On Mar 26, 2:12*am, Christopher Barker wrote:
On a Sunday afternoon in late July my wife and I will be departing from
St. Pancras station in London via Eurostar. *Prior to this we will be
using a rental car for a few days, based in Cookham, Berks. *We have
not yet booked the car, but before we do so I'd like to ask the group's
advice on the best place to drop it off so that we can then easily get
to St. Pancras with as few rail/taxi/bus transfers as possible.

In the past I've used National Car Rental, who have an office about
half a mile away on Pentonville Road [1]. If you're not travelling
with too much luggage, it's about 10-15 minutes' walk from St Pancras
International; there are a few quiet side streets to cross, as well as
some busier ones with pedestrian crossings.

As it's a Sunday, the congestion charge will not be in operation.
However, I have an inkling that it also means the office (and most
other central London car rental places) will be closed - you can
return cars on the forecourt and leave keys in the drop box, but you
may have to pay for the rental through to Monday morning.

The rental offices at Heathrow tend to be open 24 hours, and the first
tube into town on a Sunday leaves around 6am. St Pancras has a left
luggage office [2], so you could return the car, see off your father,
head into town by tube, leave your lugage, and go for a wander around
town before your Eurostar departs. This option avoids the vagaries of
London traffic, which I've found can be frustrating at any time of
day.

- martin

[1] map: http://tinyurl.com/35lm93
[2] according to http://www.stpancras.com/content.aspx?id=303

On Mar 26, 2:12 am, Christopher Barker wrote:
On a Sunday afternoon in late July my wife and I will be departing from
St. Pancras station in London via Eurostar. Prior to this we will be
using a rental car for a few days, based in Cookham, Berks. We have
not yet booked the car, but before we do so I'd like to ask the group's
advice on the best place to drop it off so that we can then easily get
to St. Pancras with as few rail/taxi/bus transfers as possible.

[the original post didnt appear here, so some attribs wrong].

You are on holiday.
You dont want to be messing around with dropping cars off at unfamiliar
places while going for a train.
I'd suggest dropping off the rental car on the Saturday in the area you
are staying.
Enterprise will deliver your car, then take you back home, or collect it
from you:
http://www.enterprise.co.uk

Other rental companies may do the same, I dont know, as I only use
Enterprise.

Then, on the Sunday morning, pre-book a local taxi Company to take you
to the rail station for your train. This will be around £50 - 75.
You'll be picked up at your door, then dropped off outside the rail
station.

Far less hassle for you, do you really want to try and find a drop-off
point in Central London, when you are on holiday?
Alan.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

In message
, at
19:10:18 on Wed, 26 Mar 2008, Martin Deutsch
remarked:

St Pancras has a left luggage office [2]

It's right at the "back" of the station. Past even the domestic ticket
offices. I think it's open now. Otherwise the Kings Cross office isn't
far away on Platform 8.

Likely to cost about £6 per item per day.

[2] according to http://www.stpancras.com/content.aspx?id=303

--
Roland Perry

In message , at 08:48:07 on
Thu, 27 Mar 2008, A.Lee remarked:
Then, on the Sunday morning, pre-book a local taxi Company to take you
to the rail station for your train. This will be around £50 - 75.
You'll be picked up at your door, then dropped off outside the rail
station.

But he has to via Heathrow (with father). Probably a cheaper taxi ride,
but leaves them at Heathrow at 6.30am and nothing to do the rest of the
day.

It's 25 mins from Cookham to the airport (and a very simple route), I
suggest he takes his dad there using the hire car, then on the way back
to Cookham reconnoitre the hire car dropoff along the north perimeter
road so he can find it again later. Head back to Cookham via the A4 and
Junction 5.

When it's time, leave Cookham again, drop off the car and take a shuttle
bus to T5, then Piccadilly line to St Pancras.
--
Roland Perry

Hello everyone, the OP has returned! Sorry, I wasn't ignoring you all,
but was offline for a few days.

I have read with interest the great advice that so many of you were so
generous to provide. Thank you to everyone! RTE comes through again,
as it has so many times before for us.

Chris (in California)