I'll be wanting to leave a car at or near Stanstead Airport.
Anyone know a nice secluded housing estate or other suitable parking within a taxi ride for a weeks trip?
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Toad,
Not free, but a friend of mine parked in Bishop Stortford football club last holiday - very near and transport provided from there to airport - and much cheaper than airport parking.
I will call him tonight for info if you are interested/
Matt35
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Yes! Very interested! I'd already identified B.S. as a likly dumping ground. If there's 'official' parking at a light cost that would be perfect.
I trust they are ok with parking over Saturdays?
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Toad,
My mates car was there over two Saturdays - no problems, but take your boots and shinguards just in case.
Matt35
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Toad,
Just looked on Google - have a look at bsfc.co.uk for parking at Bishop Stortford.
Matt35
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Toad,
Whereabouts are you travelling from to the airport? I can do you a nice discount... ;-)
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Gatwick to Stansted. ;-)
I'm prepared to compensate by changing your oil+filter but you'll have to pull over while I do it!!! ;-)
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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I'm prepared to compensate by changing your oil+filter but you'll have to pull over while I do it!!! ;-)
Changing it into what? Is that how you became a toad in the first instance?
Ooh-er, it's not Friday yet and I have the urge to make remarks like that. Help!
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It all adds up.
A kiss from a pretty girl is supposed to undo the spell...
...which is why I remain Toad!!! [1]
;-) ;-) ;-)
[1] You see the need to remain anonymous here!
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Or at least have a SWMBO who doesn't understand how the computer works! ;-)
I would have though there was a very cheap express coach service from Gatwick to Stansted, possibly even cheaper than cheap parking+2 taxis and of course +your petrol to get here!
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Bus: Yeah but we'll have a lot of kit and the price for two on a bus is the same as the parking at the other end. Also I've used the Gatwick -> Stansted Coach and they drive it the long way round - takes forever.
Not to mention the fear that I may have to sit next a working class person. ;-)
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Toad
This reply has no help for your parking problems but its your comment about; [1] You see the need to remain anonymous here!
I have never made an issue of my name being public or where I live, why should I? It's an open forum! but I have noted that some of the earlier posters have gone missing in action. My son did a Google search for Bill Doodson as part of a family tree project his year are doing at school and my name came up on two forums this one 199 times and once for a message I left on a Merchant Navy webstite. I am seriously considering starting a new persona on HJ's webstite and some others.
Bill Doodson
Of Huddersfield
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Scarey isn't it? Never forget, BB is watching us.....
>>I am seriouslyconsidering starting a new persona on HJ's webstite and some others.
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Toad, interesting question which opens a whole can of worms, are Toads partial to worms?
If we are travelling to an airport should we be looking to clog up the nearest bit of free parking in a nearby town or housing estate or should we factor the cost of parking into the holiday?
Alternatively should the airports be providing free or cheap parking to encourage us to use the correct parking areas and therefore be good neighbours to the people who have to live nearby?
There seems to be a blinkered attitude to using the proper car parks, each year we have a large airshow in Southend, free admission, all the car parks in town are FREE for the day, but people will still insist in clogging all the side streets in the area. Last year the side streets were chaos but some of the multi-storey car parks in town were only three-quarters full, then at the end of the day lots of people were moaning that they couldn't get out of town because all the roads were clogged up with parked cars!
I'd be interested as to how the rest of you feel about this, could be an interesting discussion!!
I'll just go and put my tin hat on now :-)
Cockle
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An alternative would be to book an overnight stay at a nearby hotel and park there.
www.fhr-net.co.uk is one site specialising in airport hotels and parking - they show 2 hotels at Stanstead for £105-£120 double room + up to 15 days parking.
(Hotel and park made sense to me a few years ago with an early morning flight from Heathrow with the family...!)
HTH!
(PS housing estates there are pretty chocka with parked cars already!!)
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Why not try parking at Dunmow Tesco for a week. Alternativly park behind Tesco's in the new estate (big houses etc).
Other suggestions are takely chip shop (you may have to purchase). The road that runs alongside Hatfield Forest (steep bank though and every possibility that your car wont be there when you return).
Else you could just pay the £60-70 quid in the pink elephant car park with a free bus service to the airport.
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Up to £70 parking, £20 (ish) petrol for the return trip, plus 2 hours of your time each way @ say £10/hr? Total £130.
Cab each way from home to Stansted costs, I would guesstimate, around £70-£75... Total £150.(No, I'm not touting for business, Toad lives way off my patch, I'd be looking at £75 just to go to his house!)
So for an overall outlay of £20 or so more than driving yourself, you get door-to-terminal convenience, you don't have to concentrate on the M25/M11 for two hours when you should be relaxing, and possibly do the trip home in the middle of the night straight after a tiring flight. And you won't have to worry about the Rover staying in Essex all week!
Just a thought.
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It's 49 quid to park at Bishops Stortford AFC!!!
I want to park on it not buy it!!!!
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Cockle: I lived in Southend (welll Rayleigh) till I was 4.
My old man used to fly with Southend Flying CLub and remebers the Guppies landing loaded with cars. [1] I flew back there two years ago. 1 Guppie was still there. It wasn't the seat of the pants no radio place it had been. Fair brought a tear to my eye to take of and turn at Osea island as father Toad must have a million times. (Mus thave brought a tear to his eye when the arrival of a toad made him tear up his PPL...)
As for airport parking I agree with your point *but* I'm not spending the price of both flights on parking just in the interest of doing the right thing.
Airport parking shoudl be free or at least non profit making.
Taxis: Best way to get about. You need a taxi to get to th estaiton anyway. If there's 2 or more of you it will be cheaper than the train.
[1] Ha, let's see this post trashed after that master stroke.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Blimey! What kind of flakes were they feeding the Guppies on?
IIRC, the successor to these delightful aircraft is operated by Airbus industries to deliver various components all over europe. Quite a sight to see a Tefal-head A300 lumbering across the sky, looking for all the world like the Mekon on the aircraft world.
Back on track, if you poke around on the net you should find a hotel and parking for about £90 or so. Otherwise I would say go with the Taxi route.
It was a fiver you promised me, wasn't it Dave?
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For those who were wondering, here's a pic of a Guppy. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/flight/images/air...f
Used by the affluent types to ferry their cars all over europe and beyond.
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These were still being used a few years ago (maybe still are) to transport aircraft wings from BAe Chester to other areas to assemble the planes.
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Come on you intrepid aviators.
Toad is wrong re the Guppie. Surely he means the Blackburn Beverley that was the car transporter of the early 50's. The Guppie came later to transport aircraft wings etc as stated.
DVD
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Thanks for the image. Forwarded to Pa Toad...
Toad is wrong re the Guppie. Surely he means the Blackburn Beverley that was the car transporter of the early 50's. The Guppie came later to transport aircraft wings etc as stated.
50's? How old do you think Toads father is!!!!
This would have been the very late 60's or early 70's.
When the working man could afford to do a PPL.
You may be right though DVD, there was an aging guppie at Southend airport when I was last there though.
I have a good guppie story I shall relate whan I get a moment!
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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ToTH Hacve u seen my post on Bikes on Ferry to France?
(£79 return Dover/Dunkirk via Norfolk Lines for Estate Car)
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ToTH Hacve u seen my post on Bikes on Ferry to France? (£79 return Dover/Dunkirk via Norfolk Lines for Estate Car)
Thanks am looking into it!
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Come on you intrepid aviators. Toad is wrong re the Guppie. Surely he means the Blackburn Beverley that was the car transporter of the early 50's. The Guppie came later to transport aircraft wings etc as stated. DVD
'twas I DVD, not the Toad. I seem to recall that a couple of the earlier ones were used to ferry cars about, although as you quite rightly say, they were mostly used in the aerospace industry (Nasa and Airbus, as well as US military)
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These were still being used a few years ago (maybe still are) to transport aircraft wings from BAe Chester to other areas to assemble the planes.
www.zap16.com/images/F-WAST_1.jpg
Is that the one? The Airbus A300FB. Told you it looked like the Mekon!
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£49 for how long? Or did I miss some earlier post where you mentioned this. I think they are £5 a day and minimum 4 days, this price is with a discount thru CSMA.
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Been told by e-mail 49 quid for 8 nights!
Which, I suppose, isn't far off 5 quid a night.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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The Beverley never was a car transporter; they were the Bristol Freighter and then the ATL Carvair, a modified DC4.
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I concede Hew. Obliged.
I recalled pre Guppie the nose used to swing up to allow access of the cars. Should have further recalled that the Bev cargo access was at the rear and was used in the Malayan Emergency for Air Drops.
DVD.
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Spot on Hew, the DC4's were converted at Southend by Aviation Traders and operated by British Air Ferries, I believe they used to market the service as the 'Sky Bridge' or something similar. Used to be quite a sight watching cars being lifted up into the front of the Carvairs, I can't remember how many were built but it was a regular scheduled service Southend to Ostend.
Toad, I agree with your sentiment as to paying more for the car park than the airline tickets, seems crazy that you need to pay £70 to park the car but can then fly to Ireland or wherever for less than £30.
Glad that I brought back some happy memories about Southend Airport for you, bit of a controversy raging here at the moment about the future of the airport. Apparently for the airport to continue operating it will have to meet new safety area standards at the end of the runway. Unfortunately St. Laurence's Church is in the way and the airport operators want to physically move it about 100 yds to the north, only problem is it's best part of 900 years old so you can imagine rare old tussle going on.
Cockle
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Would they be the planes that 007's DB5 is loaded onto in Goldfinger after he's driven to Southend Airport (well that's where he was going according to the early version satnav thing in the dashboard).
Interesting aside is that in the current Laguna ad (the Come Fly with Me one) on the satnav screen the area shown is that around Hanningfield reservoir in Essex, which is the one of the areas shown in the James Bond DB5 sequence shown above. I assume that the creative responsible for that was making a little homage to 007.
Matthew Kelly
No, not that one.
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Matt, I think I recall something about the sequence being filmed at Southend so almost certainly so. If you'd seen one fly you'd certainly remember it, they were pretty distinctive.
One of my friends used to tell a lovely story about one of his trips as a flight engineer in one them, they used to be used by the engineers at the airport as a bus service for their duty frees. He thumbed a lift over to Ostend one day on one that he'd just finished working on the day before, as they left the runway he looked down to see a wheel from the undercarriage rolling happily off the end of the runway and into the hedge.....
Now if James Bond was to come down in the Lotus he wouldn't have to go around the reservoir.......
Cockle
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An alternative, which may not be cost-effective for Taod this time but could work for longer stays, is:
Hire a car from a major Rental Company for a one-way trip to the airport; and hire another one-way rental for the return trip home. In many instances, this will give you the door to door convenience comparable to using your own car, and will save the worry about damage/break-ins/flat-battery etc. to your own car. The total cost may even work out to be less than that for long-term parking at the airport.
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Re. parking at Stanstead - I was talking only yesterday evening to a colleague who stayed in a B&B at Stanstead prior to flying out for a fortnight. He Paid £45 for two for the accommodation and the B&B let him park his car in their park for £2.00 a day while he was away. They even drove his car to the airport when he returned. Sorry, I don't know the name/address of the B&B.
On the air ferry point, a firm at Lympne airport were using Bristol 170 freighters up until the early/mid 60's. They took three cars + passengers at a time, the trip to Calais was 20 mins. Pity they're not still operating.
Regards,
P.
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Parking at the airports has always been a big problem. I am facing this for many years.
(Edit: Spam link deleted.)
Edited by Avant on 11/07/2014 at 01:08
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now why would anyone want to revive a thread which is more than ten years old other than to paste a blatant ad?
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Seriously,X30 bus goes to Stansted(No "A") and Southend airports calling at Rayleigh and Chelmsford on the way-both have stations as do both airports.
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