Author Topic: Free car parking places in the UK  (Read 845 times)

gunwharfman

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Free car parking places in the UK
« on: 10:43:19, 14/11/19 »
I no longer visit the Lakes as much as I used to but when I was in Keswick last weekend I did have a drive around Keswick and was quite surprised how many free parking places I found. It all depended on me being willing to park and then to walk for a few minutes (the spot I chose was 6 minutes from Moot Hall) rather than wanting a town centre instant gratification paid for parking slot. In the past, I've always relied on my OS map to get a grasp of the layout of the towns and villages I visit, but this time I used Open Street Map which I personally found to be visually clearer when looking at streets and their relationship to other streets and areas.

On this occasion, I only wanted a coffee and cake but I could also imagine parking where I did and then do an all-day hike.

Normally I'm not keen to drive to a location and park, given a choice I prefer to get there and rail by public transport but this time I was in a hurry and only had two full days to myself.

Out of town is a different matter, I prefer to stick to my OS maps.

barewirewalker

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Re: Free car parking places in the UK
« Reply #1 on: 11:12:16, 14/11/19 »
During my time on the Shropshire CC's Local Access Forum, now changed to some other title, using the in vogue 'Great Outdoors', our then Chair, a lady without any ulterior political motives other than the better access to the countryside, set us a task and that was to find all the useful car parking places around the county for to park and walk.

I had only just started to realize the usefulness of Google Earth, and I set to, to locate many places that provided this facility. Now two problems soon showed up. Great parking spaces but no direct access to Rights Way and good parking on dangerous stretches of road for the pedestrian.However there was a common solution, Field Margins, Often easily reached through gaps in hedges.

This was quickly quashed by the established landowner members of that forum, not because it might encourage trespass, more because it would demonstrate the sense in allowing field margins as a way to safely encourage greater access to the countryside.
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

Mel

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Re: Free car parking places in the UK
« Reply #2 on: 18:56:12, 14/11/19 »
Great parking spaces but no direct access to Rights Way


Doesn't bother me in the slightest if I'm going for a walk.  Park up, get out of my car and .... erm... start the walk  O0   Naturally I wouldn't park in Windermere if I was going to do Skiddaw but walking a few hundred yards to "start the walk proper" really is a non-issue for me.




ninthace

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Re: Free car parking places in the UK
« Reply #3 on: 22:08:08, 14/11/19 »
I often use church or village hall car parks to start walks.  Many of these have a little box asking for a donation which I am quite happy to pay.  I can see the point of not paying some of the fees commercial car parks demand but I believe that when the parking fee goes to a local organisation, as visitors, it is appropriate to support them in return for the use of the car park.  I also believe it is wrong to clog up residential streets or rural lanes just so we can save a few quid in pursuance of our hobby.
Solvitur Ambulando

gunwharfman

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Re: Free car parking places in the UK
« Reply #4 on: 21:31:38, 15/11/19 »
'wrong to clog up residential streets,' I can agree with that but I live in a city where much of it is back to back housing, 'its dog eat dog,' 'only the fittest survive' and 'he who dares wins' just away from our area.

As an individual I'm OK in that I have my own garage and a parking place so rarely have problems. We also have a great 'park and ride' scheme but like tomorrow morning, hundreds of people will be just hoping for that special place, to park inside or beside their favourite shop and so will sit in a long traffic jam for ages just to be disappointed! It happens every week and its the same outside our local school. Lots of lady drivers, in particular, driving around and around the block, so many people carriers waiting to pick up their one or two children and PRAYING that just this once they will be able to park beside their children's desk!

The entertaining ones are the mothers who keep the car moving all of the time, they open the passenger door and demand that their child JUMPS in and then they whizz away! Some of the children have it down to perfection, the 8 - 10s seem to be the stars, door open, rucksack thrown in and then make a DIVE forward onto a seat!

fernman

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Re: Free car parking places in the UK
« Reply #5 on: 23:04:12, 15/11/19 »
The entertaining ones are the mothers who keep the car moving all of the time, they open the passenger door and demand that their child JUMPS in and then they whizz away! Some of the children have it down to perfection, the 8 - 10s seem to be the stars, door open, rucksack thrown in and then make a DIVE forward onto a seat!

LOL, I've got to laugh at that because it strikes a chord! It's the same when I drive my wife to the Tube station one or two mornings a week, and pick her up again in the evening, because it's all double yellow lines, Keep Clear signs, bus stops, cctv cameras on poles and nowhere to pull in.

 

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