! You can tell I'm clueless!

Hurdity x

[Dancinggirl]

I lived in London most of my life, worked in the West End a great deal so know London really well.  I used to drive around London all the time but in recent years have found it more and more frustrating and challenging - the shear amount of traffic, long waiting times at lights etc.  I wouldn't expect things to be that quiet on a Sunday morning either!!!! Coming into London from the M3 shouldn't be the issue - signposts are not good generally but may be helpful as you are going to a central area.  The problem with Central London is the one way systems - I always go by land marks which you won't be able to do.  I'd study a newish map really well - maybe do an AA or RAC route finder on the internet which could give you a good route with road numbers to follow. I like road numbers as they are more reliable.
Good luck  DG xxx

[Ju Ju]

Be prepared for 2 lots of road works at 50 miles speed limit from before A303 to the M25 on the M3. Not so bad on Sunday, so unlikely to be traffic queues.

[Unhinged]

Hi Hurdity,

Just a tip: I used to drive around central London all the time for fieldwork I used to do, never in the same place twice so was quite a trial. I did used to use SatNav but found the problem was that because of the roads running through reasonably high buildings, it used to block the signal so the SatNav was constantly trying to catch up and find it's new position. I used to print out the AA route plans which helped when the SatNav was blocked but that does mean stopping once or twice - though Sunday will be ok to do that.

Unhinged x

[Taz2]

Be prepared for 2 lots of road works at 50 miles speed limit from before A303 to the M25 on the M3. Not so bad on Sunday, so unlikely to be traffic queues.

For the last two sundays the A303, M25 (both clockwise and anti-clockwise) M3 and M4 have been really busy - holiday traffic plus ordinary sunday traffic. You need to get past Stonehenge early Hurdity

Taz x 

[honeybun]

Can hubby not go with you to navigate.

So much easier if there are two....one to drive and one to shout 

I think you are very brave.


Honeybun
X

[Hurdity]

Thanks all for your input!

Be prepared for 2 lots of road works at 50 miles speed limit from before A303 to the M25 on the M3. Not so bad on Sunday, so unlikely to be traffic queues.

For the last two sundays the A303, M25 (both clockwise and anti-clockwise) M3 and M4 have been really busy - holiday traffic plus ordinary sunday traffic. You need to get past Stonehenge early Hurdity

Taz x 

Thanks Ju Ju and Taz! I have had recent experience of A303, M3 and M25 last Friday and Sunday, as well as Stonehenge traffic jams as we did 450 miles round trip to Kent at the w/e in the VW, and traffic both ways was horrendous, not to mention torrential rain and accidents on Friday!

I plan to leave early on Sunday and not drive back until late afternoon/early evening to avoid the crush (hopefully!).

Thanks for the tip Unhinged - I'm really not sure about satnav - I like to know where I am and where I'm going rather than just turn right, turn left etc. Google maps looks very clear but when you print out the maps it's too pale to use in the car and yes I would need to pull over frequently.

Honeybun - because my husband drove the long trip above and will do the uni run soon (in a day(another 450 miles) - he said "do I have to come" so I thought it would be good to try and do something challenging that I don't want to do, that I've never done before. I'm sure he will come if I wimp out and I still might! Not brave - just thinking - well why not? Other people do this. I've done Manchester and Leeds uni runs but London is a bit bigger and doesn't have motorways right near the centre!

Dancinggirl - It's after I reach the M25 on M3 that I'm wondering about but son seems to think I just follow signs for central London until I get to Oxford Street as he's not far away - easier said than done!!! As long as the all the main roads have numbers on signs - do they?

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

Do you have a SatNav.?  Ours has good routes in that when we approach a lot of traffic lights etc. it goes into 'road view' mode even showing the lanes to be in.  It also tells us if there are hold ups on our route and how long the hold up will be.

Doing a GOOGLE walk can help too.  Don't think that shows 1-way streets though 

[Taz2]

Hi Hurdity - not sure why you would be going on M25 as the M3 goes straight into London. Think it changes into the A316 when you get to junction 1?  You can go onto M25 if you come in via M4 but that's more for North London I think.

Taz x

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Hurdity
Taz is right - whenever I've come to London on the M3 I've just gone straight into London.  If your son is that central you will have problems with the one way systems - you can't usually drive along Oxford Street (buses and taxis only) so I would definitely plan your route in the central part so you know which roads you can use to find your son. Print off a google map that hopefully shows the one away systems. DG x

[Hurdity]

Hi Taz I'm not sure where the M3 ends but I know it reaches the M25 - yes we went on that last Sunday as going to Kent abut I was thinking when I get to the M25 I could go round it to the M4 if that's a better way in or cut across through Richmond. You can tell I'm not used to this!!!!  Oh yes just had a look at Google maps and it (M3) goes in further than M25 - our road map is also out of date - or maybe I'm remembering wrongly !!!

Hi CLKD yes we have a satnav but it's about 10 years old and hasn't been updated and I've never used it ( although my husband does) - as I always look at the map ( and try to correct the satnav  ).

Thanks Dancinggirl - hmm perhaps the satnav would help for this bit? Do they know the one-way systems?

Hurdity x

[honeybun]

I have found google maps so unreliable.
AA route planner is much more up to date and accurate.

Good luck and hope you get there safe and sound.


Honeybun
X

[Taz2]

You can pick up the M3 from the M25 but if you are going into central London then you don't need to.

I  use the satnav on my phone - I think it's under Maps (sounds about right!). I used it a while back to go to a small festival and when I could see the festival site in the distance but couldn't work out how to actually get to it the SatNav voice finally said "You are lost". Very helpful!!! 

Taz x

[Dancinggirl]

Hurdity - the problem with SatNavs is they need to be updated regularly so they know the one way systems - I would definitely to a google/AA/RAC route search for the central London bit or you can end up going round and round in circles. I would also plan your exit route as well as this could be different because of one way systems.
If you go really early on sunday mornings this can be the quietest time.
The last time I drove round London was about a year ago - I went to help move my daughter from Walthamstow in NE London down to Forest Hill in South London, then I drove all the way back to the Suffolk coast that evening - my daughter hadn't told me where she was moving to and I hate trying to find my way in South London as the signage is dreadful - managed it OK in the end though but it was a bonkers day of driving and it was just as well I knew London well!!!!   DG x

[honeybun]

We generally know our nearest city really well. It's going somewhere different that's the problem.

I can find my way around Glasgow quite well but my son is great....I think he was a homing pigeon in a previous life. 


Honeybun
X