CAMC Crystal Palace or Abbey Wood to Central London?

[VXman]

Which is the quickest/easiest campsite to access Central London?

 

[Brains]

Abby Wood.
15 mins from the M25.
Walking distance to Elizabeth line, which will put you in the middle of London in 25 mins.

(Also Crystal Palace will be closing soon, the lease has not been renewed)

Both are inside the LEZ, so if you have a pre-2015 van check if you need to pay here

Also remember from Milton Keynes if you around the M25 and cross the Thames at Dartford you need to pay a toll,
Paying the toll is only available on line.
Easiest to set up an account, and then register every vehicle you or your family own

 

[PlacidoD]

Both are inside the ULEZ zone CAMC Alderstead Heath is outside ULEZ but a long way round on the M25 from Milton Keynes! Train Journey into Central London from there is easy (Train from Mertsham or Coulsdon South)

 

[VXman]

Abby Wood.
15 mins from the M25.
Walking distance to Elizabeth line, which will put you in the middle of London in 25 mins.

(Also Crystal Palace will be closing soon, the lease has not been renewed)

Both are inside the LEZ, so if you have a pre-2015 van check if you need to pay here

Also remember from Milton Keynes if you around the M25 and cross the Thames at Dartford you need to pay a toll,
Paying the toll is only available on line.
Easiest to set up an account, and then register every vehicle you or your family own

Thanks for that detailed reply. I'm ok with the toll - travelled that way many times. My 2021 van is fully ULEZ/LEZ compliment.

 

[Marie-Claire]

Abbey wood for sure , trains run till late so can have an evening out and still get back

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[seasideBill]

My vote would be Crystal Palace, open until 14 Dec I think. It’s a much more vibrant area with good restaurants & pubs nearby. No 3 bus runs 24/7 (every 10mins daytime) direct to Westminster/Victoria. Free if you have a bus pass. Abbey Wood is a bit dead. I suspect travel times into central London for both are similar.

 

[Whippet93]

Another option is Caravan & camping club site at Kelvedon Hatch, outside the M25, 15 minutes drive to Shenfield then the Elizabeth line into London

 

[VXman]

My vote would be Crystal Palace, open until 14 Dec I think. It’s a much more vibrant area with good restaurants & pubs nearby. No 3 bus runs 24/7 (every 10mins daytime) direct to Westminster/Victoria. Free if you have a bus pass. Abbey Wood is a bit dead. I suspect travel times into central London for both are similar.

Thanks for that info.

TFL website suggests 28 mins from Abbey Wood to Leicester sq, (where i need to go) whereas Crystal palace would be a minimum of 43 mins depending on route/method of transport. Quite happy with the peace and quiet of Abbey Wood looking at it. Although Crystal palace is a little nearer for me - although 10 mins slower. all depends on traffic anyway. Hmmm....

 

[seasideBill]

Thanks for that info.

TFL website suggests 28 mins from Abbey Wood to Leicester sq, (where i need to go) whereas Crystal palace would be a minimum of 43 mins depending on route/method of transport. Quite happy with the peace and quiet of Abbey Wood looking at it. Although Crystal palace is a little nearer for me - although 10 mins slower. all depends on traffic anyway. Hmmm....

Bus stop outside Crystal Palace site is quite a bit nearer than train station at Abbey Wood. Bus route is much more interesting particularly if on top deck.

 

[Red Sonja]

Abbey Wood gives you direct access to mainline trains into London as well as the new Elizabeth line. Short walk from the site to the train station. I live a few miles from the site if you need more info.

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[Brains]

Crystal Palace is the nicer area.

Abbey Wood is the best to access from the M25 as it's an easy route in, A2/M2 no lights between the motorway and the site.
It's also the fastest easiest access to central London, 5 min walk to station on the Elizabeth Line no changes.
(Station is also on the Thameslink line, so also direct to a number of other places in central london)

No need to go hunting restaurants in Abbey Wood, as you eat and drink in town and come back to the site to sleep.

 

[icantremember]

For a really interesting trip into town from Abbey Wood, take Elizabeth line one stop to The Arsenal, then 5 min walk down to river and catch Uberboat up river.

 

[Gaston aires]

We have used both frequently. Abbey Wood wins hands down now it’s on the Elizabeth line, 20 mins into Tottenham court rd. Crystal Palace bus can take 40 minutes or over an hour depending on the traffic.
As you probably know, CP is closing for good mid December.
Phil

 

[Gav61]

Abbey Wood......defo...
Also if you've got some spare time....easy for Greenwich Village....superb and well worth a half/full day

 

[Gaston aires]

Abbey Wood......defo...
Also if you've got some spare time....easy for Greenwich Village....superb and well worth a half/full day

Especially the Greenwich market pie n mash shop
Phil upmeplate

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[Ducatian]

Prefer Crystal Palace as a site but Abbey Wood for Transport.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Abby Wood.
15 mins from the M25.
Walking distance to Elizabeth line, which will put you in the middle of London in 25 mins.

(Also Crystal Palace will be closing soon, the lease has not been renewed)

Both are inside the LEZ, so if you have a pre-2015 van check if you need to pay here

Also remember from Milton Keynes if you around the M25 and cross the Thames at Dartford you need to pay a toll,
Paying the toll is only available on line.
Easiest to set up an account, and then register every vehicle you or your family own

£315-£317.50 per day fir us

 

[meanders]

Do you need to take the van? MK to Euston quick and regular. 5 mins walk to Warren Street and straight down to LSq.

 

[Mr porky]

Abbey wood gets our vote. Easy access to central London and a Greggs on the way to the train station

 

[dunnah01]

£315-£317.50 per day fir us

We're 'only' £100 so stay at Hertford club site and get the train in to Lundun

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[Brains]

£315-£317.50 per day fir us

If you were coming into London, then I'd be looking for a campsite within walking distance of a rail station outside the M25 on one of the fast rail lines that transit London:

Probably the three best are:
HS1 rail route, Kent to London (Isle of Thanet, Canterbury, Ashford, into Stratford and St Pancras - very fast.)
The Thameslink rail route, (Medway area to Luton via central London)
The BedPan line (Brighton to Bedford via central London)

London has 18 rail terminuses, all used by millions of commuters every day, it would a case of doing some research and getting a list of campsites up to 80 miles beyond the M25 that are walking distance to a rail station.

Then from that (probably very small) list looking at train frequency,
time from motorhome to a fixed point in central London,
and cost of both campsite and train fares.

One example:
Nethercourt Camping in Ramsgate, Kent.
10 min walk to Ramsgate station (and also the sandy beach).
Central London in under an hour on HS1
And you are 80+ miles from London!

 

[VXman]

Crystal Palace is the nicer area.

Abbey Wood is the best to access from the M25 as it's an easy route in, A2/M2 no lights between the motorway and the site.
It's also the fastest easiest access to central London, 5 min walk to station on the Elizabeth Line no changes.
(Station is also on the Thameslink line, so also direct to a number of other places in central london)

No need to go hunting restaurants in Abbey Wood, as you eat and drink in town and come back to the site to sleep.

my motorhome has a kitchen.

 

[VXman]

If you were coming into London, then I'd be looking for a campsite within walking distance of a rail station outside the M25 on one of the fast rail lines that transit London:

Probably the three best are:
HS1 rail route, Kent to London (Isle of Thanet, Canterbury, Ashford, into Stratford and St Pancras - very fast.)
The Thameslink rail route, (Medway area to Luton via central London)
The BedPan line (Brighton to Bedford via central London)

London has 18 rail terminuses, all used by millions of commuters every day, it would a case of doing some research and getting a list of campsites up to 80 miles beyond the M25 that are walking distance to a rail station.

Then from that (probably very small) list looking at train frequency,
time from motorhome to a fixed point in central London,
and cost of both campsite and train fares.

One example:
Nethercourt Camping in Ramsgate, Kent.
10 min walk to Ramsgate station (and also the sandy beach).
Central London in under an hour on HS1
And you are 80+ miles from London!

I may aswell go from home. Fast train is just 35 mins anyway.

 

[meanders]

I know we have twice looked long and hard. Once we tried Crystal Palace but even getting in from Crystal Palace site took as long as the train to Liverpool Street so it was only the short ride from there to Leicester Square additional time. Going back from the West End to CP was hardly a pleasant affair after the show. Since then we have always gone down by train for the day.

 

[Brains]

my motorhome has a kitchen.

Does it do Curry one night, Chinese the next, and Turkish the following night ?
Even in Woolwich (one stop up the line) you could find food from 10 different countries within 100m of the station.

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[VXman]

Does it do Curry one night, Chinese the next, and Turkish the following night ?
.

I can do those yes.

 

[Sneds]

This thread has prompted us to book three nights at Abbey Wood next summer.
I think it was @train to Arsenal then take the clipper boat that did it for me
Thanks for the inspiration

 

[seasideBill]

I may aswell go from home. Fast train is just 35 mins anyway.

If you’re just planning a quick visit for a specific event, then why bother with the hassle of taking the MH? However, its a destination like no other and worth combining with 3 or 4 days or longer to explore some of what London has to offer. That’s when taking the MH makes sense as a cheap & flexible ‘hotel’. Both sites fit the bill perfectly and it’s a real shame Crystal Palace is going. They’re both like a little green oasis in the urban sprawl but Crystal Palace was my preference given the variety of lively pubs, restaurants and independent shops. It is a great place to wind down in the evening after a hectic day in London. Abbey Wood by comparison is dull, but ideal if your requirement is just somewhere quiet and safe to sleep.

 

[bornagain]

For a really interesting trip into town from Abbey Wood, take Elizabeth line one stop to The Arsenal, then 5 min walk down to river and catch Uberboat up river.

We did exactly this on Monday, it's a great way to get into the centre of London and see the sights in an unusual way.
On Tuesday we got the Elizabeth line to Custom House, walked down to the Cable car and had a high level ride over the river into Greenwich - we then got the underground into town - this was another great experience due to the views of the surrounding area.

 

[pampam]

Luv abbey wood,a little oasis