I am planning to take my two teenage boys to the motor show next week in docklands.
We will be travelling up by car from Dorset and aim to be there at 10.00 when the doors open. I have been to the shows at the NEC and Earls Court for the last 20+ years but didn't go last time to the new London venue.
What's the best way to get there? Previously when we went to Earls Court we would park at Richmond and take the tube into town but as the show is right over the other side the travel connections look long and complicated.
We will therefore probably loop around the southern half of the M25 then drive to the venue and use the car parks there. Where is the best place to leave the M25 and is there any place just off the motorway which would allow us to access a rail link to the show?
Any advice gratefully appreciated, as a country bumpkin I'd like to avoid any serious big city congestion if at all possible.
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Coming from dorset - that will be a trip and a half...
This is one option - although there may be better ones...
I live next to the O2/millenium dome which is only a few stops away from the Excel. I'd caution about driving to the Excel directly as its likely to be completly mobbed on the day.
The O2 is about 30 minutes relatively free flowing traffic from the M25 junction with the A2 (sorry can't remember the junction number) - there are loads of speed cameras along the A2. Stay on the A2 till just before the Blackwall tunnel at which point you should see the retail park on your right and the O2 just ahead.
There's plenty of parking by the O2 or even the retail park that is about 5 minutes drive from it. I'd suggest parking at the retail park (free) as there may be some concert going on at the O2 - check at www.theo2.co.uk. If there's nothing happening at the O2 that day then you can park in the O2 car parks - there are apparently over 2000 spaces.
From the retail park (look for Sainsburys in Greenwich) - hop on any of the buses from the retail park to North Greenwich tube station which is right next door to the O2 - take the jubilee line one stop to Canning town where you can change for the DLR to Custom House/Excel (only a few stops). Have a look at the journey planner at www.tfl.gov.uk to plan your journey.
Hope that helps - I was never any good at giving directions
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Rather than Richmond drive to a station with services to Waterloo.
Waterloo to Excel is less than half an hour on tube and Docklands - only one change.
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Thanks for the tips, it looks like we can get a train from Richmond to Waterloo, Jubilee Line to Canning town then DLR to Excel. It should take about an hour. Any idea how much a travel card for Zones 1-4 will cost ? The TFL website is reluctant to tell me.
I did have a look to see how much South West Trains wanted to take me, my dad and two boys from Gillingham, Dorset to Waterloo. The cheapest option was £142. It's half a tank of diesel to drive to Richmond and back, say £35 max.
I must say it was a lot easier to drive to Birmingham, pull off the M42, park up and walk in! The last show at the NEC was excellent, I hope the London show on a much smaller site will be as good.
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Any idea how long it will take to get to the show from Paddington? Suggested route is Bakerloo line to Baker Street, then Jubilee to Canning Town and the DLR. Looks like quite a long way.
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According to TFL website 36-38 minutes.
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According to TFL website 36-38 minutes.
Thanks - that prompted me to find the very useful TFL journey planner. However, the shortest time that gives me for Paddington to Excel is 56 minutes. Perhaps that's because I requested to arrive on Saturday at 10am?
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>>Thanks for the tips, it looks like we can get a train from Richmond to Waterloo
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When I went, a couple of years ago, I took the train to Waterloo then a train from Waterloo EAST etc.
From the main concourse at Waterloo you go up and over to Waterloo East.
It was an easy trip.
We had to listen to the on train announcements arriving at the show as ticket holders got off at one stop and the others at the next stop. I.E specific entrances at either end of the site.
Surbiton might just be an alternative to Richmond - 20 + mins to Waterloo and frequent trains
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The train is cheaper than you think.
From Gillingham the cheap day return is £40.60 per adult, children £1.
I make that £83.20.
Do a google on ?southwest trains? and ?groupsave?.
Travel card for zones 1-4 is £5.90 per adult, accompanying children £1 each.
However??????.
With fantastic forethought, tfl have arranged for engineering to be affecting the Jubilee line this weekend. You cannot get from central London to Canning Town (the interchange station for Excel) by Jubilee line this weekend.
The tfl journey planner suggests using Jubilee to Canary Wharf and picking up the DLR at Canary Wharf. That then requires a further change at Poplar. They suggest journey time of 40 mins from Waterloo to Excel.
The interchange between the Jubilee and the DLR at Canary Wharf is a bit of a schlep. An alternative is to take the 26 bus from Waterloo to Bank and pick up the DLR there. (See a few sights on the way on the bus). Many new London buses have sat nav and announce the stops ? but I don?t think route 26 has this yet.
More good news. The DLR is undergoing extensive engineering upgrades. It is still running every day - but the service patterns are a mess. Normally the DLR put on extra trains for major events at Excel, but I haven?t seen any publicity for that yet this year.
Don?t use an old map and be tempted to use Tower Gateway. That?s closed until Easter 2009.
Enjoy the show!
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Thanks for the train price tip. Unfortunately this fare is only available if we travel at a time that won't get us to the show until 12.30 at the earliest so the train loses out on both price and convenience.
Hopefully the engineering works will be finished before Wednesday next week, still it's all a bit of a palaver compared to driving to the NEC!
I've probably been to about 20 Motor Shows since 1984 so I'm really looking forward to experiencing the new venue. Also I'm looking forward to playing my favourite Motor Show game of setting the rear child locks on the cars on display and watching people get trapped in the back! It's not so easy now that most cars have electrically operated child locks though.
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My preference would be NOT to go in as far as Richmond.
I think it may be better to catch a train to Waterloo from an outlying Station easily reached via the M3 or M25, such as Staines, Sunbury, Weybridge, or further out at Farnborough, Guildford or Woking.
www.maps.live.com or google-maps will show aerial views of the parking facilities around these Stations.
Edited by jbif on 23/07/2008 at 14:22
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