Five ways to avoid fake parking charges at Britain’s top attractions: we reveal the worst offenders from Silverstone to Glasto and how YOU can avoid being held hostage
The amount I had to pay for parking when I went to see Peter Kay Live at the O2 in London earlier this month was no laughing matter.
The car park cost me £40 – more than the £35 for a basic ticket.
Such sky-high costs are becoming increasingly common – with venues appearing to cynically exploit a captive audience who often haven’t planned ahead and thus have nowhere else to go. We expose some major offenders and reveal FIVE great ways you can avoid their fees.
Toby Walne had to pay £40, up from £35 for a basic ticket, to park when he saw Peter Kay at the O2
The worst offenders
Silverstone in Northamptonshire has one of the most expensive car parks: £60 for the official Car Park 1 for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on July 7. Another example is the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset with a ‘pledge to reduce carbon emissions’ by charging £55 for a car pass between June 26 and 30. The Wimbledon tennis championships in London between July 1 and 14 want £40 for a day space – the same as the O2 – while the Co-op Live venue in Manchester that opened in May is demanding £25. Research from the provider of holiday accommodation Last Minute Cottages has found that theme parks are also increasingly looking to make more money from customers who feel they have no choice but to pay, even though prices are lower. Alton Towers in Staffordshire charges £20 for pre-booked ‘express parking’ at the entrance, while Thorpe Park in Surrey and Legoland in Berkshire both charge £10. Parking at Legoland was free until 14 years ago.
Silverstone has one of the most expensive car parks: £60 for the official car park 1 for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on July 7
Book in advance
Book a day in advance at the O2 for £10 off and pay £30. There are no discounts available on the day to prevent people trying to save money by booking online on the way to the venue. Legoland offers £2 off by charging £8 if you book in advance. Venues like Wimbledon are only available if you book in advance – so you’ll need to book ahead just to get a spot without a discount.
Walk from another parking lot
Leave home half an hour earlier and you not only give yourself time for delays, such as traffic jams, but also give you the opportunity to park cheaper further down the road.
The Silverstone School Parking donates proceeds to the local Silverstone Primary school and local charities in the village. You pay £27 to park in a village grass car park (plus £2.70 booking fee). Then you will take a 25-minute walk to reach the Formula 1 Grand Prix paddock.
For Glastonbury the main option is to park on site, but just a 15 minute walk away is Ashcombe Park which costs £50. Its main appeal is that it allows for a quick escape.
The O2 wants people to use its official car park 1 for events, but other nearby official spaces, car parks 2, 3 and 4, allow pay and display for up to four hours at a cost of £11 and are only ten minutes away long. minutes walk from the arena. Alton Towers offers cheaper off-site parking for £10, but you should allow for a 25-minute walk to the venue.
park and drive
Silverstone offers a free shuttle service from car park 2, which costs £40. You can also pay £16 for a park and ride shuttle service (return) from Milton Keynes, Northampton or Banbury train stations, which takes 25 minutes. Parking at Milton Keynes station costs GBP 5.70 per day.
Visitors to the O2 can park in the Stratford Multi-Storey car park and can pay £10.20 for four hours, after which they can take a 15-minute tube journey to North Greenwich, five minutes from the venue. The journey costs GBP 1.80 each way outside peak hours. The recently opened Co-op Live venue in Manchester has a ten-minute tram service from the city center to the venue. This runs every six minutes and costs £3.80 each way. You can park at Q-Park Deansgate North in Manchester city center for a four-hour stay for £9.
There is also a park and ride service to Legoland from the Legoland Windsor resort and Windsor Town, which costs £2 each way and takes 15 minutes.
Reserve a private room
By entering a zip code, apps such as JustPark reveal parking locations on a map
Smartphone apps like JustPark and YourParkingSpace can help you find homes near a location with parking spaces they rent out.
By typing in a zip code, they reveal parking locations on a map, along with the prices charged. You pay in advance online via the app and never have to see the homeowner again. The apps work best in locations with many houses nearby. You can park for £6 with JustPark, a 20-minute walk from the O2 on Tunnel Avenue. A 20-minute walk from Co-op Live on Dysart Street costs £11 using the same app. You can park in a driveway in Queens Road for £10.88 and take a 20-minute walk to the Wimbledon tennis courts by booking through YourParkingSpace. For £5 you can pay for a spot on Corderoy Place, a 15-minute walk from Thorpe Park. That £5 also pays for a place at Perrycroft, a ten-minute walk from Legoland. Both options are found on YourParkingSpace.