Hello all,
I am off to Silverstone this weekend for the GP, but is there any tips on where the best place to park is? I know there are numerous carparks around the perimeter but is there any park and rides or is it a case of just having to queue to get in the main car parks?
BTW I am hoping to view the Grand Prix at Club corner.
Thanks
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You have your parking ticket yes? If you have no parking ticket displayed, you wont be getting near or into the silverstone car parks. Follow the signs for park and ride. the a43 will be one way into the circuit and it will switch to one way out at the end.
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Thansk RF. Park and Ride sounds good to me as I am unsure if I have a parking ticket yet (I am awaiting my free tickets to come!)
Any ideas on where the park and ride(s) are located or do I just follow the signs
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Where are you coming from?
There are several park and rides around Northampton, including Sixfields stadium, which is reasonably accessible form all directions. also a bus from the railway station. Don't know about pre booking etc requirements. Documentation with your tickets might give some info?
There should be something on the Silverstone web site www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk/ as well but I cannot find it at a glance
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Thanks for the replies. I am coming down from Nottingham.
I managed to get free tickets, but I didn't know if they included parking until they arrived yesterday with no parking! I called the Silverstone hotline number about the park and ride but they said it was fully booked at all three sites. There is a shuttle service going from Northampton train station to Silverstone, but looking at the trains from Nottingham to Northampton, it will take nearly 5 hours as I first have to go to Leicester, then Luton, Milton Keynes then back up!!! Crazy.
Most campsites are booked up, so we are going to drive down tonight as there are a few who said they wil squeeze us on.
I know we left it late, but I thought that the car parking on site and the park and rides should be able to hold enough people who want to go.
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M1 J16
Turn towards Daventry. Follow road until A5. Turn left towards Towcester.
When you see signs to your right towards either Greens Norton or Blakesley then take that road. The turn is about 3 miles before the A43 and opposite a secondhand car lot.
Follow that road and then subsequent roads/signs to Silverstone - must be around 5 or 6 miles, I should think. Park on one of the country roads about 1/4 mile before you reach Silverstone.
Walk straight through Silverstone to the track - about 20 minutes.
I've written that without a map in front of me, if you want it more accurately then I'll do it from home later.
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BTW, I lived in that area until very recently, and there won't be any traffic and you will be able to park.
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Thanks for the great tip Mark. Have others parked around there in past GP's? I may give it a go, but I am worried about being towed away!
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If you're careful and don't park somewhere dumb, then you won't be towed. The bit I am particularly thinking about is where I used to park for walking the dogs. I haven't parked there and gone to the Grand Prix, but I most certainly have parked there on days when the GP is actually on.
I'll post more details from home later when I have the maps around me.
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Excellent info Mark, I will await the details (Profile will be turned on). You could have saved me £50 as that's what car parking passes were going for on ebay.
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I live round there as well. There are roadworks on the A45 between J16 and the A5. I'm not sure I recognise Mark's signposting to Greens Norton etc. I think the turn you want is the one to Litchborough, go through Litchborough and Maidwell(?), then as Mark says follow roads towards Blakesley - you'll need a 1 inch map. You can acess the road to Litchborough by going left at j16 and through Kislingbury/Bugbrooke (signs at fist roundabout).
There are several areas of well used informal parking on GP days.
Alterntivley drive to Northampton Station (J16 follw signs for town Centre then station where town traffic goes right at lights and park on the extensive Car Park.
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Thanks Bromptonaut, you two have rescued a tricky situation.
Back room rules!
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Looking again I think Mark means the turn off the A5 in Fosters Booth opposite John's Motors, known as Banbury Lane. Takes you into the same set of lanes in the end.
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>>I think Mark means the turn off the A5 in Fosters Booth
Mark does indeed mean that turn off, thanks.
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Right, some of this is from memory, so if anybody wishes to correct me, then please do so. There are also a number of routes possible, but I am trying to give the most straightforward, if not the quickest.
Take the turn off the A5 in Fosters Booth. And keep going straight on. You will come to a cross roads, at which you should go straight over. Eventually you will come into the top half of Blakesley. Do be a bit careful on the road, there are some nasty corners with mud.
Keep going through the village until you come to a complex cross-roads. Left is sign-posted to Towcester and Greens Norton, I don't remember the rest. Go straight over and down the hill through Towcester. If you stop in the pub, then do try the food if they're cooking. Sometimes they have a barbecue at GP time which is good, and if the chef is a guy called Matt you'll be doing well. You might want to remember this pub because a) the food and drink later will be good and b) they will know which of the Blakesley or Woodend residents are offering B&B for that night - about £75 used to be the going rate for a double with bathroom.
Anyway, past the pub, over a little bridge and the road will turn sharply right - don't follow it, take the left turn/forky thing towards Silverstone.
Stay on that road. You will come to a cross-roads at which you do not have right of way, go straight over. After a little while you will pass a dirt area on your right which is the entrance to a Forestry Commission forest where people, including me, walk the dogs. Remember that bit, because you might need it. You are about 1/4 mile from Silverstone.
Carry on in to Silverstone on the off-chance there is somehwere better ot park, but you may well be back to that dirt parking area.
At this point you are the worng side of Silverstone so you will need to walk/drive across Silverstone to the circuit - itus a village, and not a big one so don't stress.
If you get too close to the circuit you will find irate villagers, no parking signs and road blocks.
There, unless I've screwed up with the directions, that should be enough to get you there.
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Brilliant! Thanks Mark (and also B'naut)Good instructions and an extremely handy pub :)
Just printed it off so we will try the forestry commision place out. Were not too lazy, so a little walk over to the circuit will be fine. There's nothing better than a bit of local knoweledge.
I will let you know how we got on on Monday when we get back as I will be without t'internet for the w'end now.
Cheers
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>>down the hill through Towcester
Through BLAKESLEY not Towcester -> through BLAKESLEY - for goodness sakes someone call him, he;ll get lost.
Stupid mistake.
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