Dear readers I need your suggestion. I will come to England for one week
for visiting London and the sorrondings. Because the airplane is landing
in Stansted, I thaought that taking an accomodation in Cambridge would be
practical for living some days in a beautiful "small" english town and
also being not too far from London.
Is it a good idea to rent a car and to drive from Cambridge to a place
somewhere near London where it is possible to park and to go by
underground train to the center of the city? I always do so when I have
to go to Milan from my town in the north of Italy.
Do you think that the traffic conditions near Cambridge are such that I
can make a good use of the car to visit for instance the seaside (Norfolk)
or another town like Oxford? Or I will be spending ours in queues?
Thank you for your suggestions. I love England where I spent one year
40 years ago (and I also got a british driving licence).

In message , at 04:49:03
on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, antoine remarked:
Dear readers I need your suggestion. I will come to England for one week
for visiting London and the sorrondings. Because the airplane is landing
in Stansted, I thaought that taking an accomodation in Cambridge would be
practical for living some days in a beautiful "small" english town and
also being not too far from London.
Is it a good idea to rent a car and to drive from Cambridge to a place
somewhere near London where it is possible to park and to go by
underground train to the center of the city? I always do so when I have
to go to Milan from my town in the north of Italy.
Do you think that the traffic conditions near Cambridge are such that I
can make a good use of the car to visit for instance the seaside (Norfolk)
or another town like Oxford? Or I will be spending ours in queues?
Thank you for your suggestions. I love England where I spent one year
40 years ago (and I also got a british driving licence).

Traffic in the centre of Cambridge is very bad, and also to/from London
during the rush hours. If you are making multiple trips to London I
would suggest getting a rail season ticket: £106 per week, or £135 with
London Travelcard included. As many trips as you like in any seven day
period (can start any day of the week).
--
Roland Perry

On 22/10/2012 05:49, antoine wrote:
Dear readers I need your suggestion. I will come to England for one week
for visiting London and the sorrondings. Because the airplane is landing
in Stansted, I thaought that taking an accomodation in Cambridge would be
practical for living some days in a beautiful "small" english town and
also being not too far from London.
Is it a good idea to rent a car and to drive from Cambridge to a place
somewhere near London where it is possible to park and to go by
underground train to the center of the city?

No. Get the train. It's about 45 min on a fast train from Cambridge to
King's Cross, which run every 30 min (there are also slower trains, but
there is no point in catching one as they get overtaken). Driving in
central Cambridge will not help your sanity, and long underground trips
might not be fun.

I always do so when I have
to go to Milan from my town in the north of Italy.
Do you think that the traffic conditions near Cambridge are such that I
can make a good use of the car to visit for instance the seaside (Norfolk)
or another town like Oxford? Or I will be spending ours in queues?

A car might well make sense for the coast (although you can get to, say,
Cromer by train for a day trip from Cambridge).

If you are staying in Cambridge, do you really want to do Oxford as
well, which is basically just (an inferior version of) the same thing?

Thank you for your suggestions. I love England where I spent one year
40 years ago

You might find it has changed...


(and I also got a british driving licence).



--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , at
08:13:53 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
If you are staying in Cambridge, do you really want to do Oxford as
well, which is basically just (an inferior version of) the same thing?

It's not a particularly fun journey either by train or car (and
traffic/parking in Oxford is even worse than Cambridge).

For a second historic City to visit I'd suggest Ely (half a day
probably), Lincoln or York. All fairly easy train trips.
--
Roland Perry

In message , Roland Perry
writes

For a second historic City to visit I'd suggest Ely (half a day
probably), Lincoln or York. All fairly easy train trips.

I'd add Norwich to that list, which is a little over an hour from
Cambridge by direct train service.
--
Paul Terry

On 22/10/2012 09:12, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
08:13:53 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
If you are staying in Cambridge, do you really want to do Oxford as
well, which is basically just (an inferior version of) the same thing?

It's not a particularly fun journey either by train or car (and
traffic/parking in Oxford is even worse than Cambridge).

Park and ride.


For a second historic City to visit I'd suggest Ely (half a day
probably), Lincoln or York. All fairly easy train trips.

In message , at 14:13:40 on Mon, 22 Oct
2012, Mizter T remarked:
It's not a particularly fun journey either by train or car (and
traffic/parking in Oxford is even worse than Cambridge).

Park and ride.

Got the t-shirt. It adds about an hour to the round-trip time.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that anywhere with P&R is only
worth visiting if it's either essential, or one can arrive by train.

But that's what I'm sure the residents think too, so it's a bit of a
win-win situation.
--
Roland Perry

On 22/10/2012 14:47, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 14:13:40 on Mon, 22 Oct
2012, Mizter T remarked:
It's not a particularly fun journey either by train or car (and
traffic/parking in Oxford is even worse than Cambridge).

Park and ride.

Got the t-shirt. It adds about an hour to the round-trip time.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that anywhere with P&R is only
worth visiting if it's either essential, or one can arrive by train.

But that's what I'm sure the residents think too, so it's a bit of a
win-win situation.

Oxford P&R seems pretty well patronised (the car parks and the buses).

In article ,
(antoine) wrote:

Dear readers I need your suggestion. I will come to England for one
week for visiting London and the sorrondings. Because the airplane is
landing in Stansted, I thaought that taking an accomodation in
Cambridge would be
practical for living some days in a beautiful "small" english town
and also being not too far from London.
Is it a good idea to rent a car and to drive from Cambridge to a
place somewhere near London where it is possible to park and to go by
underground train to the center of the city? I always do so when I
have to go to Milan from my town in the north of Italy.
Do you think that the traffic conditions near Cambridge are such that
I can make a good use of the car to visit for instance the seaside
(Norfolk)
or another town like Oxford? Or I will be spending ours in queues?
Thank you for your suggestions. I love England where I spent one year
40 years ago (and I also got a british driving licence).

I think Roland and Arthur have made good suggestions. Public transport is
good for tourism these days while main roads are very busy.

You will find accommodation costs might be higher in or close to Cambridge
though.

Cambridge has active local newsgroups so I have cross posted this to
cam.transport.

--
Colin Rosenstiel (Cambridge City Councillor)

Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions.
Thay are very helpful to me.